WATERLOO
Issue II
Winter 2011
Inside
sCo-op
LIVING
LEARNING
and LOVING
the uWaterloo co-op experience
...wherever it takes you
The Inside sCo-op is a bi-term student e-publication released
through Co-operative Education and the Centre for Career
Action at the University of Waterloo.
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5
6
7
9
From First Year to Full Time
Jessica Konzelmann’s journey through
co-op and the lessons she’s learned
Coding in California
A Silicon Valley work term
with IMVU
Employer Spotlight: Joseph Iuso
Entrepreneur, co-op employer and
Dragon’s Den petitioner
Does Size Matter?
Big companies or small companies - is
one better than the other?
Career Corner: Economic Snapshot
A look at the labour market with Adjunct
Associate Professor Larry Smith
CREDITS
Editor: Alana Rigby, Media & Publications Associate
Staff Editor: Olaf Naese, Communications & Public Relations Administrator
Photos: Jessica Konzelmann, Alice Tsang, Leander Lee, Ben Luke,
Andre Magalhaes, Olena Ryzkyh, Joseph Iuso
Special Thanks: Emma George, Jennifer So
Inside sCo-op
INSIDE sCO-OP: Contents
Inside sCo-op
E D I T O R
I love music. I listen to music when I write, I learn instruments in my free
time, I play in a band on weekends. As I sit here trying to write this letter,
comfortable in my swivel chair, soft music filling my office, it occurs to me
that being a musician is a lot like being in co-op. Music takes diligence; it
takes practice and precision and I’m only willing to put up with that
because I love it so much. But just as you have to learn to play music,
you can learn from music, from wrong notes and early entries, from out of
tune chords and fumbled runs.
Co-op is the same way. We learn from our experiences, our mistakes, and
the challenges we face. Just ask Benjamin Luke, Leander Lee, or Andre
Magalhaes, three co-ops who worked in Silicon Valley, learning from the
cutting-edge environment at IMVU. Or do a little learning yourself and try
some of the career planning strategies suggested by Adjunct Associate
Professor Larry Smith.
Alana Rigby, 2A English Lit & Rhetoric
In music, it’s always easier to practise the pieces you love. In co-op, enjoying your job makes going that extra mile
so much easier. Olena Rhyzyk and Alice Tsang agree with this. They’re two AFM students who’ve had drastically
different work terms with the same result – success. They loved their jobs, one at RIM and the other at Vincent
Dong CA, and that allowed them to thrive.
But while you’re busy learning and loving, don’t forget that simple living, experiencing new things, playing new
pieces, is essential. Jessica Konzelmann, a scibus student, will tell you exactly that – she’s worked for start-ups
and big companies, she’s done a term abroad, and each unique experience affected her. Joseph Iuso, this issue’s
featured employer, believes the same thing. He advises students he hires to “do what you love” because life is short.
So get out there and try a new job, learn a new song and read this newest issue of Inside sCo-op!
Alana
MEET THE TATHAM
C E N T R E C O-O P S
Back row: Ronauq Sabharwal, JobMine
Technical Support Assistant; Alana Rigby,
Media & Publications Associate; Kris Wu,
WatCACE Research Assistant; Jennifer
Harvey, Marketing Associate; Johnson Trinh,
JobMine Technical Support Assistant
Front row: Hira Zahid, Employer Services
Advisor; Madhulika Saxena, Employer Services Advisor; Emma George, Program Review
Research Analyst; Kate Surtees, Business
Analyst; Katherine Tu, Web Developer, Florence Chan, Experiential Learning Assistant
Greg Mittler, Events Assistant; Alex Hart,
Student & Faculty Relations Assistant
CECS REMINDERS
2
For Students on Co-op
Employer Evaluation form
Confirm your last day and be sure to let your supervisor
know about the Student Performance Evaluation form.
Work Report
Don’t forget about the report! See section 9 of the
Co-op Student Manual for faculty-specific due dates.
For Students Working Spring 2011
Pre-work Term Information
Prepare for your work term by reviewing section 7 of
the Co-op Student Manual.
Résumé Preparation
Get help from the Centre for Career Action’s website
or arrange an appointment with one of their talented staff.
TIME
Inside sCo-op
from FIRST YEAR
to FULL
Jessica Konzelmann’s journey through co-op
and the lessons she’s learned
FROM GLASGOW, Scotland to downtown Toronto, from hectic start-up to structured company, from team of
five to full-fledged organization, Jessica Konzelmann, a 4B Science and Business student, has seen just about
everything co-operative education has to offer. And now, five work terms later, she’s ready to cross the proverbial
threshold into alumni-dom and grab her degree.
Jessica has a full-time consulting job lined up for herself at Deloitte. Through diligently participating in
Waterloo’s graduating student employment process, she got herself the job by October of last year. She thanks
co-op for this success – not only did her work terms allow her to build a unique and diverse skill set, but they also
gave her the confidence to shine in her interviews. Jessica’s work terms typify the sort of eclectic
education a student can gain through co-op, and she’s made sure to learn from each one of her experiences.
Working at a Big Company
For Jessica, customer service at Petro Canada was an excellent first job. She experienced life at a large
corporation and discovered ways to make the most of the opportunity. “It’s easy to just do what you have to
do”, she says. “As a co-op student, it’s really important to communicate with your bosses and let them know
what it is that you’d like to focus on. I think a lot of students don’t do that and they miss out on opportunities.”
Jessica knew her first work term was “a good place to build fundamental skills.” “With co-op, you can explore
different fields and that allows you to make a better decision about what you want to do, full-time.”
Working Abroad
“My favourite work term, in terms of sheer fun,
would have to be Scotland,” Jessica reflects.
With Edge Consulting, Jessica and five other
co-op students travelled to Glasgow, Scotland.
There, they were split into different teams,
each composed of one Waterloo student and
four other students from different universities
– “there were students from Poland, out west
in Canada, the States, China.” Each team was
tasked with consulting two clients.
Jessica loved the experience, not only because
she got to travel on weekends, but because she
feels international work significantly strengthened her communication skills. “There definitely
was a language barrier... which was in a way a
good thing, because you learn to communicate
differently. You don’t notice the cultural differences until you’re actually working with people
from a different country, in their country. And
in Scotland, it’s like night and day compared
to North America. They’re so relaxed – to them
Waterloo students had the reputation of being
gung-ho about everything.”
Jessica (second from the right) and other Edge
Consulting particpants celebrate in Scottish style
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Inside sCo-op
Working at a Start-up
If you’re a student and you’ve heard of CampusPerks you have Jessica to thank. If you’re a student and you haven’t
heard of CampusPerks, check them out now (www.campusperks.ca) and you’ll be glad you did. CampusPerks is a
product of Redwood Strategic Inc., a start-up company founded by a former Science and Business student and
brought to life by a dynamic team of co-ops, new grads and young professionals. Jessica did her last two work
terms with Redwood, helping translate CampusPerks from whimsical ideal into tangible reality. She fearlessly
approached big name companies – RIM, Tourism Australia, Loblaws – with a simple proposal: sign up with us and
we’ll help you connect with students. And that’s what they did: with Jessica’s aid, CampusPerks hooked up with
these companies and others, providing discounts and giveaways for students who sign up on their website.
Redwood Strategic (the same guys who
brought you the FroshPerks lanyards)
share a flat with two other quasi
start-ups in Toronto. “You’d swing your
chair around and some person was right
behind you” Jessica relates with a laugh.
“You got to know the people you’re
working with really well.”
With only five people in the company
during her co-op term, it was what she
called a “high stress” environment.
“Clients would ask for something and
want it back in 24 hours. If you’ve got
five people asking for that it’s gets a
little crazy”.
Jessica (far right, back row) and the Redwood team in Toronto
But she doesn’t regret signing up for
a Redwood work term. “Working at
Petro, going to Scotland – those were
all bigger companies. You build those
fundamental skills and at a start-up you
can execute all of them.”
Going Full-Time
Five years later, Jessica is mere months away from graduation and full-time employment. She’s found success and
has a few tips to share with other students who hope to do the same. Her insight is especially helpful for those
seeking full-time employment.
• Start early. Deloitte had an info session the first day of school. Do your research the term before and be
ready to go in September.
• Extracurriculars and volunteering always help, especially when you’re after a full-time position. Employers
are constantly looking for that well-rounded student. By the time you’re in fourth year, you should have a lot
of leadership roles; you should be engaged in your community.
• Maintain a reputable average. It’s always a good idea.
• If you’re in first or second year, get involved right away. Start networking, go to conferences on campus, go
to conferences at other schools. You’d be surprised the number of people you can meet that way.
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Inside sCo-op
EVEN IF YOU’VE NEVER played the game, you’ve
probably seen the IMVU logo before. IMVU is an online
social entertainment destination where members use
3D avatars to meet new people, chat, create and play
games with their friends. Its headquarters are in any
tech fan’s number-one-must-see locale: Palto Alto,
California. In other words, Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley is the go-to place for anyone with a
technological inclination – it’s a breeding ground for
innovation and entrepreneurship and thus is an ideal
work location for an enterprising co-op student. The
fact that it’s in California, the Golden State of long
beaches, sunshine and palm trees, is just the icing on
the cake.
Andre, 3A Computer Science
So it was that during
the fall term of 2010,
while the rest of us
were getting ready
for winter, Benjamin
Luke, Andre Magalhaes and Leander
Lee headed south
for the winter and
a work term with
IMVU.
Step One: Getting There
We’ve all faced those doubts when applying for international or out of province co-op jobs – how will I find
a place to live, who will I live with, is rent going to be
ridiculously expensive? For Ben, it was a “fairly painless
transition”. He’d lived in the States before and thus
already had a social security number. All he needed to
do was find a place to stay which he did fairly quickly
using Craigslist. The rent was steep but the location was
worth it, in his eyes.
But before they could contemplate living arrangements,
these aspiring engineers had to impress in the interview.
Leander thinks it
was his analytical
thinking that set him
apart: “Sometimes
they present you
with a problem and
instead of just giving an answer, I’d go
through the steps I
took to get to that
answer. So even if I
was wrong at least
they could see how I
got the answer.”
Ben, 4B Software Engineering
Step Two: Going to Work
Silicon Valley plays host to just about every big name
technology company out there, from Amazon to Yahoo!
with everything in between. To warrant square footage in
such a prestigious location, a company has to be top of
the line, built on the backs of equally qualified employees.
Ben certainly got this impression while working there:
“everyone knew their stuff really well and I hadn’t
experienced that before.
It’s fun and you can collaborate with people. All
the pressure isn’t on you
if you make a mistake.” In
terms of tangible benefits, Ben says: “I got good
at PHP. I’d never worked
in PHP before. Also, the
holiday party was really,
Meet new friends on IMVU
really awesome.”
“Every day I learned something new,” Andre added, and
as cliché as that sounds, the learning opportunities were
the result of IMVU’s uniqueness. IMVU does something
that very few in the technical world can claim to do: they
publish code their employees have created in a matter
of hours. As Andre said, “you commit something on the
first day and it’s live before lunch”. Though this might not
sound impressive to the non-tech-savvy, it’s an incredible feat in the industry. Leander was also impressed with
the IMVU’s rapid code pushes. “There was an article”, he
explains, “about how people online were saying ‘oh that’s
not possible” but IMVU was doing it. These co-op
students were doing it.
Step Three: Exploring the Social Scene
The trio did some sightseeing, checking out the
Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Stanford University
was a scant five minutes from where he lived, so
Andre joined the university’s Great White North Club
of Canadian students. With them, he saw a hockey
game and celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. In terms
of professional networking, Andre says: “I added
people on LinkedIn and I’m helping the IMVU guys set
up an info session. It’s good to stay involved with the
companies you’ve worked for.”
Typical tourist attractions aside, Silicon Valley is a busy
place. Conferences and meet and greets, networking
events and info sessions – these students worked in a
watering hole for entrepreneurs of all stripes. Leander, an
enterprising student who’s lived in Velocity several times
(see www.mappedin.ca for his latest Velocity project) felt
obligated to get involved: “I went to www.meetup.com
and joined usergroups. Companies host events,
usually for recruitment. You go there and you meet all
the people who run the industry.”
If you’re interested, IMVU is hiring. See their site http://www.imvu.com/jobs for more information.
5
Inside sCo-op
EMPLOYER SPOTILIGHT:
JOSEPH
IUSO
IF YOU’RE A REGULAR FAN of Dragon’s Den, you probably remember Joseph Iuso – one of two business
partners who approached the dragons in search of extra funding and received an offer of a million dollars.
Which they turned down. Twice.
What you probably don’t know is that the same Joseph Iuso of Dragon’s Den fame is also a Waterloo co-op
employer. With a Computer System Technology degree from Mohawk College, Joseph Iuso experienced
co-operative education himself. His work terms at Royal Trust’s bank-wide help desk inspired him to the sort
of work he does today. Today, two Toronto-based companies he’s affiliated with hire Waterloo co-ops.
What His Co-ops Do
UseMyServices Inc – Specializes in providing streamline
online banking payment services in Web 2.0 environment.
Iuso oversees co-op hiring for UseMyServices and is the
company’s CEO.
Given the highly technical nature of his companies, Iuso tends to hire
Tekchand LLC – Develops ATM content management
students from computer
systems and value-added services on multi-vendor ATMs.
related programs. Despite
Iuso is not responsible for co-op hiring for Tekchand – he
this specificity, Iuso says
suggested hiring co-ops to Rajeev Bahri, the managing
“there is no limit to the
director, who then followed through on the suggestion.
type of work we ask of
our co-op students.”
Co-ops tend to begin their work terms with “limited or
Dragon’s Den and the Million Dollars
no knowledge of many of the technical requirements”
(such as IIS, ASP, VB, Javascript), but “are able to, in a
“How could he walk away from a million dollars?”
short period of time and with guidance, deliver, piece
many might wonder. In truth, “walking away from one
by piece, the final product.”
million” is just a half-informed soundbyte describing
His co-ops often work on projects that carry over from
Iuso and business partner Brian Crozier’s appearance
previous terms – “a great example is our latest product,
on Dragon’s Den. The dragons offered them a million
UseMyCard. This product’s development involved two
dollars with a conditional 51% in their online payment
co-op students over a year both alternating. The co-ops
company.
haven’t actually met each other” and yet the product is
perfected and available.
“We were seriously interested in seeing if we could
have the dragons as partners, but not at the expense
What He Advises
of devaluing our company,” Iuso explains. “It was
always understood that even if we did not get any
As a successful entrepremoney, the exposure would result in our company
neur and founder of sevbeing talked about and bringing in more business.”
eral companies, Iuso has
some words of wisdom
Joseph Iuso is an employer who knows the value
current co-ops should
of his company. He also knows the value of co-op
take to heart. “The best
students, and, unlike the proposed deal with the
way to make your mark
dragons,
Iuso’s partnership with Waterloo is a
on this world”, he says,
mutually
beneficial
one.
“is to always be in learning mode. Push the limits, go beyond education, find your calling,
Did you know...
don’t ‘settle for’ less and
never let anyone or any- Joseph and current co-op
...that if you’re working in Toronto for an
thing hold you down.”
employee David Xavier
employer like Joseph Iuso, you’re eligible for a
TTC metropass! Go to Sherbourne station in
This relentless attitude has worked well for him – Iuso
Toronto with photo ID and a copy of your
believes that “expanding your horizons” is essential.
current timetable from uWaterloo. This
“Remember, by the time you finish school you would
confirms that you are a Post-Secondary
have already lived about 8000-9000 days. On average,
Student. For more info see “Fares & Passes”
you only have anywhere between another 10,000-15,000
section at: http://www.ttc.ca/
days left to live and work. Life’s too short to be doing
something you don’t like to do.”
6
Big companies or small companies - is one better than the other?
The Big
IF YOU’RE IN COMPUTER engineering or CS, you’ve likely considered a term with some hightech or internet companies. If you’re in kinesiology or biology, you’ve probably eyed a job
description for a Toronto hospital. If you’re in arts, a government position probably seems like
an appealing co-op job. What do these employers have in common? Big institutions and
bigger names – they’re all sprawling corporate entities guaranteed to provide co-op students
with some eye-catching résumé decor.
Alice happy at RIM
Inside sCo-op
Does S I Z E matter?
But let’s not be too cynical: big companies offer far more than big names to pump up your
résumé. Alice Tsang, a 3A FM student, has had her fair share of work terms at big
companies, and she’s loved the experience. Although she’d “never touched a Blackberry in her
life”, her Winter 2011 term saw her working with Research in Motion in Waterloo.
Alice Tsang at Research in Motion
As a Project Manager at RIM, Alice's project was straightforward: all the equipment in a Waterloo RIM building
needed to be moved to a newly purchased facility in Cambridge. Her job was to coordinate the logistics of this
move. Initially, this task daunted her: the only moving she’d ever done was “to rez and back” and she was now the
only RIM employee organizing the move on the Waterloo site. About five feet tall and politely soft-spoken, Alice
was “thrown into the fire” (so said her manager) and put in charge of a team of “fifteen burly movers twice [her]
size, height and width”. On top of worrying about the move itself, Alice was also concerned for her leadership skills
– what if these veritable giants wouldn’t listen to her?
But they did, and she claims it’s because of respect. “I was really nice to them – I respected them and they
respected me.” The move occurred on time and was made even more efficient by Alice’s efforts. When it was over,
she found herself working on another project in the repairs department. It was here that she really got a sense
of RIM corporate culture: “it’s a really relaxed environment – we don’t wear formal clothing and meetings always
started with a joke of the day.” It wasn’t stifling and she wasn’t micromanaged – she enjoyed both the work she did
and the people she worked with. She’s gone on to work at an even bigger company, CIBC, and still finds her job
engaging. Thus, there is substance to the desire to work at big companies. But that was something most of us already believe – it’s the other side of the story that may not be as well known.
Adventures in Africa
Using her earnings from her RIM job, Alice
travelled to Mozambique with Habitat for
Humanity. Her team was on a mission to build a
house for children orphaned by HIV and AIDS.
On the last day of the trip, a riot broke out over
increasing food prices. Alice and the other
volunteers couldn’t safely reach the airport.
“The scariest part”, she said, “was that no one
in the world knew it was happening – when we
Googled ‘riot in Mozambique’, there was
nothing”. The group waited until four in the
morning, and then snuck into the airport,
managing to leave the country safely. She calls
the experience “life changing.” Despite the
danger, she wants to go back and recommends
international volunteering to everyone.
Experiences like Alice’s enrich your life, and you
can always draw examples from them in job
interviews.
7
The Small
Inside sCo-op
Many uWaterloo employers are from small comapnies start-ups and entrepreneurs who target niche markets with
specific services. If you could work at RIM, at RBC or the
government, would you spend a work term at a
company less familiar to the general public?
Olena collaborating with boss Vicent Dong
Alice has her own opinion here: “It’s a common perception
that getting into big companies is always really, really good.
But not everyone’s that lucky. So don’t be afraid to start
somewhere small. You have to take the first step to get that
experience. Sometimes, small companies come later, as the
perfect place to use all your skills.”
Olena Ryzhyk at Vincent Dong CA
That’s not to say that work terms with small companies are only useful as stepping stones in the road to employment at that big name. Olena Ryzhyk, another 3A FM student, would argue quite the opposite. She’s worked two
terms with Vincent Dong, a Chartered Accountant who runs his own self-titled accounting and consulting firm
at one of the four companies he owns. ‘Small company’ often means lots of work on one very small plate, and
Olena’s term was no exception. “There are days”, she explained, “when Vince comes into the office and throws a
bunch of things at me and every ten minutes he’s like – oh, that first thing I asked you to do, is it done yet?” But
she thrived in that atmosphere; she is the type of person who isn’t stressed out by a mile-long to-do-list with fast
approaching deadlines.
“Small firms are really great in the sense that you get your hands on a lot of things,” Olena believes. "You’re not
stuck in one department doing the same sort of work day in and day out." She also built some impressive network connections with clients: “Working in a small firm, you get to know your clients very well.”
Her second term with Vincent Dong was even busier than her first. One of the full timers, an office manager, unexpectedly went on leave. This meant even more work for Olena – she gave up weekends and stayed late, throwing
herself headfirst into the job. Her enthusiasm was a good match for her job, just as Alice's well-mannered respect
helped her succeed in hers.
The Answer
At both small and large companies these students found success. The moral? Finding an enriching co-op job
isn’t just about the size or the reputation of the company. There are plenty of medium-sized companies that offer
excellent opportunities too. It comes down to finding a job that suits you; it’s about finding a job that caters to
your interests and challenges your skills. Most importantly, it’s about dedication. Whether it’s taking on additional
responsibilities or taking charge of a team, dedication is essential for success at any company, big or small.
Co-op and Sports: A Balancing Act
Olena is a varsity field hockey player,
and because of that, she almost didn’t
get hired for her first work term. She
was so invested in the season that she
left all her cover-letter writing and
résumé drafting to the last minute. She
was unemployed when exams hit in
December, and was beginning to worry.
8
Ironically, she also thinks her love of
sports helped get her hired. Her
supervisor loved sports; he “asked
about field hockey and school and how
I was balancing the two – being able
to balance a lot of responsibilities was
very important to him”. What really
clinched the job, she suspects, was that
she told him during the off-season she
stayed fit with volleyball, his favourite
sport.
...an interview with Adjunct Associate Professor Larry Smith
It’s no secret that the recession took its toll on co-op. It would be unreasonable to assume that, somehow, the University
of Waterloo could escape the economic downturn that dug its talons into labour markets around the world. However,
Waterloo economics professor Larry Smith assures us that Canada has weathered the worst of the storm and is now
sitting pretty with a 61.8% employment ratio (meaning that 61.8% of Canadians who can work are working).
Does this mean that we co-ops, desperate for that next rewarding work term, can breathe a little easier? Yes. Does this
mean that we can relax and assume the jobs will come to us? No. Definitely not.
Inside sCo-op
CAREER CORNER
A Look at the Labour Market
and What it Means for You
Prof. Smith is a self-proclaimed “knight master” who models himself in the image of Yoda (yes, that petite, green,
“passive voice am I using?” Yoda), harnessing the potential of his would-be Jedi students. To this noble end, he shares
some of his observations about the labour market, and his advice about the future.
Don’t Default – Be Realistic
Something Prof. Smith cannot tolerate is the tendency for students to “default”
into a career. Those who, with graduation approaching, say: “I don’t know
what I want to do; my marks are okay; I guess I’ll teach!” “They’re the ones,” he
exclaims, “that wake up at 39 and wonder ‘what did I do to myself?’. And then
they do all sorts of irrational things like learn how to skydive because they’re
so bored with their lives.” Instead of squandering your life in pursuit of the
“secure job with a good pension” your parents advocated, follow your passion.
But before you blindly dedicate yourself to your career quest, look at the
market and do your research.
Some sectors remained more or less unchanged by the recession, some
boomed and others buckled under the pressure. It’s not as easy to get a job in
manufacturing, in public service, in goods production, as it used to be. Other
industries have decreased hiring for entirely different reasons; for example,
fewer elementary and secondary school teachers are being hired because
fewer babies are being born.
Choose Your Own
(Career) Adventure!
Here is a basic model of questioning
Larry Smith (shown above) urges all
students to consider:
1) Am I in a program that prepares me
for relatively specific career options
(e.g., AFM)?
a. Yes. Am I happy with my program?
i.Yes. Good. But don’t get too cocky
– stay appraised of the changes in the
industry you’re aiming for.
ii.No. Re-evaluate your interests and
decide how to redirect your career plan.
b.No. Proceed to 2)
2) Am I in a program that prepares me
for a variety of career options where
one specific career or industry is not
the focus (e.g., Sci-Bus)?
a. Yes. Refine your interests. Try co-op
jobs in different industries. Pinpoint
what works best for you.
b. No. Then you’d better figure out what
type of program you’re in!
Nonetheless, Prof. Smith believes that if your passion is in one of these “injured
industries”, you shouldn’t change it. “For those students who earnestly desire
to teach because that’s what their passion is, understand the facts, recognize
the reality of where your career choice stands in the labour market, and
consider the strategies you’ll employ to prepare your qualifications.”
The “facts” about which industries are blossoming and which are not act as
stepping stones to make informed career plans, not as determinants that
dictate your career. It’s important to be realistic, to understand the specifics
and allow them to influence your job search strategies.
Consider the ‘American’ Dream
Canada came out of the recession a little bruised, but more-or-less intact.
We’ve returned our pre-recession employment years ahead of any other
developed, mature state. And the reason Prof. Smith gives for this is rather
surprising.
“Canada has,” he confides in a hushed tone, “one of the highest rates of
creation of self-employment on the planet. In February alone, 20,000
people started their own business. And that statistic is by no means unusual
– it is not a sudden boom of self-employment to counter the recession.”
The trend is supported for quite some time. Canadians, it would seem, are
leagues ahead of their American counterparts in making their own success
and living the so-called “American Dr.eam”.
It would seem that the glorified, one-in-a-million, successful entrepreneur
is not at all rare in Canada. Prof. Smith believes this knowledge should have
an impact on students: “If you do your whole job search without ever asking
yourself ‘would I like to be an entrepreneur,’ then your career strategy is
fundamentally flawed. Many people would say no, and for very good
reasons, but to never ask the question is bad career planning.” Self
employment should be a valid consideration for any student.
9