Protential

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protential process book

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Emily Carr University of Art + Design | 2019

sabrina lam sabrinalamcreates.com sabrina.rach.lam@gmail.com 2

nathalie pan nathaliepan.com pan.nathalie7@gmail.com


contents 5

introduction

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design proposal

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project thesis

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research

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precedent

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secondary

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primary

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process

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thesis project poster

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project proposal

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logo

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instagram

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patterns

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posters

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brochure

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microsite

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merchandise

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reflection

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solution

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documentation

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conclusion

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appendix

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bibliography

mood board printed cards interim critique

motion graphics

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The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.

- Ellen Parr


multipotentialite [muhl-tuh-puh-ten-shuh-lahyt] noun An individual who has many different interests, creative pursuits and is meant to pursue all of them. Alternative terms: Polymath / Renaissance Person; Scanner; Generalist; Multi-Passionate; Multipod

protential [pro-ten-shuh l] noun 1. a campaign that strives to spread awareness of multipotentiality. 2. a campaign that provides an opportunity to reflect on the structural implications within the education system.

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design proposal our direction Public awareness campaign of multipotentialites

target audience Although our overall target is the general public, our fundamental audience are multipotentialites, since our goal is to make their presence more known in society and campaign for a more multipotentialite-friendly society.

goal Multipotentialites – ACCEPTING YOURSELF – Let people know that it’s okay to have more than one passion and that they don’t have to choose just one discipline. We encourage people to pursue a career and/or lifestyle that allows them to use their multiple interests. General Public – Gain awareness

problem space One career path – Multipotentialites have many paths of interest but are often forced to choose and specialize in one path even though they are meant to pursue them all.

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?

ONE CAREER PATH

RESTRICTIVE SOCIETY

MISCONCEPTION

They are known to thrive between the intersections of various disciplines and are able to lead more fulfilling lives this way. Restrictive Society – Society is constructed in a way that pressures and suppresses individuals to only specialize in one discipline. We currently live in a knowledge based economy and emerging work industry that requires multifaceted people, but the educational framework that we built for ourselves isn’t equipped for that. Misconception – Multipotentialites are often stereotyped as irresponsible, unstable, flaky, and afraid to commit because they aren’t provided the opportunity or time to pursue other interests. There is actually a demand for multipotentialites from employers, but the education system doesn’t support their needs since it’s specialized.

outcome We anticipate to finish our project with a variety of materials such as an informational brochure, campaign posters, a motion graphics video, fact cards, a quiz card and merchandise.


project thesis our direction A multipotentialite is an individual with many interests and creative pursuits. They are prevalent in today’s society but are not known to many. They find it difficult to embrace their multi-passionate nature and strong sense of curiosities because the current structure of society does not allow them to do so. Quite the contrary, their diverse skills and rich knowledge are the norm and are highly sought after in the changing modern society. This project seeks to spread awareness of multipotentialites and encourage reflection on the traditional structure of the education system.

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research precedent We looked into some exemplars of successful multipotentialites, for instance, Emilie Wapnick (awardwinning author, career coach, blogger, community leader, and founder and creative director at Puttylike.com), Elon Musk (co-founder of Paypal, Founder, CEO, Lead Designer of SpaceX, CEO, Product Architect of Tesla Motors), Steve Jobs (Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc., Primary investor and Chairman of Pixar, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of NeXT) and many others including Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, Brian May, Viggo Mortenson, Jeff Bezos, Leonardo Da vinci, etc. We examined Emilie Wapnick’s Puttytribe community and recognized its success in being the first social platform for building a big-scale collective for multipotentialites. However, we did discover some areas where we would like to reanalyze its registration system to improve on the inclusiveness and accessibility. We also looked into Slowly, a pen pal app, and Meetup, a service used to organize and host events for people with similar interests, for inspiration in terms of interface.

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research secondary For secondary research, we looked at existing sources such as news reports, books, articles and other forms of reference concerning multipotentialites. We also researched factors such as historical context, current conventional wisdom, comparative advantage, USP and the progression of the Canadian education system, which has contributed to the wide acceptance of rather than multipotentiality. This was executed through searching existing resources to collect data that will be used for content gathering.

main concepts Comparative Advantage: Concept in economics that a country should specialize in producing and exporting only those goods and services which it can produce more efficiently. USP: Marketing concept based on the factor or consideration presented by a seller as the reason that one product or service is different from and better than that of the competition. Specialization: It has been a major social trend since the end of World War II. The expansion of the American university system, and more precisely, the growth of graduate certification, is a major factor here. 14


Specialization of Knowledge: A modern development and belief that the progress of knowledge is the result of distinct and independent spheres, and that knowledge in one discipline has little connection with knowledge in another discipline. Division of Labour: Much of the prosperity our world now enjoys comes from the productivity gains of dividing work into ever smaller tasks performed by ever more specialized workers. Canadian Education System: David Naylor (outgoing president of the University of Toronto,) called the argument for more job-specific education a so-called zombie idea, “one of those persistent and infectious pieces of misinformation, a meme that shouldn’t be alive but just won’t die.” Employment System (Types of employment in BC): Multi-tracking: Two or more work roles, e.g., two parttime jobs, job plus own business •

Advantages: Pursue a variety of interests, increased security from multiple income sources, increased flexibility

Potential disadvantages: Pressure on leisure time, time-management challenges

Job sharing: Two or more people share the responsibilities of one job.

Advantages: Same as part-time work (with addition of split benefits), job partner’s support and collaboration

Potential disadvantages: Communication and coordination challenges due to limited time overlap. 15


Conventional Wisdom: While “conventional wisdom” might say that you have to narrow your interests and concentrate on just one thing in order to be successful, many of the brilliant entrepreneurs, creative thinkers, and progressive leaders of our time have indeed had many and varied interests. And, in fact, it was the pursuit of those many interests that led to their great success and often their extraordinary results. Social Norms: Traditional education is everything. Business is 9 to 5 at the office. A jack of all trades is a master of none. Pressure to conform to the majority. New Work Trends in Canada: The rise of blended workforces: A study by Intuit Canada projects that full– and part-time freelancers, independent contractors and on-demand workers are expected to make up 45 per cent of the work force by 2020. As more offices move towards a blended work force, company leaders will be responsible for shaping office culture to benefit from the growing freelance economy, take advantage of shared workspace environments and better accommodate remote workers so that all employees can contribute positively to the culture.

PROGRESSION OF AUTOMATIZATION

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ADVANCEMENT OF INTERCONNECTION

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS


research primary We conducted primary research in the form of posting a survey online. Our survey consisted of a quiz determining if the participant was a multipotentialite or not. We also had an option for people to share their opinion and personal story on being a multipotentialite. We received 59 responses by the end. We used the personal stories that people sent to us to place on our microsite as a way to have multipotentialites’ voices to be heard and for the general public to gain a better understanding of how multipotentialites think of the education/employment system.

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process thesis project poster We presented our first poster to the class explaining the our project’s concept: Multipotentialite. We received feedback and kept those comments in consideration while revising the direction of our project.

project proposal Our project proposal book consisted of: 1. our overview target audience 2. problem space 3. thesis statement 4. research plan precedent secondary participatory 5. process plan 6. endnotes It provided a brief summary on how we intended to address our project’s situation and problem.

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process logo form After gathering multipotentialite research, we began working on our logo: 1. Research & Inspiration: We started off with looking online of other logos and brands that may relate to our campaign to gain inspiration. We created a Pinterest board as a visual starting point. 2. Thumbnail Sketches: We then started sketching all possible ideas of what the Protential logo could be. 3. Digital: After narrowing down our strongest ideas we brought our sketches into Illustrator to create vectors. 4. Adding Colour: After finalizing our logo digitally, we played around with choosing our brand colours. 5. Final: After finalizing our brand colours, the Protential logo was completed. We chose to use the shapes of a triangle, square and circle so it’ll show diversity and form the shape of P for Protential.

logo colours We explored all types of colours for Protential before it became finalized as indigo, red and yellow.

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process instagram We created an Instagram as a method of gaining a larger audience and creating public awareness of our campaign. It was a method of creating a community online and have people learn more about multipotentialites. It also created another opportunity for the public to learn about our project instead of only finding us through our microsite or Youtube video. At the same time, people can find our microsite through our Instagram since we’ve included the URL in our bio. Our Instagram consists of mockups of our deliverables, quotes and images of multipotentialites.

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process mood board We created a mood board for gaining visual inspiration and direction on our brand identity and graphic style, specifically campaign posters. We looked into Swiss Design, a graphic design style that emerged in the 1920s and was developed by Swiss designers during the 1950s. We played around with focusing on interweaving type, form and shapes to create a cohesive composition. We used the shapes from Protential’s logo: a square, triangle and circle to create different layouts.

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process patterns Our patterns are derived by playing around with Protential’s brand shapes and exploring its relationship with one another in different arrangements. We went through multiple iterations and graphic styles such as: 1. Complex shapes: we started off with creating and representing different objects with our brand shapes and made complex compositions. 2. Overlay (transparencies): we overlaid the shapes through transparencies to create dimension. 3. Overlay (tints): we switched to using colour tints to add more structure and solid dimensions. Also this helped in predicting and controlling colours that had a bolder impact. 4. Minimal Flat: we simplified and added more clear space between our shapes so our patterns wouldn’t be too visually distracting when placed behind content. Some shapes we left to stand alone and others overlapped with one another to create a balance. 5. Dynamic Flat: our patterns looked more visually interesting and meaningful once we interweaved the concept of breaking free within our shapes by size. 30



process printed cards Fact Cards and Quiz Card: Our fact cards and quiz cards were designed in a similar manner as we wanted to keep our visuals consistent. It started off with just type and a solid colour background. Afterwards, we applied our brand pattern behind to represent the concept of breaking free and emphasize on Protential’s identity system. Takeaway: Our takeaway is visually similar to our fact and quiz cards as it has our break free pattern behind the content. However, we changed the pattern and background colours to create a distinction yet still align with our brand identity.

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process posters The campaign posters is one of our project deliverables that went through the most iterations. It involved a similar process as our patterns since we derived our visual identity through our shape explorations: 1. Complex shapes 2. Overlay (transparencies) 3. Overlay (tints) 4. Minimal Flat 5. Dynamic Flat In the beginning, we had labeled our project as critical design and a public awareness campaign. As a result, we divided our posters by creating two sets for two different audiences: 1. Multipotentialites: to spread awareness 2. Education System/Institutions: to encourage reflection on the traditional structure After our Interim Critique Poster review in class, we removed the label of critical design from our campaign and moved forward with creating posters with multipotentialites and the general public as our audience. 34



process interim critique Comments: •

“Visual language is strong, consistent and bold”

“Where does ‘take’ people. Is it just education or does it draw people together somehow?

“What do these shapes mean? I think your project would have more weight with stories of real people/ situations of difference. A narrative.”

“What’s multipotentialite? Define for people who don’t know.”

“Branding is nice. What else than just spreading awareness?”

“The branding has drastically changed from before – I really enjoy the colours and name brand change. Great mockup developments, very eye-catching which makes me want to learn more on multipotentialites.”

“I don’t understand how this is critical design. What are people supposed to do when they find out they are a multipotentialite? Is it only an awareness campaign?

“I’m wondering what more will be displayed at the final show.”

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Based on the feedback we received from the class, we made sure to clarify that we’ll have information and resources on our microsite so that people can learn more, take action and do something about it. We also decided to stop labeling ourselves as a “critical design” campaign as we were just planning to encourage reflection.

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process brochure Our brochure is another one of our deliverables that went through many iterations, specifically in terms of copy. For graphics it went from solid colour backgrounds with type, to minimal flat patterned graphics and to dynamic flat patterned graphics.

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process microsite We explored various programs (such as Adobe Muse, Adobe XD and Invision) to find out which would work best in making a website prototype. We later decided to make an actual website itself instead of a prototype of it and designed it on Wix. It’s laid out as: Multipotentialite definition, Eduation System, Problems, Goals, Video, Materials, Personal Stories, Exemplars and Resources We encountered many technical issues when using Wix, such as hover effects not working properly and lack of text functionality. Also, Wix didn’t seem to be as entirely responsive as we thought and we had to manually recreate the mobile version since it didn’t automatically match the desktop version.

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process motion graphics Our motion graphics video was created as a method of spreading public awareness and information of multipotentialites and Protential. The motion graphics video is posted on our Youtube, Instagram and microsite. We first sketched storyboards of our motion graphics and afterwards we brought our ideas to life by creating them in Adobe After Effects. After our animation portion is completed, we added sound effects and background music to finalize the video.

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process merchandise Our merchandise consists of a button, stickers and a tote bag. We incorporated our brand’s graphic elements on our designs and had the stickers available as a takeaway during Emily Carr University of Art and Design’s Graduation Show. We played around with different text arrangements.

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reflection refinement Patterns We changed our brand’s graphic elements from numerous styles such as complex shapes, overlay (transparencies, overlay (tints), minimal flat and dynamic flat. Removed workshop In the beginning, we planned to have a workshop program where certified instructors teach students certain subjects in a 2 week program. We later found out there’s companies that already do something similar to this. Removed “critical design” label We removed labeling ourselves as a “critical design” project since we realized we are not and that we are solely a public awareness project.

problems Missing the bigger picture We realized that we missed to see the bigger picture and problems throughout the project. We often focused too much on the little details and spent most of our time trying to fix small things constantly. Time Management We spent much more time than necessary on making certain material such as the logo and posters. 46


solution documentation

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conclusion Our final materials comprise of fact cards, a quiz card, a brochure, posters, stickers, a button pin, a tote bag, a microsite, a motion graphics video, a takeaway and an Instagram. The stickers and takeaway (includes our contact information and social media) were available for visitors to take during Emily Carr University of Art and Design’s graduation exhibition show. All our campaign materials are for informational and promotional purposes as it gives multipotentialites and the general public a better understanding of our campaign. As a way to help, we provide useful resources for multipotentialites and the general public to learn more about multipotentiality on our microsite. Overall, we created Protential: a public awareness campaign that aims to spread information on multipotentialites and encourage reflection on the traditional structure of the education system; which currently, does not correlate with the employment system. We both hope that with this project we can help people feel less isolated in their different career aspects and interests while going through schooling. We want people to know that it’s okay to not have one true calling.

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appendix bibliography Amadeo, Kimberly. “Understanding Comparative Advantage.” The Balance, www.thebalance.com/comparative-advantage-3305915. “Are You a ‘Multipotentialite?”.” The Center for Transformational Presence, 26 Oct. 2015, transformationalpresence.org/alan-seale-blog/are-you-amultipotentialite/. “Are You a Multipotentialite? What to Do When You Have Many Interests.” Tiny Buddha, 8 May 2017, tinybuddha.com/blog/are-you-a-multipotentialite-what-todo-when-you-have-many-interests. “Are You A Multipotentialite? The World Needs You!” Leaderonomics.com, 10 Aug. 2017, leaderonomics.com/personal/personal-growth-personal/how-worldneeds-multipotentialites. “Council of Ministers of Education, Canada.” CMEC, www.cmec.ca/299/ education-in-canada-an-overview/index.html. Baker, Jeff, and David R. Cox. “History and Importance of Specialization in Professional Psychology.” Oxford Handbooks, Oxford University Press, 16 June 2017, www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/ oxfordhb/9780199874019.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199874019-e-031. Bergan, Nicholas. “Marketing Yourself: The Importance of Specialization.” Online Career Tips, 8 Aug. 2013, onlinecareertips.com/2013/08/marketing-yourself-theimportance-of-specialization/. Biography.com Editors. “Elon Musk Biography.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 7 Sept. 2018, www.biography.com/people/elon-musk-20837159. Biography.com Editors. “Steve Jobs Biography.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 11 Sept. 2018, www.biography.com/people/steve-jobs-9354805. Casserly, Meghan. “The Secret Power Of The Generalist -- And How They’ll

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Rule The Future.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 17 July 2012, www.forbes.com/sites/ meghancasserly/2012/07/10/the-secret-power-of-the-generalist-and-how-theyllrule-the-future/#65841d0c2bd5. “Division of Labour: Meaning, Advantages and Disadvantages.” Essays, Research Papers and Articles on Business Management, 2 Nov. 2016, www. businessmanagementideas.com/organisation/structure-organisation/divisionof-labour-meaning-advantages-and-disadvantages/6196. Eby, Douglas EbyDouglas, and Creative Mind. “Resources For Multipotentialite Entrepreneurs.” The Inner Entrepreneur, 24 Feb. 2019, theinnerentrepreneur. com/732/the-renaissance-business-system-for-the-multi-passionateentrepreneur/. Epstein, Angela. “Can Part-Time Workers Ever Really Be Taken Seriously?” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 7 Sept. 2015, www.telegraph.co.uk/women/ womens-business/11848879/Can-part-time-workers-ever-really-be-takenseriously.html. Ferriss, Tim. “The Top 5 Reasons to Be a Jack of All Trades (#19).” The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss, 14 Mar. 2019, tim.blog/2007/09/14/the-top-5-reasons-to-be-ajack-of-all-trades/. Garnett, Laura. “7 Social Norms That Are Killing Your True Potential.” Inc.com, Inc., 18 Sept. 2015, www.inc.com/laura-garnett/7-social-norms-that-are-killingyour-true-potential.html. Hansen, Drew. “Do Businesses Need More Generalists?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 22 Dec. 2012,www.forbes.com/sites/drewhansen/2012/12/22/dobusinesses-need-more-generalists/#4db0891e33a3. Hayes, Adam. “Why Comparative Advantage Matters.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 13 Mar. 2019, www.investopedia.com/terms/c/ comparativeadvantage.asp. “Is It Better to Specialize or Generalize?” Wise Bread, www.wisebread.com/is-itbetter-to-specialize-or-generalize. Kasanoff, Bruce. “What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 6 Jan. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/brucekasanoff/2016/01/06/what-doyou-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up/#5d4f635f15fd. “Marketing Yourself: The Importance of Specialization.” Online Career Tips, 8 Aug. 2013, onlinecareertips.com/2013/08/marketing-yourself-the-importance-ofspecialization/.

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McCreary, Matthew, and Aytekin Tank. “Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Definition - Entrepreneur Small Business Encyclopedia.” Entrepreneur, www. entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/unique-selling-proposition-usp. “9 Bits of Conventional Wisdom You Should Ignore.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, www.cbsnews.com/news/9-bits-of-conventional-wisdom-you-should-ignore/. Noy, Andrew Van, and Andrew Van Noy. “Why Job Specialization Is Important to the Tech Market.” Mashable, Mashable, 9 June 2014, mashable.com/2014/06/09/ job-specializiation-tech-market/. Noy, Andrew Van. “Why Job Specialization Is Important to the Tech Market.” Mashable, Mashable, 9 June 2014, mashable.com/2014/06/09/job-specializiationtech-market/. Oracles, The. “7 Pieces of Conventional Wisdom in Business to Avoid | Money.” Time, Time, 25 July 2018, time.com/money/5347615/conventional-wisdomignore/. S.l. “Public Schools.” Just Landed, 23 Feb. 2016, www.justlanded.com/english/ Canada/Canada-Guide/Education/Public-Schools. Salem, Ahmed. “‘The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt.” LinkedIn, 15 July 2015, www.linkedin.com/ pulse/future-belongs-those-who-believe-beauty-dreams-eleanor-ahmedsalem-md/. “17 U.S. Immigrants Who Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.” Boundless Immigration, 22 Aug. 2018, www.boundless.com/blog/immigrant-chemists/. “The Passing of the Polymaths.” Times Higher Education (THE), 22 May 2015, www.timeshighereducation.com/comment/columnists/the-passing-of-thepolymaths/2019113.article. “The Power and Importance of Specialization – John Saddington.” John Saddington, 25 May 2013, john.do/specialization/. “The Power of the Multipotentialite.” LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/pulse/powermultipotentialite-sarah-peachey/. “The Trends That Shaped Canada’s Work Force in 2017 and How to Prepare for 2018.” The Globe and Mail, 23 Jan. 2018, www.theglobeandmail.com/report-onbusiness/careers/leadership-lab/canadas-work-force-the-trends-that-shaped2017-and-looking-ahead-to-2018/article37683943/.

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“The Ultimate Career Choice: Generalist vs. Specialist.” Cleverism, 27 Mar. 2019, www.cleverism.com/ultimate-career-choice-generalist-vs-specialist/. “The University Debate: Specialize or Be a Generalist?” The Globe and Mail, 12 May 2018, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/canadianuniversity-report/the-university-debate-specialize-or-be-a-generalist/ article14980284/. “The University Debate: Specialize or Be a Generalist?” The Globe and Mail, 12 May 2018, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/canadianuniversity-report/the-university-debate-specialize-or-be-a-generalist/ article14980284/. “25 Dying Professions You Should Avoid.” Work Money, www.workandmoney. com/s/dying-professions-83f89af396e34d92?utm_campaign=dyingprofessionsdf810f9491e346e6&utm_source=tab&utm_medium=cpc&utm_ term=businessinsider. “Types of Employment in B.C.” WorkBC, www.workbc.ca/Jobs-Careers/ExploreCareers/Types-of-Employment-in-BC.aspx. “Types of Employment in B.C.” WorkBC, www.workbc.ca/Jobs-Careers/ExploreCareers/Types-of-Employment-in-BC.aspx. Wapnick, Emilie. “11 Inspirational Quotes for Multipotentialites.” Puttylike, 11 Apr. 2016, puttylike.com/11-inspirational-quotes-for-multipotentialites/. Wapnick, Emilie. “About Emilie Wapnick.” Puttylike, puttylike.com/about/. Wapnick, Emilie. “Join a Family of Multipotentialites and Build a Life Around ALL Your Interests.” The Puttytribe, theputtytribe.com/email-waitlist/. Wapnick, Emilie. “Multipotentialite: Terminology.” Puttylike, puttylike.com/ terminology/. Wapnick, Emilie. “Step Up, Multipotentialite Rock Star!” Puttylike, 21 Nov. 2011, puttylike.com/step-up-multipotentialite-rock-star/. Williams, Julia. “Why The Cure for Curiosity?” The Cure for Curiosity, The Cure for Curiousity, www.thecureforcuriosity.com/about-me/why-the-cure-for-curiosity/. WorkBC - Labour Market and Industry. www.workbc.ca/Labour-MarketIndustry/Skills-for-the-Future-Workforce.aspx.

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myprotential myprotential.ca

sabrina lam sabrinalamcreates.com sabrina.rach.lam@gmail.com

nathalie pan nathaliepan.com pan.nathalie7@gmail.com



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