The Communication Co-opNewsletter | Summer 2008

Communiqué

InsideMinding the Gaps While Working Abroad 1/3

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro 2/3

Building a “Job Search Portfolio” 4/5

Meet the Faculty 6/8

Where Are They Now 7/8

Statistics Corner 8

Communiqué is a newsletter published every semester by SFU Communication Co-op.

Check us out online at www.sfu.ca/communique

MINDING THE GAPS WHILE WORKING ABROADBridging the international differencesBy Jeanette LeBlanc, Communication Co-op Alumnus

As a co-op alumnus, I continue to

utilize skills I learnt throughout co-op

while searching for work and in the

workplace. Most recently, my skills were tested

in London, England!

It all started with a friendly conversation, a yearning

to travel, a scrap napkin and a draft budget. In

small steps, anything is possible, and I knew I could

make the move happen. With a degree under my

belt and completion of the co-op program I felt

equipped to experience a job search in London and

see what working there would be like.

As a hub of internationalism, London is vast with

opportunity and adventure. I wanted to experience

it all and had a year to find it! But first, I needed

to find a job. My research skills were useful

for this because job search resources were all

new and different there. The opportunities were

overwhelming, so I searched for some networking

opportunities to find direction and narrow my

search. I attended a Network Canada event,

where many successful Canadian alumni meet

in London throughout the year. From this, I met

a few new friends and was referred to a temp

agency to get some income while looking for

something more permanent.

Whether it’s a temporary assignment or the

beginning of a new permanent job, the first day

can be an overwhelming one – even more so in a

foreign city. I allowed myself ample time for arrival,

but added an extra hour in London because the

transport system can be highly unpredictable!

First impressions of my first London office

experience varied from bad coffee to large open

floor plans where employees worked in close

proximity to each, and the fortunate experience of

meeting unforgettably entertaining characters.

I was most grateful for my basic office skills gained

through my co-op experience. My confidence in this

allowed me to focus on other business differences

at hand such as a different paper sizing system and

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Transit riders in England are warned to “mind the gap” when boarding the train. Jeanette found out that there were more gaps to mind in the workplace as an international worker.

SFU COMMUNICATION CO-OP STUDENT TAKES ON SUMMIT The Last Stretch of Mount KilimanjaroBy Kelsey Newsham, Communication Co-op student

Think exams are pretty tough? Try Mount Kilimanjaro on for size! SFU Communication Co-op student Kelsey

Newsham did just that. After completing a co-op work term, Kelsey took the challenge of climbing the world’s highest free-standing equatorial mountain. What does that mean? That Mount Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania in East Africa, is a total of 5895 meters (19340 feet) high, is covered in snow and is only 330 kilometers east of the equator.

Below is a journal entry from Kelsey while she completed the last stretch to the top of the mountain.

I’ll recap the experience of Mount Kilimanjaro as

it is one I shall never be able to forget. We’ll skip

to the last part, summit night.

We had hiked for seven and a half hours that day

in the heat and through valleys to a lunch spot

that gave us vertigo. We sat and looked only at the

clouds and blue sky that were below and could

not even see any land. We arrived into camp, but

it would not be a long rest; after dinner was served

and we headed off to bed for, with luck, four hours

of sleep.

It’s now 10:30 at night and we are awoken for

‘breakfast’ before departing to the summit. It is

here that many (people climbing the mountain)

turn back before reaching Kili’s peak. It is complete

darkness except for our head lamps and fatigue

begins to take its toll on two people from my group.

Diarrhea begins again with three group members

and another group member is having a hard

time breathing (Note: due to Mount Kilimanjaro Sum

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SFU COMMUNICATION CO-OP STUDENT TAKES ON SUMMIT The Last Stretch of Mount KilimanjaroBy Kelsey Newsham, Communication Co-op student

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being at higher altitude, the

air is thinner, which makes

it difficult to breathe). Amy

and Natalie, two members of

my group, are so cold their

hands have to be warmed up

by our guides. Pam, another

group member, throws-up and

weakens.

Just over half-way there the

mountain takes its toll on me

as well. My body rages with

dry heaving due to the altitude.

I heave and continue walking

knowing the top is less than

three hours away, but I cannot

see it. I fall to one side aware

that my body is exhausted.

Just 15 minutes from the top

I throw-up and am held by our

guide as the group moves on.

The group has a rhythm now

and must continue on to make

it. I know I’ll be right behind

once I stop vomiting.

Then, as one foot goes in front

of the other methodically I am there, standing

at the first peak of Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest

mountain. It is one hour of sheer will to the

actual top and we walk in silence. I am too tired

and stunned to cry but everyone else in my

group does.

We have all made it. A feat our guide tells us is

rare. First we all know each other, and second we

all made it together. With that we took pictures

and hiked the three hours down, only to rest for

two hours, then hike down another four hours

down the mountain.

No one can truly understand the joy and

exhilaration of being almost beyond yourself but

refusing to go back.

their differences in spelling to Canadian English.

I quickly learned to “mind the gap”, both in

the underground railway and in the office, and

felt extremely independent as a result of the

experience. I later found a company that hired me

on permanently for the remainder of my visa, which

was gratifying.

It was a life altering experience – about more

than just working abroad but also learning about

yourself out of your comfort zone. Co-op helped

prepare me for some of those challenges.

LIVING & WORKING ABROAD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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BUILDING A “JOB SEARCH PORTFOLIO” Getting ready for your post-graduation job hunt nowBy Jennifer Liu, Communication co-op student & Career Peer Educator

I picked up an interesting tip last summer from

someone wise - build a ‘job search portfolio’

to help you gather information about careers

and companies you are interested in or want to

learn more about.

While I was in Victoria doing a Federal Student

Work Experience Program (FSWEP) Internship for

Service Canada, one of my supervisors provided an

important piece of advice for which I am thankful.

From one of our discussions about job market

trends and opportunities available for students, he

suggested that I build a personal career folder by

collecting different job descriptions for positions

I am interested in, regardless of whether I have

the skills or experience for them right now. He

explained the purpose of this folder would be to

give me an idea of various opportunities available

post graduation. This way I can start preparing for

the impending job hunt and gain insight into the

education and background experience each job

would require before I graduate.

Job postings can be found on popular websites

such as Workopolis, or most companies’ Human

Resources web portal. Online resources such

as Bridges (https://access.bridges.com) or

CareerBuilder (careerbuilder.ca) can provide

more comprehensive information about specific

career paths (visit Career Services in MBC 0300

or www.sfu.ca/careerservices for access to these

resources). I also find it helpful to sign up for email

notifications from companies that I have an interest

in. Through this, I get to receive email notifications

when they have new press releases, as well as

when job openings are posted.

Although I have only started my collection a few

months ago, I am already surprised by ````````

``````````````````````````````````````````

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````the variety of jobs available for someone with my background. Public relations, brand marketing, and internal communications are some of the fields that I can jump into with the skills I have acquired after my co-op work term experience. I can use these different postings to compare which field I would like to move towards with my career planning and allow room for different challenges. Additional information such as job requirements, benefits, and wages can sometimes be found on these job postings – this can be very helpful when negotiating your salary and benefits package.

As a communication student who has completed a co-op work term and has an assortment of other work skills from voluntary roles and part-time jobs, my choices for full-time employment are not limited to basic entry level positions. With my job search portfolio, I feel greater confidence about my opportunities after graduation since I am active and engaged with my preparation for future positions right now.

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BUILDING A “JOB SEARCH PORTFOLIO” Getting ready for your post-graduation job hunt nowBy Jennifer Liu, Communication co-op student & Career Peer Educator

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````the variety of jobs available for someone with my background. Public relations, brand marketing, and internal communications are some of the fields that I can jump into with the skills I have acquired after my co-op work term experience. I can use these different postings to compare which field I would like to move towards with my career planning and allow room for different challenges. Additional information such as job requirements, benefits, and wages can sometimes be found on these job postings – this can be very helpful when negotiating your salary and benefits package.

As a communication student who has completed a co-op work term and has an assortment of other work skills from voluntary roles and part-time jobs, my choices for full-time employment are not limited to basic entry level positions. With my job search portfolio, I feel greater confidence about my opportunities after graduation since I am active and engaged with my preparation for future positions right now.

BENEFITS OF A JOB SEARCH PORTFOLIO:1. Gather information on jobs you want

2. Learn about lesser known companies an d firms in your industry3. Build knowledge about skills and experience required for desired positions

4. Gain insight on compensation packages for future negotiation5. Create a reference folder for resume and cover letter building by learning the proper usage of key terms and skills common in the field

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MEET THE FACULTY: PETER CHOW-WHITE The story of a well-respected Communication faculty memberBy Janelle Kidd, Communication Co-op student

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Every Thursday, armed with a coffee and a head

full of weekly readings ranging from Stuart Hall

essays to Jeff Chang’s “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop”,

I participate in a discussion of the structural racism

of society in CMNS 486 “Race and Media”. Perhaps

an intense topic for 9:30 in the morning but Dr. Peter

Chow-White’s personable teaching approach creates a

comfortable and dynamic atmosphere that encourages

students to engage in racialized discourse – challenging

themselves to recognize and deconstruct the systematic

racism that affects our everyday activities.

“Race and Media” is a course that Dr. Chow-White

developed in Los Angeles and brought to SFU’s School

of Communication. Any student who has taken a class

with him will likely attest to the fact that his interest

in the content professes his passion for his work.

Although these interests seem to be a perfect fit in the

communication discipline, Dr. Chow-White’s academic

path was not always obvious to him.

As an undergraduate student at UBC majoring

in History and Sociology, he contemplated a

diverse assortment of careers from high school

teacher to lawyer. Upon graduation, he accepted

a spot as a Sociology graduate student at SFU

and embarked down a road that would eventually

bring him back to SFU as an assistant professor

in the School of Communication.

As he began to consider schools for his PhD, his wife

- a SFU Communication grad, currently finishing

her PhD at University of Southern California (USC)

- encouraged him to consider Communication.

He eventually chose the Annenberg School of

Communication at USC, the only Communication

school he had applied to among all of the Sociology

choices. He went on to complete his Master’s and

PhD in Communication at USC.

This struggle to choose a complementary degree and

career-path is something that many communication

students can relate to. At the time, Dr. Chow-White

was unsure he had made the right decision, but he

sincerely believes that communication is the place to

be as society and information technology evolve and

continue to influence each other at a rapid pace.

Dr. Chow-White’s interdisciplinary academic career

reflects a definitively communication way of thinking

and defines his approach to his work. His research

examines how racial identity is changing in the

face of advancing technologies in the Information

Age. Specifically, he is interested in genomics and

biotechnology – the topic of his dissertation.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW: MASON WRIGHT How an alumnus got to The National PostBy Mason Wright, Communication co-op alumnus

If you scanned the front page of the National

Post today, chances are you’ve seen my work.

Ten years ago, I was in the midst of my co-op

experience at SFU, having just wrapped up an

eight-month term in the communications branch of

BC’s Ministry for Multiculturalism. Today I work as

a copy editor for the A section of the National Post,

and more than half the time I handle page A1. I copy

edit news stories for style, grammar, clarity and

accuracy, help choose and crop photos, lay out the

page and write display copy (headlines, decks, photo

cutlines and teasers to stories inside the paper).

It’s an enviable job, I admit, even if the hours suck

and I’m sometimes uncomfortable with the paper’s

editorial perspective. I’ve been able to gain a ton of

experience in just three-and-a-half years with the

Post, including a major role in implementing an

InDesign-based pagination system and the chance

to fill in as production editor when my boss is away.

So how did a humble former Communication

co-op student land such a sweet gig in Canada’s

most competitive journalism market? It all

comes down to a combination of what I know

and who I know. In addition to my co-op terms

— three in all — I was an enthusiastic volunteer

at The Peak throughout my studies. I held a

number of elected editorial positions there

between 1996 and 2001, and ultimately earned

two positions with Canadian University Press,

the national co-operative of student newspapers.

The people I met during those years have

continued to be a part of my professional life, and

re-connecting with them once I got to Toronto

opened up a world of opportunities in publishing.

Meanwhile, The Peak allowed me to jump

in with both feet from both a technical and

journalistic standpoint, and I gained the relevant

computer skills and picked up the tools of the

trade that helped me get good co-op jobs and

learn the principles of journalism on the go.

If you’re interested in a career in journalism, I

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“So how did a humble Commun i c a t i on co-op student land such a sweet gig...”

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JOIN THE CMNSU! Communicat ion Student Union Get involved in student events and gain valuable experience for your resume at the same time!

w w w . s f u . c a / c m n s u

STATISTICS CORNERWho we are: New admits 25 37Total Participating 98 115Total placements 74 92 Who’s doing whatEight-month term 23 32 First co-op 21 26 Second co-op 26 30 Third co-op 14 22 Fourth co-op 10 10 Fifth co-op 3 4Self-directed co-op 8 20 Where we’re workingGreater Vancouver 63 79 Out-of-town 7 3 Overseas 4 10 Who we’re working forFederal government 9 17 Provincial government 5 4 Municipal government 2 1 Government agencies 13 22 Not-for-profit 12 13 Private 33 35 Where else we’re placed Arts 4 11 Business 10 13Computing Science 1 4Science 0 0 Kinesiology 1 0

Spring 08 Spring 07

Editors:Erika WahMarcia ShimizuChristy KazulinAly-Khan Virani

Design & Layout:Christy Kazulin

CommuniquéPublished by Communication Co-op at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1SA

If you would like to submit an article for Communiqué contact fasproj@sfu.ca.

On the web: sfu.ca/communique

Sangita Mudaliar Program Assistant K 9665 778.782.5367 sangitam@sfu.ca

Marcia Shimizu Co-op Coordinator K 9669 778.782.3862 mshimizu@sfu.ca

Erika Wah Co-op Coordinator K 9661 778.782.5542 ewah@sfu.ca

Khairunnisa Ali Career Advisor K9657 778.782.4089 fascoop_advisor@sfu.ca

Contacts:

W O R K I N T E G R A T E D L E A R N I N G

MEET THE FACULTY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

would definitely suggest volunteering for The

Peak or CJSF as a great way to pick up skills.

I’m told a good copy editor will always have work

in daily journalism; even as online news becomes

more important, the principles of editing and news

presentation remain the same. If the glamour of

reporting isn’t for you, do whatever you can to

become proficient with software such as InDesign

and turn yourself into a detail-oriented style

guru. News desks will always have time for you.

I was never accepted to big journalism schools

such as Ryerson or Carleton, but in hindsight my

BA, co-op experience and time in the student press

have served me just as well, if not better.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

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Apart from investigating new social issues

and collaborating in an increasingly relevant

discipline, Dr. Chow-White values his job because

it enables him to work with interesting people and

interact with students – which is partially why

he pursued his PhD – helping them succeed and

providing them with the tools to see the world

through a different perspective.

Dr. Chow-White believes that communication is

a great place for students at this time as new

technology continues to push the boundaries of

society’s constructions of identity and culture.

This innovative and diverse field offers students

an abundance of opportunities that were not even

an option a decade ago. Co-operative Education,

he agrees, is a great way to complement your

degree, gain experience and figure out what it is

you want to do – or sometimes, what you don’t

want to do.

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