The One About Careers

Well. We've had quite a few conversations with quite a few people doing quite a few different things! It's been a blast. To round out our second season (!), we thought we'd do a bit of a summary of the key takeaways, or golden nuggets that came out of those conversations. Because despite all the differences, there were a lot of ideas and experiences that repeated over and over again...

In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane chatted with Rachel Brethauer, Copywriter, Magical Unicorn and aspiring TV writer. Besides giving us a peek behind the curtain of TV writing, Rachel also hit on some pretty important themes in our conversation with her. They included: The bonuses of partnerships and connections Seeing it as "making friends" and "finding your people" instead...

In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane chatted with Vicki Noels-Cornish, who is a fellow career pro. Vicki's pathway has been a little different than Devon and Sarah-Jane's, mainly because she defines herself as "neurospicy." If you have ADHD, a learning disability or you feel like you fall into the category of neurodivergence, you definitely don't want to miss this episode...

On this episode, we'll meet Melissa Macfarlane Heidmiller, a Brand Marketing Manager. We thought she meant brand marketing as in, marketing shoes. She means brand marketing like marketing businesses . It's her job to make sure that organizations look attractive to potential employees. The industry has only been around since the 80s, and it's been in Canada for maybe 10 years. Here a...

Did you ever have a time when you were working in fraud investigation, and then your family history, your creativity and your joy all converged in one place, and you quit your job and opened a restaurant? Yeah, we didn't either. But this episode's guest did! Meet Honey Abada, the current owner of La Isla Manila in Barrie, Ontario. Honey dropped some terrific insights on her own career jo...

In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane jump into the world of environmental careers, with Leslie Greener, Business Centre Pratice Lead, Environmental Service at Stantec Consulting Ltd. (We didn't know what that meant either, so don't worry, we asked!) Leslie's work in the environmental field has spanned the private sector, the public sector and consulting work and she's currentl...

In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane chatted with Courtney Brooks, Case Manager, Employment and Social Services for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. As usual, talking about someone's career journey led to some great nuggets of information. Here are some of the highlights: Using transfer credits to choose a university program so that it takes less time and costs less Finding the balance of c...

In this week's episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane sit down and talk to Aaron Schoenmaker, and hoooo boy, does he have a story! Today, Aaron is the Manager of National Student Recruitment at Centennial College. Follow along as we unwind Aaron's twisty tale from high-school dropout and petty criminal to factory worker, skilled tradesperson, marketer and college recruiter. Here are a few highlig...

In this week's episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane sit down with Jenn Powell, a self-described "Jenn of all trades." Currently, Jenn coordinates events and training for clients across the postsecondary education industry in Canada. But how did she get there? In this chat, we hit on some great nuggets of info: Surviving never working in the thing you studied for Taking education on a conti...

Join Devon and Sarah-Jane for a chat with Amanda Donovan, who is the Activities Coordinator for St. Paul's Anglican Church in Charlottetown, PEI. (A job she would never have expected to be doing!) While much of her job is about event management, and she gets to lean into her love of events and building connections, we got pretty philosophical about life and careers at the end! Along the way,...

In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane interview Will Howe, who is the Provincial Data Lead for the School-College-Work Initiative in Ontario. While you learn all about Will's extremely windy career path, you'll also hear his insights on: Why a liberal arts major is useful How to use connections to find work The importance of being able to communicate what you learn in school in a languag...

In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane chat with Shelly Totino, who eventually landed in the communications field after 4 attempts at postsecondary education (2 of which she actually completed!). In this conversation, you'll hear Shelly's take on: The benefits of pursuing postsecondary education when you're not fresh out of high school Using networking to land cool jobs Using credit...

It wouldn't be unusual to meet someone who has had these jobs throughout their working life: Registered Practical Nurse Volleyball Referee Security Guard Drag Performer But when did you meet someone who has all of them, all at once? You will on this episode! Parastoo Sadeghein is interested in many different things, and has always been. In her view, why not do them all?  If you or someone in...

Don't worry, we started with "what the heck is a Functional Business Analyst??" This episode launches a series of informational interviews with a variety of people working in a variety of jobs and taking a variety of career paths to get there. In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane interview Melanie Maloney, a Functional Business Analyst at Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario.  Some to...

Success looks differently whether you’re on your first job or a few jobs in. Sarah-Jane and Devon identify easy tips for success and provide some new ideas about the definition of success. From things to take to work to questions to ask yourself about your work, enjoy this useful, insightful and practical episode.

Devon and Sarah-Jane discuss how you actually find job openings discussing specific in-person and online ideas. Giving very simple tips and strategies for finding openings, Sarah-Jane and Devon set you up for success in both identifying openings which interest you and being successful in the application process to secure an interview.

Is there a teen in your life who has never applied for a job before? Has it maybe been awhile (a looooong while) since you applied to your first job? This episode has you covered, as Devon and Sarah-Jane talk about where to find job postings and provide tips on how to be effective with applications both online and in person.  

What exactly is the difference between "hot jobs" and "in-demand jobs"? Devon and Sarah-Jane have both been asked, MANY times, about getting into careers that are highly in demand. Is that a good strategy for the young adult in your life? Tune in while we spill the tea!

We're back for Season 2! (woo hoo!) We're kicking off this season with an overview of how to plan out your fall if there is a teen in your house applying to post-secondary studies this year. Where should you go? What programs do you need to know about? When are application deadlines? How soon do you have to make decisions? Devon and Sarah-Jane will cover all this and more in this first e...

We likely all recognize that your job brings in a paycheque that helps you pay for things: living expenses, fun stuff and hopefully a little extra to tuck away for a rainy day. But is that it? In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane will delve into the importance of financial intelligence and how having it can really open up possibilities in your career. This is our final episode of season 1. Stay t...

Developing and boosting your social intelligence can be MONUMENTAL to your career success. Why is that? Because no matter what kind of work you do, no matter who you work for (including for yourself), your job will always involve other people. In this episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane talk about what social intelligence is, how it can impact your career now and into the future and how to leverage it t...