Video Resumes?

How I Met Your Mother, one of my favourite television shows right now, is very good at using the web to promote the show and encourage word-of-mouth dialogue. From Marshall and Lily sell their shit-to-the Robyn Sparkles – the Canadian teen idol’s music video, “Lets go to the Mall.” This Monday’s episode gave us another viral treat with Barney Stinson’s video resume that helps him get a job to do nothing.

Dealing with Stress as a Student developing into a Young Professional

Stress…. that evil little word that effects almost everyone on a daily basis. When I was younger just starting university I didn’t get as stressed as I can get now. Things were easier then. I worried about my social calendar far more than one should of. Now-a-days I am lucky to go out once a week and I don’t have priorities like a family or animal to keep me in.

Ever since I came to the realization that I need to “grow up,” get a full-time job and begin to repay my student debt things started to get stressful. Making the transition from a student to a young professional is very very difficult. You need time and money to project a professional image of yourself, but you are barely affording your rent and might be pulling all-nighters to finish assignments.

How can you handle stress?

1. Take risks - Successful people do not become successful without taking the risk. Yes, there is a possibility that you will not get the job or you will not like the position, but if you didn’t at least try I may regret it later. If you have an opportunity take it.

2. Give yourself me time – You can work all hours in the day, but do not overwork yourself. Make sure you do something for you once a week or even once a day. Read a girly novel such as Emily Griffin’s Love the one your With or see a movie with your friends.

3. Be a forward thinker – Always think about what you are working towards and how much that goal means to you. Do not dwell in the past, keep moving forward, or else you will continue to indulge in negative behaviour.

4. Keep positive – If you ask yourself depressing questions, you will get depressing answers. Rather than what if and why me, ask what can I do and how can I move forward.

5. Find an activity that calms you – For some it is going for a walk, cranking up your favourite song, practice yoga, or light a candle. Whatever it is, do it consistency. Give yourself a break to avoid a breakdown.

These are just some of the things I do on a daily basis to avoid stress, but we are all human and it can get the best of us sometimes. To keep myself focused I purchased this book, “The Bounce Back book: How to thrive in the face of adversity, setbacks and losses” by Karen Salmonsohn. I keep it on my bookshelf and whenever I have had a truly bad day and none of my little tricks are working, I read this book and it helps me realign my thinking. It has 75 tips to help you bounce back and usually by number 5 I start feeling better.

Crippling Student Debt

Students now owe the federal government a record $13 billion in loans, not including loans owed to provincial governments or personal and credit-card debt ,says the Canadian Federation of Students.

I try not to speak about my very rapidly growing student debt after six years of post-secondary education because there is not much I can do about it until I start work full-time. Even still, it is going to take me years to repay.

Right now my current debt:

OSAP – $25,000 ( i think, it could be more)

TD Student Line – $18,000

My debt isn’t as bad as many other students with the same education because of the summers I spent working midnights on the General Motors Truck Line and working up-to three jobs at time. But as I tell many people, I am different that most people. I am very Rory Gilmore. I was going to school and I wanted to be successful ever since I was little. Many of my friends from home didn’t attend post-secondary because of the lack of funds or waited many years before going back.

I don’t know how or what governments and schools can do to combat this overwhelming debt students are dealing with, but all I can say from a student perspective is that money has been a stress that has taken my attention away from my education way too many times.

Also, some of my colleagues were on A-channel discussing student debt this Wednesday, check out the broadcast here. If only I stayed a little bit longer.

In Remembrance

Throughout all of my education-high school, university and college-  I have only had a few outstanding professors that have inspired me. Mr. Paul Attallah was one of those few. 

Teaching me Introduction to Mass Communications and a fourth-year seminar on Semiotics, Attallah could captivate me while discussing the history of mass media or theorizing about its effect.

“He was my absolute favourite, ” says Mass Communications gradate Rosalee Gunraj. “I never had to study for his class – he was that enthralling.

I have written to before about my love for Carleton University and the Mass Communications program and Attallah was one of the reasons. Dr. Attallah joined the School’s Communication Program in 1987 and he served as the head of the School’s Mass Communication Program from 1991-2005.

He is the true definition of an amazing public speaker and it saddens me to write to you about his passing on Jan 9. 2009.

“Paul remained the amazing teacher he was to the last, astonishing his friends with his insights and reflections until the very end, ” says Michael Dorland, his colleague and friend of 16 years. “ His death leaves many saddened friends who were privileged to have known and worked with him.”

With this, thank you Mr. Attallah for your inspiration throughout my time at Carleton it truly meant a lot.

10 days till CPRS Ottawa Gatineau’s PuRe Elements Awards

The Canadian Public Relations Society Ottawa/Gatineau chapter has created a new awards program to recognize outstanding achievements in public relations. I have been volunteering with CPRS for over the last year and most recently for this very program and it should amazing.

There will be four awards will be presented:

• Fire: Communicator of the Year (nominated award)
• Earth: Internal Communications
• Water: Innovator
• Air: External Communications

The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2008 at Arc the Hotel.

If you are interested, register to attend the awards online.

After the evening, we will be releasing a social media press release from CNW announcing the winners and showcasing images from the evening. Be sure to check it out.

Shocked at 5:12

News travels fast.

Heath Ledger died today at 3:31, just two hours later the news is flying around the Internet, blogs and TV stations.

I know this isnt anything life-changing, but it still shocked me being a huge fan since I was sixteen, case in point, Ten things I hate about you. The New York Times reported, here

 Minute after minute people are replying to the post with shock.

Re-fueling my cultural capital

I made it!  I am extremely proud at what I have accomplished over the last few months.  I sucessfully completed my first semester with all A’s! It was stressful at times, but it was clearly worth it. I think I have found my place in this communications industry.

I miss my classmates, the work and my part-time job already, but I think this break is well needed. I am catching up on books, magazines, blogs and preparing myself for next semester.

During school, I get lost in eating programs, budget concerns, and daily reading. I am taking the next few weeks get back on track. I hope to read the books I bought, such as Naomi Klein`s Shock Doctrine, and some I took out of the library, such as Seth Godin`s All Marketer`s are Liars.

Getting up to  date on all the news and info will get me very excited for next semester, who knows what I will accomplish next year!

Back to school, back to school..

I am finally here! So far, so good, I feel very comfortable in the program! I think it will be an amazing year, a hard year, but an amazing one.

There is definitely a lot of things I will gain out on this program, and I am very prepared to make the most of the opportunities that I am given.  I have decided to run for class representative. I really want the chance to represent my classmates and be part of the various student committees on campus. Lets cross our fingers!!

The one strong difference I found between university and college is the attention to detail. I am learning how to handshake, where to stand at a networking event, where to put my badge, and what are some of the common behaviour or gesture that pr professionals are expecting. I could have been making some horrible mistakes and not known because I just wasn’t taught some of these specific things. This was partially why I decided to come to college after university. I didn’t feel prepared, and I didn’t want to make such a little mistake.

So here’s to a great year!

surfing

The more and more I surf around this public relations blog-o-sphere, the more I realize how excited I am to enter this field. The one thing I was most scared of when considering jobs was not being intellectually challenged at work,and not being able to continue to learn and educated about the world around me. I think this field will not only allow me to experience these things, but also challenge me. I love that about it.

I have been working at my boring auto assembly job for over a month now and I get lost at work. I am bored counting down the minutes or hours before I get to go home. I don’t want the rest of my life to be a countdown to the bitter end. I want to enjoy my career. I want to be the one who doesn’t leave the office or the one always questioning new possibilities. It just makes me feel more confident about my future in public relations.

One of the blogs that truly made me feel this way was Doug Walker’s Webwalker blog. Quite honestly some of the posts and videos really impressed me. This video especially.

Hello College.

yay.

I got accepted to Algonquin College in Ottawa for public relations and I will be starting this fall. I am very excited that everything turned out how I wanted, yet I am very stressed out. Half of me is really excited to start the preparations for my career, get my own apartment, move back to my favourite city and half of me is scared. Oh well.. I guess I should just jump in!

I ready to start the next year into lots of school work, being poor, and volunteering with as many organizations I can get my hands on and just getting my feet wet.

yay.