The Graduating Generation
We spoke to four men, in the last months of their college, university and apprenticeship programs, to learn about the challenges they faced during their post-secondary careers and their hopes for the future. Here are their stories.
Paul Leithwood
Age: 29
Program: Urban Aboriculture, Humber College and Career Foundations
Describe yourself using one word.
Stubborn.
Describe your post-secondary experience using one word.
Invaluable.
Why did you enrol in your program?
I worked in ceramics as a potter for five years. I apprenticed with an artist. The financial restraints and living in a studio - you’re working constantly and isolating yourself with your work. I found it emotionally difficult. You’re always struggling financially. I needed something that was outside, more social, something that was physical and had more opportunity for advancement.
What, if any, are the advantages of being a man in your field?
It’s a male-dominated field. Even if a woman has more seniority, more experience, more ability and knowledge, the client will come talk to me first. What I accomplish is more recognizable. I don’t know if that’s a benefit. I’ve seen a guy get an opportunity over a woman who had more experience. It was shocking.
Speaking from the point of view of an LGBT individual, I sort of see it from another scope as well. It is very much like old boys club sometimes. A crew can be this team of three guys going around the city doing tree work – how testosterone driven is that? It’s intimidating.
Are there any disadvantages to being a male climbing arborist?
No. Being a man in this industry is a very privileged thing.
You’ve worked as a potter in the past, now training to become a climbing arborist. Is this your first career shift?
No. Before I got into ceramics I studied Political Science and Women’s Studies at Guelph University. I knew that I was going to be a person with a lot of different careers. To me they’re something that I love doing. That’s why I chose to do them. As far as what I’m doing right now, I can really see this going for a while.
What’s your biggest take way from your entire post-secondary experience?
It’s very humbling. I now know the worth of a support network of people you can rely on like friends and family. I don’t know if anyone is more prepared than anyone else going into a program. A lot of it can really be made up. Just showing up, doing the work, doing the reading. In career it’s no different.
What’s in store for you after you complete your apprenticeship and get all of your licenses?
I’m 29 in a very physical job. I understand that my climbing days are numbered. I’m looking into different urban forestry programs that can give me an edge. There has been opportunity to work in New Zealand, Australia, even western Canada because they’re in need of arborists there.
Samuel Gasilan
Age: 23
Program: Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, York University
Describe yourself using one word.
Hard-worker.
Describe your post-secondary education experience using one word.
Hectic.
Why did you enrol in your program?
Psychology is the easiest way to get into medical school without taking a science degree. I was interested in going into nursing. Then I wanted to do more. It’s like a cultural pressure you know? With Filipinos everyone is going into the nursing field. So I thought to myself that it would be a nice change if I do something else.
What’s your university experience been like?
I’m so uncommon because of my religious beliefs. I don’t do parties, like how you see in movies. After work I go straight to school, listen to lecture, stay in the study hall then I go home. I don’t even have time to join clubs.
Where do you work?
I work at Tim Hortons. I’ve just recently been promoted as supervisor.
Congratulations.
Thanks.
What’s next for you after graduation?
I want to get a graduate diploma or certificate in Mental Disorder Behavioural Intervention. It’s better for me to get some fieldwork done and get some experience before going to medical school.
Was delaying med school always part of your plan?
Yes. I have a brother back home in the Philippines. He’s relying on my parents. They’re not always going to be around. It’s going to fall on me and my sister to do the supporting afterwards. So if I continue with medical school right away, it’s not smart.
That mentality of putting family first, do you see that in other young Filipino men?
Not just the men, the women too. If you’re from the eastern culture, you’re more involved in your family. In the western culture you’re more individual. You focus on yourself.
Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Probably working in a hospital treating mentally ill people.
Are young men ready for work?
Nationwide, about 500,000 students graduate from post-secondary programs each year, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada. About 42 per cent of these students are men. These numbers are something that Barbara Kelly, a former career counsellor with the YMCA, noticed while mentoring recent college and university graduates for seven years.
About 42 per cent of these students are men.
“More women are going to school and graduating from college and university,” Kelly says. “There’s more people in general competing for jobs.”
Although young men now face more competition, Kelly says what hinders them most is their approach towards job search, once their training comes to an end.
“They need more assistance in how to sell themselves in interviews,” Kelly says. “The female clients I worked with seemed more comfortable talking about themselves.”
Timothy Lang, President and CEO of YES Youth Employment Services says that colleges and universities can do more to better prepare students for life after graduation.
“Students are not given enough direction by their schools,” Lang says. “It’s up to the students to seek these opportunities and services on their own.”
Lang says that workshops in job preparedness should not be an additional service, but courses embedded into academic programs. That being said, he is optimistic about the incoming generation. He advises men and women alike to be open to different opportunities in fields they might not have considered during their training.
Kevin Buck
Age: 23
Program: Culinary Management (Integrated Learning), George Brown College
Describe yourself using one word.
Driven.
Describe your post-secondary training experience using one word.
Fast-paced.
Why did you enrol in your program?
I’ve always loved to cook. I started when I was eight years old. I went to Concordia University in Montreal for business. It was always my intention to combine the two passions.
What is it like to be a man in your field?
It’s definitely a male-dominated profession. In the kitchen I work at there are four female chefs and 10 male chefs. It’s changing though. The old school yelling and Gordon Ramsay type mentality is going out the window with the younger chefs. The younger chefs are being trained now to be kinder to one another.
What are the challenges you faced during your training?
It is a lot of hard work, the hours are long. It’s not all glamorous like on the Food Network. It takes sacrifice. I know I will be missing birthdays and family events. But this is what I want to do. At the end of the day it’s worth it for me.
What’s next for you after graduation?
The restaurant I’m interning at has offered me a full-time position. I think I’m going to stay on. George Brown also has an Italian program, which I’ve been accepted to. We do a semester in Toronto learning about Italian cuisine and language. Then we go to Italy and work in a restaurant there.
Quoc Truong
Age: 31
Program: Steam fitting, Hammer Heads
Describe yourself using one word.
Adaptable.
Describe your post-secondary experience using one word.
Phenomenal.
What is the Hammer Heads program?
It’s a three-month-long boot camp style program that helps inner city youth get careers in construction. We get to try out 18 different trades.
Why did you choose to pursue a career as a steamfitter?
I didn’t. One of my instructors said that it would be a good fit for me. I just put faith in that they guided me in the right direction. Now it’s been five years and over 9,000 working hours later. I’m almost done with my apprenticeship. It’s probably the biggest accomplishment of my life.
How has your life changed since you enrolled in the Hammer Heads program?
I came from a very poor family in Vietnam. We lived in a refugee camp in Hong Kong for three years. Then we moved to Canada when I was four years old. I grew up in Regent Park. Up to that point, that was probably the best place I lived in my life. I went to high school not knowing it was the shittiest area in Toronto.
I’ve always worked minimum wage jobs. I tried university, college wasn’t for me. Now I wake up every morning and I’m happy to go to work, even during my days off I want to work. That’s really rewarding.
What have been some of the challenges of breaking into this trade?
I don’t fit that description of a construction worker. I’m short, I’m small, I’m Asian. People make jokes. Guys I work with are second, third generation steamfitters. They’re very proud. They’re like, ‘What’s this Asian guy doing here stealing our jobs?’
Five years in, how has your outlook, as a minority changed?
I’m very aware of racism. I can see it. I can feel it. And I know it. I know how to act. Before, I’ll be angry. But now I take a step back. I just shrug it off. You just have to prove that you belong here. Now these guys - they’ve become best friends. I’ve gone to so many of their weddings. I’m part of that family now.
What are some of the misconceptions about the construction field?
People don’t realize the extensive schooling. I take Saturday classes from 7am to 3pm. I take night school. It’s a skilled trade. You can’t make beautiful construction without that knowledge. You have to know about math, physics. It’s pretty cool.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I would like to have a business representative position in my union someday. Help the next generation.
What are your hopes for your profession?
I’m a huge advocate for hiring kids who live in the city and care about the city. All my coworkers they come and work here in the city then they leave. They don’t have that connection to the city.
6 Things to do during your job search:
Timothy Lang, President and CEO of YES Youth Employment Services and Sureka Kulasingham, a student employment advisor at Centennial College share their top tips for graduating students starting their job search.
1. Stay optimistic
"The job search process can take anywhere from six months to one year," Lang says. "I often see recent grads feel hopeless after so much rejection. But it's important to realize that this is all normal."
2. Follow up on your applications after you have submitted them
"We don't see this often enough," Kulasingham says. "Try to call human resources and see if the position is still available. HR professionals can get hundreds of applications for a single position. If somebody reaches out and is diligent, if they can help a person into an interview, that's one less interview slot that they have to fill."
3. Find ways to connect with companies and employers directly, even they have not published a job posting
"Some companies don't necessarily post jobs on their website," Kulasingham says. "Find a company in your field. Do your research and hand in an application. At least you are already in their pool once an opening comes up."
4. Don't expect your first job, or you first five, to be your 'dream job'
"Students graduate thinking they'll go from A to B," Lang says. "They are unaware of the vast number of opportunities out there. They should be more open to opportunities that may not be directly in their field."
5. Do not send the same resume and cover letter for every job
"Employers spend six to 15 seconds looking at the resume for the first time. You've got to make sure that they see what they need to see so that they put you in that 'maybe' pile," Kulasingham says. "Some larger companies have applicant tracker system where you go through an online application system. That application is not being looked at a physical human. So you have to provide evidence that you qualify for that position."
6. Find a mentor working in the field that you want to break into.
"There are people who are willing to help," Kulasingham says. "You're not asking for a job, you're asking for advice."
She recommends connecting with mentors through sites like tenthousandcoffees.com