CAREERS AND EDUCATION

Planning ahead for post-secondary studies

Explore your options

Planning for post-secondary studies can help you make informed, realistic decisions about your education and career. You might want to take different factors into consideration depending on what stage of life you are in while planning ahead.

While in high school

High school students are still learning about themselves and developing their interests, talents and abilities. During this time, it is a good idea to keep your options open for further studies in a variety of fields. This means developing good research and writing skills and continuing on in math and sciences, if at all possible. The evolving and changing nature of adolescence favors exposure to a broad high school education. You may regret prematurely dropping core subject areas later on as this could mean that certain careers choices could be eliminated. Getting the required courses at a later stage is possible, but more difficult.

High school students should equip themselves with tools for exploring various academic programs and careers. Since career changes are common, these skills can be useful throughout your working life. Students need to keep connected with academic requirements, labour market trends, the impact of technology and marketability of their program.

Students also need to be able to approach their guidance counsellors, teachers and people working in a variety of fields for information and career advice. They need to be able to find information from reputable websites, key staff and librarians, and from school visits. There should

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be no unwelcome surprises such as program costs, eligibility for loans and grants, minimum academic requirements for admission and if there are specific requirements for certain programs.

The older student

Older students and mid-life career changers face advantages and disadvantages in choosing programs. Life experiences and prior work are helpful to their learning; however, they may find that they are behind in the kind of skills that some high school students develop from current coursework, parttime jobs and family businesses. Older students may find that the computer skills of younger students are more up to date, that they have more practice with writing essays, and even that they have developed skills in the trades from summer employment.

Older students may feel rusty and discouraged, but one strategy is to engage in focused self-study. Another strategy is to take an introductory course or two prior to starting full-time studies. While an introductory semester may delay starting a program, it may make a big difference in your comfort level, self-esteem and grades later on. Summer introductory courses, in particular, are a good way to prepare since they present the material in a concentrated way. Reach out to a program advisor who can help you determine if taking these courses could be helpful. A look at the curriculum, course outlines and textbooks can also help in assessing readiness. This can make academics more manageable and enjoyable.

Keep exploring while attending school

While it is true that admission to some post-secondary schools may require particular courses

from high school, elective courses at the post-secondary level can be used to continue exploring options and building skills. For instance, choosing a writing course while in a science field or a statistics course while studying the humanities.

The first year of university, which can sometimes be a rude shock in terms of grades, is a great opportunity to test out abilities and interests, and to look at the competition. The first year is a good indicator of whether the student has chosen wisely and will enjoy the work associated with their diploma or degree.

The first year is a good time to acquaint yourself with the supports that can help you refine your career goals throughout your studies. Support can be available through writing centres, peer tutoring and other student services. Even if you are a strong student, additional help can increase your grades and understanding.

Do your best to get ready for your post-secondary program, but also continue to explore your academic and career direction with the help of your school. No matter what stage of life you are in, planning ahead is critical to your success.

Geneviève Beaupré and Susan Qadeer have extensive experience working in university and college settings, providing career, academic and personal counselling to international and immigrant students.

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BEAT THE VIRUS BLUES 10 tips for staying productive while working from home

Suddenly, WFH is now a buzzword. For the uninitiated, WFH or ‘Work From Home’ seems to be the new norm in these extraordinary times. Thousands of people have suddenly been thrust into the reality of working remotely from home. And with “social distancing” becoming another buzzword, WFH could be here to stay.

Look at the bright side! WFH now saves you precious time and money in commuting costs alone. While WFH can offer some cool benefits, it also brings along unique challenges.

Here is your beginner’s guide, with 10 tips to ace these WFH times and enjoy a productive, remote-working lifestyle.

4Remember to clock-out.

The danger of working from home is that your work and personal life start to blend together, and you begin to feel like you’re always “on”. You might end up working longer hours than normal and this can be very unhealthy.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, pick a time in advance to “check out” of work. Even if the checking out is simply mental, it will provide the separation you need to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

1Create a dedicated work area.

Begin right. Set up a separate work area, ideally in a space or room where you can close the door and shut out everything else. If you don’t have a home office, do as much as you can to create a space exclusively for work. One of the biggest challenges of working from home? The distractions that come with it like your family, pets, the kitchen and more!

That’s why it’s extremely important to have a dedicated workspace. If you have room for a separate home office, perfect. But even if you don’t, you can make do with a small desk or table. The separate, secluded space also creates the psychological barrier and stops family from barging in on you at odd times and helps you focus on your work. Also, invest in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones or some quality earplugs.

2Start early, get in the flow.

Remember, you have swapped your morning commute for the transition from the bed to the computer. Use this precious time to log in early and finish the big, important tasks first.

One way to be more productive in your WFH is to dive into your to-do list as soon as you wake up. Simply getting a project started first thing in the morning can be the key to making progress on it gradually throughout the day. Otherwise, you will prolong breakfast and let the morning sluggishness wear away your motivation.

3Control your schedule.

To remain productive and be in control, set regular work hours and, as much as possible, adhere to them. It is also a great opportunity to adapt your work schedule to your natural body clock or chronotype.

One of the best things about working from home is the flexibility it gives you over your own schedule. Without a good structure in place, you could go haywire and easily run out of time or energy for work. With a little practice, you can figure out what works best for you.

5 Bonus Tips to Make Your WFH Fun

1. Exercise while you work. You can invest in cool products like the Deskcycle and burn calories when you work at your desk.

2. Play some music. If your work permits, why not play lyricfree music. It could even help you increase your focus.

3. Let in the light. Why leave the curtains closed and create a cave-like atmosphere? Another option is to simply have a plant or two around you to spruce up the surroundings.

4. Choose a themed-background. Whatever the state of your home office, you could simply blur the background or add custom images when you are getting on video calls. Many sites like Zoom offer this feature.

5. Embrace nature. Go for a walk. It’s okay to leave your computer, stretch, and step outside. Just a short 10to15-minutewalkcandowonderstogetthejuicesflowing.

5Set up your workspace for efficiency and comfort.

It pays to invest in a work environment that will keep you healthy and ache free. Set up an ergonomic home office by investing in an upright chair, like you would at your office desk.

Along with this, your WFH tech set-up could include a top-end computer monitor with a large high-resolution screen, a comfortable keyboard and mouse, as well as an effective webcam and other essentials.

fast and uninterrupted internet connection, it makes sense to invest in a Broadband service. You could also consider having an alternative device – a smartphone or tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard, or a spare laptop – as an alternative way of connecting to the office, even if it means using a hotspot while running errands.

7Get digitally savvy.

In today’s time and age, no one can afford to say that the Internet is not their cup of tea. While there’s no true replacement for an in-person meeting, online conference tools like Zoom, Skype, Webex, GoToWebinar, Slack and many more make it easier to work collaboratively in remote teams.

Once you master these tools, conducting meetings online can be a breeze, allowing you to see your client’s or colleague’s facial expressions and body language, in addition to hearing their voice.

8Take proper breaks.

Just because your home has also become your office doesn’t mean you should stay still all day. There’s enough research today that indicates that humans work best by taking short breaks in between bursts of high activity. The key is to make sure you take the time to refresh your mind and body.

It’s important to take regular breaks, ideally every 60 to 90 minutes. Remember that a 10 to 15-minute break will make all the difference, as will a proper break for lunch. Stay hydrated – having a water bottle near your desk helps.

9Dress for work as usual.

While it is tempting to stay in bed and work on your laptop in your T-shirt and pajamas, dress as if you’re going to work each day. Putting on some form of “work-wear” can help you get into the right mentality.

Always dress as if you are going into an office when working from home. Do remember that if you appear in a Skype meeting wearing pajamas, others will notice.

10 Stay positive, stay in communication mode. It’s easy to get lonely as you do serious office work from an unconventional space. That’s why it’s important to keep the spirits up and relieve the stress.

Remember, good relationships are built on a foundation of trust and good communication. Regularly check in with colleagues, stay in the loop, and find opportunities to connect with people after work, either through social media or in person, keeping social distancing in mind.

Follow these simple 10 tips and your WFH opportunity may turn out to be the best thing that has happened to you.

Murali Murthy is an acclaimed public speaker, life coach and best-selling author of The ACE Principle, The ACE Awakening, The ACE Abundance and You Are HIRED!. He is also chairperson of CAMP Networking Canada. Learn how he can help unlock your magic at unleashyourwow.com.

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KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN THE

CANADIAN WORKPLACE Overcoming challenges, seeking resources and finding solutions

By Ramya Ramanathan and Denise Hansen

Prashant Shori knows a thing or two about the confusion newcomers to Canada face when it comes to understanding their rights in the workplace. As an information and referral specialist at the YMCA of Greater Toronto, he advises newcomers on all aspects of their settlement — from finding housing to answering employment questions .

Shori regularly hears the same concerns from newcomers about workplace rights: “I was laid off unreasonably without fault of my own; I was not paid for my last two weeks at work; I am working part-time and was promised a certain amount of hours but now I’m not being given those hours …”

Canadian workplace legislation can be difficult to understand especially if English is your second language. And it’s even more confusing considering there are differences in workers’ rights between provinces and territories. Regardless of your province or city of residence, or even your immigration status, Canadian laws protect every worker in Canada. These laws state that all workers in Canada have the right to be paid for their work, to break time and days off, to a safe workplace, and to keep their passport or work permit.

All workers in Canada have the right to know about health and safety matters in their respective workplace, have the right to participate in decisions that could affect their health and safety, and have the right to refuse work that could negatively affect their health and safety and that of others. Canadian law also states that employers cannot force employees to perform duties they were not hired or trained to do, and cannot force someone to work if they are sick or injured, among other things.

Workplace bullying

Beyond basic workplace rights, many newcomers come across more systemic workplace problems like bullying and discrimination.

Radhika Nath* immigrated to Toronto about a decade ago. At a recent job as a senior manager, she found her boss referring to her as “her protégée” and constantly telling her what to do. She was taken aback since she had close to two decades of experience, half of which was in Canada, and a managerial role was not new to her. “I let that slide like I did many other things,” she says.

“My job was to manage thought leadership committees, and as I recruited senior leaders, I was asked to make sure there was adequate gender representation. When I brought up the low representation of visible minorities and immigrants on these committees and suggested we address the gaps, I was told that immigrants don’t make it to senior levels and would be hard to find. My boss also told me that she was ‘colour blind’ and visible minorities would not be a factor in the recruitment.”

Nath pursued the matter and was eventually let go and told that she wasn’t a good fit. She believes that it was because she brought up an issue that the organization wasn’t comfortable with.

Immigrant Lily Fernandes* who has been in the GTA for a couple of decades believes that it gets easier as you progress in your career. “Discrimination for me was more at entry-level roles. I have always

felt that the colour of my skin goes against me. Also, being a woman already has a disadvantage because you cannot be aggressive in the maledominated corporate setting. But, you cannot be subservient because you will be walked all over.”

These struggles are not uncommon. While a number of newcomers and immigrants find themselves warmly welcomed to Canada, they often face challenges climbing up the career ladder especially when their workplace is not committed to promoting diversity and inclusion.

According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, Ontario has recorded a little over 3,000 complaints of workplace harassment each year for the last couple of years.

The Ministry considers workplace harassment as including, but not limited to: offensive comments or jokes; bullying or aggressive behaviour; inappropriate staring; sexual harassment; isolating or making fun of a worker because of their gender identity.

Finding the resources and solutions you need

Every Canadian province and territory has an office that deals with labour and employment laws that can provide workers with information about fair pay, hours of work, rest periods and working conditions in their city and province of residence. Anyone working in Canada has the right to call or visit these offices if there is a problem with pay, hours of work, or if they feel they are being treated unfairly at work.

In addition, provinces have nonprofits and legal support centres funded by the government to help newcomers and immigrants find information and seek advice when faced with challenging or unsafe workplace situations. A number of organizations offer self-help kits, resources and tools to help navigate the human rights system. Some settlement agencies that deal with employment can often provide you with a list of resources in your province.

Janina Fogels, legal manager and senior legal counsel at Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre (OHRLSC), an agency funded by the Ontario government to provide legal services to individuals who have experienced discrimination, says they get a range of calls on subjects from disability rights to international employment experience not being recognized to religious accommodation requests – all potential violations of the human rights code.

She recommends that everyone learn about their rights in the workplace. “Know your rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code, Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Employment Standards Act. Know your rights under your collective agreement if you belong to a union. We [OHRLSC] can help you know and assert your rights.”

She encourages people who believe their rights are being violated to be aware and document their experiences closely. “Keep a journal or write emails to yourself about what you are experiencing. So, you have a way to prove it later. Document your experience and speak to somebody you trust in the workplace. If you are considering filing with the Human Rights Tribunal, call us for help. We can give you advice about what you might want to do next and walk you through options. They don’t have to include litigating, which is time consuming and stressful and often the last resort.”

She points out that everything has to be looked at from a case-by-case basis.

Every situation is unique

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino recently announced that more than one million immigrants (close to 57 per cent to come from the economic class) will be invited to Canada over the next three years. While they are welcomed with services provided by settlement agencies and are connected with resources to start a new life in their home, supports need to be available to them to build a thriving career — beyond a job that just helps them pay their bills.

How did Radhika Nath handle the situation? Nath is pursuing the matter at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. “I am not speaking just for myself, but on behalf of the thousands of immigrants who deal with situations like this. If Canada is opening its doors to immigrants, it has a responsibility to make sure that immigrants can thrive.”

What about Lily Fernandes? She says: “I had four options: get up and leave; complain to the higher-ups; shut up and take it; or sit down with my manager and tell them that the way I was being talked to was not acceptable and I wanted a more positive working relationship. I chose the last option and thankfully, it worked.”

Her advice to newcomers and immigrants? “Do not make it personal. Blend in. When people grow up here they learn how to be very polite and learn what is acceptable. Canadians are more likely to withhold their opinions. A number of immigrants tend to be more direct, which can often be viewed as being rude.”

Fernandes adds: “I know that every role I have held, every conversation I have had, has been a stepping stone that has taken me toward my goals.” *Names changed.