If you have ideas on what else you’d like to see in this guide as you’re perusing, stay tuned for a poll coming out in a couple weeks where you can add suggestions.
Hello friends, we’re back at it on the hunt for all the best things about being a UWaterloo alum and let me tell you, there are many!
If you missed our first installment that went through the first seven items on our list, check it out here.
Otherwise, keep reading to go through the remaining seven items on that list and uncover the mysteries of the universe. Okaaaay, they may not uncover the mysteries of the universe but maybe the LinkedIn courses that you can get free access to as a UWaterloo alum will help you figure them out.
1. Digital Alumni Handbook (We Are Waterloo)
2. Alumni E-Community
3. Ten Thousand Coffees
4. Chapters and Global Ambassadors Program
5. GOLD - Grads of the Last Decade
6. Social Media
7. Alumni and Friends
Black and Gold Alumni Pass
As an alumni, you’ll have the option to purchase a Black and Gold Alumni Pass. It costs $20 and gives you and a guest access to all exhibition and regular season home games for one of the following market driven varsity sports: football, men’s hockey, women’s hockey, basketball (men’s and women’s), and volleyball (men’s and women’s). For each of the other sports that you didn’t pick, the pass gives you access to a list of special Alumni Days. Oh, and you get a $10 gift card that can be used at any W Store location!
Library Access | Alumni WatCard
Remember all the cool things you wanted to learn and all the interesting books you passed by on your way to a study room in the library? That might’ve just been me, regardless, you now have the access and hopefully the time to gain knowledge from books, databases, videos, and more. If you’re looking into grad school or trying to research, the library also offers access to a variety of academic journals and articles. This goes for electronic resources as well as print ones if you’re hoping to have a hard copy. Just use your WatIAM credentials on the library login page and you’re good to go!
Another alumni perk is the Alumni WatCard. This card gives you access to the library, the PAC and it’s a fun way to show off that you have a valuable degree from the University of Waterloo. Just note that if you plan on checking out physical books from the library or if you will be getting membership to use the PAC (Physical Activities Complex), then you’ll need to visit the WatCard office in person to have your picture taken. Otherwise, you can simply fill out this request form and have it mailed to your front door!
Professional Development - CECA
The Centre for Career Action is an incredible source of tools, resources, and support for professional development. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your skills, find a job, or bolster your workforce with new certifications, CECA has got it all.
First up are the three free career counseling appointments you can book here with an Alumni Career Advisor. These are opportunities to get help with your resume, explore career options, get strategies on how to conduct a work search or a career pivot, and prepare for interviews. For subsequent sessions, you can also take advantage of the discounted $40 rate.
Speaking of career options, you retain access to WaterlooWorks as an alumni. This means that you can logon anytime to search for full time positions and since it also links to relevant external job boards, you can expand your search options. Through the portal, you can sign up for Employer Info Sessions as well as Career Centre events and gain access to a calendar of additional networking and professional events. Career Centre events often include workshops, like “Personal Branding and LinkedIn” or “Careering… while anxious” to help you gain new skills or overcome difficulties in the workplace. If you’re looking for specific books to aid in your professional endeavors, CECA also has a physical library for your perusing. Of course, there are countless courses and certificates you can work towards from Waterloo Professional Development as well. It gets better given that they are discounted for alumni, but more on that in the discounts section.
Career Hub is yet another fantastic resource available to alumni in search of professional development. It offers a step-by-step guide through the career development process whether you’re looking to identify and articulate skills gained through your degree, discover career motivators, negotiate job offers, explore entrepreneurship, or consider graduate degree programs.
This section wouldn’t be complete without the latest (and my personal favorite) offering: free access to LinkedIn Learning! The University of Waterloo is one of only three Canadian universities which offers alumni complimentary access to more than 16,000 digital courses. Fuel your hunger for lifelong learning with incredible courses taught by industry experts! You can sign up here to gain 6 months of access (it’s even better when you realize this typically retails for $34.99/month).
WATspeed
Speaking of professional development, WATspeed is a professional education program custom built to empower professionals and executives. It delivers education to support workforces of the future as they continue to evolve and will enable them to rapidly adapt, compete, and thrive. Examples of current offerings include Predictive Analytics for CPAs and Digital Transformation in Engineering. The courses are diverse and may offer experiential learning with hands-on projects, multidisciplinary approaches, and flexible learning through online and in-person options. There are also custom course options that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of different organizations.
All Events
The University of Waterloo hosts a lot of events. A lot! It can be difficult to keep track of them and so the following list includes the main sources of events that occur on campus and virtually. Be sure to check in periodically so you don’t miss exciting and/or informative events. For example, the Alumni Chapters recently held a Financial Literacy Event Series that included building personal wealth, introduction to money management, starting and operating a business, and first time home buyer.
- Primary Events Listing - This includes faculty, chapter, and alumni events
- Youtube Channels - Many event recordings, webinars, and other videos
- Engineering Faculty Event Listing - Tagged With “Alumni”
- Alumni Online Learning - Podcasts, Webinars, Panels, and Interviews
WaterlooWorks - Employer Info Sessions, Career Centre events, additional networking and professional events
Alumni Discounts
The time has come to begin the list of all the free or discounted things that your UWaterloo connection yields. Remember to check out the benefits and discounts page for the latest deals and more details.
- Professional Development Courses
- 150 courses and certificates → 20% OFF
- LinkedIn Learning → FREE
- Estate Planning
- Willful Wills → $20 OFF (any plan)
- Sports and Entertainment
- Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada → 15-20% OFF
- Ontario Science Centre → 20% OFF
- THEMUSEUM → 25% OFF General Admission, 10% OFF UNZIPPED exhibit
- Royal Ontario Museum → 15% OFF General Admission
- Wet ‘n’ Wild Toronto → Variable
- Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment → 50% OFF select Toronto Marlies games
- On the Grand → 25% OFF any ticket
- Art Gallery of Hamilton → 15% OFF Friend of the Arts level Memberships
- Broadway Across Canada → Variable
- Travel and Leisure
- VIA Rail Canada → 10% OFF certain VIA fares and increased additional passenger allotments
- TripPoints → $10-$200 OFF depending on package type
- Insurance and Finance
- TD Insurance Meloche Monnex → preferred rates on car, home, condo and tenant insurance
- Manulife → Group rates on life, critical illness, health and dental insurance
- BMO Mastercard → BMO University of Waterloo credit card
Giving Back
The biggest perk of them all is the power to effect change and engage with the community through volunteering! We’ve all gained an incredible shared experience through our undergraduate journeys at UWaterloo. It's important to recognize that they were shaped by the time, knowledge, and resources of those who came before us. Paying it forward is not only a meaningful investment in future generations, but also a great way to stay connected and keep learning. Luckily, there are so many ways to do just that!
The most simple way is by filling out this form, in which you can specify your areas of interest and sections of the university. If you’re specifically interested in the alumni program, you can reach out to alumni@uwaterloo.ca and let them know you’d like to volunteer. Once a year, there will also be a call to join the Recent Engineering Alumni Council (REAC), where you can be part of one of four working groups (Lifelong Learning, Giving Back, Marketing, and Events). This blog series was actually born out of the Lifelong Learning group’s initiatives! If you’re looking to interact with students, you can become a mentor on Ten Thousand Coffees or reach out directly to your faculty for opportunities like advising fourth year Engineering Capstone Design Groups. Take a look through the Giving Back webpage for a list of options including being a Class Rep. Faculties also have their own volunteer offerings, for example, you can fill out this form for volunteering opportunities specific to Engineering. If you’re financially inclined, you can always support UWaterloo in kind or monetarily with gifts, scholarships, and more.
Lastly
That brings us to the end of our list but certainly not the end of this series. However the parting advice till we next meet is the same as what I mentioned in our first post (and to what you probably were told as a first year): there is so much opportunity all around you, you simply have to reach out and take advantage of it. Don’t be afraid to book a CECA career counseling appointment, sign up to be a volunteer, or find that book you’ve been looking for at the UWaterloo library online. You’ll find the adventure a lot more exciting if you do!