CAREER LIFTOFF

EDUCATION FOR SUCCESS

The postsecondary school year may be coming to an end for many. But others are already making plans for their next educational foray in the fall. If you’re thinking about changing your career—or simply starting a career— here are 10 options to consider.

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Many postsecondary institutions 2 like to talk about studentcentred learning experiences. At the Capilano University School of Business, this approach is embedded in its DNA, as demonstrated by its field schools and its participation in a high-profile North American marketing competition.

In a phone interview with the Straight, marketing instructor Andrea Eby said that she and another faculty member are taking 24 students to China for two weeks on April 22. They’ll visit Johnson & Johnson’s Asia Pacific Innovation Center in Shanghai, which is identifying and developing opportunities for new products in health care, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. The students will also see a factory near Guangzhou and be exposed to plenty of Chinese culture at other stops along the way.

“It’s a jam-packed, eye-opening, really immersive trip,” Eby said.

The business school has strong links with the American Marketing Association, which is hosting the 2018 AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans from April 5 to April 7. At last year’s event, Capilano University came second out of 370 chapters of undergraduate students in an annual case competition, which involved responding to a marketing challenge from ebay.

This year’s theme is “The Timeless Beauty of Marketing”, and Capilano University’s chapter has again made the top 10 in the preliminary round. This means students from the business school will be allowed to make a presentation in response to a challenge from cosmetics giant Mary Kay.

“The amount of work that goes into this is the equivalent of two courses,” Eby explained. “Basically, it’s a business problem and students have to prepare a marketing plan for them.”

Capilano University has only 7,000 students, and just 2,000 are enrolled in the business school, yet it’s competing exceptionally well against students from top U.S. academic institutions. Eby said that Capilano’s small class sizes provide a competitive advantage.

As a former manager of national brands for large corporations such as Cadbury and the former Ault Foods, Eby has tremendous respect for the impact of metrics on marketing. That’s because when she was overseeing large marketing campaigns, she was expected to deliver results that improved market share and profitability.

She revealed that in a recent course on consumer behaviour, students spent an hour and a half in an Excel lab doing demand forecasting.

“My fourth-year course is all metrics,” she said. “It’s applied marketing. It’s a capstone [culminating] course, and there’s an Excel spreadsheet every week.”

Eby added that students will sometimes grumble that they hate math. However, she feels that if the numbers mean something, students see the relevance. And there’s cer- tainly a great deal of metrics that goes into presentations at the AMA International Collegiate Conference and other student competitions.

The Capilano University School of Business offers a four-year bachelor of business administration degree that combines classroom learning with hands-on training. There’s also a two-year business-administration diploma that enables students to specialize in accounting and finance, general management, international business studies, marketing, and strategic human-resources management. In addition, there are certificate programs in business administration and retail-business fundamentals, as well as diploma and certificate programs for those who hope to become accounting assistants.

When asked how she would describe Capilano University business students, Eby replied that they are “doers” and “multitaskers”. That’s because about 70 percent of the students hold down jobs and many of them are paying their own way.

“Being able to manage a multitude of tasks and being organized and being accountable—that’s what I love about Cap students,” she said.

CITYU IN CANADA

Tom Culham was trained as an 2

engineer and he worked in business for almost 30 years designing major industrial facilities around the world. But in his 50s, he decided to pursue a distinctly different passion: the ethics education of business leaders. His curiosity led him to explore neuroscience, probe the relationship between unconscious feelings and principled behaviour, and write a PHD thesis that was published as a book, Ethics Education of Business Leaders: Emotional Intelligence, Virtues, and Contemplative Learning.

“The research I did indicated that the current approach to teaching ethics didn’t match up with how people actually make decisions,” Culham told the Straight by phone. “The focus was on intellectual effort, doing case studies, and finding logical and rational ways of coming to ethical decisions.”

Now the director of the bachelor of arts in management program at the private nonprofit Cityu in Canada, Culham is applying his wealth of knowledge to an innovative undergraduate program that develops ethical leaders interested in building healthy communities. Social and environmental responsibility is at the core of its mission.

According to Culham, researchers have demonstrated that ethical conduct can be cultivated by practising certain skills, like listening effectively, writing journals, and meditating. “They’ve used magnetic-resonance imaging to look at people when they’re making ethics decisions,” he said, “and they discovered that they make them in the unconscious part of the brain related to the emotions in the body.”

This area of the brain is called the limbic system, leading him to conclude that ethics is an “embodied knowledge”. That contrasts with the centre for “intellectual knowledge”, the prefrontal cortex, which is instrumental in performing mathematics and is associated with logical decision-making.

Yet most people think that they are relying on logic when they make an ethical decision. What explains this contradiction? Culham said science has demonstrated that when an ethical decision is made, a signal is sent from the unconscious part of the brain to the conscious part of the brain. Then the ego goes, “I made the decision and I made the decision because of x-y-z, which is actually a story.”

He emphasized that just because ethical decision-making is rooted in the brain’s limbic system it doesn’t mean that educators should abandon intellect or case studies. Rather, he suggested that mind-body exercises be integrated with traditional methods to engage students.

Moreover, he noted that stress can increase the likelihood of someone making an unethical decision. “There’s been work done by the U.S. Army to find out how people respond under a lack of sleep,” Culham said. “What kind of person maintains their ethical stance under those situations? And they found that people with higher levels of emotional intelligence do that—and also people who have meditated. Even a small amount of meditation actually helps them retain their value system.”

In other words, ethics can be a learned skill, just like playing hockey, which is another example of “embodied knowledge”.

“We know through neuroscience that the brain is plastic—and that you can change some of these aspects of yourself—but you have to want to do it and you have to be willing to practise.”

Cityu in Canada’s bachelor of arts in management, a.k.a. the BAM, is a 180-credit program, but people can apply credits that they obtained in two-year college or technicalinstitute educational programs. They can also leverage two years of undergraduate university education. It’s ideal for people with two years of postsecondary education who are in a supervisory position or who have launched their own business.

Culham said that Cityu in Canada has an agreement with Kwantlen Polytechnic University. This enables KPU students with a diploma in four areas—horticulture, environmental-protection technology, brewery operations, and computer-aided design—to apply their credits toward an undergraduate degree at Cityu in Canada. This would yield a diploma and a degree in just four years.

In April and May, Cityu in Canada is launching a Sustainability Speaker Series to draw more attention to the connections between principled conduct and environmental well-being. It’s yet another example of ethics in action, which is at the heart of the BAM.

LANGARA COLLEGE

The “maker movement”, a.k.a. 2

maker culture, is taking off across North America as indie artists, DIY artisans, and open-sourcesoftware lovers take sheer delight in creating original new objects and designs. At Langara College, these creative dynamos have their own maker space, which still hasn’t been officially launched, in one of the former chemistry labs.

Tomo Tanaka, chair of Langara’s creative arts and industries division, told the Straight by phone that he had just come from this space, where there were a dozen students working on various projects. “One of the things I’ve worked hard on as division chair is to have more cross-talk, more interdepartmental and interdivisional discussions,” he said.

This maker space will make that much more likely to take place in the coming years.

“It’s basically two rooms right now,” Tanaka explained. “We have 11 3-D printers, two laser cutters, and all the hand tools, like pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, and that kind of stuff. We have a very small CNC router machine and four or five computers there.”

He said that normally when people talk about maker spaces, the first thing that often comes to mind is 3-D printing. He acknowledged that in the school’s theatre department, one instructor has been trying to print out props from a 3-D printer.

Yet when the Langara College community was polled, he noted that there was also a surprising level of interest

in having access to a really good sewing machine. People also wanted sufficient space to spread things out.

The maker space is ideal for a division that encompasses a wide range of programs, including design formation, fine arts, film arts, professional photography, theatre arts at Studio 58, and web and mobile design and development. Journalism and publishing are also part of creative arts and industries. And soon, a certificate in art history will be offered.

In this division, instructors have a great deal of experience as artists, designers, performers, writers, and photographers. Students graduate with comprehensive portfolios of work to smooth the way to making a living.

Langara is known for its university-transfer courses, but it’s not well known that there’s a memorandum between Langara and Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

“Students take their first two years of fine arts here and they can transfer into the visual arts at Emily Carr,” Tanaka said. “Emily Carr loves our students because they have absolutely solid studio practices.”

In recent years, Tanaka said, Langara has devoted a great deal more attention to helping students in his division learn technical and business skills. It’s manifesting itself in the development of a professional-studio-practice course in fine arts, an entrepreneurial course for journalists, and small-business education for photographers.

“If you’re exceptionally skilled as an artist and you have no business savvy, the world is a very cruel place,” he stated. “So we want people to not just survive but thrive with the business skills. That is a critical part here.”

Meanwhile, web and mobile design was created as a joint venture between the publishing and computer-science departments.

The maker space is the next logical step in promoting more individual initiative, learning through doing, and cross-pollination between departments.

“The maker space will, hopefully, officially launch this fall sometime,” Tanaka said. “But I’m hoping to have an event for the college community in May where people can get more familiar with that.”

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Many postsecondary students spend four years or more to obtain one academic credential, be it a diploma or a bachelor’s or graduate degree. Sarah Ashley Hannah, on the other hand, managed to collect two sets of letters after her name in just 12 months.

She did this in 2014-15 by enrolling in a joint graduate program in international management developed by Capilano University and the University of Hertfordshire in England. Hannah met the prerequisite of having an undergraduate degree; she obtained this in business administration from Capilano University. In the 12-month joint graduate program, she spent the fall semester at Capilano University and the spring semester living in residence with 11 flatmates and attending classes at the British university.

“The accommodation was great,” Hannah recalled in a phone interview with the Straight. “We lived on campus two or three minutes from all the classes. You get your own bedroom, your own bathroom. The only thing that’s really shared is the kitchen.”

After attending both institutions, she was required to complete a dissertation. Hannah had a choice: do a research-based project on an aspect of international business or prepare a business plan.

“I wrote a dissertation on corporate social responsibility as a strategic advantage in the Canadian banking sector,” she said. “I knew I wanted to do a dissertation that was strategy-based, because that’s an interest of mine.”

As a result, she received an international management graduate diploma from Capilano University and a master of science in international business from the University of Hertfordshire.

For Hannah, one of the joys was meeting students from around the world, both at Capilano University and while studying in the U.K. She recalled forming friendships with students from China, Nigeria, Germany, France, Jordan, and other countries.

She believes that anyone who takes the program and is willing to move to another country to study is demonstrating to a future employer that they’re adaptable. Once she was based in England, she was able to travel to a dozen other countries in Europe.

“I took trains, I took low-cost air, I even took a cruise,” Hannah said with a laugh. “There are also lots of day trips, which are supported by the school. I went up to Cambridge. I went up to Oxford.”

The dean of Capilano University’s faculty of business and professional studies, Halia Vallardes, is an expert in international logistics and trade. Last year, she told the Straight that one survey showed that 53 percent of people who studied and lived abroad said that this experience helped them land a job.

“Just by being in this program and living in two countries within a year, you are developing your cross-cultural management skills,” Vallardes said.

A Harvard Business Review article last year forecast that a growing number of skilled workers will be crossing national boundaries to do their jobs in the coming years.

For Hannah, international experience is essential for anyone working in business, particularly as the world moves away from the hegemonic influence of the United States on the global economy.

“This experience with my master’s has me definitely considering an internationally based PHD,” she said.

RED ACADEMY

RED Academy was founded with the objective of offering 2

opportunities for aspiring digital marketers, designers, and developers to create a meaningful impact on the world.

Red—which stands for Real Education and Development— takes its mission to redefine education seriously at its Vancouver, Toronto, and London campuses, which specialize in technology and design.

According to the Vancouver school’s general manager and former lead user-interface (UI) instructor, Julie Tremblay, this is best achieved by embedding experiential applied learning into all of its programs: UI and UX (user experience) design, web and app development, and digital marketing.

So, how does this work?

Tremblay emphasizes that in the UI and communication-design program, students must adopt proven humancentric principles of design thinking by addressing a central question on all of their projects: “What human need is this product or service fulfilling?”

“It’s essential to put the ‘intention’ at the centre of the solution,” Tremblay says. “It’s how we go about creating a solution that will address the users’ real pain points.”

From there, students proceed through different phases, whether they’re in the UI- or Ux-design, digital-marketing, or web-development program.

The first phase involves a great deal of research. Tremblay points out that there are many ways to gather information, including by conducting surveys or going on field trips.

She says that as students develop their portfolios, they are also working with community partners—often nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs—to create real-world solutions while building a portfolio made of real projects. This is a key element that helps students land jobs quickly, oftentimes before they graduate.

“We’ve had students in the past going to Whistler when they had a client there, and they conducted a contextual inquiry, which is a research method we leverage in the Ux-design process,” Tremblay notes. “It provides them with the opportunity to go on-site and conduct direct research with people who are

currently engaging with the service or the product.”

According to Tremblay, the second stage of the design process is planning.

“This is when all the designers will take in the users’ insights and also the stakeholders’ requirements, understanding business needs and tying the two together.”

That leads to the third phase. This involves actually designing a program, product, or service. At this all-important stage, RED Academy students develop prototypes.

These are shared with the clients and tested with the users to inform further refinement and measure the usability and desirability of the prototype.

“The testing phase is really, really important,” Tremblay explains. “User testing is how we’re able to assess the quality of the solution that was created through that overall design process. It iterates constantly.”

The collaborative atmosphere at RED Academy replicates what graduates would find in a design firm or advertising agency. Again, it’s another manifestation of the real-world education that RED embraces.

When asked if there are any designers who have inspired her thinking, Tremblay cites Donald Norman, director of the Design Lab at the University of California San Diego. He’s the author of many books, including The Design of Everyday Things and Emotional Design.

Norman is the world’s most sought-after expert on user-centred design. This concept is rooted in understanding how design can affect behaviour, improve users’ moods, and increase their willingness to use products or services.

“It solves everything,” Tremblay says. “It’s very powerful.”

RED Academy also offers students insights into how powerful design can be and how to design ethically with the awareness of the existence of aspects such as “dark patterns”. These are introduced by retailers, game designers, and social-media companies to lure customers deeper into their worlds.

As an example, Tremblay cites how department stores might deliberately design their floors to increase the likelihood of shoppers getting lost amid all the products. Another dark pattern might be inserted by a casino when it makes it a little more difficult to find the exits.

Students also learn to communicate an intention through visual language and observe how this affects our emotions and subconscious. Tremblay compares this to the way that music can affect our mood.

“There are a lot of musicians at RED Academy,” Tremblay reveals. “We usually wrap up our Friday nights with a jam of guitars in the stairwell. There is really good acoustics there.”

Staff at RED Academy take pride in how the school gives back to the community through its partnership programs with nonprofit groups.

The school has calculated that since it was created, it has contributed $3.1 million in value to organizations that would otherwise have been unable to afford to hire UI or UX designers or pay for digital-marketing programs or web development.

According to Tremblay, it can be a moving experience hearing these stories of social impact.

“I’ve sat through presentations when the community partners are in tears because they’re so thankful and so grateful for the work that the students have produced—which is going to make a really big difference for them,” she says.

One of the newest instructors is Briana Garelli, a highly regarded multidisciplinary designer, illustrator, and writer who specializes in branding, editorial and UI design, and social-impact marketing.

“For staff and students alike, when they set foot in the doors here, there’s often big life changes that happen,” Tremblay says. “The intensity of the program combined with our personaldevelopment program triggers some big epiphanies for people—not only in their careers but in their life in general.

“That was one of the things that Briana was drawn to: the ability to be part of something like this,” she continues. “While we do all this, the students get trained and acquire a technical skill set, and we also give back to the community through our community-partner program.”

VCC HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

Sometimes it’s difficult for 2

people to commit to a fouryear educational program if they’re uncertain about their career choice. At Vancouver Community College, there’s an option for anyone in this situation—they can take a two-year diploma in hospitality management.

If they’re feeling after two years that this is the industry for them, they then have the option of laddering that credential into the four-year bachelor of hospitality management. Either way, there’s a plethora of jobs available for graduates because tourism continues to grow in Vancouver. According to