Toronto Metropolitan University Alumni Blog

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When I am hiring for an entry-level position and see a degree on an application, my first reaction is, “Good. What else?” The reality is that a university degree is simply no longer very unique. There are, in fact, more than twice as many students attending university today as there were in 1980, and the proportion of Canadians with a degree continues to rise sharply every year. While a university degree has always been proven to be an effective baseline for the job market, it is becoming increasingly necessary for graduates to prove their value to employers above and beyond their degrees. Continue reading “How new grads can demonstrate value beyond their degrees”

Marijana Miric (GCM ’13, MDM ’15) works in Ad Operations for GroupM Canada and Jamie Kwan (Architecture ’13, MDM ’15) is an Experience Designer with FORREC Ltd. They are the co-founders of Studio Bud.

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When we’re young, we’re taught to be curious, creative, and confident. Before we “choose” a path, we’re all budding scientists, artists, and innovators. This doesn’t need to end just because you’ve started your career.

In our first year post-graduation, we’ve both been fortunate to have started careers in successful companies that fall within our respective industries. We studied hard, worked hard, and now we’re left dealing with “life” once 5 p.m. hits. That’s why we’ve become advocates for what we call the “creativity happy hour” – the time spent pursuing passion projects in the other 40 hours outside of work. Continue reading “Creativity beyond the 9-5”

Jackson Cunningham (RTA ‘05) is the E-commerce Director at Wiivv and co-founder of several successful e-commerce stores.

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Over the past decade, I’ve learned a lot about building e-commerce businesses. When I graduated from Ryerson, looking for ways to cover the rent, I wanted to establish an automated, passive source of income. My original goal was to make $1,000/month, but after only a few months of work, I started to realize the potential was much greater.
Continue reading “So you want to sell online? 6 must-dos”

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During those final months before graduation, the career world can feel both infinite and elusive, making it difficult for any new grad to know exactly what they want to do and be. It may be tempting to seek advice from the most accomplished professionals in their field, but is it the wisest decision? Is the job market different than it was 20 years ago? Definitely. The economic and technological landscape has changed drastically, so shouldn’t the advice you seek also have evolved?
Continue reading “Life after Ryerson: 3 career tips”

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Not too long ago, a business professor friend invited me to address a luncheon of university students enrolled in his class on entrepreneurship. I was honoured to have been asked, but not sure I was the right person for the task. Continue reading “Corporate Entrepreneurship: Turn irony into opportunity”

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As the first person in my family to attend university or college, I once believed that further education was a means to an end. A chance to develop one specialized skill set and get a stable career with a company where I could dedicate all of my working years. For some people, this is still the dream. But for me – and many others – a love of change and life-long learning drives us to take on new and different roles throughout our careers. Continue reading “Don’t worry, new grads! Your career can be a journey of reinvention”

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In the 1980’s, academics began to study success attributes in the workplace. They discovered that people with the same intellect had different levels of success. A defining feature that explained this anomaly became known as emotional intelligence (EI). Soon thereafter further studies showed a link between emotional intelligence and personal achievement. Interestingly, these studies also established a link to professional success and happiness. Continue reading “All intelligence is not equal”

Jessica Holmes (RTA ’98) is a comedian, author, and mental health advocate.

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When I chose comedy as a career, I made the liberating assumption that I’d always live on a sofa in a friend’s basement. For years after graduating from Ryerson’s RTA program, I worked temp jobs by day and performed at open mic venues at night. It was the most creatively prolific time of my career. But that creativity stagnated once I got comfy on prime time and realized I finally had something to lose; an audience, a reputation, and enough money to stop buying no name brand wieners from No Frills. Continue reading “Rekindling that youthful enthusiasm”