By: Tanya Kett and Elizabeth DiEmanuele
With over 115 employers, Fall Career Fair is one of the largest recruitment events at McMaster. For many students, it’s an opportunity to connect with employers and diverse opportunities.
Fall Career Fair has also become a debated topic among some of our students. At the Student Success Centre, we’re familiar with why students decide not to attend.
We would like to debunk some of these reasons. Here’s why students should consider attending this year.
This is the Career Fair Catch-22: every year, there are students who say they cannot find organizations hiring for their program, and every year, employers notice their absence. This is especially common among students who do not have co-op built into their program.
Consider an organization beyond their name and industry. Larger organizations have many opportunities. Research the organizations in advance so that when you attend, you can ask about opportunities related to your interests. Even if they are not recruiting at the Fall Career Fair, there may be opportunities in the future.
We completely understand that this prevents some students from attending, which is why we have introduced Career Fair Access Hour. This is a unique opportunity for students to have more one-on-one time with employers who have strong diversity hiring programs within their organizations and who have chosen to develop those deeper connections. The Access Hour can also ease some of the discomfort of wading through crowds of people. For more information, email careeraccess@mcmaster.ca.
While this may be true, employers want you to attend so they can get a sense of who you are as a person. If you make a strong impression, employers will remember when they go through online applications. Sure, they may tell you to apply online, but that personal connection makes a big difference when they select candidates for an interview.
But you will be someday, right? Use Fall Career Fair to make connections. Do some research, talk to people, and learn about future career paths. The earlier you start making connections, the more you will build along the way. Plus, it is much easier to do this work when there is less pressure to find a job.
If you are still in doubt, consider stopping by for even a few minutes to get the feel for these types of events. Fall Career Fair is a great way to build your confidence because these are employers interested in McMaster students. The Fair could lead to your next opportunity.
Fall Career Fair is on Thursday, September 20, 2018. Learn more: bit.ly/maccareerfair.
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When Chris Black first started at McMaster University in 2002, he was chasing a career in engineering. By the time he graduated in 2006 he had a full time job, but not in engineering management like he originally thought. Black found himself as a story editor for TSN.
After barely making it out of his first year, Black soon realized that the engineering field was not for him so he made the switch to economics. With a lighter workload, Black began to find himself with a lot more time on his hands.
“I began writing for the Silhouette and eventually became the Sports Editor for two years,” said Black. “That led to doing some work for the McMaster athletic department, including game previews and recaps for football, basketball and volleyball programs and creating video highlights to send to sports networks.”
The years quickly passed and graduation arrived, leaving Black with a big decision to make. He could take a job waiting for him at the Bank of Montreal or he could pursue his dream to work in sports.
With sports analytics on the rise, more and more economics and finance graduates were beginning sports-related careers. Black decided to take a chance. Thanks to a contact at TSN, he was able to secure his full time editor role with no directly-related intern or freelancing experience.
“I was one of the lucky ones to get a full time job right away,” said Black. “If I could find a way to leverage my love for sports and passion for numbers and economics, I knew that would be a great job.”
Whether it was playing point guard for his high school basketball team or left field for his junior baseball team in Oshawa, sports has always been a huge part of his life. For Black, it was not that he wanted to completely depart from his degree in economics and minor in finance, but when he was working as a summer student for BMO, he found he was always aware of the clock.
“When I was working on sports for Mac or at the Sil, I could go in on publishing day and put in 12 hours and never even be aware of the clock,” said Black.
That is when he realized the value of working on something that you are truly passionate about.
Black currently is a Live Events Producer at Sportsnet. Thanks to sports, over the years he has found himself all over the world, from San Pedro Sula, Honduras for a World Cup qualifying match to the snowy mountains of Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Witnessing Canadian skeleton racer John Montgomery celebrate his gold medal by walking down the Whistler village with a beer in his hand and working on the last two Blue Jays playoff seasons are just some of the memories that he will never forget.
Meeting his heroes and working as colleagues with people whom he still watches and loves what they do athletically is just some of the perks of the job.
“Being witness to huge sporting events never gets old to me,” said Black.
For Black, the only drawback would be that sports happens on weekends and nights so he does not get to spend as much time with his family as he would like to. For him, that is the only drawback, but it is a big one.
As for giving advice to students who aspire to be in his position one day, to Black, being passionate is just the beginning of what it takes. He believes that one thing that truly sets you apart is hard work.
“Connections are great and they help, and I know everyone loves networking, that’s also great,” said Black. “But the only real way you can get ahead is by finding a way to work a little harder than everyone else.”
He also knows from first-hand experience how important it is to look at whatever job one may want and see what is not being down that they could do. When Black first started out, he would come out half an hour earlier to his shift than others to research everything he could about that game. That way, when anything would happen in the game that was mildly interesting, he was the one who knew all the angles around it.
Finally, Black advises students to be good writers and good communicators. Even though he works in television, what allowed him to move ahead quickly was good writing.
“TV isn't about flowery language,” said Black, “It’s about learning how to tell a story in as few words as possible.”
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On the outskirts of campus, McMaster graduates prepare a story of an apocalyptic diner to be performed at the fourteenth annual Hamilton Fringe Festival. For many of those involved, First Class preludes the next big step in pursuing a career in the local theatre industry in Hamilton and beyond.
First Class was first shown as part of the McMaster Theatre Programs’ graduating classes’ Honours Series Performances, and was selected via lottery to show alongside over 300 live performances from July 20 to July 30 at this year’s Fringe Festival.
The drama centers around three strangers trapped in a diner just days before the world ends. The three fight over the news of a spaceship, which is set to give the lucky few a first class ticket to a new, habitable planet.
McMaster Commerce graduate YiJian Zheng plays Benny, a young, gifted inventor with a villainous disdain for the poor, and who has had the privilege of having his ticket purchased for him by his parents.
Theatre program graduate Christina Stolte plays his foil. Her character, Callie, is a single mother, who is frantically finishing her application to earn a spot on the ship for her and her son.
The diner owner, Deejay, mediates the two and is played by Mohawk television and broadcasting student Funsho Elegbeleye.
The story explores themes of privilege, immigration and seeks to explore the grim question of who deserves to live or die when given the choice.
“I've always wanted to pursue a more artistic career. Singing, and [now] acting. I came to Mac mostly because my friends were here and they took commerce and my parents wanted to me have a commerce degree so that's what I chose. [But] my real passion is acting …"
YiJian Zheng
Co-writer and co-director Omobola Olarewaju was able to insert her own experience as a former international student into the characters.
“Coming from privileged background in Nigeria I was able to have both ends of the privilege [experience] … So I was privileged back home and came here and the international student life isn’t quite as [privileged] as what I came from I noticed there are a lot of limitations based on the fact that I'm not a citizen,” said Olarewaju.
“Deejay's character is kind of in the middle … I put a lot of my own experience into because he is also an international … an immigrant at the end of the world. [He] doesn’t have food ration rights, doesn’t have any of the normal things that people are entitled to, but still makes things work.”
This year, Olarewaju graduated from theatre and film and the economics programs at Mac, and like other members of the First Class team, she is immediately seeking to further her career in the theatre or film industry. She is currently working on a book, continuing her life-long practice of writing, while also seeking opportunities to work in television and film.
Unlike his fellow cast members, Zheng entered McMaster planning to pursue a career in commerce. In his third year, this changed when an extra male role needed to be filled for the McMaster School of The Arts’ production of Lady In The Red Dress.
“I've always wanted to pursue a more artistic career. Singing, and [now] acting. I came to Mac mostly because my friends were here and they took commerce and my parents wanted to me have a commerce degree so that's what I chose. [But] my real passion is acting … so when my friend told me about this opportunity with Lady in the Red Dress I took it."
Zheng resides in Richmond Hill, and currently has a full-time job to support his endeavour into a potential full time acting career. He hopes that opportunities to work in theatre, whether that’d be finally landing a role in a musical or working in the technical aspect of production, and that those opportunities present themselves close to the GTA.
The Fringe Festival is a means of showcasing the Hamilton theatre community, and it is this community that has both Stolte and Elegbeleye hoping that they can launch their careers in Hamilton specifically.
“[Hamilton] might not seem like the place to go if you were looking to be a skilled actor but I feel like it will get there, and aim hoping to be part of the people who find that, inspire that or who bring that to life ... I feel that Hamilton is going to be [my starting point]. ... it already is. People see that at the Fringe,” said Elegbeleye.
Elegbeleye has been acting in a variety of different productions since childhood, and has performed for two years at McMasters’ African Students Associations’ Afrofest. Currently, he is working a working on a web series titled Catalyst.
“[Hamilton] might not seem like the place to go if you were looking to be a skilled actor but I feel like it will get there, and aim hoping to be part of the people who find that, inspire that or who bring that to life ..."
Funsho Elegbeleye
Stolte has been part of school and community theatre productions since her childhood. Originally hailing from Burlington, she also sees Hamilton as a place for making connections with theatre industry veterans.
"Some theatre in some location is awesome, but not so much in a career sense — more in a recreational sense. In Hamilton, I have a very distinct feeling that it is very productive in a career sense where you could get a lot of really good experience ... that will then help with furthering a career in acting or anything to do with theatre really,” explained Stolte.
While this may be the last chance to see First Class, it may not be long before the names behind the production appear again in Hamilton’s theatre and independent film scene. For these artists, writers and technicians, Hamilton continues to be an increasingly attractive place to hone their craft.
First Class will be play at Mills Hardware from July 20 to July 30. Show times and more information about the Fringe can be found at http://hamiltonfringe.ca/
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By: Bina Patel
Allison Rutland is arguably one of McMaster’s most notable alumni. She graduated from the Faculty of Humanities in 2002 with a concentration in Multimedia and Fine Arts. She now works for one of the world’s most renowned animation studios, Pixar. Just a few weeks ago the talented alumna won an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in A Feature Production at the University of California for her work in Inside Out.
Rutland considered pursuing a career in animation early on but she did not give it much thought, especially while attending high school. She recounted, “I was interested in it when I was younger but then in high school I thought I would be an environmental scientist, and then ended up going to McMaster for Art.”
She credited McMaster for establishing a theoretical perspective of art, and noted two professors in particular. “Judy was the painting professor and Hugh was the life drawing [professor] — they were really good, I really enjoyed them,” Rutland said.
The move from McMaster to Pixar Animation Studios was a gradual process. After her undergraduate education, Rutland applied to Sheridan College for computer animation. And after working on film and television in Toronto and London for a few years, she decided to apply to Pixar in California, something she says friends helped her accomplish. “I had friends who were at Pixar three years before me and it kind of made me want to apply here. They helped me submit a reel.”
Rutland says working on animated films requires a range of skills. Animators are assigned various shots by the leads, followed by a shot briefing. “You get a series of shots and you animate what’s in those shots. Sometimes there might be several characters and sometimes there might be one character. It’s not a definite thing,” she explained. Rutland and her team have worked on some high profile movies, including Brave, Toy Story 3 and Monsters University. She says that Sully remains one of her favourite projects. “I had a fun time on Monsters University. I ended up getting a lot of Sully shots and kind of got to know that character well because I got so many shots with him. It was really fun.”
The staff works rigorously on these films and, according to Rutland, animators always feel their comfort zone is being pushed. “It’s one of those jobs where you’re always learning. You kind of have to approach it almost as a student every time and you’re always going to come across something that’s really difficult,” she said. “I like that aspect of it because I always challenge myself to learn and get better.”
Of the 120 animators at Pixar there are roughly 25 women, a ratio Rutland explained has affected the way some characters are created. Brave for instance was a female heavy film and therefore required for a high level of femininity in its characters. “When there’s a female character, you kind of end up getting the women to animate them cause they can bring a certain amount of femininity that maybe the men wouldn’t know about. All my shots were Merida, she was the only character I animated with them,” she explained.
Rutland is thankful for all the small steps that led her transition from an undergraduate at McMaster to an animator at Pixar. “It’s a really great job, I love it. I feel very lucky to have gotten in at this time to be where I am.”
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I’m reaching the end of my degree. This will be the last semester of my undergraduate, and the first question that everyone but my cat wants the answer to is “where are you working after you graduate?” So on the cusp of graduation I have one honest recommendation for anyone looking for work: stop listening to almost everything people tell you about your future.
I fully recognize the irony in writing an article advising you to stop listening to advice, so instead let me tell you that all advice is not created equal. You need to be wary of who is giving you guidance and how applicable it really is. Traditional places we might look for help — friends, families, teachers — might not be as helpful as you’d hoped. Anyone who hasn’t had to job search in the last ten years is likely unable to tell you how to overcome our chronic job shortage. There is a reason why our parents’ generation often advised us to get an undergraduate degree and find a steady job with benefits and a retirement package. In their time it was not uncommon to secure a career in one industry, often with a single employer. Instead, our generation will be faced with multiple careers and more jobs than we can count, shaped by an ever-changing marketplace.
So if we can’t take advice from past generations, where can we turn? Googling “career tips” returns a huge number of results, but you should also be wary of taking advice from articles online. While tips on how to write a professional email or acquiring a business casual wardrobe may be helpful, don’t mistake that advice for anything that will help you stand out in a crowd — and there will be a crowd, because for every job that is publicly posted there are going to be a flock of applicants. Be wary of advice that is available to everyone, because at best it will help you conform in the market, and at worst make you forgettable.
Another thing to be critical of are buzzwords. I am firmly convinced that anyone who tells you to develop a “personal brand” doesn’t fully know what that means either. Take phrases like “personal elevator pitch”, “networking” and “rapid skill acquisition” with a grain of salt. If you can’t understand advice because it is wrapped in ambiguous or esoteric language, it is probably not going to be very useful to you anyway.
Be especially suspicious of advice that doesn’t take privilege and oppression into account. As study after study confirms what we already knew — that women and people of color are considered to be less qualified and are less likely to be hired — telling someone to “follow their dreams” ignores the fact that pursuing a career in your desired field is much easier for some than others. The best thing you can do instead is seek out advice tailored to your situation. If you can, look for someone you admire in your field with similar life experiences and reach out to them for guidance. You would be surprised how willing people are to mentor the enthusiastic and give you advice you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. If there is no one like you in your chosen field, just be prepared for a potentially longer and more arduous job search.
Be wary of advice that is available to everyone, because at best it will help you conform in the market, and at worst make you forgettable.
So after telling you what advice not to follow, let me give you the advice that has worked best for me: focus on yourself. Often times finding a job is an exercise in ego; we are constantly trying to prove to potential employers that we are worth their time and money. You need to see the value in your own work, otherwise how will anyone else see it too? Not everything you do will be groundbreaking, but take the time to appreciate your own improvement, and strive to get better at what you want to do. As best as you can, demand fair pay for your work, and don’t compare yourself to your friends or coworkers because it isn’t going to be helpful. Don’t let other people dictate what your career is going to look like, because at the end of the day you are the one accountable for your work.
Photo Credit: Corbis Images
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By: Ashley Constant
McMaster still is a big part of my life. I still bus to campus every day for work, and most of my friends are still students, yet I can no longer claim the identity of being a McMaster student.
Instead, I guess I have to accept the title of McMaster alumni. This past June, I graduated with a B.A. in English with Honours. Now I’m trapped in that terrifying space between spaces—no longer a student, but not quite an adult member of the work force.
University acted as a pause button between being a childish high schooler and the aforementioned adult—a taxing, expensive, mentally draining pause button. However, it gave me four years to figure out who I am, and provided me with all the tools to do so. And by all accounts, I should know by now. That’s what people tell you about university—it’s the place where you are supposed to plan out the rest of your life. Yet, somewhere between moving into Wallingford Hall and walking across the stage at my convocation, I forgot to give my future much thought. I guess I just assumed that when the time came I would just know, much like the idea we get it in our heads that once we reach adulthood we’ll magically know how to do taxes and how to avoid watching six episodes of a TV show in a single night. Or maybe everyone was given the secret at some point and no one bothered to tell me. That’s certainly the impression some particularly well put-together students give off.
I suspect this feeling came from the fact that while I was a part of a very broad field of study, most of my friends came to McMaster for specific fields of studies that are streamlined to cater to a specific career. Their security appeared to rub off on me. When people would ask me what I was planning on doing after school (and people would stress the “after” part almost as if to put forth the idea the last four years would be for nothing if I didn’t have an answer to this question), I would shrug and say “I have four years to decide!” Then it became three, then two, then years turned into months and suddenly I was handed this great piece of paper declaring that I could pick out themes of long, drawn out texts and could adequately write papers on the subject. Nowhere on that thick, luxuriously printed certificate could I manage to find a map explaining what my future held.
The next four months were spent mentally beating myself up because I had failed, hadn’t I? While I had this amazing education, I didn’t have a plan. But as I moped and watched people around me live their seemingly successful lives, I realized something: they were winging it too. Friends who started studying one thing were now studying another, or were starting work in completely new fields. Some were moving out of their parents’ homes, and others were moving back. I’m even starting to see engagement and wedding pictures appear on the social media accounts of my high school friends. Just because I decided to pursue a university degree at this point in my life, I did not decide to activate some invisible countdown that ominously ticked down the moments until I had to have an answer to everyone’s “What now?” question. That countdown didn’t hit zero when I put on my graduation gown, and I didn’t fail when I still couldn’t quite answer my curious friends and family.
There is no timeline. There is no wrong way to discover what you’re passionate about, and if you happen to find yourself starting over three or four times, that’s fine too. I’m taking a little longer to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life, but you can ask again in a few months.
Photo Credit: 123RF.com
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By Janice Phonepraseuth
OSCARplus, McMaster’s online career portal, has a "No-Show Policy" that is effective when students who have signed up for an event fail to show up and fail to cancel their registration. It seems, however, that students don’t know about it.
The policy states that after the first and second "no-shows," students will receive a warning email from the campus office. After the third "no-show," students will receive an email with a contact for the career centre. The student then has to explain why they didn't attend the events.
If there is no justification given for why the student has missed the event, the student will be barred from signing up for any more events for the remainder of the academic year. They will be able to register for events again in September of the following academic year.
When entering the event, students are asked to present their student ID cards, which will provide information that is used to track the student’s attendance.
Although the policy was implemented in 2007, many students do not know about it. The Student Accountability Policy is not stated on the OSCARplus website itself, but is found through a link under "Student Resources."
It was created by a student accountability committee, and is supported by career and co-op related offices in the faculties of business, engineering, social sciences, and science.
Students, upper-year and first-year, were surprised to hear about this policy and thought it should be clarified.
Souzan Mirza, a first year student, said, "I didn't even know about the policy until I got the first email. When I tried to find it, I didn't find it through legitimate routes, I found it through the MacInsiders website which isn't run by the school but the students."
"I don't condone it; I think there should be more than 3 strikes before you're out. People may want to sign up for many things and things happen and they can't make it,” said Lindsay Ceschia, a second year Honours Social Psychology student. “They should put something visible that everyone can see right when they are signing up,"
Gisela Oliveira, Employment Services Coordinator at McMaster's Student Success Centre, explained why the policy was established.
"We were having a lot of trouble with attendance for these events. Companies were coming on campus with a specific number of guests in mind, when only half of that amount showed up," she said.
"The issue here is kind of bi-fold: first is missed opportunities for students, and second is the school's relationship with the employers."
By following this procedure, students get their opportunity to participate in these events, and the school's relationship with the employer is unharmed.
"I thought it was a bit much that it's for the whole year, but I guess it makes sense because they don't want people registering for the events and not showing up," said Mirza.
One fourth-year honours political science and religious studies student agreed. “I understand the reasoning behind the switch,” he said, “but the fact that they’re limiting student opportunities for success is a little discouraging.”
The policy was set up to ensure students who signed up for these events showed up. If they cannot attend, students must cancel their registration online by 11:55pm the night before the event on OSCARplus, or by 9 a.m. on the day of the event, by phone or in-person. Students who fail to do so are marked as a "no-show."
Oliveira noted that there are exceptions for students who become ill shortly before the event takes place.
"So when we send you the ‘no-show’ email, you contact us and explain to us that you were ill, and the ‘no-show’ is removed. There are exceptions," said Oliveira.
“It was implemented…to teach accountability to students and also to keep the relationships we have with employers,” she explained. But it remains to be seen whether the students need to learn to be accountable, or whether the system could be more accountable to student needs.
TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
Amanda Teseo
Silhouette Staff
“What am I going to do with my life?” It’s the dreaded question we ask ourselves at almost every developmental stage – from childhood, when you were convinced you could become the best magician in the world, to old age, when you look at where you’ve been in life and formulate a plan for the remainder. By emphasizing the importance of building a career, society pressurizes us to decide what we will make of ourselves in this world.
Ultimately, choosing a career is a very personal process that involves knowing yourself, discovering opportunities and making decisions. It can be very difficult to make this decision process a personal journey, one that silences outside pressures and focuses on individual fulfillment.
This is your life – no one is going to live it for you. So, here are some guidelines on how to make informed choices regarding your future endeavors.
First and foremost, for any of you who haven’t heard of the McMaster Student Success Centre, it’s a great resource for a multitude of student issues, especially career planning. Building a future seems like it’s supposed to be a linear succession forward, where you progressively make decisions that keep you on a constant path moving towards your final goal.
Realistically, you may be faced with various obstacles, harsh realities and unexpected opportunities along the way. The Student Success Centre calls this the “Planned Happenstance,” which is the process of maintaining and building goals while being open to novel situations that may arise and potentially alter those goals.
There is no “yellow brick road” to your perfect career. Many of us wander and search for much of our lives. In order to embark on a journey where you build your own yellow brick road as you approach a career, five characteristics will help you: curiosity, persistence, flexibility, optimism and risk-taking.
I had the opportunity of attending a Student Success Leader Orientation this past weekend, and I was astounded by the inspiration that it instilled in me. Jerome Chang, who I quickly added on Facebook (friend request still pending), delivered an amazing presentation about planning your future.
He enthusiastically incorporated one of my favorite childhood books Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus into his presentation. The plot follows two caterpillars, stripe and yellow, through an expedition of growth and discovery. First, they travel up a “pillar” of caterpillars, unaware of what they are traveling towards but too busy climbing to reflect on the matter.
In the end, they both become butterflies, much to their surprise. Jerome ended his presentation with the piercing words, “Do you know what you are climbing towards? If you do, is it where you truly want to be?”
Like the caterpillars, many of us are climbing a “pillar” in our lives without knowing if it is really what we want. Maybe your parents or peers are pressuring you into becoming something that doesn’t correspond to your personal inclinations. The reality is that many of us are so caught up in the monotony and stress associated with university life that we forget to reflect on our lives. Is this really what you want to become? Do you want to be a lawyer solely for the money? Are you writing the MCAT because your parents are forcing you? It sounds simple, but take some time to think and explore.
The first step towards your career should be self-discovery. Explore your areas of interest, aptitudes, weaknesses, values, personality, characteristics, etc. Next, visualize your ideal life. Maybe it’s being a freelance writer and roaming the streets for inspiration. Maybe it’s becoming a kindergarten teacher and rounding up students for “circle time.” Travel deep into the experience of visualization and ask yourself if what you see makes sense with your persona. For example, can you picture yourself in an operating room without feeling nauseous?
If the mental scene you are painting for yourself is overcome by a foggy haze or loss of fascination, you need to do your research or change your vision. Try building a network of connections, going to campus events, joining groups that interest you and attending information sessions.
Third-year McMaster Economics student Kirina Kissoon says, “the key to success is to stay positive, constantly persevere and surround yourself with ‘winners,’ or people that inspire you.” Kirina praises DECA, a commerce-centred group on campus that participates in business-related competitions, as a great opportunity to work with different people, learn how to present yourself professionally and form connections.
Finally, don’t be afraid to take risks in every area of your life. I go back to my pending Facebook friend, Jerome Chang, for inspiration in this area. “Risk-taking is a way of telling yourself that you’re alive,” he says. When we take risks, our minds become fuelled with renewed curiosity. You become the star of your own reality television show, waiting in anticipation for the final result. Think about how scary it can be to ask that special someone out – during the act, every sense is heightened. Will he/she say yes? Did my voice crack while I said that? Oh gosh…now I’m blushing. If you feel compelled to do something or are interested in an opportunity, take the plunge. Even if things don’t work out as planned, you will look upon yourself with a renewed sense of achievement for being courageous. I promise.
Overall, your life is your canvas. You have to get hungry for success. You have to be passionate and intentional. With the right resources, attitude and motivation, you are well on your way. Get yourself closer to making that mental image a reality.
