Just curious... you're looking for a job now?? It's May! And it might be difficult by now as most employers have already hired. When I was in undergrad, most people had things wrapped up by February (be it internship, jobs in their field, or research).

Have you considered applying to the New York Times? Its almost bankrupt so it probably can't afford to pay you, but it would be a great experience! Just refer them to this blog and I'm sure that they will be rolling out the red carpet.

One small quibble in an otherwise perfect blog, you said "Like the overachieving automatons I used to begrudge..." and I am sort of offended because those people are usually quite dynamic unlike those "cool" slackers who would rather drink than study. Those automatons probably already have the job you are seeking. Be nice to them! They will be your boss one day.

LOL I was thinking the same thing as Jenny...way too late to be looking for meaningful income.

Besides, if you were any good, I'm sure the Globe & Mail would have hired you...

wow, john, you seem to spend all your time reading and commenting on a blog that you don't like. you must have no life!

I usually like reading this blog, but this time I was bored and irritated by the woe-is-me approach. Maybe it's difficult for some students, but dude - you've had a regular blog through the Globe and Mail. Even if the gig is payless (I have no idea), the exposure and back up you have from the national paper is enviable and certainly a huge advantage over the other journalism students who study with you. When you lump yourself in with the lot and compare your challenges, it just doesn't quite ring true.

As you grow into your professional writing, you might consider these sensitivities before generalizing something that can vary depending on a student's current responsibilities (not all freshman students are 18 or 19 year old kids from good families who have options).

Keep writing, you're doing very well! Just a thought.

People say I'm the life of the party... because I crack a joke or two.

" . . .I no longer see the benefit of working minimum wage jobs to pay for an education that thousands upon thousands of people already have".

You'll be waiting a long time for a phone call that will, in all likelihood, go to one of those thousands that have the credentials you don't.

U of T doesn't end until May for some students. The exam period is really late compared to other schools, so they have a head start on jobs.

"Without luck and talent, a goal you've had since you were small can quickly evaporate."

I always say (usually about artistic type thing)... that you need any two of a) talent, b) persistence and c) luck.

Kinda goes like this ... Even without talent, a persistent person can get lucky (and will have time to develop their skills along the way). Without luck, a persistent person with talent will get there. Without persistence, the most talented person in the world will need luck.

Is the point obvious? Keep at it. You're at risk of being one of those people who has talent, their fair share of luck (as pointed out, you're writing a blog with the Globe and Mail), and through lack of persistence not get where you want simply because you weren't set up in a corner office at the outset of the start of your bachelors degree.

It's not like you want to go to the moon. There are more than 6 jobs in journalism.

"Like the overachieving automatons I used to begrudge, I no longer see the benefit of working minimum wage jobs to pay for an education that thousands upon thousands of people already have. The skills I need are cultivated outside the classroom."

Well sir, My goal was to make money to pay for university. I took anything from flipping pancakes to working on the line at one of the big three for the summer. Related to my course of study? No way. But it kept me grounded knowing that there was a real world outside of university.

Three degrees later up to Ph.D. I now work in a related field. You will learn that it does not matter a hill of beans where you worked in the summer months.

Cheers.

I agree with Daryl. It really does not matter what you do in your summer months at this age. I have a Ph.D. and have done well in my field and I did all sorts of unrelated things in the summers - teach English in Asia, work in coffee shops, outdoor labour, etc. Same goes for a friend who is an MD who worked in a restaurant sometimes during med school.

Sure, there are people whose parents give them tons of money so they can do internships and volunteer in Africa, etc, but they won't necessarily get the positions or the funding they want. I have several friends who went this route - every summer they worked for free just to fill their resumes to get into grad school. Well, we all ended up with the same degree in the end and I did it without debt or family support. Now that I am in the position to hire junior staff, I firmly believe that working 'crappy' jobs to pay for school actually helps form a more well-rounded, focused and less entitled employee.

I must agree with these readers, it’s hard to understand your distress when you have a blog with the Globe and Mail in your first year of university.

Perhaps this blog a lesson to all those reading. From what I understand, it seems that you are validating the need for a more hands-on approach to landing you're dream job via internships etc. This type of practical learning/experience is part and parcel with a college education. In the college stream, almost all programs offer opportunity for internship as a requirement of the program.

Maybe what needs to be reevaluated is not the unfairness of having to schlep it for the summer, but instead the stigma that surrounds a college education vs. the soap-box adoration of those with university degrees.

The best education you will ever receive, is not in the classroom, but out in the world...sometimes out in the world while flipping burgers.

Have to say, I have enjoyed reading this blog periodically throughout the year. Well done Ian.

I remember the summer after first year. There were NO jobs in the small city where my parents lived and I ended up making beds at the Travelodge and serving at Smitty's. Talk about humbling. But it was a means to an end, and it put some cash in my pocket.

A thought on the job apps - CO-OP! I haven't read all of the previous posts, but if no one has yet suggested to you that Co-op is a good idea, let me be the first. I completed a degree in political science from UBC, and managed to obtain all kinds of experience through my four years with the UBC Arts Co-op program. I worked in non-profit for 3 terms, and then made the jump to Ottawa where I worked another 3 terms in government, and was subsequently hired when I finished my degree last spring. (Which, yes, took a loooong 6 years, owing to excess Co-op terms and a 9 month academic exchange in France)

Your education (and life)is what you make it. When I started university, I was a broke student with little family support and zero connections. I used to envy the kids who would go off on volunteer missions abroad to pad their resumes, or do a stint at dad's PR firm in cushy jobs for the summer. Despite that though, seven years after I started university, I don't know many people at my age who've had the personal or professional experiences I have.

Cheers, and good luck. You're off to a great start with the G&M.;

PS - as far as I understand it, or at least in my experience, co-op is always PAID work. I know internships are often not paid, and I always wonder how anyone can be expected to work for free in this day and age. I understand it's great experience, but bloody hell, everyone has bills to pay, expecially starving students.

Working at Canada's Wonderland for a number of years (by the time I was an undergrad, I was in seasonal staff training/management, but I started out as a "lowly" lifeguard in high school), I developed skills that have continued to benefit me in the workplace and in my studies - initiative/willingness to try new things (and pitch new programs to my boss - I've started three at the hospital where I now work), communication skills, *zero* fear of public speaking, almost zero fear of interviewing (at CW, you are interviewed for every promotion), an ability to work well under pressure/handle crises calmly, and an ability to work with those in other fields (honed when dealing with situations like ride downtimes). To be fair, as I said, I made it up to seasonal management, but don't be so quick to sneeze at the opportunities presented by a "mcjob".

This post seems, as always, a little out of touch. The fact is that many university students work "McJobs" either to pay the bills or because their parents don't have the connections to get them a cushy job and that these students have gone on to do fine.

You speak as if this potential PR job is somehow below you in that it the firm isn't offering to pay you an amazing wage for 40 hours a week and as if doing manual labour is only for the poor no-future masses. For the sake of your future potential career in journalism, don't make youself look like such a prick.

If you're going to be a writer, you should work some of those minimum-wage jobs. You'll meet a lot of different people from all walks of life, and you'll end up with some stories in your pocket.

I have always heard, to be a print journalist, take history at school. Most 'hired' journalists come from other university disciplines and then learn J. on the job (or at a grad school). Foreign travel is also almost a prerequisite.

oh they are looking for a new blogger now...does it mean that you are fired Ian? Poor guy...I like your blog. If someone from here neeeds to be fired it is either that mom or the so called nerd girl.

I agree with CE. Nerd Girl is such is bore and the mom is just useless.

We need another freshman to kick around! Ian was great in that regard. Good luck Ian in your peace and conflict studies degree.

Just wanted to thank you, Ian, for having shared your journey of your first year at university with the rest of us. Your posts were always interesting and I looked forward to reading everything you wrote. I hope the Globe will have you continue writing about your school experiences. Good luck with everything and I hope you have a wonderful summer.

Hi Ian,
Similarly, I just finished my first year at McGill. I'm from Toronto and so also experienced moving to a different city and living in residence for 8 months.
Although, I enjoyed reading your blog I felt that you left out very important parts of the first year experience. From my understanding, part of the purpose of this blog is so that hopefully other first year university students could read it and relate to it. This was a great opportunity to articulate the realities of university.
You seemed to have everything under control at most times, which is not the reality for most 18 year olds living away from home for the first time.
I found the expectations of the professors, the amount of work that needed to be done and the grades I recieved for my hard work to be huge shocks. I attended a private school in Toronto and completed the IB program and was told that I was fully "prepped" for university. This was not the case.
You also didn't write much about the social aspect of living in residence. The challenges of noisy neighbours, living with your friends, parties, alcohol, drugs, relationships, friendships etc. Many of these topics being very personal (and not expecting you to write about them) but also very crucial to the first year experience. I've made what I would consider life-long friends in rez this year.

You are an excellent writer! However, I wished that you would have written to other students and not to adults trying to get insight into University.

-C.U-

Wow editors of G and M...you need to delete the previous two posts!!! You guys are slow man...

Looking for back to school deals on software - has anyone found something cheaper for Office than: www.theultimatesteal.ca/guelph ?