PD19: Tactics for Workplace Success

PD19: Tactics for Workplace Success will provide students with an opportunity to kick-start their professional development. The course will help students understand that in order to succeed in the workplace, developing professional skills is just as important as developing technical skills. PD19 students will also learn strategies to make the most of workplace opportunities and challenges. 

By the end of the course, students will be well on their way to developing their critical self-reflection skills and planning for their own professional growth.

What do PD19 students do?

  • Apply workplace success strategies
  • Compare and contrast the roles and importance of technical and professional skills
  • Understand strategies for addressing technical and professional challenges
  • Reflect on their work term experience with the goal of improving future workplace success

Course instructors

Jason Grove

jason grove

Jason is the Graduate Attributes Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He's responsible for leading the continuous program assessment and improvement process for the Chemical and Nanotechnology Engineering programs. Jason is also heavily involved in the development of the Faculty's IDEAs Clinic initiative. 

Jason is also a Senior Associate with Delphi Group and has expertise in strategic sustainability consulting, in particular related to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. He obtained his PhD from the University of Waterloo investigating the microbial community ecology in biofilters used for air pollution control. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford.

Derek Wright

derek wright

Derek is the Graduate Attributes Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He teaches courses on circuits and design and conducts research in neuromorphic computing hardware in addition to his administrative duties.

Derek studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo and completed his masters within the same part. He then completed a PhD in biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto, working in medical imaging physics. After working in sales, product management, and business development, he rejoined Electrical and Computer Engineering in his role as a Graduate Attributes Lecturer. Derek's broad experience has helped him make connections between the training students receive as engineers and what counts as success and happiness in their careers.

Contact information

You can reach the PD19 course team at pd19@uwaterloo.ca.