Tuesday, June 24, 2014

job search/ new graduates/ English literature

May 21 Job search: I didn’t look for a job on Victoria Day long weekend.  I needed a break and nobody really puts job ads on the weekend.  Only a few people do.  Yesterday after work, I went shopping.

Today is my day off.  In the morning I helped my grandma sweep and mop the floors.  I also made lunch for both us.  It’s good that I took a break and now I am refreshed enough to do my job search today.
I took 4 days off from my job search.  Today I stayed at home all day and was very productive.  I did chores, read the business section of the newspaper, and looked for a job.  I also worked on my Linked In profile today which I haven’t done in quite awhile.
May 23 Business news:

Red Lobster: Did you know that Darden is selling their restaurant Red Lobster to Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion?  I don’t know if all the restaurants are going to close down or be open under new management.  If it does close down, there is still Joey’s Seafood.


Sears Canada: The US Sears Holdings is planning to sell the Sears Canada stores.  For the past few years there have been thousands of layoffs and selling some locations.  Let’s see if anyone buys them.


Engineering: Today I read in the Globe and Mail “Less than 30% of engineers with a bachelor degree or higher were actually working as an engineer or engineering manager.”

I was surprised.  I thought engineering was a practical degree and could be applied to get careers. 

Hypothetical career: A few weeks ago I asked my dad if he saw me as a police officer.  He said he would be pleasantly surprised if I became one.  Then we discussed how I had to get a driver’s license.  He also mentioned how I had to be street smart.  He mentioned pyramid schemes and scams and know it right off the bat.  As for me, I have to Google to read other people’s opinions to see if it is a scam. 

I have mentioned before, I get too angry watching Cops.  I feel like I’m at a ride-along when I’m watching it.  So I would be too angry for this job.

Ryan Reynolds: On a side note, I was reading in the Globe and Mail article “Ryan Reynolds’s career takes a dark twist” by Liam Lacey on May 17, 2014.  In the article it says his brother is an RCMP officer who deals with serious crime.

On imdb: Is the youngest of four brothers. Two of his three elder brothers are policemen.


New graduates: I found this “9 Things new Graduates need to do now” by Gail Johnson. 

Get working
Pay yourself first
Establish a budget
Pay off debt
Open a Tax-Free Savings Account -- to start
Look for other ways to save and earn money
Get financially educated ASAP
Consider insurance
Travel to a developing country

There is also a little video at the end by Ashley Patterson as she talks about she paid off her college debt when she graduated in 2007.  She paid it off in 4 years.  She asked her parents and family instead of giving her Christmas and birthday gifts, give her cash.  Also instead of paying the min. on her student loan of $550, she paid it $2,200.


May 26 English literature: Today I read in the Metro that the actress Emma Watson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature in the Ivy League University in Rhode Island.  Watson played Hermione in the Harry Potter films.

I had to look it up on the internet with what you can use your English literature degree for what career.

“Like many other degrees, English literature doesn't have career-specific skills, so it can feel like there are both very few – and too many – options out there.

Research shows there are a huge range of jobs on offer for those with an academic background in English. For example, 8.3% of English graduates from 2010 went into marketing, sales and advertising, while 3.8% became social and welfare professionals.

After asking our followers what jobs they have done following their degree, we also had a pretty diverse response: copywriter, PR, journalist, marketing, advertising, animator, designer, public speaker, teacher, curator, TV producer. And that's not even the full list.”


I then went to a few of other sites:




My opinion: It listed all these careers like journalism, editor, and advertising.  There is also teaching and social work.  When I read this, I thought: “An English or English literature degree is like my Professional Writing diploma.”
University of Alberta: It then lead me to check out this school.  I never applied there.  I did go to the open house.  I guess I went there to get myself more information about college in general.

Here’s what it says about the English major:

“The discipline of English undertakes to study a rich body of literature and to develop critical thinking skills necessary to read our increasingly complex world. You will learn about the way language makes meaning and how words create worlds. This analytical framework will enrich your life and prepare you for today's knowledge-based economy where the most valuable employees are critical, adaptable and creative thinkers.”

May 28 Wesco: I went to a job fair probably in Jan.  I have this card about this company called Wesco.  There is a west end location and a south location.  I looked up the jobs available in Edmonton and there are positions like warehouse associate and sales specialist.

I also have another card for Karen Currie, who is the Sr. Talent Acquisition Specialist.


Careers for Community: I also picked up this card and it says: “We are a coalition of local not-for-profit charitable organizations.”  It lists Boyle Street Community Services, Canadian Mental Health Association among others.

There are only 5 positions available right now.  There’s full-time, part-time, casual, and for different organizations.

Cambridge Mercantile Group: I have this card for this Global Payment Services company.  It’s like being a foreign exchange trader.  I went to their website and the positions available are credit analyst and executive assistant, all in Toronto.

The Edmonton office is the Manulife Place.

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