How Toronto Real Estate Lawyers Made Me Realize The Power Of Finding A Niche In Your Career

(Yes, I know the last post was also titled “How…” Bear with me. I promise the next one won’t be.)toronto real estate lawyers

I have to admit, I debated with myself longer than I should have about how to categorize this next article. It all depended on how I wrote it. It could be education, it could be career. But ultimately I decided to simply tell the story and put down my thoughts and how it applies to this website. Thus, it goes into the advice category. Advice about what? Well, the story, like most things, starts with one thing and ends up being about something else. This story starts with Toronto real estate lawyers.

Real estate lawyers? Yes. Why? Well, that’s the story. Now stop asking so many questions and pay attention. There’s going to be a quiz later.

I was talking to one of my best friends from school, Kevin, who lives up in Toronto. He was telling me about how he and his wife Catherine recently purchased a fixer-upper home in one of the older parts of the city. My wife and I are die-hard renters and I was going off on him about how crazy he was to buy a house that old and with as many problems as he was describing. I mean, how could he trust anyone in the transaction – the bank just wants to lock him into a 30 year loan, the realtor wants to make their commission and the seller wants to cover up as many warts as possible. Who can he trust?

Kevin’s answer? “Yeah, I know all that. Why do you think I got a good real estate lawyer?”

Honestly I was quiet for about 15 seconds. Which for me was a big deal. All my objections and complaints to his buying a house just went out the window. Of course! A real estate lawyer. They are the ones who are most likely going to be looking out for your best interests. You are paying them directly. They have no interest or financial consideration in the house being sold or not. Their only interest is in protecting you.

I congratulated my friend on his intelligence and business acumen. I mean what else could I do? But later after I got off the phone, the wheels started turning in my head. I started thinking more and more about real estate lawyers. Of course, I went online and did some looking around. Turns out real estate law is a fairly common subset of law in general. Which totally makes sense. But not being a lawyer and generally doing my best to stay away from needing a lawyer, I didn’t even know they existed. All my thoughts of lawyers are the ones you need when you get in some kind of trouble or are getting sued. I was very very wrong.

But then my ideas started of course to turn to careers. While this website generally doesn’t deal with a career that requires so much education and expertise, it can be a good illustration for what can be achieved if you really dig into your field. The further you go in a career, the more expertise you gain which in turn makes you understand the field even more. As time goes by certain niches open up in front of you that are just begging for someone of experience and intelligence to take the reins and lead.

As an example of this, when I was teaching in South Korea I stumbled into a job at an aviation university. Many of the students there weren’t really interested in improving their overall English. They were only interested in improving their English as it directly related to their careers. Which honestly made sense. And as I did research for my classes, I discovered an entire subset of English instruction that I never knew existed – aviation English.

What does aviation English have to do with Toronto real estate lawyers? Only the realization that inside each career there are profitable little niches that can be carved out for oneself if you try hard enough. Hiring a real estate lawyer is a pretty good idea and one that goes a long way to assuaging our fears of buying a house. So even though we don’t live in Toronto, talking with my friend about Toronto real estate lawyers makes us realizes the value in working with such a person and if the time comes for us to buy a house, we will certainly track down a good real estate lawyer with experience in our area.

How Name Tags (and a bit of power) Helped Me With My Job

Yes, we tried these kind. No, they didn't work. Yes, people wrote all kind of random names. No, we didn't use them again. And yes - one person wrote "Luka" and one person wrote "Inigo Montoya."

Yes, we tried these kind. No, they didn’t work. Yes, people wrote all kind of random names. No, we didn’t use them again. And yes – one person wrote “Luka” and one person wrote “Inigo Montoya.”

This article is going to be a little different than a lot of the other stuff on this site. Instead of giving insights into choosing a career or educational institution to study at, I’m going to give you an insight into how something helped me not only get my job done well, but made me look better in the eyes of my boss.

Are you ready for the big reveal?

Wait for it…wait for it… name tags.

Yeah, yeah, I know: soul-sucking conformist little pieces of plastic that rob us of our individuality and anonymity, crushing us under the boot heel of oppression from our corporate overlords. (I actually received that in an email from one of my co-workers. And no, she wasn’t kidding.)

I didn’t care much for name tags myself. Until I finally realized a small (big) problem I have – I have an absolutely terrible time remembering people’s names. Faces I’m good with – uncannily good. But names, well, the opposite.

Luckily for me I realized my problem about 2 years ago. Also luckily for me, I have a bit of authority in my job here at the private college I work at. Not much, but enough that I decided a solution to my problem and took it upon myself to fix it. The solution, as you can already guess, was to order name tags.

Now, the people I deal with on a daily basis I have no trouble remembering their names. Most of the time. And they all understand that I have trouble with names, so they forgive me the occasional gaffe. My bigger problem is that we regularly hold conferences, symposiums, round-table guest lectures and all sorts of stuff where people, powerful people sometimes, will be coming to the college and staying only for a day or three. And I have to remember all their names. Some get really offended when I don’t. And that could make my career and job a bit shaky. So I decided to shore things up.

Yup, I took to the internet. Did a bit of searching and settled on ImprintPlus.com as the place to go to. Why? They’ve got a fair selection of name tags and for the most part they have a real classy look. Nothing crazy, but really nice. We ordered some of their rectangular conference badges for our first go around. Everything went very smoothly and the product looked fantastic. It was a great experience – until it came time to have people wear them. Everybody rolled their eyes and stuffed them in their pockets. A little quick brainstorming and we came up with 2 ideas – random prizes handed out to people wearing their name tags (free drink coupons, stuff like that) and a grand prize at the end of the conference for the person who could remember the most names at the conference (dinner for 2 at a nice restaurant near campus). Worked like a charm.

Since then we’ve continued to go back to Imprint Plus every time we needed more name tags. Sometimes we’ll stick with the conference badge; sometimes we’ll get a regular name tag style. Depends on the situation. Word has gotten around and people now expect to wear their name tags when they come to our conferences and such. Some have even started asking what kind of prizes we’re giving out. Others have said how much they like keeping their name tags when they go home. Like a little memento of their time with us. Odd, I know, but hey – whatever works.

Here’s the funny part. The president of our college stopped me a couple of weeks ago at our latest conference. We we’re talking a bit and he congratulated me on another successful conference. Then he lowered his voice and told me how secretly glad he was for the name tags. Turns out he has the same problem I do – can’t remember random people’s names to save his life. He said he usually covers over it with bluster and calling everyone “old boy” or “buddy” or “miss” or something. But he was really happy with what I’d done. Suggested I try and get them for the office as well. I just thanked him for his kind words, a little shocked to be honest. But then he said “Talk to you later, Jacob.”

My name is Jason.

Ah well, maybe I need to get those office name tags after all.

Studying Abroad in Canada

study canadaTraveling to another country to study their language and culture is a time honored tradition that spans the globe. While the knowledge gained in the classroom may be the primary goal, many people who have traveled abroad for study quickly realize it’s the things they learn outside of the classroom that have the most impact. But traveling to a place where you don’t know a single soul and may not speak the language well (if at all) is a pretty daunting task. We’re here to help.

Assuming you’ve already made the decision to study abroad or are seriously looking into (not just in the kicking tires phase) most likely you are trying to figure out which school or program to study at. There are too many variable to delve into here, but the one thing you’ll need to be aware of more than anything else is accreditation. Basically accreditation is a way for people to know that a school is a reliable, upstanding place. It is who it says it is. Why is this a problem? All over the world in the history of education unscrupulous people looking to make a buck or two have set up programs with names that are either very similar to the names of prestigious universities or in some cases using the name of said universities illegally. Accreditation bodies or agencies help prevent this practice. When a school joins an accreditation body the accreditation body will check out the school and make sure they are legitimately using their name, offering what they say the offer and are on the up-and-up.

What happens when a school or program you are attempting to attend is not a member of a recognized accreditation body? Well, in that case, you’ll need to consider the costs versus the benefits. Are you looking to gain practical experience only and either won’t need or don’t care if your studying cannot be verified later? Is the price so cheap it makes it too good of a deal to pass up? Then you may have good reasons for joining the program. Beware though, that if a school or program is not properly accredited by whatever accreditation body that applies, your time spent studying there most likely won’t be able to be officially recognized by other universities, future employers or even government officials. If you’re okay with that possibility, then go ahead.

However, if you are not okay with that (and you likely should not be okay with that in our opinion), then you’ll need to look specifically for a school or university that is accredited. You will also need to check out the accreditation body to make sure they are also legitimate. If there are schools operating in the shadows, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to think they might even start their own accreditation body and attempt to verify themselves as being legitimate. Don’t worry; it won’t take long to make sure the accreditation body is legitimate – just a little internet searching and you’ll quickly find out.

Accreditation problem solved, you’ll need to move on to the next step which is the application. As mentioned before, there are too many situations for us to fully explain each variable in the process. One thing you might consider doing to streamline the process is contact people in your home country who have gone through the process themselves and see if they could help. Additionally, if you are already attending a school (high school, university, vocational school, etc.) locally then you might want to contact your school counselors or teachers for advice in this as well.

So those things out of the way, you’re going to need to start taking a look at practical matters; your daily living issues. There are many things to consider, but let’s take a look at a few.

  • Visas: You will likely need to make sure the visa you are trying to get will satisfy what you want to do in the country you are going to. Some visas are only for study and won’t allow a person to work at all. Some allow people to work but restrict the fields or hours they can work in. This doesn’t mean there are agents actively seeking people who violate their visas. But it can be serious if you are caught. Additionally, working in violation of visa restrictions can get your employer in trouble as well. People who knowingly hire students in violation of the student visa they hold can in some cases be a little unsavory. So be careful.
  • Money: Once you have a clear idea about how much work you can do, what you will be able to do and how much money you can earn you will be able to start planning on how you are going to pay for your excursion. Some places offer financial aid, but in all honesty, foreign students are seen as a cash cow and most programs charge them higher tuition fees. You’ll need to double check with the school about how much money they require, ask them about hidden or extra fees and see how much money they recommend you’ll need for your course of study.
  • Where to stay: Many universities offer housing on campus (for a price, as always). It is seldom glamorous or spacious, but it is a good way to stay cheaply, get to know other students and not have to worry about things like electricity bills, plumbing issues, etc. If staying at on campus housing isn’t possible or undesirable, you’ll need to secure off campus housing. Home stays are a popular option. If not staying with someone in an established location, you’ll need to rent an apartment. That is a topic for another time, but suffice it to say it can be time consuming, expensive and frustrating looking for an apartment if you’re only going to be staying for six months or so. Tip: many people who study in other countries will start out with student housing and then move out and get a place together once they make some friends.
  • Getting Around: Public transportation is nice but many places don’t have reliable or extensive public transportation. Look into whatever city you plan on studying in. Buying a car requires insurance, parking, gas, repair bills, etc. While having a car is great, it also adds another layer of complexity and stress to a stressful and complex situation. Bicycles are great options, but you’ll need to make sure where you will be studying is safe for bicyclists: not every city or country is. You’ll also need to factor in weather. Showing up to class drenched in sweat – not really cool. Trying to bike to class when there’s a meter of snow on the ground or the ground is a giant sheet of ice: Also not really cool. That being said, I biked around my university years (also had a car) and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
  • Communication: Talking to other people you meet, making phone calls, checking email and the internet, talking to people back home: highly important. With modern smartphones this can all be taken care of with one device. You’ll need to compare data rates in your target location with what you have back home. In some cases buying a new SIM card for your phone is possible and cheap. In other cases, not possible or not cheap. You may need to be satisfied with paying roaming fees or simply buying a new phone for the time you are studying. Buying a laptop: I wouldn’t. A tablet or iPad is probably a better choice.

There are many things to consider when preparing to study in another country. These are only a few of the things you’ll have to deal with. But please, don’t be discouraged by them. The experience of traveling to another country, living there, studying there and soaking up everything you can experience is one that will stay with you the rest of your life. We here at TUNS.ca highly recommend it.

Online Degree Programs – A Real Alternative or Just a Bunch of Hooey?

We’ll admit – a lot of the focus on this website is people who are likely still in high school, fresh out of high school, in university or fresh out of university. Basically, people in the under 30 range. Maybe even the under 25 range.study overload

But what about the kind souls who are outside of that range? What options do they have when they want or need a new career? How likely is it for them to just drop everything and re-enroll in school? Even a 6 month vocational school program is highly unlikely, what with the mortgage, the car payment, food, junior’s braces coming up and all. What about them? What options do they have to finally pursue their dreams?

Well, as you can imagine based on the title of this article, one of the best choices for people who simply can’t drop out of their current life to study at a vocational school or university is to give online degree programs a serious look.

The first question many people have about online degrees is are they real? The short answer is yes, they are. Usually. We’ll explain more in a bit, but we want to answer this first – online degrees are offered by respected universities across Canada, the US and the world. And in many cases, unless you tell someone you got your degree online they will never know the difference. Unless they figure it out for themselves, of course.

So how do you go about finding a good online degree to improve your career or even transition into a different field? The first step, like most things in the world, is to figure out what you want to do. It’s likely you’ve got a good idea of this already; otherwise you wouldn’t be searching out this information. But if not, and you’re simply dissatisfied with your current situation and looking for a change, then narrowing down what you’d like to do can help in the search. Of course, just browsing online degree programs could help you narrow things down as well, so let’s keep going.

Once you have a bit more of an idea of what kind of degree program you’re looking for, you’ll need to start looking for accredited schools that offer them. Accredited is the key word here. And not just accredited, but accredited by whom? Most of the bad reputation attached to online degree programs in a result of some shady companies offering online degrees in the early days of the concept. The scam was pretty simple – put up a shingle with a school name that sounded pretty close to a famous school, offer online degrees for a fair amount of money, pretend like you’re running a real business and give everyone an A. Great for the company, great for the guy looking for a piece of paper, not so great for the person looking to get a real education.

Once you have a list of schools the offer programs you are interested in and are accredited with a nationally recognized accrediting body (you can check online for all this) you’ll need to start narrowing down the choices a bit more. Price and any financial aid offered is going to be another big criterion: don’t think that just because it’s not offered in a real school setting that it is automatically going to be cheap. Most schools that offer online courses will try very hard to have the difficulty level of the coursework match what is offered at the school. That takes time, and as we all know, time takes money. So you’ve gotta pay. Unless you can rustle up some financial aid.

Financial aid is available sometimes but like financial aid in the regular world of higher education it will depend on your circumstances and the school itself. Although one shouldn’t determine their education based on the cheapest path, sometimes that is the most realistic choice.

Possibly the biggest question of all regarding online degree programs is will it be useful. Perhaps the better approach to this question is this: if an online degree program is the only thing I can realistically do, is it better for my career and future to actually do it or just sit on my hands and do nothing? You can kinda guess our opinion about it. Maybe it won’t be as well regarded as a full-on course of study in a regular school situation by some people. But that doesn’t mean everybody. Besides, online degrees were designed exactly for this reason – for whatever reason a person cannot attend the school in person.

But, you know, whatever. If you’d rather sit on your hands and do nothing because you worried that some people in some situation might not give full and unequivocal respect and admiration to the degree you worked so hard for just because it was earned in an online program at a highly regarded university, well…keep sitting on your hands. See how far that will get you.

By Jason R. Burton

Case Study: Gear Head Wannabe Becomes Gear Head Giant

John Edwards is a pretty cool guy. How do we know? He fixes our car. Started talking one day and found out he had a pretty interesting path to his career and vocation. After about 3 months of asking, he finally agreed to write up a case study for us. Here is his story…auto mechanic training

So TUNS.ca wanted me to do a case study for them. Cool. I think I’ve got an awesome life and if telling a little story about my education and work experience could help another guy get ahead in life, then great.

I’m not, however, going to go into a detailed family history. Not important. I’ll tell the important parts, because that’s what you guys want to read, right?

Family – mom, dad, little brother. Average, no drama, nothing outstanding. Close family. Finish high school and don’t know what to do. University is out; never had the grades and we certainly didn’t have the money for it. One night in the middle of summer dad sat me down and we had a little man-to-man. It went basically like this:
“What do you want to do with your life, son?”
“I dunno.”
“What do you like?”
“Cars.”
“Be a car salesman.”
“Not a salesman, dad.”
“Well, then.”
“I like working on cars, dad.”
“Yeah. But you know you’re no good at it, boy.”
“Thanks, dad.”

Worst part was: he was right. I had no mechanical aptitude. I couldn’t fix a car to save my life. Couldn’t even fix a bicycle. I got that from my dad – he was the same way when he was in high school. Loved cars but when he tried to fix them they ended up worse off than before. I was exactly like that. One time when I was 16 I tried helping a buddy install a lift kit on his truck. He actually called me a taxi so I would leave and stop messing things up. Try as I might, I just couldn’t get it right.

But I still wanted to fix cars.

About a week after my uplifting conversation with my dad, we took our car into get serviced. There was a guy working there that I remembered from high school. He was a couple years ahead of me, but I was bored so I struck up a conversation. Talk soon got around to work. I mentioned that he didn’t strike me as a gear head when he was in school. Dude laughed. Told me he totally wasn’t, but his father owned the shop. Said his dad told him he could have the shop someday if he could figure out how to work on cars and be a real mechanic. Sounded like a good business so he started trying to find a way he could learn how to be a mechanic. One thing lead to another and a 1 year program at a vocational school not too far from our high school taught him enough to get a job at a rival garage. 2 years there and his dad offered him a real job at his shop – not because he was his son but because he was a good mechanic.

I was in awe. This sounded like the answer to my prayers. What cinched it was when his dad walked past and overhead us. He stopped, started laughing and said, “It’s all true. This kid didn’t know a spark plug from a hole in the wall. Could screw up a simple oil change. Now I’ve got no question what’s going to happen when I retire – he’s taking the family business.”

I was sold. Got the name of the school he went to. Went there after our car was fixed, talked to a counselor there who remembered my friend. I was signed up that afternoon and started their next program 6 weeks later.

What’s happening now? Well, I got a job about 2 weeks after graduation from the school’s one year advanced program. Figured I needed all the help I could get. Turns out I was right. It took me about 3 months before things really started to click. My instructors later told me they thought I was a lost cause but still didn’t give up. I’ve been working in a medium size shop for 3 years now. It’s pretty nice. The money is good, the work is always different and I meet, talk to and help different people every day. Through my connections at the shop I was able to get a 5-year old BMW for a song. Fixed it up and now I’m driving a car that looks far above my pay grade. I even put on about 10-15 pounds of muscle from all the heavy lifting around the shop. My life is pretty sweet.

Wow, this is longer than I expected. So, short version – if there’s something you want to do, chase after it. Find a way to make it come true. Higher education isn’t only about four years of university. Vocational schools can take you from someone who has a dream but no skills and turn you into a skilled person able to live out your dream. It did for me. Don’t sit on your hands waiting for something to fall in your lap. Chase it down.

Oh, one last thing – my dad is set to retire from his job in a few years. He’s actually considering going to the same vocational school my buddy and I went to. Fulfill his dream from when he was a kid in high school. How cool is that?

Guest Post by John Edwards

6 Steps To Choosing The Best Vocational School For Yourself

So you’ve decided. You’re not going to go to a four year university. You want the practical skills and training that can be found in vocational schools. Congratulations! Not because of the choice you made but for actually making a choice and pursuing it. Too many people just waffle back and forth without making a choice. You’ve done the first and perhaps most difficult step.research

Next comes the second step which is choosing a school. But which one? You’ve decided on what you field you want to enter. You’ve chosen to go to a vocational school instead of university. But there are so many to choose from.

Hold on! Don’t give up yet. You’re right. While there are only about 90 universities across Canada, there are close to 600 vocational schools. That’s a lot. But if you take a little time, add in a little patience and a bit of research, you’ll find yourself with some pretty good choices. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

  1. Narrow things down: So you want to study nursing (or culinary arts, outdoor education, CNC machining, car repair, whatever). This fact alone is going to narrow down and eliminate a god number of the schools. Start making a list of all the schools that offer programs in your chosen field. Those that don’t, of course, are out. See, you’ve made things a bit easier already.
  2. Location, location, location: Finding schools in a certain geographical area can possibly narrow your list further. Do you have to stay in the same area you’re living now? That will automatically winnow it down to schools close to you. If you can move then you’ll have the flexibility to move to a place you’d like to move. This is assuming there are schools near you or in a place you’d like to live. If the number of schools that cater to your chosen field are limited, then so will be your geographical choices.
  3. Cost: While not the only consideration, it will likely be one of them. Few people will have an unlimited budget, so even if you find a school you like if it costs too much it may simply remove it from the equation.
  4. Financial Aid: This factor could bring it back into the equation. Some schools offer financial aid for qualifying students. If your choice gets narrowed down to a few schools you may have to choose the one school that offers the best aid package. All things being equal that’s a pretty good way to choose.
  5. Quality and reputation: How good a school is in your chosen field is one of the most important factors to consider as well. No point in going to a school that won’t provide you with a quality education, is there? Of course not. How do you find out about the quality of a school? Online research is one of the best ways. Find graduates of the schools and talk to them directly. But take things with a grain of salt. If someone is down on a particular school is it the fault of the school or the individual?
  6. Job Assistance: How well does the school do in helping students and graduates find jobs? What percentage of graduates are employed in their respective fields a year after graduation? 5 years after? Will the school help with finding a job only as you graduate or will they help you a year or two down the road? Will the resources be there or will they be restricted? All critical issues for vocational schools.

Choosing the right vocational school isn’t an easy process. Nothing like this ever is. But if you go about it methodically and with the right mindset, you’ll probably find out your choices get narrowed down to only a handful of schools. That’s when you need to contact them directly and speak with the counselors at the respective schools. From that point on it is likely going to be based on how you feel. Choose what feels right for you and you’ll likely never regret it. Good luck.

By Jason R. Burton

Case Study: A Trip Abroad Solidified A Career Path

Our next Case Study takes us to the streets of Paris and the shining lights of Shanghai. We talk to Nancy Yang, a graduate of a fashion design school here in Vancouver. Although Nancy had always loved fashion, her path to a vocational school was, well, long. But before we tell too much, let’s let Nancy tell her story:

First of all, the thing I’m most proud of is the fact that I speak 3 languages well and 2 more a little bit. I’m reasonably fluent in English (of course), French, and Chinese (Shanghainese). I can communicate conversationally but not conduct business in Italian and Chinese (Mandarin). And no, I didn’t count Chinese twice; the two dialects are mutually unintelligible.

Why is this my proudest achievement? Well, I’ll tell you the story.

Born in Shanghai, my parents immigrated when I was about 9 months old. They did their best to cut off as many ties as they could, including only speaking English with me and my soon to follow younger sister, resulting in English being our first language. I picked up the odd curse word in Shanghainese but nothing more. In high school I started to learn French and fell in love with the language and the world of fashion. I wanted to move to France and study there. As you can guess, my parents were not going to allow that to happen.

University – study finance my parents say. I hate numbers, I say. Study finance, they say. I love fashion and French, I say. Study finance, they say. So I give in and study finance. I got lucky and followed some stock market tips from a friend – made about $5,000 in 3 months. Stupid, I know. Risky as well. My parents found out and threatened to kick me out of the house. So I decided to take the money and run. Literally.

Quit school and moved to France. With the money I had and some odd jobs in coffee shops here and there, I lived my dream. Immersed myself in France and French for about 5 months until the money ran out. Phone call to mom and dad and I’m on the next plane to Shanghai. Dad figured I needed to know what hard work was like so he convinced me to go teach English in Shanghai. Spent a year doing that and picking up all the Shanghai dialect of Chinese that I could. Got a fair bit of Mandarin as well. Burned out after a year and it was time to come home to my beautiful Vancouver.

Back home. 21 years old, living with mom and dad, no plan. Lots of experience but no plan. And nothing I could build on. Or so I thought.

Study finance again, my parents say.

A year and a half on my own and now I can say no. In the middle of a big fight, it all became clear to me. That night I researched fashion schools in British Columbia and by next week I was all set to go. 2 years later I finish, get a job in a small design firm. I travel to France and Italy for work and fun. The fact that I speak Chinese has allowed our company to expand into Asia. I live on my own in a nice little apartment. I’ve even begun to dabble a little in furniture design and have gotten some good responses from people who have seen my work. I see a great future ahead of me. All because I finally stopped living someone else’s life and started living my own. University, while admirable, wasn’t the choice for me. I cannot at this point imagine myself ever regretting the choice to attend fashion school in British Columbia. I love my job and I love my life. What else is there, right?

And as to why my language skills are my proudest achievements – they are skills that, in my mind at least, are like a roadmap to my life and career. They show me where I’ve been and open up new doors for where I’m going. That’s why.

Guest Post by Nancy Yang

Career Spotlight: Film and Television

So you want to be in pictures, hunh? Couldn’t act your way out of a wet paper bag? Luckily for you, acting, while the most visible part of the film industry, is actually the smallest part in terms of number of jobs. How so? The next time you go to a movie, don’t leave when the credits start rolling. Stick around and watch all those hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of names go by. All those people worked on that one particular film. And truth be told, there were probably about half again as many who may not have directly worked on that film but worked in companies that supported that film.

That’s a lot of jobs. For just one film. But why is this relevant to Canada? Aren’t all big American movies made in Hollywood? Hardly. For literally decades Hollywood film and television productions have taken place in Canada to stand in for American settings. Why? Simply enough it’s cheaper to film here. So not only do you have the Canadian film and television industry, you’ve got parts of the American one as well.

Sold, you say. You want a piece of the pie. Where do you get a plate? Slow down there, friend. What do you plan on doing for the Hollywood magic machine? They don’t just hand out paychecks for showing up and looking good. Even actors have to do more than that. Here is a list of some of the top jobs you can get in the film and entertainment industry:

  • Director
  • Producer
  • Editor
  • Cinematographer
  • Lighting
  • Hair and Makeup artist
  • Wardrobe
  • Location Manager
  • Key Grip
  • Art Department
  • Sound
  • Stunts
  • Writer
  • Computer Animation
  • Set Construction
  • Accounting
  • Special Effects

And that’s just scratching the surface. Each one of those categories has several different levels and niches attached to it. Film, television, documentaries, reality TV, variety shows – there’s a wide range of productions going on all over the field and most of them need workers.

Sounds great, but what about the money? Well…that’s a harder thing to pin down. Many different factors come into and affect how much money a person can earn. Let’s take a look at, say, being an editor. One of the most popular editing systems in Hollywood is the Avid editing system. How much money an editor working on Avid can make depends greatly on some of the following variables:

  • Type of production: film, television, music video, commercials, promotions, etc.
  • Experience in the field: number of years, skill level, different production types
  • Technical know how: do you need an IT guy to help you set things up and fix problems or can you do this yourself
  • Speed: how well you can do your job quickly
  • Ability to work with others: are you able to understand what the director and producer want and give it to them, even when they can’t explain it well
  • Freelance or salaried: freelance often makes more but there is less stability and few to no benefits

An editor with 5 years experience who does their job quickly and is able t produce quality work should be able to get around $65,000 per year working for a production company at a mid-level production. That’s not the guy editing a big hit TV show or major film. It’s the guy editing promos for a television network or production company.

The film and television industry is wide open. Going to film school or getting technical training at a vocational school is a great way to get your foot in the door. But a career is not built upon simple acceptance into a program of study. It takes hard work, networking, the desire to learn new things and the willingness put yourself out there. Playing it safe doesn’t usually build a career. But if you’re up for the excitement and challenge, the reward can be great.

By Jason R. Burton

5 Tips For Writing A Resume That Gets You The Job You Want

Ahh, the dread of writing a resume. Ranks right up there with remembering, at 1 a.m., a 5 page paper due the next morning on something you haven’t even read. However writing a resume is worse. Why? You can’t BS your way through a resume. 3rd year of university and you can probably convincingly BS your way to a B- on a 5 page paper in your major. I could. But write a resume that will convince a total stranger that you’re the best person for the job? That’s where these 5 tips come in. Because if you’re trying to BS your way through a resume, you’re going to need them.corporate 3

Tip 1: Specialize
Not you, dummy – your reader. Don’t expect to write one resume that will work for every person at every business for every job you want to apply for. When I was teaching overseas and looking for work, I had a number of different stock resumes: one for teaching at universities, one for teaching at summer school programs, one for editing, one for writing, one for acting, one for voice-over work… you get the picture. Each one focused on my experience in the particular field. Additionally, I would tweak and tailor the resume for the particular job I was applying for. Take it from me (and the experts) – it works.

Tip 2: Be honest
You’re not going to be able to hide time gaps or dress up crappy jobs with fancy sounding words. Don’t bother trying. Take the opportunity to show your potential employer your honesty and forthrightness. It will be refreshing to them. Trust me, they see people lying and trying to lie and cover up stuff all day long. You telling the truth may not get you the job, but it may get you noticed, which is something when the person reading your resume is spending all day readings dozens and dozens of resumes. Just remember to keep it professional.

Tip 3: Avoid the “wall of text”
Try as you might you want to fit in all the good stuff about yourself that if they can just see it you know they’ll see the light and hire you. So you start typing and typing and don’t stop until you’ve filled two pages with information about your greatness. Single spaced. With a small font. What you need to do is take a breath, repeat “less is more” until it’s burned into your brain and then start again. Gigantic empty spaces are just as damaging as gigantic spaces filled with lots and lots of things to read. Short and sweet, whenever possible, is key.

Tip 4: It’s the interview, silly
You will not get offered a job based on your resume. You will get offered an interview. The interview will get you the job. Not the resume. Remember that when writing your resume. Why? So you can remember that you are crafting a resume that will show to the reader how you are going to fulfill what they want. They are looking for the best person for the job. They are interested in what they want, not what you want. If you can give them the idea that you are what they might want, you might get the interview. If you spend the whole resume talking about something other than the job at hand and how you can fulfill it, you won’t even get the interview.

Tip 5: Make it look nice
Not fancy expensive paper but not cheap crap from the dollar store. No weird fonts or sizes. No misspelled words. Nothing hand written (except your signature, maybe). Pretend this resume is your one ticket to a great job and career in a field you are dying to enter. Treat it with the respect and gravity something like that would deserve. Why? Because that’s exactly what it is. Don’t screw it up with weirdness or unprofessionalism.

While these are not the only things you need to remember, they are a good start. Getting these right is a good first step towards getting yourself the exact job you want.

By Jason R. Burton

Vocational Schools vs. Universities

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – vocational schools have gotten a bad rap while the standard 4-year university program is held up as the pinnacle of educational achievement. Is that true? Is it right? Is it fair?student in library

We’ll be honest – it’s up to you to decide. But to decide you’ll need to get the information from an unbiased source. That’s us. Why are we unbiased? Because we’ve already paid our dues. We’ve gone through the university system and come out the other end with lots of debt and little in the way of practical skills. Is that all the fault of the university? Hardly. That’s on us. But to say that the university system is designed to help students get practical training, work experience and a job soon after graduation would be, well, a stretch.

So what do universities offer that vocational schools don’t? And vice versa – what do vocational schools offer that universities don’t? We’re glad you asked. Let’s take a look.

Cost
This is one of the primary and perhaps crucial components of an education – how much will it cost. We’re going to talk about just tuition fees here; books, study materials, additional fees, housing and all the extra expenses that come along with an education are too variable to really enter into this discussion.

  • University: Just considering tuition fees in the 2012/2013 school year, the average paid for a Canadian university student was $5,581. That’s average. Dentistry students paid the most at $16,910 for undergraduates. Average cost of an MBA program tuition? $23,757.
  • Vocational School: There is a lot more variation in the tuition fees at vocational schools and technical universities. It often depends on the school, their level of teaching (better schools often cost more), the particular program chosen and the length of the program. For example, College of the Rockies (a good school) offers Culinary Arts training for $8,950 (as of 2013). That’s a lot of money. Except when you factor in…

Time
The length of a program of study varies widely between universities and vocational schools.

  • University: Four years. More if you’re lazy/unmotivated/working full time to pay for it/have any bumps in the road.
  • Vocational School: The afore-mentioned Culinary Arts Professional Cook Training at the COTR? 6 months. 6 months and you’ll be able to go out with highly specialized skills specifically adapted to getting a job. Different programs take different times. Nursing programs often take about 2 years while many other fields of study can be completed in less than a year.

Skills
When you come out the other end of whatever educational institute you enter, what kind of skills are you going to have? Skills that can be easily transmitted into getting yourself a job and proving to your new employer they haven’t made a mistake in hiring you is what we’re talking about here.

  • University: Actual skills – precious few from the instruction itself. If it’s a technical school you’ll have far more. But a standard liberal arts 4-year degree – precious few. Universities focus on knowledge and theory far more than practical experience.
  • Vocational School: Your cup runneth over here, my vocational school friends. The knowledge and theory are of course part of vocational school training, but are pretty much laser-focused on the task at hand. Vocational schools aren’t in the business of cranking out well-rounded people. They are in the business of teaching people the skills they need to get a good job. They leave the well-rounding up to the individual. On their own time.

Job Search
How easy is it to find work in your chosen field after graduation? Does the school provide any kind of job search training?

  • University: Not so much. As mentioned above, the focus is knowledge and theory. But practical skills – it’s up to you to gain those. But how can you gain those when you don’t have experience? Ahh, the age-old Catch 22 of the liberal arts undergrad. Some schools do have “job centers” but good luck. My school – just shiny brochures, lists of outdated printouts, 2 old slow computers and work study kids who couldn’t bother to help.
  • Vocational Schools: With the skills gained during the course of study getting a job is far easier. Additionally many schools use the percentage of students who secure a job upon graduation in their marketing push. It’s in their best interests to help you get a job and many vocational schools will do so. Also, many instructors and schools have connections in their respective field, making networking much more of a possibility.

Networking
When you get out of school, will you have a network of friends in the field or area of study that you’ve just paid a huge chunk of change? Or will you just be sitting by your lonesome at the alumni get-togethers?

  • University: Same
  • Vocational School: Same

Honestly it’s a toss up here. More than other issues, how great of a network you build with your fellow classmates and instructors is entirely up to you. Some may feel that the hands-on environment of the vocational school leads to better connections while others feel that the longer time spent at university allows greater bonds to develop. We’ve heard both sides of the argument and we feel it truly is up to you: You can find yourself either lonely and friendless or surrounded by great minds and great friends at both university and vocational school. You get out of it what you put into it here more than anywhere else.

Fun
Pranks, parties, great stories to share when you’re older, fond memories, road trips? Which educational path fosters more fun?

  • University: 4 years is a lot of time. Most students know they’ve got the time to relax a bit and let their hair down. Many do. Also, many places (Playboy, US News and World Reports, Newsweek, Princeton Review) will produce an annual “best party school” list. Here’s a tip: it’s not a list of vocational schools.
  • Vocational School: Vocational school graduates will argue that they had lots of fun in their higher education time. We don’t doubt that. But the shortened span of time spent at a vocational school combined with the practical nature of the work leads us to believe that the “fun” aspect might be a bit lacking here. Besides, you don’t see too many movies made about the crazy, zany times spent at vocational schools, do you?

So, which should you choose? University or vocational school? Vocational school or university? Well, again, it’s up to you. What are you most interested in? What combination of factors is more important to you and your future? Now that you have a bit of unbiased information, you can hopefully make a more informed choice.

By Jason R. Burton