A step-by-step guide to remote work

Stephanie Veltmann, Fashion Communication and Design ’09
Stephanie Veltmann (Fashion Communication and Design ’09) is a brand strategist, designer and principal of Bare Brand, a strategic creative agency. Stephanie is also the President of the Ryerson University Alumni Association Board of Directors.

I began working as a graphic designer in 2009, having recently graduated from Ryerson. This was not my first foray into an office environment but with school behind me, working a full week in the same four walls changed my perspective. It soon wasn’t hard to notice productivity slipping to office distractions and courteous chit-chat, not to mention the tremendous cost to operate a physical space. This led me to realize remote work was the way of the future — to me it was an easy, simple solution.

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#SafeSocial: Social media as a risky behaviour

Bailey Parnell (Radio and Television Arts ’15, Communications and Culture ’16 MA)
Bailey Parnell (Radio and Television Arts ’15, Communications and Culture ’16 MA) is an award-winning digital marketer and the Founder & CEO of SkillsCamp, a soft skills training company. Bailey was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. Her TEDx talk and research at Ryerson University focus on social media’s impact on mental health.

Last year, I gave a TEDx talk about social media’s impact on mental health, discussing concepts such as highlight reels, social currency, FOMO, and online harassment, which have led to lower self-esteem, anxiety, stress, and depression. I suggested small, one-time negative instances might not dramatically reduce your mental health, but when micro-aggressions repeatedly occur over time, you have a macro problem.

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Your guide to online interactions

Jesica Cuaresma
Jesica Cuaresma is a soon-to-be graduate of Ryerson’s Business Management program. With a background in the arts — specifically visual arts and musical theatre, she hopes to integrate her creativity, along with her knowledge of marketing within the business world. Her passions include travel, fashion, photography and music.

As human beings living in the digital age, the internet is endlessly shifting the ways in which we communicate with one another.

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How working 7 days a week helped my state of mind

Amanda Cupido, Journalism ’12
Amanda Cupido (Journalism ’12) is a communications advisor for World Vision International, the Innovator in Residence for podcasting at the Toronto Public Library and a journalism instructor at Seneca College. She is also the author of Let’s Talk Podcasting. Amanda sits on the Ryerson University Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.

When I told people I enjoyed working seven days a week, they were in disbelief.
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How my communications degree helped me as a caregiver

Alexandra Sebben (MPC, Professional Communication ’16)
Alexandra Sebben (MPC, Professional Communication ’16) is a Communications Coordinator for the Council of Canadian Academies, a nonprofit that supports independent, authoritative, and evidence-based expert assessments that inform public policy in Canada. She is the Executive Secretary for the IABC Ottawa Chapter Board of Directors.

As a young graduate I found myself, like many others, scared to take the leap into the job market. I didn’t feel like I was ready to leave school and decided to pursue a Master of Professional Communication to advance my education. To help save costs on living expenses during my studies and be closer to the campus I moved into my grandfather’s place, located a little west of Toronto.

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Four things I’ve learned since Convocation Day

Tanya Kostiw
Tanya Kostiw (MA, Literatures of Modernity ’13) is the editor of the Alumni Blog and the Marketing and Communications Liaison for the Ryerson University Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. She is the Associate Creative Director at Mayk Ideas.
Convocation is a momentous day — one that can be equal parts exhilarating and frightening. After all, it’s the culmination of years of hard work and the start of a new chapter.

As Ryerson students prepare to take their first steps into post-graduation life, this month’s Alumni Blog reflects on some key career-related lessons (for new grads and seasoned professionals, alike) that I have picked up since graduation.

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Considering a career change? 3 key tips

Samantha Osaduke is a Health, Safety and Environment Coordinator at Ainsworth Inc. She has just under 3 years experience in Human Resources in various industries.

Changing careers can be daunting, and even more so after you’ve established yourself in a career for a few years. Most of your contacts are in your initial industry, and switching careers usually involves more continuing education on your own time with personal sacrifices, not to mention ensuring it doesn’t interfere with your current career. Once you do have the education behind you, you need to make the move. I did just that.

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Run Your Own Race

Jonathan Chiriboga (Business Management ’04, MBA ’09)
Jonathan Chiriboga (Business Management ’04, MBA ’09) is a Digital Marketing & CRM Lead at McDonald’s Canada. Jonathan shares his passion for marketing, leadership and personal branding at digitalopenconcept.com.

This month I’ll be celebrating 13 years in the professional workforce. After six companies, two promotions and an MBA somewhere in the middle of all that, I constantly remind myself to run my own race.

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Finding your entrepreneurial niche

Ron Alphonso
Ron Alphonso (Retail Management ’81, Business Management ’84, MBA ’09) is a Toronto-based mortgage specialist. He can be found at www.mortgagebrokerstore.com and on twitter @brokerstore.

I had sold my previous business and was looking to start a new one. I spent about 3 years searching for a business that could make money and have a good growth rate. This included going back to Ryerson to complete my MBA; I felt an MBA would give me a different point of view and help me evaluate my business opportunities.

 

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Life is too short to hate your job

Denise Chiriboga
Denise Chiriboga (Business ’06) is known as The FitTritionist. She is a personal trainer and holistic nutritionist specializing in building strong moms in pregnancy and postpartum. She is also the creator of Strong Mom™ fitness. www.FitTritious.com

Before I graduated in 2006 with a B.Comm, major in finance and a minor in marketing, I thought I knew exactly what my career path would look like. As it turned out, there’s more to life than an office on Bay Street and the allure of dollar bills.

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