Career Blog
“For me, choosing Telfer was an easy decision. After attending some of the info sessions offered by the University, I was able to gain valuable information on the CO-OP program. This program will provide me with the opportunity to meet and engage with potential employers, which will be very beneficial, especially when I enter the workforce. This was one of the many reasons that I chose Telfer, and I think it is one of the reasons that you should too.”
- Ryan
First Year Finance Student
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
''When I started first year, I struggled to decide whether Telfer was the right place for me. This year, by getting involved in the Telfer Finance Society, I feel like an integral part of the School. As marketing director, I have had the opportunity to work with an amazing team, expand my network, and gain real-world marketing knowledge. I urge students to get involved: it helped me feel like I truly belong here and now I know that I am where I am supposed to be.''
- Laurelle
Career Centre Ambassador
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
“After attending Telfer’s open house and watching a panel of older students talk about their experiences, I was struck by how some students had managed to make so much out of just four years. I made my decision to come to Telfer the second I walked out of that room. However, something I didn’t expect to feel in my first month of university was isolation. Since I come from Ottawa, I didn’t feel the initial pressure to build connections with the people in my program, but since I didn’t force myself to make friends, I found myself feeling alone. It has been difficult, but I’ve made an effort to get out there and talk to people, and I think I’m on my way to finding a good balance. One step I took was applying to the Women in Management Network as a first year representative. I hope that by the end of these next four years I leave Telfer with a better understanding of myself and my abilities. I am aiming to take advantage of as many opportunities as I possibly can in order to make the most of my time here and would recommend anyone in their first year to do the same!”
Sandy Nadugala
1st-Year Management Student
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
“I was scared to major in accounting initially because I had heard how demanding the course load was and how "boring" the subject was. My parents told me to do something more "exciting" like finance so that is what I majored in initially. I thought I was on the right track but recently I realized that I find my accounting courses much more interesting, and it's something I actually really enjoy doing and learning about. I'm grateful that the first two years of this degree was identical for all majors, it gave me enough time to get an idea of what I actually want to do in life and I was able to switch without taking a step back. Thanks Telfer!”
- Tiara
3rd-Year Accounting Student
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
“I would say my third year has overall been a success so far! After a rewarding year as a Career Centre Ambassador, I decided to return this year and continue to make the most out of my Telfer experience. After finishing my first co-op term over the past summer, I was ready to come back to a semester of school. I was excited to have a more balanced course load with greater variety- I began to dive into the Management specific courses and have some flexibility in choosing electives. During this semester, I found I had fewer midterm exams and more papers/group assignments to complete compared to first and second years. Although it was a change with all the essays piling up, I determined a strategy early to break up the amount of work to make it less overwhelming.”
- Morgan Fong
3rd-Year Management Student
Current Ambassador
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
“During my third year of university, the majority of my accounting peers had accepted co-op positions at various firms across the city. As I was not in the co-op stream, I started to feel as though I was at a disadvantage and wanted to do something to differentiate myself. I joined the Telfer Career Centre as a Student Ambassador. By volunteering at numerous Telfer events, I quickly realized how awkward networking can be – how do you approach someone or start a conversation? How do I carry on what feels like small talk while trying to stand out against other students? I signed up for non-accounting networking events and practiced without the pressure of trying to get a job.
At the end of my four years, I started a full-time position at KPMG directly as a result of attending networking events through Telfer. Five years later and still with KPMG, I can tell you that networking is a skill that is developed with practice over time and certainly does not end after school is over.”
- Leah Swanstrom, CPA
Manager, Deal Advisory at KPMG
BCom Accounting (2013)
Former Career Centre Ambassador
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
“During first year, I found everything super easy, I was doing well in school and was able to easily make friends. So starting off it was a great experience. When second year came along I struggled with school, classes were getting hard and that’s when I started working two jobs and got into clubs. However, since I didn’t have time management skills yet, it led to me not being as happy as I could have been.
Everything I built up in second year brought me down but it also taught me a lot about myself during the process of getting back up. I ended up finding my prime time and when I was most productive. I started waking up earlier and scheduling classes when I was most focused. I learned that writing everything down was better for me, and allocating a good amount of time for my personal life away from school and work. As hard as it was, I am grateful for this experience and what it taught me!”
- Daniya
3rd-Year Human Resource Management Student
Career Centre Ambassador
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
“Being the president of CASCO has enhanced my Telfer experience by allowing me opportunity to lead a team that works towards the goals of our club as business students, but that also works towards the greater good of the Ottawa community.
It has allowed me to apply the material I have learned in most of the classes I have taken at Telfer, from human resources to managerial accounting and strategic management. To be able to lead a group of over 100 students in total, I have learned more about myself, how I work, and the areas I can improve on in this one year than I have during all of my other years of University combined.
Whether it is being involved in CASCO, other student associations, a sports team or whatever may interest you, do not limit your University experience to the classroom, as there are so many more places for your learning and development to occur.”
Eh Oh CASCO! ♥
- Chelsea
President, CASCO Charity Organization
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
“Telfer was a real revelation for me when I attended the Open House event. I was pleasantly surprised by the close relationships between professors and students. For someone from a small CEGEP, this was very important to me. Then, what really reinforced my decision was the fact that the University is bilingual.
So far, my experience at Telfer has been really rewarding. To be at Telfer is to experience a global perspective. In our faculty, we have the opportunity to be exposed to a world of cultures, which is a great advantage in today’s world. In addition, Telfer’s networking events, as well as Career Centre workshops and conferences allowed me to develop a professional attitude and to be in touch with the working world.
After Telfer, the most important thing for me would be to work as an accountant and, why not, to even start a company that offers services in that field.”
- Karl Franck
Third-year accounting student
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
"The most important lesson that I’ve learned in life is to listen to yourself and not be influenced by other people. You are the only one capable of changing and creating your destiny. If you ever come across a difficult situation, never give up.
A revered Persian poet once said, ‘This too shall pass,’ which is applicable not only to the good moments but also the bad ones. We need to value the moments that we have, live in the present, let go of the past and think of the future as a discovery. The difficult situations that we face will eventually pass, the cycle of life will continue, and everything will fall back into place. This is a quote that I love immensely because it shows our own humanity in a very fast-paced world. Always listen to yourself, love yourself and never let anything put you down."
- Aryana
Relationship Manager at the Telfer Career Centre