Hear the story of Waterloo graduate, Dan Colquhoun, a Principal Architect working on security systems at BlackBerry.
With that title, you’re thinking Christmas, right? You’ve got that jingle in your head: “It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's the hap-happiest season of all!” But here at Waterloo, that’s not necessarily the case.
I remember the first time I set foot on uWaterloo campus. Away from home...meeting new people, attending class lectures, being in residence...I was scared and excited! But I found that the Dons in residence helped to make it a wonderful experience!
Hello there readers! Blogger-by-profession I am not, but when the opportunity arose to share why I (a proud Applied Health Sciences grad) attend Waterloo alumni events with the world (or at least Alumni Affairs’ Facebook followers), my fingers hit the keyboard. But before I get started, I thought you should know a bit about me first.
I remember the day I approached my first Plan 100 class: "Introduction to Planning". I was 18 years old, away from home for the first time and anxious to meet the Urban & Regional Planning classmates with whom I'd be spending the next four years. I took a seat in the back row. Introductions were made. Smiles exchanged. Connections established.
My name is Amanda, and I am a recent graduate of recreation and business studies, as well as the Master of Theological Studies program. That’s about seven years of my life spent at uWaterloo.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this blog series and have gained useful tips for your career journey. I thought I’d end this blog with an update about myself. In the past few months I’ve interviewed and sought advice from Waterloo Career Advisors, Jayne and Tanya. It’s been great to have gained insight into myself to help me on my way. With their help I’ve completed and analyzed personality and skills assessments, and also learned useful tips for future job searches.
Let’s be real, job searching is hard! We’ve got a degree, maybe a few, now it’s time to face the real world. Most of our productive lives will be spent working, so why work at a place that doesn’t spark your passion or interests? Finding a job that you truly enjoy is something we should all strive for. Providing for yourself (and your family) through a job that you’re passionate about will lead to a more satisfying and meaningful life.
Having done a few assessments now, I can speak first-hand about how great they are for those of you looking for a career path or those who would like to change your career direction. The most important take away from any assessment is to have developed a better understanding of who you are. Knowing your desires, strengths, personality, and values are all key components to finding a job that suits you.
My colleagues and I often say that the value of a Waterloo degree is not only based on the university itself. It’s more dynamic than that. It’s based on the accomplishments of our alumni. When our grads are happy, contributing members of society, people take notice. Employers with the potential to hire our co-op students and alumni begin thinking about recruitment strategies; prospective students are intrigued and want to discover more; the international media wants to share their stories; and so much more.