Podcasts about Conestoga College

The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate National Volunteer Month to showcase the incredible contributions of our Chapter Executives from across Canada and globally.When Jim Galloway walked into his high school welding shop in Brantford, Ontario, in the 1970s, he couldn't have predicted how far the spark would take him. His journey through the welding industry spans four decades, crossing paths with nuclear power plant construction, cutting-edge research, manufacturing management, and education—creating a roadmap for what's possible in a welding career. What truly sets Jim's story apart is his commitment to community and knowledge sharing by choosing to teach at Conestoga College. He helping develop their renowned Welding Engineering Technology program while maintaining deep involvement with professional associations. Find your Local CWBA Chapter Here: https://www.cwbgroup.org/advocacy/membership Thank you to our Podcast Advertisers:Canada Welding Supply: https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/Canaweld: https://canaweld.com/Josef Gases: https://josefgases.com/There is no better time to be a member! The CWB Association membership is new, improved, and focused on you. We offer a FREE membership with a full suite of benefits to build your career, stay informed, and support the Canadian welding industry.  https://www.cwbgroup.org/association/become-a-memberWhat did you think about this episode? Send a text message to the show!

Canada's manufacturing sector faced challenges even before President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on goods made here. The overall sector has shrunk, both in its contribution to our economy, and the number of workers it employs. So, how should Canada support existing companies and their workers as tariffs take hold? And what's the way forward to building up a homegrown manufacturing sector that provides higher-skilled jobs and in-demand goods? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a radio special celebrating the recent grand re-opening of the "Conestoga College Living Classroom" at The Village of Riverside Glen . Recorded on December 5th 2024 at Riverside Glen, today's broadcast starts with the speeches recorded at the event, followed by some short interviews with staff and coordinators who help bring the living classroom to life.About the Living Classroom:The Living Classroom is a partnership model that integrates education into a long-term care or retirement home to support workforce development in senior living. Students, faculty, and those living, visiting and working in the home engage in a culture of shared learning. The model was first implemented in Ontario in 2009, through a partnership with Conestoga College, the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging and Schlegel Villages.That first site was The Village of Riverside Glen, and today's recorded celebration marks its' grand re-opening ceremony. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com

It's Opposite Day With Rob Lewin!!! This episode is very exciting because it is opposite day with Rob Lewin! Rob is an improviser and sketch comedian living in Guelph, Ontario. His live comedy credits include The Second CityToronto FamCo,The Making-Box Brigade, The Bad Dog Featured Players and festivals such as Toronto Sketchfest, Detroit Improv Festival, Del Close Marathon NYC, and Montreal Improv Festival. He teaches improv and sketch classes with Pinch and you see his sketch duo Corpse perform around Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo. Unlike every other (wonderful) Comedicine guest, who is a health care professional first and then transitions into comedy, Rob has been improvising since before his brain was fully formed. (Grade 9!) Rob is currently in his second year of the Practical Nursing program at Conestoga College. Yes, he is going to keep on doing improv, sketch and teaching improv AND doing nursing, but not at the same time. Would it be cool to teach nurses about improv with his background? Maybe it would, but that's not what Rob is doing here people! Have a listen, Rob is a wonderful improviser, comedian and human and he whoever ends up with him as their nurse and/or in his audience and/orin his improv class is very lucky!!!Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/rob.lewin/Thanks for listening to Comedicine! Send is a text to let us know what you think!Instagram @comedicine_comedyComedicine FacebookYour host, Dr Sarah BostonDr Sarah Boston is a veterinary surgical oncologist (cancer surgeon for dogs and cats), cancer survivor (ironic, right?), bestselling author, actor and stand up comedian. She is a 2023 graduate of the Humber College Comedy Performance and Writing Program. She is the 2023 recipient of the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award, which recognizes and supports promising comedic performers in the early stages of their career She is also the recipient of the Award for Academic Excellence from Humber College because she is a nerd in all aspects of her life. Instagram @drsarahboston www.Drsarahboston.com Representation Book Musical Genius Mark Edwards

Gettin' Air with Kimberlee Carter. The road to becoming an award winning Open Education catalyst is best travelled on roller skates. In this episode we chat with Conestoga College's Kimberlee Carter about her journey into Open Education and all the people she brought along with her.

Send us a Text Message.In this episode, Julie interviews Erika MacKay, the founder and CEO of Niche for Design, about her journey in interior design and her focus on workspace wellness. They discuss the evolving office environment and Erika shares her experience of balancing entrepreneurship with maternity leave. Erika shares insights into creating healthy, productive workspaces and the challenges entrepreneurs face in maintaining business operations during significant life events.Erika is a workspace wellness expert and advocate for spaces that help us feel and perform at our best. She is a registered Interior Designer, a member of the International WELL Building Standard Faculty, and a part-time faculty member at Conestoga College. As founder and CEO of Niche for Design she is focused on growing her team and their impact. She is fascinated by hybrid offices, flexible “coworking,” environments, and the opportunity to create connection and belonging in physical “office” spaces. Her next business venture is going to be an embodiment of this new work “experience”. Erika is sought out to speak and consult, based on her expertise in work environments, space planning, and especially wellness in the workspace. She believes that the spaces we spend time in have an enormous impact on our health and has made it her mission to help more people work in spaces that truly support their wellbeing.Erika and Julie discuss...Erika's journey in interior design (00:02:22)Erika discusses her childhood interest in space optimization and explains the shift in the purpose of office spaces.Growing a business and building a team (00:12:46)Erika shares her experiences and strategies for growing her business, including her approach to taking maternity leave as an entrepreneur.The opportunity of stepping back (00:20:25)Erika takes a step back as a CEO to focus on the bigger picture and plans her return to work.Workplace design and wellness (00:23:18)Erika discusses the reasons why business leaders may not consider workplace design and the misconceptions about the role of designers.Reimagining office spaces (00:29:36)Exploring alternate arrangements for office spaces. Erika describes how this shift in perspective on workplace design and wellness is not an extra but the most important aspect of a workspace. You can connect with Niche for Design through their website, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn or with Erika via her LinkedIn.You can connect with Julie on LinkedIn or Instagram. Find Julie's writing at her blog or by ordering Big Gorgeous Goals. What did you think of this conversation? We'd love if you'd rate or review our show!

Greg (@GregBradyTO) speaks with Leopold Koff, Professor at Conestoga College and President of Local 237, about Conestoga College's $252 million surplus after recruiting foreign students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg (@gregbradyTO) and the panel of: Stephanie Smyth (@stephaniesmyth), broadcaster, Smyth Media Group, Brad Bradford, Toronto city councillor for Beaches - East York (@BradMBradford) & Mark Saunders, former Toronto police chief, mayoral candidate discussed: 1- Man arrested after multiple protesters struck on Gardiner Expressway, Toronto police say  2 - Sharp rise in unemployment in immigrants and young people (15-24) per National Bank  3 - Conestoga College surplus swells to $252M. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Brady (@GregBradyTO) focuses in on why Conestoga College is sitting on $252 million in surpluses from recruiting foreign students.. This college has led the nation in recruiting international students.. Are the walls bursting at the seams? We ask Conestoga College professor and President of Local 237 Leopold Koff that question. Next, Andrew Scheer, MP and former Conservative Party Leader (@AndrewScheer), about his party's call for a probe into how the federal government let a terror suspect with alleged ISIS ties into Canada. Lastly, Elizabeth Roy, Mayor of Whitby (@ElizabethJRoy), Ontario and we were talking about a new hospital coming to her town – it'll be 10 years until it's operational – but how is Mayor Roy's town handling population growth, infrastructure and homelessness? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg (@gregbradyTO) and the panel of: Stephanie Smyth (@stephaniesmyth), broadcaster, Smyth Media Group, Brad Bradford, Toronto city councillor for Beaches - East York (@BradMBradford) & Mark Saunders, former Toronto police chief, mayoral candidate discussed: 1- Man arrested after multiple protesters struck on Gardiner Expressway, Toronto police say  2 - Sharp rise in unemployment in immigrants and young people (15-24) per National Bank  3 - Conestoga College surplus swells to $252M. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Brady (@GregBradyTO) focuses in on why Conestoga College is sitting on $252 million in surpluses from recruiting foreign students.. This college has led the nation in recruiting international students.. Are the walls bursting at the seams? We ask Conestoga College professor and President of Local 237 Leopold Koff that question. Next, Andrew Scheer, MP and former Conservative Party Leader (@AndrewScheer), about his party's call for a probe into how the federal government let a terror suspect with alleged ISIS ties into Canada. Lastly, Elizabeth Roy, Mayor of Whitby (@ElizabethJRoy), Ontario and we were talking about a new hospital coming to her town – it'll be 10 years until it's operational – but how is Mayor Roy's town handling population growth, infrastructure and homelessness? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg (@GregBradyTO) speaks with Leopold Koff, Professor at Conestoga College and President of Local 237, about Conestoga College's $252 million surplus after recruiting foreign students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we talk with Camelia Nunez, a self-proclaimed "profpreneur" who blends her entrepreneurial spirit with a deep passion for education. We talk about why she believes building a culture of curiosity and continuous learning around education is important and how it will affect how we live, learn and work.  Camelia shares her experiences growing up in Romania, witnessing life before and after the revolution, and moving to Canada as a teenager to complete her education.Starting her career as a Spanish professor, Camelia's entrepreneurial drive led her to co-found an EdTech startup. With over 17 years in higher education, she has held roles in teaching, administrative leadership, research partnerships, innovation, entrepreneurship, and operations at Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo and now Conestoga College. Camelia emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adapting to a rapidly evolving workforce. We discuss innovative solutions like yearly membership fees for education to maintain relevant skills and challenge the outdated concept of a fixed career path.We talk about all kinds of entrepreneurs, but Camelia highlights the resilience and persistence of non-tech entrepreneurs and how those traits are significant in achieving long-term success.Camelia shares insights on inspiring youth to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, offering real-life examples of creativity sparked by personal pain points.Connect with CameliaLinkedInResourcesConestoga CollegePlay-a-LatteYouth Creativity FundWhat did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!Thank you for listening today. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe to our podcast. When you do this, it helps to raise our podcast profile so more leaders can find us and be inspired by the stories our Voices of Leadership have to share. Connect with us:Voices of Leadership WebsiteInstagramBespoke Productions Hub

In today's episode, we talk with Camelia Nunez, a self-proclaimed "profpreneur" who blends her entrepreneurial spirit with a deep passion for education. We talk about why she believes building a culture of curiosity and continuous learning around education is important and how it will affect how we live, learn and work.  Camelia shares her experiences growing up in Romania, witnessing life before and after the revolution, and moving to Canada as a teenager to complete her education.Starting her career as a Spanish professor, Camelia's entrepreneurial drive led her to co-found an EdTech startup. With over 17 years in higher education, she has held roles in teaching, administrative leadership, research partnerships, innovation, entrepreneurship, and operations at Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo and now Conestoga College. Camelia emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adapting to a rapidly evolving workforce. We discuss innovative solutions like yearly membership fees for education to maintain relevant skills and challenge the outdated concept of a fixed career path.We talk about all kinds of entrepreneurs, but Camelia highlights the resilience and persistence of non-tech entrepreneurs and how those traits are significant in achieving long-term success.Camelia shares insights on inspiring youth to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, offering real-life examples of creativity sparked by personal pain points.Connect with CameliaLinkedInResourcesConestoga CollegePlay-a-LatteYouth Creativity FundThank you for listening today. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe to our podcast. When you do this, it helps to raise our podcast profile so more leaders can find us and be inspired by the stories our Voices of Leadership have to share. Connect with us:Voices of Leadership WebsiteInstagram

Canadian sportscasting legend Rod Black's greatest call of them all: His son's Tyler's MLB debut in Milwaukee (1:45) Guest: Rod Black, Canadian sports broadcaster Wacko or a work in progress? Scrutiny of B.C. drug decriminalization pilot program intensifies (16:17) Guest: Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson, Vancouver Police Department, President, BC Association of Chiefs of Police What's next for the Edmonton Oilers in round two of the playoffs? (33:28) Guest: Reid Wilkins, Host of Inside Sports and the Edmonton Oilers hockey broadcast on 630 CHED Racquetball star and Corus' Mike Cerisia will be inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (43:39) Guest: Mike Ceresia, a Canadian retired racquetball player Clinical trial links frequent anger to increased risk of heart disease (55:37) Guest: Dr. Joseph Ebinger, Clinical Cardiologist, Associate Professor and the Director of Clinical Analytics for the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles What to expect from the first interim foreign interference report (1:07:19) Guest: Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief, The Globe and Mail   How a rapid growth of international students at Conestoga College is impacting staff and the school's integrity (1:27:55) Guests: Leopold Koff, a union leader representing faculty, counsellors and librarians at Conestoga College, and Vikki Poirier, another union leader who represents support staff

Today we discuss how Trudeau's capital gains tax increase is hurting middle-class Canadians and will chase doctors away from Canada. We also discuss the increased speed limits coming to Ontario highways, Less than half of Canadians now say they want an electric vehicle, A major grow op was discovered in Niagara, Conestoga College is bringing in sheep to deal with their landscaping issues, and lots more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From woodworking school into the industry with Professor Trevor Hibbs and former students Mitch, Nathan and Saleh. They tell us about coming from different backgrounds, going through the Conestoga program, and making capstone projects. We also discuss fighting mass-produced products, learning to let go of projects, mixed material creativity, and clients not appreciating skill on this episode of The Construction Life Podcast. Reach out to Trevor Hibbs of Conestoga College at thibbs@conestogac.on.ca. Reach out to Mitch of Salzburg Interiors & Furniture at mitchbosnyak@gmail.com and @BozzyB00ts. Reach out to Nathan Banks of NEFF Beautiful Living at nateb95@icloud.com and @NathanBanks95. Reach out to Saleh of NEFF Beautiful Living at salzakar@gmail.com and @SalehZakk. Stay connected with The Construction Life Podcast by texting Manny at 416 433-5737 or emailing him at manny@theconstructionlife.com. If you have something to contribute to the podcast, email info@theconstructionlife.com to schedule a time to join us in studio. Are you interested in the latest trends in building, renovation, home improvement, real estate, architecture, design, engineering, contracting, trades, and DIY? Look no further! Our construction podcast and social media content cover a wide range of topics, including project management, safety, best practices, business development, leadership, marketing, customer service, productivity, sustainability, technology, innovation, and industry news

In today's dynamic workforce, optimizing a hybrid work environment is crucial for fostering and sustaining healthy employee engagement. As organizations increasingly adopt flexible work arrangements, striking the right balance between remote and in-office work becomes paramount. A well-optimized hybrid work model acknowledges the diverse needs of employees, nurtures a positive company culture, helps attract and retain top talent, and reflects an organization's commitment to employee well-being. Erika MacKay is a workspace wellness expert and advocate for spaces that help us feel and perform at our best. She is a registered Interior Designer, a member of the International WELL Building Standard Faculty, and a part time faculty member at Conestoga College. As founder and CEO of Niche for design she is focused on growing her team and their impact. She is fascinated by hybrid offices, flexible “coworking,” environments, and the opportunity to create connection and belonging in physical “office” spaces. Her next business venture is going to be an embodiment of this new work “experience”.In this episode, we discuss the challenges and benefits between working remotely vs in-person, how to optimize your workspace in a people-centric way, tips, strategies and the ROI to your operating costs and employee engagement, how to create your hybrid work schedule, and more!Chapters02:25 - Erika's passion for making sure workspaces are optimized 03:34 - Working remotely vs in-person07:27 - Why do you need to come back to the office / the power of in person connection11:23 - People-first culture benefits and rightsizing to support a people centric culture14:26 - Making sure your workplace is utilized to the needs16:03 - Tips for designing spaces for different needs and roles 18:44 - Tips for designing multi-function spaces 24:26 - How to create your hybrid work schedule26:12 - Maximizing ROI for your office space needs31:35 - Shared working spaces and how to allow employees to have their own ‘space'34:07 - Final thoughts35:29 - Where to find ErikaConnect with Erika LinkedIn - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/erikamackayVisit Niche for Design - www.nichefordesign.com…Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.comFollow usLinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbrightTwitter - twitter.com/pplbright Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbrightInstagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.#HybridWork #EmployeeEngagement #Productivity #Office #Work

Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Wednesday, February 28, 2024.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate her daily news digest and share it with our audience—tune in every morning on the TRNN podcast feed to hear about the latest important news stories from Canada and around the world.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-podSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/newsletter-podLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnewsReferenced articles:Story 1 - Man who was charged in connection with stealing a U-Haul and who was forced into incarceration while waiting trial, dies in a London prison.Story 2 - Students force the University of Waterloo to ditch new vending machines that use facial recognition software for some reason.Story 3 - Conestoga College offered a stunning 30,000 international student permits in 2023 alone; information coming from new CBC investigation about which institutions are driving international student enrolment.Story 4 - It's the eighth anniersary of the Phoenix payroll system and there are more problems then ever! Currently, there are 444,000 outstanding payroll issues.Story 5 - Chinese migrants are increasingly moving through south to north American routes to migrate to the US.Story 6 - The same day an attack on a Catholic church in Burkina Faso's north killed 15 people, dozens were killed in the country's east when a mosque was attacked.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.

This week Open Sources Guelph is dealing bad news. What else is new? From critics silenced to cities under siege, we're reminded that there's a world full of danger and destruction out there, which are two things that are closely associated with a specific man who was once President of the United States, and might be again. Meanwhile, closer to home, an old man is almost literally yelling at clouds. This Thursday, February 22, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Alexei. They finally did it. After years of trying, Vladimir Putin and his appendages in the Russian state were finally able to eliminate his biggest critic, Alexei Navalny. The lawyer-turned-agitator "died suddenly" in one of the worst prison in all of Russian, and coincidentally just a few week ahead of a national election and the second anniversary of the Ukraine invasion. So where does Russia go now? Rafah. The next front in Israel's war against Hamas seems to be the city of Rafah, but as the IDF are promising to launch their campaign just before the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the Israeli government is facing for blowback from the international community who are calling for a ceasefire and the resumption of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Nearly five months into this war, is there any chance that Israel will listen? Oh Carolina! This weekend is the South Carolina Republican primary, and it's widely expected that Donald Trump will win. It will be just about the only winning that Trump's experienced recently after being told he doesn't have total immunity, he has to pay $364 million in fines for the way he did business in New York, and there are still so many court cases to go. So why does Trump look unbeatable? They Call Me Mr. Tibbits. So the head of Conestoga College called his colleague from Sault College a "whore" last week in an actual interview with the press. Tibbits, along with many Ontario college leaders, has been on the defensive for the drastic increase in the number of international students enrolled, but is this ad hominem attack a sign of the stress getting to Tibbits, or is just a sign he should retire? Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

Not everyone has 3 hours to watch Regional of Waterloo Council sessions. So twice a month Chevon brings you the highlights to help you stay up to date on the decisions that matter to your community. On Jan 24th, 2024 Council approved the following initiatives: New hybrid buses will give residents affordable, climate-friendly transit Regional Council is investing $43.2 million in 36 new hybrid buses to grow and modernize Grand River Transit's fleet. The buses will be ordered now and delivered in early 2025.  These buses will help GRT expand service in response to record ridership, as well as replace older vehicles. All new GRT buses are either hybrid or electric, instead of diesel.    Region will explore more sites for affordable housing projects More Region-owned sites will be considered for affordable housing projects, including parking lots, vacant properties, and redeveloped buildings. Regional Council has directed staff to report back on possible locations and project concepts, including potential partners. New transit station for Conestoga College Regional Council has approved plans to build a new Grand River Transit station at Conestoga College's Doon Campus in Kitchener. The new bus platforms and heated shelters will improve the customer experience for Conestoga students, staff and the neighbouring community. The project is set to finish at the end of 2026.   Moving forward with upgrades for Doon Heritage Village Doon Heritage Village is moving forward with major site upgrades that will increase accessibility and ensure year-round programming for residents. These upgrades mean heat in the buildings can switch from carbon-emitting oil and propane fuels to modern electric heat.  Doon Heritage Village is an open-air museum located at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum and shows life in the early 1900s.  Find out more about Your Region Pod at our website: Website: https://yourregionpod.buzzsprout.com Spotify: Your Region Pod | Podcast on SpotifyiTunes: Your Region Pod on Apple Podcasts We want to hear from you! X: Region of Waterloo (@RegionWaterloo) / X (twitter.com) Instagram: Regional Municipality of Waterloo | Kitchener, Ontario | Instagram photos and videos FB: Region of Waterloo | Kitchener ON | FacebookLinkedin: Region of Waterloo | LinkedIn YouTube: Region of Waterloo Council - YouTube

Brandon Fentonn is a flatland lifer. He has a huge bag of tricks and a myriad of difficult breakless maneuvers and multiple whiplash variations? He currently residing in Toronto and is a regular at the DunBat hockey rink. Brandon has A PHD in Philosophy and currently works as a victim's rights advocate at Aboriginal Legal Services and as a course director at Conestoga College. Special thanks to Shaun Jarvis for handling our socials.Support the show

In 2012, nine out of 10 students at Kitchener's Conestoga College were domestic. Today, they have more international students than any institution across the country … almost as many as the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia combined. This year, Canada is on track to bring in 900,000 international students.Globe postsecondary reporter Joe Friesen joins us to discuss how Canada's international student population has grown so quickly, and why institutions have grown to depend on them – especially in Ontario.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

When philosophy professor Darren Hick came across another case of cheating in his classroom at Furman University, he posted an update to his followers on social media: “Aaaaand, I've caught my second ChatGPT plagiarist.” Practically overnight, ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence chatbots have become the go-to source for cheating in college. Now, educators are rethinking how they'll teach courses this fall from Writing 101 to computer science. Educators say they want to embrace the technology's potential to teach and learn in new ways, but when it comes to assessing students, they see a need to “ChatGPT-proof” test questions and assignments. An explosion of AI-generated chatbots including ChatGPT, which launched in November, has raised new questions for academics dedicated to making sure that students not only can get the right answer, but also understand how to do the work. Educators say there is agreement at least on some of the most pressing challenges. — Are AI detectors reliable? Not yet, says Stephanie Laggini Fiore, associate vice provost at Temple University. Fiore was part of a team at Temple that tested the detector used by Turnitin, a popular plagiarism detection service, and found it to be “incredibly inaccurate.” — Will students get falsely accused of using artificial intelligence platforms to cheat? Absolutely. In one case last semester, a Texas A&M professor wrongly accused an entire class of using ChatGPT on final assignments. Most of the class was subsequently exonerated. — So, how can educators be certain if a student has used an AI-powered chatbot dishonestly? It's nearly impossible unless a student confesses, as both of Hick's students did. Unlike old-school plagiarism where text matches the source it is lifted from, AI-generated text is unique each time. In some cases, the cheating is obvious, says Timothy Main, a writing professor at Conestoga College in Canada, who has had students turn in assignments that were clearly cut-and-paste jobs. In his first-year required writing class last semester, Main logged 57 academic integrity issues, an explosion of academic dishonesty compared to about eight cases in each of the two prior semesters. AI cheating accounted for about half of them. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

This is how Azra & I began the conversation this morning-the meaning of the word Apocalypse! Apocalypse another synonym of its foundation is "to reveal, to uncover"..not just come apart! This episode is not to be missed! We talk all things in this realm, motherhood, home birth, careers, apocalypse, our identity & SO MUCH MORE! Azra's Bio: Numbers driven, deeply creative and an instinctual problem-solver with an eye for bespoke architecture, Azra Gregor brings a robust repertoire of talents to her role at The Agency. As an agent, Azra specializes in rural and custom home residential sales in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region, Wellington County and Halton and calls upon her wealth of expertise in finance to drive her negotiations. As a Certified International Property Specialist, she is versed in sourcing second homes for Canadians abroad and advising foreign clients on sound investment opportunities in the Canadian real estate market. Born in Bosnia and raised in Germany, Azra has called Ontario home for the past 24 years. She is fluent in Bosnian, Serbo-Croatian and German. Prior to real estate, Azra obtained degrees from the University of Waterloo and Conestoga College, where she studied communications and human resource management. She then completed the Canadian Securities Course and worked as a financial advisor at one of Canada's top banks. Azra's skill for forging genuine connections has translated beautifully to multi-platform content creation, a role she has held in the social media arena since 2015. In 2017, she created Matrescend - a coaching program created for female entrepreneurs seeking to manifest financial freedom and went on to be nominated for the Mompreneur Awards, one of Canada's most distinguished recognitions for business owners. Azra is also a gifted writer and the author of a book of poetry published in 2020, Your Mother is a Storm. Azra is a proponent of growth mindset and is deeply committed to personal and spiritual development while raising her family to lead an intentional life. Her values are the pillars of her business and allow for the seamless and high-end real estate experience her sellers, buyers and investors have. ****** Azra Gregor's debut collection of poems YOUR MOTHER IS A STORM reflects on the process of matrescence - the journey of a woman becoming a mother. Written in a confessional poetry style, the pieces explore the wide landscapes of feelings women experience in the years they carry, birth and raise their children. You will be left contemplating your own upbringing and beginning to understand how the trials of motherhood lead to the discovery of a light left within you that you hadn't realized until now. The book explores change through adversity and finding one's most authentic self through pregnancy and the postpartum period. About The Author Azra Gregor is a writer and storyteller, weaving old and new worlds into lessons for us through poetry and prose. As a Bosnian in Canada and mother of two, she advocates for positive psychology, conscious parenting and the overall mind-body connection in every aspect of one's life. More notably, Azra is a tenured finance professional, certified adult educator and mindset coach for female entrepreneurs. Her success has largely come from encouraging both emotional and financial intelligence in her clients. Since her first successful (now retired) blog Dirty Mercy Mama began in 2015, she has published dozens of articles online and has appeared as an expert in growth mindset and small business on podcasts, radio shows and public talks in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and Greater Toronto Area in Southern Ontario. Ways to connect with Azra : Instagram:  https://instagram.com/azragregor?igshid=ZWQyN2ExYTkwZQ== Website:  https://www.theagencyre.com/agent/azra-gregor Email : azra.gregor@theagencyre.com Azra's Collection of Poems YOUR MOTHER IS A STORM: https://www.amazon.ca/Your-Mother-Storm-Azra-Gregor/dp/B088LJJ91D

#89 – As a first-year offensive lineman on the University of Waterloo's varsity football team, Ben Brown was supposed to be living his dream. With the support of his father, who had been his football coach, Ben received a football scholarship to an excellent school and was excited for the next chapter of his life. Before Ben's university career began, however, tragedy struck as Ben's father passed away. Suddenly, Ben was carrying the weight of his and his father's dream all on his own.Despite this incredible hardship, Ben pressed on and outwardly, had a successful first year of university. His grades were good and he seemed to be happy, but internally Ben was struggling. He decided that he needed to step away from the football team and take a term off school for his mental health and when he came back, it did not take long to realize he no longer saw a future in his program of study.With the help of a career counsellor at the university, Ben found a new path in an unexpected place that involved leaving the university behind. Now, years after graduating from Conestoga College, Ben is living a new dream as a firefighter.Listen to Ben's Academic Crossroads today to hear the whole story.___________________You can find Career Crossroads at careercrossroads.ca or follow us on social media: Instagram: @career_crossroadsLinkedIn: Career Crossroads PodcastFacebook: Career Crossroads PodcastTikTok: @jonathancollaton

The CWB Association Welding Podcast is celebrating Women Empowerment Month, supporting and empowering women in the industry today, and everyday. Our weekly episodes this month connects female welding professionals around the world to share their passion.Today's guest is Tara Chambers, Welding Specialist at Alliance Fabricating Ltd. Tara took the traditional University path after high school and after obtaining a degree in Criminology made a drastic change to completing the Welding Engineering Technology Program at Conestoga College. Tune in to learn how Tara made the transition between careers and advocates for females in the trades. Thank you to our Podcast Advertisers:Canada Welding Supply: https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/WeldReady: https://weld-ready.ca/There is no better time to be a member! The CWB Association membership is new, improved and focused on you. We offer a FREE membership with a full suite of benefits to build your career, stay informed, and support the Canadian welding industry.  https://www.cwbgroup.org/association/become-a-member

INTRODUCTIONPackaging: the best starting point for more circular solutions and products? That was the title of the online Euro-Canadian Roundtable on December 15th, 2022, as a side event of the World Circular Economy Forum. And this episode is broadcasting the core conversation with our 6 inspiring panelists, from both continents. They raised some key points in terms of materials, consumers, waste, design, and GHG related to packaging. This captivating panel also highlighted the role of regulations as well as pre-competitive collaboration to expand circular packaging solutions.It was a real pleasure to organize and co-moderate this event with Anne-Laure Bulliffon. I hope you will benefit at the maximum from the good vibes that lead this initiative. And I can't wait to foster more Euro-Canadian bridging dialogues like this one. On this note: Keep in mind – right after this listening – to click on the very quick survey link to lay the foundations of our next event! LINK TO THE POST-PANEL SURVEYWe want to HEAR FROM YOU!This less than 5 min feedback will lay the foundations of our next Euro-Canadian Roundtables about packaging transition towards more circularity: https://5ef1ucivz7f.typeform.com/to/UYYXx256Thank you!  A BIT MORE ABOUT OUR 6 CANADIAN AND EUROPEAN PANELISTS (WITH THEIR SHORT BIOS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) Annebeth De Witte, CoPackx, The NetherlandsAnnebeth de Witte – owner of Copackx - helps FMCG companies with sustainable packaging development – as independent expertised project lead. Since 2020 she worked for companies like Henkel, JDEcoffee, HEMA, Riversidenaturals, Daelmans banket and Brandmasters.Copackx motto is “your companion in packaging”. Help FMCG companies from inside with sustainable packaging, bringing the expertise from outside” Geneviève Dionne, Eco Entreprises Québec, MontréalGeneviève Dionne has been a member of Éco Entreprises Québec's (ÉEQ) since 2010, and is the architect behind the packaging eco-design training and guidance team.Over the years, her expertise has served as part of several initiatives, such as the development of a Web portal and a simplified life cycle analysis tool for companies seeking to integrate packaging eco-design into their business practices, eco-modulation incentives as well as bold projects, such as an international packaging eco-design contest, an exhibition of the projects presented and co-authoring a book titled «Avons-nous besoin d'un autre emballage?» (Do we need another package?) and lately, the documentary «Unwrapping» (Tout déballer) about packaging, design and circularity.Ms. Dionne also has regular invitations as a guest speaker to share her insights on packaging eco-design, recyclability and the transformation of business practices.Ms. Dionne holds a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design and a Master's degree in Applied Sciences from the Faculty of Planning at University of Montréal (UdeM). She also has a graduate diploma specializing in Management and Sustainable Development from HEC Montréal and is a visiting professor at the University of Montréal's School of Industrial Design. Jean-François Guillerez, Conestoga College, TorontoJean-François Guillerez teaches Packaging Science at Packaging Programs at the School of Engineering and Technology at Conestoga College in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. He holds a Master Degree Of Packaging Science from the French Engineering school ESIREIMS ( esiec) École nationale supérieure d'ingénieurs de Reims completed by a Master degree in Environmental Engineering from Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland). He is also a lifetime Certified Packaging Professional. He has an extensive experience in Packaging design & development in Europe, North & South America. He worked for over 20 years in large food companies such as Nestlé, Maple Leaf Foods, Mondelez Intl. Active member of the Institute of Packaging Professional (Ontario Chapter), Jean-François is also on the Innovation Advisory Council of the Canadian Food Innovation Network. Jonne Hellgren, RePack, FinlandJonne Hellgren grew up in a small town in Finnish Lapland and moved to live and study Management in the UK. He is the CEO and co-founder of RePack, the first reusable packaging service for e-commerces helping to reduce waste and carbon footprint. Today, RePack is used by hundreds of online retailers in Europe and North America from global giants to brand owners. It's a multi-award-winning innovation that combines product, operational, and business model design in an elegant way. His background includes years of exposure to LCA's and ESG strategies of cities, companies, products, and supply chains, as well as countless hours in warehouses. This makes him enjoy working in the business and on the business. Arnaud Lancelot, Cozie, FranceArnaud is the CEO & co-founder of Cozie, a French cosmetic brand of natural & organic skin care products. Cozie is a pioneer in the circular economy: all the bottles are reused thanks to 2 schemes: deposit and in-store bulk.In parallel, Cozie is also providing all cosmetic brands with consulting services and bulk equipments to boost their market launch with reusable solutions.In short, Arnaud is passionate and dedicated to the circular economy – considering it as a crucial pillar to a sustainable development. Valerie Langer, Canopy, British ColumbiaValerie Langer is the Fibre Solutions Strategist at Canopy. She has been engaged in forest conservation initiatives for over 30 years. She works with non-profit, Canopy to accelerate globally availability of Next Generation alternatives to tree fibre pulp for manufacturing paper, packaging and Man Made Cellulosic Fibres. Valerie's focus is on large scale forest conservation by leveraging markets, investments and innovation. She was on Canopy's founding Steering Committee, is a Donella Meadows Fellow and, along with colleagues who helped craft the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements, was a recipient of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award. ABOUT THE 2 MODERATORS Anne-Laure Bulliffon, Albumine, France / Profil'Pack, CanadaAs an entrepreneur committed to ecological change, Anne-Laure founded PROFIL'PACK in Montreal in 2013 and ALBUMINE in Chambéry, France, in 2020.On both sides of the Atlantic, the two agencies share a common mission: to enable food and cosmetics manufacturers to rethink their packaging systems in order to include their products in the virtuous circle of the circular economy, to reduce waste and ecological impacts.Thanks to of her dual Franco-Quebec culture, she is keen to put her expertise and network of multidisciplinary collaborators in Canada and France to good use by creating a bridge of resources and innovation between the two countries. Anne-Laure is convinced that collective intelligence and access to innovation are the keys to a successful ecological transition.Anne-Laure graduated from ESIREIMS in 2005 with a master's degree in packaging engineering. She specialized in change management and environmental diagnostic tools (LCA, carbon footprint,...) and circular economy at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts & Métiers in 2020. Colienne Regout, Look4Loops, Canada / BelgiumColienne is the CEO and founder of Look4Loops.Colienne blends her research, operations, and user experience expertise at Look4Loops to regenerate business models for profit, people and planet. Her unique perspective on the circular economy is grounded in both her European and Canadian experience.As the 2022 Business of the Year of the CCF of Vancouver, besides analyzing through audits and operating «redesign, reuse, and regenerate» opportunities in the field, Colienne teaches at universities and facilitates interactive workshops. And when it comes to rethinking packaging, she has the ‘Develop Circular Packaging Solutions' online training and she hosts the ‘Unboxing Your Packaging' podcast. PODCAST MUSICSpecial thanks to Joachim Regout who made the jingle. Have a look at his work here.I am happy to bring a sample of our strong bonds on these sound waves. Since I was a child, he made me discover a wide range of music of all kinds. I am also delighted he is a nature lover and shares the Look4Loops 'out of the box philosophy'. He is an inspiring source of creativity for me. 

INTRODUCTIONHow should packaging go along with a product at best while answering a real need?Packaging these days is sometimes the scapegoat that makes us forget that the product inside has the biggest part in environmental and social impact!And, sometimes, the product content is actually like the warriors in the mythological Trojan horse: We only see the container without paying attention to what it carries on! In this episode, I illustrate the 3 packaging's reasons for being with what our last 6 guests are experiencing on the field.So, you will hear from them about Physical protection,Communication,and User experienceEnjoy the preparation of a good marriage between packaging and products! RESOURCES MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODEThe ‘Develop Circular Packaging Solutions' online training, in partnership with the Circulab Academy: https://circulab.academy/courses/develop-circular-economy-packaging/The online Euro-Canadian Roundtable on December 15th, 2022: «Packaging: the best starting point for more circular solutions?»: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/circulab/806184# with 6 panelists:Jean-François Guillerez of Conestoga College from TorontoValerie Langer of Canopy from British ColumbiaGeneviève Dionne of Éco Entreprises Québec from QuébecAnnebeth De Witte of CoPackx from The NetherlandsArnaud Lancelot of Cozie from FranceJonne Hellgren of RePack from FinlandModerated by Anne-Laure Bulliffon of Albumine and Colienne Regout of Look4Loops. A side event of the World Circular Economy Forum to share/like/comment on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/colienneregout_packaging-the-best-starting-point-for-more-activity-7004115510212644864-EQrR?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop. THE EPISODES WHERE TO FIND OUR 6 GUESTS OF END 2022Episode #24: Experience reusables where food is served at scale! with Rich Grousset of Re:DishEpisode #25: Match your packaging design for recycling and beyond, such as for food safety! with Nerida Kelton of the World Packaging OrganisationEpisode #27: Plant-based feedstocks and innovations for absolute circular packaging! with Paul Foulkes-Arellano of CircuthonEpisode #28: The good, the bad, and the ugly of recycling with Lise Nicolas and Enzo Muttini of M. & Mme RecyclageEpisode #29: The impact of eye-catching packaging design as well as hidden structural design. with Evelio Mattos of Packaging Unboxd podcastEpisode #30: What is the good fit to integrate reuse in shipping and delivery packaging systems? with Mike Newman of Returnity ABOUT COLIENNE REGOUT FROM LOOK4LOOPSBusinesses lead the way! As a true believer, Colienne Regout makes you rethink your packaging so you can adapt to future markets and spot business opportunities. Colienne helps organizations to improve their economic, social, and ecological impacts in Europe and Canada by optimizing the use of their resources and designing out the concept of waste. She started with facilitating Corporate Social Responsibility and with implementing Sharing Economy initiatives. As the founder of Look4Loops, she is now using the Circular Economy to enhance processes from the beginning until the end of their life cycles. Besides operating changes in the field, education is a big part of what Colienne does: She is the host of this podcast, she created the ‘Develop Circular Packaging Solutions' training, she sub-teaches at BCIT and she also facilitates workshops and serious games about climate change and the circular economy.  As a Circulab certified consultant, she benefits from shared knowledge and co-developed tools thanks to a community of over seventy worldwide colleagues.Recently, in May 2022, she also won the price of the Entreprise of the Year from la Chambre de Commerce Francophone de Vancouver.  PODCAST MUSICSpecial thanks to Joachim Regout who made the jingle. Have a look at his work here. I am happy to bring a sample of our strong bonds on these sound waves. Since I was a child, he made me discover a wide range of music of all kinds. I am also delighted he is a nature lover and shares the Look4Loops 'out of the box philosophy'. He is an inspiring source of creativity for me. 

My discussion today is with Anna Hohenadel, who is the PRME Coordinator at Conestoga College. For more information about Anna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-hohenadel/ Anna is currently spearheading an initiative to implement PRME at the college – with PRME standing for Principles for Responsible Management Education. Related to PRME, we talked about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and how to work with organizations in order to integrate these goals into their projects and operations. Our discussion also included the challenges encountered, such as getting the attention of the organization's management, quantifying the benefits, and the concept of green washing. For more information about PRME and SDGs: https://www.unprme.org https://sdgs.un.org/goals This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists of a series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

Angela Wray, Support Services Officer in the Supportive Care Program at Conestoga College joins Mike Stubbs to talk about the program as the Ontario government makes big decisions regarding Bill 7. Wray explains that the program is a great opportunity for those looking for a career change to the health care field, with a bonus of it being tuition free.

The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what's happening in the welding industry.This week's guest is Paul Murray, Product Leader for Rotoweld from Tecnar. Paul grew up with no exposure to the trades but after taking a job at an automotive shop and seeing the need for welding skills, he explored further education. Paul became a passionate Welding Engineer Technologist graduate from Conestoga College, which led him to his current position at Tecnar. Tune in to learn more about the benefits of becoming a Welding Engineer Technologist and Rotoweld in automated welding.  Follow Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-murrayCheck out Tecnar: https://tecnar.com/Check out Rotoweld: https://rotoweld.com/Follow Rotoweld on Social Media:https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/tecnar-rotoweldhttps://www.facebook.com/Rotoweldhttps://www.instagram.com/rotoweld_tecnar/

Clarence Cachagee is an Aboriginal Services Coordinator at Conestoga College and a visionary behind Crow Shield Lodge, which is a place for reconciliation, land-based teaching and healing.   Sara and Marshall talk with Cachagee about connectedness and community engagement, finding gaps in systems and supporting those living on the margins of society, and feeding our spirits.  Brought to you by Paige Warner, presave her new single HERE   Follow Bonn Park on Instagram

Spoke Online is updated regularly during the school year by Conestoga College's journalism students, faculty adviser Lynn Haddrall, and new media technologist Chris Martin.They can be contacted by email at spoke@conestogac.on.ca.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/houseofmysteryradio.

Episode: 0023 Title: Jeff Weyers: Finding Terrorists Through Open-Source Intelligence Release Date:  2nd of June 2022 Podcast Writer: Paige Keningale  Theme Song: Wolf Moon- Unicorn Heads.  Voice overs: Dr Susanne Knabe-nicol aka the Police Science Dr Podcast Email: podcasts@acia.org.uk  Podcast Webpage: https://www.acia.org.uk/Podcasts ,  https://www.leapodcasts.com/  Podcast Social Media: Twitter: ACIA_org,  LinkedIn: Association of Crime and Intelligence Analysts (UK).  Bio: Jeff Weyers is a Senior Intelligence Research Analyst with iBRABO Inc. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Intelligence and Security Studies from the University of Ottawa, a Diploma in Law and Security Administration from Conestoga College, a B.A. in Psychology and Biology from Wilfrid Laurier University and finally a M.Sc. in Investigative Psychology from the University of Liverpool. Jeff has trained in the areas of Anti-Terrorism Training, Intelligence and Security, Major Case Investigations, Drug Enforcement, and Interviewing and Interrogation. Jeff is currently studying the risk assessment of terrorist groups, anti-terrorism training and response, and the social networking of terrorist groups. Jeff has consulted with numerous agencies on identifying individuals vulnerable to violent extremism. As a result he has received numerous commendations for his work in diverting persons from violent extremism. Useful Links:  https://globalnews.ca/news/4767450/militant-beheaded-canadians/  https://globalnews.ca/video/4891562/geolocation-helps-canadians-find-isis-execution-sites-in-syria/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Zz5QPc1mM  https://ibrabo.com/ 

Food Safety and Quality Assurance - Food Processing offered by CONESTOGA COLLEGEGood day ladies and gentlemen, this is IRC news, and I am Joy Stephen, an authorized Canadian Immigration practitioner bringing out this Education release from the Polinsys studios in Cambridge, Ontario. Today is the 16th of April, 2022.  Education releases highlight opportunities for international students which a focus on course as well as resettlement opportunities for international students who is desirous of making Canada their future home. Today we are going to talk about the Food Safety and Quality Assurance - Food Processing offered byCONESTOGA COLLEGE located in the town of Cambridge – Fountain Street in the beautiful province of Ontario. Let us now discuss this course and its attributes. This is a PG Diploma program of 1 year for those students who has Completed a Bachelors program in specific subjects. The requirement indicated here is the bare minimum. The student must also have earned a minimum score of 55. The IELTS or English language requirement for this program is 6.5 overall with minimum 6 in all bandsThis is what the education institution offering this course has to say about the program they are offering:The Food Safety and Quality Assurance - Food Processing program is a two-semester, full-time graduate certificate program designed for students having a previous degree or advanced diploma in science, food or engineering, and who want to be prepared for a career in the food processing industry in the area of food safety and quality assurance.The Food Safety and Quality Assurance program is unique in Ontario because students apply their learning in Conestoga's pilot plant facility, enabling learners to incorporate theoretical knowledge in quality assurance and food safety to the practical environment of food manufacturing. Typical positions for graduates of this program include food safety supervisors, HACCP coordinators, quality assurance and control technicians. In addition to these, career path opportunities include food safety manager, quality assurance manager and industry consultant.On average, 91% of graduates from the last three years (2019 to 20) found employment within six months of graduation.Therefore, if you have completed at least 15 years of Education or in other words, completed aBachelors program, and this course is to your liking, then, please contact edu@polinsys.ca for more information on admissions. Keep in mind that this course is for students who has specialized in the following majors, Food technology, engineering or a science-related field,If you are keen on learning about Canadian Permanent Residence pathway after studying a course in Canada, especially if you have work experience in your home country, Please attend the FREE On-Demand webinar at a time convenient for you by visiting https://polinsys.com/p/ and then if you have any more doubts, please attend my free live webinar held every Fridays at the time indicated on my screen, The credentials to attend the webinar is also provided in the image.  This is education release is brought to you by IRC news from the Polinsys studios in Cambridge, Ontario. Adios!

Today we are speaking with one of our authors in the upcoming release of Every Body Holds A Story, Amber Nicole. Amber lives in a small town north of Waterloo, Ontario Canada with her 3 boys and amazing partner Kevin. Amber is extremely passionate about advocating for women in abusive situations, mental health advocacy, brain injury advocacy (and recently started a support group for survivors and caregivers of brain injury. ( "the concussion collective"). She has a diploma from Conestoga College studying fitness and health promotion, and is a student of massage therapy. She has been an athlete my entire life playing competitive hockey, soccer and everything in between. Amber is also a musician, having played guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin for the last 15 years and loves singing. In this episode we discuss. 1)  The writing journey in this collaborative project and Amber's experience of writing through PTSD, and how challenging this experience was for her.  Also working through the writing process, it was incredibly healing for her. 2)  Amber shares her story of postpartum depression and how it is another topic that people don't like to discuss but it is so important especially at this point in time in the world. 3)  Through the process of writing, Amber unlocked and worked through even deeper healing of her own trauma and expereinces. Connect with Amber:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amber.mlotschek/ Amber's FB group, The Concussion Collective, a Facebook group for survivors and caregivers of brain injury.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/concussioncollective/ Apply to be an author in an upcoming collaborative book:https://www.everybodyholdsastory.com/assessments/2147570491 Join the Every Body Holds a Story Facebook Grouphttps://www.facebook.com/groups/582412896496298 Apply to be a guest on Every Body Holds A Storyhttps://www.everybodyholdsastory.com/assessments/2147570491 Follow us on Instagram:https://instagram.com/everybodyholdsastory Tune in to Sue's podcast, Love Your Cells: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/love-your-cells-podcast/id1478170164 Tune into Marsha's podcast, Own Your Choices Own Your Life:https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/own-your-choices-own-your-life/id1445904739

Karen Coviello was a municipal councillor in Waterloo from 2006 to 2014. During her time on council, she was a member of the audit committee, a member of the Economic Development Advisory Committee, and Chair of the Finance and Strategic Planning committee for four years. She was also a committee member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, sat on the board of directors for Waterloo North Hydro was a board member with the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, was a board member of St. Mary's General Hospital, and was a committee member of the Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation. Because she didn't have enough to do, she was also a member of the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network. She was a professor in the School of Business at Conestoga College. She was treasurer and chairperson at Community Justice Initiatives. She had a regular column in the Waterloo Chronicle for a number of years, and among other endeavors, she co-chaired a group called Real Men Can Cook Waterloo. With all that, it's safe to say that her most cherished community involvement is with the Waterloo Public Library, where she had a long term association including as Chair of the Board of Trustees. She is currently a vice president at Habitat for Humanity Canada and we're excited to have her on the podcast to share her more about her journey in municipal politics.

The CWB Association Welding Podcast is celebrating Women Empowerment Month, supporting and empowering women in the industry today, and everyday. Our weekly episodes this month connects female welding professionals around the world to share their passion.Today's guest is Saxxon McLeod, a Welding Engineer from the pressure vessel and heat exchanger industry. Saxxon is a proud graduate from the Welding Engineering Technology program at Conestoga College and previous CWB Association Student Chapter Chair. Saxxon is an advocate for women in the trades and thankful for the female mentors she has had through school and in her workplace that brings her confidence and support during her career journey.Check out Conestoga College: www.conestogac.on.ca/fulltime/welding-engineering-technology-inspection/Get more involved with your local CWBA Chapter: www.cwbgroup.org/association/chapters

Carla Fitzsimmons, Rogers-TV Producer, Professor at Conestoga College, and 570 City News (Kitchener) Producer. #rogerstv #producer #570citynews #youtube #facebook #twitter #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #anchorfm #spotify

Ryan Drury was born and raised in Arthur, Ontario. He is a graduate of Conestoga College's Broadcast Television program. He lives in Kitchener, Ontario, and anchors news and sports for CKNX News, and appears on the Cherry Buslines OHA hockey broadcasts. Ryan also has his own hockey podcast called Hockey Talk. Email him at rdrury@blackburnradio.com. Follow him on Twitter: @CKNX_Drury and Ryan is also the colour analyst/play by play announcer for the Guelph Storm home games on Rogers-TV. Steve Fitzsimmons, the long time Rogers TV play by play voice of the Guelph Storm, councilor for the town of Hanover, and GM of Hanover Raceway (Standardbred Racing).

Conestoga College: Enhanced Practice for Internationally Educated Nurse. Nurse Registration made easier!Good day ladies and gentlemen, this is IRC news Canadian Education release, and I am Joy Stephen, an authorized Canadian Immigration practitioner bringing out this section from the Polinsys studios in Cambridge, Ontario. Today is the 25rd of Feb, 2022.Most Post Graduate diplomas offer credits for master's programs down the road if the student wants to pursue education later. These courses also progress towards higher educational achievement. Here are some excellent cost-effective courses that provide good growth in the profession. This video talks about the Enhanced Practice for Internationally Educated Nurse offered by some educational institutions in Canada. When we come up with courses for international students, we also focus on Canadian Settlement opportunities and therefore, Immigration plays a significant role in some of these programs. Students must remember that the number of temporary residents in Canada far exceeds Canadian permanent residents' annual quotas. Therefore, targeting the Canadian Experience Class of the PR pathway may not be enough. We encourage students to have a backup of Immigration programs depending on the province or location of the educational institution. We will talk about the course offered by Conestoga College in Ontario, the most populous province in Canada and one of the most sought after. This unique 2 year graduate certificate course is open to International nurses who has completed four year Bachelors Degree in nursing. The English language requirement is a minimum score of 6.5 in IELTS.  We chose this institution for this program because this program leads to the Nursing council registration of international nurses, which has an excellent opportunity for a fantastic job and a better chance for Canadian Permanent Residence. We have seen employers employing students in temporary positions and then supporting them through the PNP program for Permanent Residence. Be brilliant students and target colleges or universities for Canadian Permanent Residence. If you want to learn more about Permanent Residence pathways for students, please attend the FREE on Demand webinar by following this link on my screen https://polinsys.com/p and selecting the 4th On-demand webinar, “Education pathway for Students. Once you observe that webinar, and if you have any doubts, you can always come and get your immigration questions answered in the Live Zoom event every Friday! The Image on my screen shows the time and the Zoom link. This way, you can study in an area or course where Canadian Permanent Residence may be a little easier. Good luck to all of you, and I hope to see you in Canada soon!

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more 30 minutes JL Cauvin is the best Trump impersonator in the world. He is also a very talented Stand Up Comic with who I have known for a long time. JL has recorded 6 stand up albums! J-L's act is incredibly diverse and has led to six stand up albums: 2006′s Racial Chameleon, 2008′s Diamond Maker, 2012′s Too Big To Fail and 2013′s Keep My Enemies Closer, 2016's Israeli Tortoise, which hit #1 on the iTunes comedy chart and his 2018 double album Thots & Prayers. He has also released two albums as Donald Trump: 2017's Fireside Craps, an entire album as Donald Trump which hit #1 on the iTunes comedy chart and 2020's Fireside Craps: The Deuce which went #1 on both Amazon and iTunes' comedy charts and broke into the Top 40 on iTunes' overall album charts. JL is the host of 2 podcasts "Righteous Prick" and "Making Podcasts Great Again" ----------------- 1:11 Heath Druzin is host and creator of the podcast Extremely American. From 2018-20, Druzin was a reporter at Boise State Public Radio for Guns & America, a national collaboration between 10 NPR affiliates that looked at the role of firearms in American life. Before that, he covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for Stars and Stripes newspaper. Heath  was Boise State Public Radio's Guns & America fellow from 2018-2020, during which he focused on extremist movements, suicide prevention and gun culture. His work has been featured on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and the BBC. When he's not reporting, you'll probably find Heath in the mountains splitboarding, hiking, biking, flyfishing or soaking in a hot spring. ------------ 1:40 Carlo Sgro (a.k.a. Carlo From Canada at the Thursday hangouts) lives in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, a small town about an hour west of Toronto. He's been a fan of Pete's since the days of Pete's Big Mouth on Sirius's Indie Talk channel. Carlo married an American and loves following American politics, although the Trump years were definitely not enjoyable.  Professionally, he's been a Professor of Software Engineering Technology at Conestoga College in Waterloo, Ontario (also about an hour west of Toronto) for the past 21 years.  He'd love to see more Americans join his program so he can prepare them for a great career in software development! https://www.conestogac.on.ca/fulltime/software-engineering-technology/courses?id=22387 has more information about the program.  He can be reached through Facebook at "Carlo Sgro" (the Canadian one, not the other ones) or on Twitter (@ThisOneCarlo). Check out all things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe   Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page

Bob Willig, executive director and CEO of SME (also known as the Society of Manufacturing Engineers), and John Dyck, CEO of CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute, recently announced a partnership to accelerate smart manufacturing adoption. Bob joined SME a year ago after more than 30 years' experience holding multiple leadership positions at global manufacturing companies, most recently at Stoneridge Inc. where he was president of the Control Devices Division. Prior to Stoneridge, he served as president and CEO of Plasan Carbon Composites and was president in the Americas for GKN Driveline, an automotive industry supplier. Earlier in his career, Bob was president of both Power Transmission and Powertrain at The Gates Corp. He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical systems design at Lawrence Tech University and an MBA from Wayne State University. John began his tenure at CESMII in 2018 after securing his reputation as a domain expert on applying innovations like the Cloud and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in diverse manufacturing industries and supply chains. Prior to joining CESMII, John held senior leadership positions in large corporations like GE and Rockwell Automation and was effective in raising venture capital funding and building a successful software startup called Activplant. He has been awarded a number of patents for IIoT and analytics applications in manufacturing workflows and business processes. He received a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from Conestoga College.

In part two of my interview with Lise Stransky, we expand on the importance of career health. Lise explains that everyone essentially has two jobs: the work we are paid to do and managing “Me Inc.” and it's the alignment between the two that is vital to keep in check. A key way to do this is to seek out meaningful work rather than just the idealized “dream job”.When I asked Lise how she has been assisting clients with “career health checks” through the pandemic, she points out that acknowledging the new skills they've gained is an important step. Not simply the pivot to remote work - though that is assuredly a new skill many of us have been learning - but what has been learned from job loss as well. Ask yourself where you've helped someone else. Where have opportunities grown through the pandemic? These are all notable questions.In striving to maintain work and life wellness, Lise works to remain engaged in the activity she's in. We discuss that important wellness consideration and share hopes for healthy career futures in this thoughtful second episode. Resources Mentioned:What Next? by Barbara Moses‘The Future Of' - podcast by Todd Hirsch of ATB Financial‘The Next Normal' - podcast by Lisa Taylor, Challenge Factory President12 Days of Christmas Career Health Tips on Calgary Career Counselling Instagram About Lise Stransky:As a Certified Career Development Professional, Lise Stransky believes work should be meaningful. She also believes being proactive and managing your career health is as important as going to the dentist! This is the philosophy that has guided her work for the past 17 years. Before she became self-employed and a ‘portfolio careerist', Lise worked for the Canadian Automobile Association, University of Calgary Career Services, the Certified General Accountants (now CPA Alberta), Calgary Board of Education and the University of Guelph. A graduate of the Career Development Practitioner Post Graduate Certificate program from Conestoga College, Lise also holds a BA in English from the University of Guelph and certificates in Personality Dimensions facilitation and Mental Health First Aid.Learn more about Dr. Laura on her website: https://drlaura.live For more resources, look into Dr. Laura's organizations: Work EvOHlutionSynthesis PsychologyCalgary Career CounsellingCanada Career CounsellingDr. Laura is a partner of Humance | Culture and Performance.

This weeks guest is Tyler Smith. Tyler is an accomplished chef with over two decades of experience in The Industry. Tyler has worked in many difference facets of the food industry since his first job in fast food over 20 years ago. Tyler has worked every position, station, job and title in the kitchen. Everything from porcelain and stainless steel steward (dishwasher for those unfamiliar with the term) to executive chef and everything in between.  Tyler attended Conestoga College in the Cook Apprenticeship Program. Tyler has worked for some recognizable names and companies in Waterloo Region over the years including the Charcoal Group, Fat Sparrow Group and Hannah's Bella Bistro just to name a few.  When Tyler is not cooking, he loves to travel (when it was allowed - damn you Covid) and he is deeply inspired by the cuisines he encounters on his travels.  Tyler is currently working at Ethel's Lounge in Waterloo and does private catering on the side.  Links: @tylerdroop @theindustrypodcast email us: info@theindustrypodcast.club Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah zakhannah.com

In this episode, Lise Stransky and I discuss the value of career health and making choices that will best suit us and our goals in life. Lise Stransky works at Calgary Career Counseling and as a Certified Career Development Professional, she has keen insights into how to navigate change, both chosen and that which is foisted upon us, with resilience. Lise shares advice on how to not only build a network but maintain your existing network. We talk about how people often have blindspots when it comes to the intrinsic value in who you know and who you continue to meet. Lise details the key skills everyone should have heading into the future, whether employed or looking for new work opportunities, and how learning is something we should never stop doing. What is the health of your career heading into 2022? Now is a good time to assess where you are and where you want to be, and this episode will give you very thoughtful advice on how to go about that assessment.About Lise Stransky:As a Certified Career Development Professional, Lise Stransky believes work should be meaningful. She also believes being proactive and managing your career health is as important as going to the dentist! This is the philosophy that has guided her work for the past 17 years. Before she became self-employed and a ‘portfolio careerist', Lise worked for the Canadian Automobile Association, University of Calgary Career Services, the Certified General Accountants (now CPA Alberta), Calgary Board of Education and the University of Guelph. A graduate of the Career Development Practitioner Post Graduate Certificate program from Conestoga College, Lise also holds a BA in English from the University of Guelph and certificates in Personality Dimensions facilitation and Mental Health First Aid.Learn more about Dr. Laura on her website: https://drlaura.liveFor more resources, look into Dr. Laura's organizations: Work EvOHlutionSynthesis PsychologyCalgary Career CounsellingCanada Career CounsellingDr. Laura is a partner of Humance | Culture and Performance.

#elearning #immersivelearning #experientiallearning Virtual Reality, artificial intelligence & blockchain is converging beautifully to redefine, democratize & demonetize the education industry, technology & academic partnerships are making learning gamified, interactive & experiential. Evan Sitler is the Co-Founder of xpertVR a Canadian startup & they build simulations for eLearning and Research across universities. Over the past few years xpertVR has worked with some of the leading universities and brands across North America like Conestoga College, Red Bull, Mohawk College, Brock University to name a few. Evan believes virtual reality, artificial intelligence & blockhain technology will soon impact every aspect of the world we interact with. From how we experience entertainment and news to how we learn and communicate. Their vision is to build today what will be revolutionary tomorrow & strive to enable meaningful interactions regardless of physical distance. xpertVR mission is to help 1,000,000 people learn from actions, and not statements. So that one day soon, anyone, no matter their background or geographical location, will be able to pick up a headset and learn the skills needed to propel success in what they're passionate about. https://ca.linkedin.com/in/evansitler https://twitter.com/evansitler https://xpertvr.ca

This podcast features a discussion with Derek Hemington. I've come to know Derek over the past year as he has a similar role at another college. That is, he's the program coordinator of Fanshaw College's Project Management program while I'm at Conestoga College. During our discussion, Derek described his experience as an external consultant, working with organizations to define the scope of the project. During this process, it is necessary to define which organization will develop each deliverable – that is, will the deliverable be within the scope of the consultant's project or will it be within the scope of the customer's project. Derek describes a number of strategies that he has used to ensure that this is effectively managed. And while the the discussion focused on projects where an external consulting organization was involved, the processes discussed could also be applied to internal projects. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

 What is Public Relations?  We had a great conversation with Kimberley, who answered that question.Kimberley and I (LaurieAnn) met on Instagram.  I was interested in what she was doing, because being a writer, and having a passion for it, I was intrigued by someone who was working towards building her business in Public Relations and also from my Town.Kimberley shares that she was laid off from her job as  Public Relations Specialist for an Agricultural company.  As COVID hit, she decided to start out on her own.  It was an impressive tactic, not because of taking advantage of the time allotted due to COVID, as many out there have done; it is because she knew her niche going into her new venture.  This is something most new entrepreneurs struggle with or are not even aware of the importance of.  Starting the business was not about offering her business expertise to just anyone.  She is focussing on the agricultural community because that is what she knows best.  And she knows it well.Kimberley does emphasize that she is absolutely capable of providing her service in any industry, knowing her talent for writing, and relationship building, and learning about her clients to tell "their story", however, her passion is in agriculture.  She also states that having lived in several countries brings even more credibility to her knowledge in this field.We had a bit of fun speaking to the pride of having the longest Mayor in office in Canada in Milton, Ontario, and the value of being involved with the Milton Chamber of Commerce and other networking organizations to help build the connections.You can reach Kimberley by visiting her site https://www.kimcoylecontent.comMore about Kimberley:"For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about communications and storytelling. It was evident that my future should focus on spreading awareness of people's stories and their positive messages.Since receiving my Public Relations diploma from Conestoga College, I have worked in public relations/communications departments, primarily in the agricultural sector. It was there that I was fortunate to hone my skills and tell the stories of the hardworking individuals throughout the supply chain who ensure our food safely reaches our plates.  After accumulating 10+ years of experience in this sector (8 of those being at Ontario Pork), I branched out in 2019 to begin a freelance communications career. It was rewarding to diversify my skills to write for food production companies and the audio-visual industry, as well as present in schools. In July 2020, I decided to take the leap and launch my own business Kim Coyle Content Creation.I believe it is important to never stop learning and I continue to expand my knowledge through workshops, webinars, and courses. I was a member of the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers Federation for 11 years and was on their Board of Directors from 2015-2017." Free Book with any $20+ Podcast Support Make Up Not Required - How to Brand the TRUE You by LaurieAnn & Contribution by Roy MillerBE A GUEST/FIND A GUEST Start for Free! PODMATCH is innovative, provides easy communication and dashboard scheduling! My pick of the month!Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show (https://paypal.me/iamthatgal)

We open the show by letting our listeners know Mr. Jim Caruk is back on the show and it's great to have him back on the mic sharing so much valuable information about The Construction Life, thanks Jim.On with the show, this show is all about the team, working together for the greater good of the building industry. Glen has a lot to say about the building code and how things have changed over the last 4 decades. You don't want to miss this show and this one show will be one that is listened to over and over for all of the great insight Glen shares with us. Glen is a college professor at Conestoga College, probably the best trade school in Ontario, Glen is an Architectural, Construction, Engineering, Technology Program where Glen not only teaches but is a graduate of the program. Hold on to your tool belts, there is a lot on this nearly 2-hour long show.First thing Glen shares, building officials need to understand they are part of a team and not police officers. Glen was taught early on the COB Principle, it stands for Condition Of The Bowel, depending how your body is that week that will dictate how you represent yourself to others. It really is about getting to know the tradesperson, begin with a few compliments, share some good before your share some bad. In his early days Glen learned you gained peoples respect by respecting them. We answer a few questions from a couple of listeners that watched my story leading up to the show, shout out to @elliottstrustedtrades and @pepeandty thanks for the questions.Here are some Discussed and Shared links https://www.ohba.cahttps://nrc.canada.ca/en/certifications-evaluations-standards/codes-canadahttps://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/view.do?postingId=16962&language=en https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/https://worksitesafety.caGlen ends the show with quite a story from his early days and dealing with a contractor who never applied for a permit and Glen was driving by and the rest is history.What an amazing show and thank you so much Glen for sharing so much must needed information and educating our listeners Building Code and the side of the industry most tradespeople don't know much about, Thank you. Glen's email at glengood@rogers.com and he is more than willing to answer any questions you might have.Find Manny @hardcorerenos info@hardcorerenos.com info@theconstructionlife.comDon't forget TCL M.A.P. Skills Competition Contest is still going on, submit your project that you did this year, send pics or video and a write up on your skills and passion to info@theconstructionlife.com for a chance to win $1,500.00 in cold hard Canadian Cash and the contest is open to every tradesperson from around the world since The Construction Life is listened to in 60 plus different countries and find it on one of the 11 podcast platforms online. The Contest winner will be revealed September 6th 2021, Labour Day.Thank you to Larry and Brian from @waddell_engineering for letting us use the office space to record these 3 shows.

Malak Sidky, is the founder of Health Care Event Planning - a boutique firm specializing in the health care industry. She is a professor at Fanshawe College where she has taught Math for Hospitality and Risk Management. She also teaches Event Marketing & Promotions at Conestoga College.In this conversation, we talk about:• The importance of having a business plan.• The benefits of having a mentor and coach.• How to avoid spreading yourself thin by tapping into resources like interns and new hires.• And much more...️ Find Malak at:https://healthcareeventplanning.com===️ Hosted by:Hilda Gan - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan Produced by: 6 Story - https://6story.ca​ Visit us at:https://www.peoplebrightconsulting.com

In this week's episode, we have Heather Firlotte joining us. Heather is a proud Early Childhood Educator and Thespian. She is a graduate of the Early Childhood Education and Bachelor of Early Learning Program Development at Conestoga College. Currently, Heather is working with the YMCA of Three Rivers as a Childcare Teacher. She has loved the dramatic arts ever since she was a child and, throughout her life, has been involved in several performances, productions, and community theatre. If you'd like to get to know Heather some more, you can follow her on Instagram @dramticheather

“There is no doubt our future will be unlike any other in the history of humanity, when we choose to remember. When we choose to restore the stories our ancestors once told.” Spoken with the gravitas endowed by a pulpit or lectern, Mkomose forcefully demands that we remember: our ancestors, the wisdom of past generations, the Anishinaabe creation stories of gratitude and kinship. His speech ties together long histories with the urgent actions demanded to combat settler colonialism and climate catastrophe. Mkomose (Dr. Andrew Judge) is Assistant Professor of Anishinaabe Studies at Algoma University and Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig, and has Lectured at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University, The University of Waterloo, and coordinated Indigenous Studies at Conestoga College. He specializes in Anishinaabe cultural knowledge, ethno-medicine, and land-based learning. Mkomose has learned from, worked and consulted with, and served Indigenous Elders and community leaders for over a decade. He has founded several community-led Indigenous knowledge-based programs at elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels and works tirelessly to promote land-based sustainability practices. Mkomose has delivered over a hundred invited lectures related to Indigenous knowledge. He is focused on supporting conscious awakening using plant medicines and Anishinaabe cosmovision to respond to the current state of society. He has been initiated into both Midewiwin and Mayan Day Keeping societies and regularly participates in the ancient ceremonial practices of his Anishinaabe ancestors. Photo: Andrea Pinheiro “Artists-in-Presidents” is initiated by Constance Hockaday, curated by Christine Shaw, and commissioned by The Blackwood (University of Toronto Mississauga). Podcast production by Vocal Fry. Transmissions are released every Friday from August 6–December 17, 2021. To view the portrait gallery, access ASL videos and transcripts, and for additional information about the project, visit www.artistsinpresidents.com and www.blackwoodgallery.ca.

June 24th, 2021 - Hanover's, Jamie Warren, joins Jackie on-air to chat about his career, traveling Canada, songwriting, his brand new single "Cows and Corn" and more!"Jamie Warren is generally regarded as the most awarded independent country vocalist in Canada (Junos, CCMAs, OCMAs). Over his 35-year career he has released 54 singles, many of them hits. He's also known as a great songwriter and if you've ever seen him perform live, maybe a comedian!?Jamie lives in Kitchener Ontario, Canada, but was raised in Hanover Ontario where he pursued an adolescent dream of playing professional hockey in the NHL…with music as a background distraction. When he realized that his natural abilities for singing and playing guitar might make it easier to attract the attention of girls, he hung up his skates. Song writing was a logical progression for a sensitive guy who wrote poetry and short stories throughout his high school years.His interest in music was likely genetic since his mother sang and played piano and his father played guitar and mandolin. Jamie had piano lessons at age 5 and guitar lessons at age 8. By the time he was 10 years old it was tradition for the Warrens to entertain after Saturday night euchre games (a Canadian card-game institution) in their smoke-filled basement. His earliest musical influences were whatever his parents listened to on the radio and the only thing his parent's radio seemed to play, was country music. To this day he's still a huge fan of Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline. Later in high school his best friend's older brother exposed him to celebrated vocal groups like The Eagles, America, Poco and CSNY. Jamie has always had an appreciation for Texas singer-songwriters like Radney Foster, Lyle Lovett and Rodney Crowell.Jamie attended Conestoga College to study Broadcasting. His goal was to become the youngest general manager of a mid-market radio station, but he emerged instead with a desire to sing for a living. What changed his mind? Jamie won a regional talent show at London Ontario's Western Fair which sent him to Memphis Tennessee for an international competition where he placed second. Jamie then stayed in Memphis, while he worked a one-year gig at Libertyland Theme Park as an entertainer.  He still feels a connection to Memphis, the city that kicked off his career."For more visit: https://jamiewarren.com/home/ 

**BRANDON GRAZIANO FILLING IN** Show Opening... But first (0:33); Local hair salon owners feeling left out of Ontario's reopening plan (1:31); Local wildlife health organization helps track disease outbreaks in Guelph and Canada (19:55); Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott provides update on COVID-19 vaccination (43:00); Canada needs a national public transportation system - here's why (1:03:20); Province backs new Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier University campuses in Milton (1:20:42); Opinion: Let's have permanently quicker drug approvals (1:26:47); Travelling post-pandemic (1:52:4)

In this week's episode, we have Chelsea Wichtacz joining us. She is charismatic, kind and has a great sense of humour! Chelsea is a graduate of Conestoga College with her Bachelor's of Early Learning Program Development. She is currently working up in Sudbury, Ontario as a Program Coordinator. Chelsea is also a strong advocate and likes to bring awareness to a variety of different topics such as mental health, the LGBTQ community and Indigenous peoples. If you'd like to get to know Chelsea a bit more you can follow her on Instagram @chelseakw94

This episode features Syed Aman. Syed has a diverse background in areas such Program / Project Management, Strategic Planning, and Production Operations Management. His experience includes the avionics, health care, and technology industries and he holds his Project Management Professional and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Professional designations. He is also an Associate Professor of Project Management at Conestoga College. The discussion focuses on one of the more technical areas of project management – Earned Value Management. Through the discussion, Syed highlights the advantages of using this methodology, the prerequisites needed to implement it in an organization, and the types of projects where it may be used effectively. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

We've got a Bonus Episode for you!  Conestoga Condors Men's Basketball Head Coach Ahmad El-Osta joins host Tyler Bennett for a special Friday Bonus Edition of the Four Quarters Podcast, powered by Four Quarters Media.  Off the top, El-Osta shares stories on how he became a fan of the Detroit Pistons, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, and the Michigan State Spartans, and it extends far beyond just growing up in Windsor.  Then, El-Osta discusses his coaching experiences prior to landing the job at Conestoga, which includes some valuable lessons that he learned from Laurier Head Coach Justin Serresse over their years working together with the Golden Hawks.  Then, El-Osta describes what 'The Condor Way' stands for within the Men's Basketball program at Conestoga, and how that translates to the culture within the program and what they're working towards.  (MUSIC: bensound.com)

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “Keep saying ‘yes' whether you know how to do it or you dont know how to do it. At some point you will make it if you just keep saying ‘yes' and faking it.” “To be an entrepreneur, you've got to have that persistence, and you've got to have those multi-skills and be able to get through a lot of different things.” “Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. It does take a special kind of breed.” “A lot of people who hire designers, or any creatives in general - anything that you're hiring somebody to create for you, is owned by them by what's called creative ownership. It's that creator's intellectual property until the creator gives that company the creative ownership. An action item to help companies get around this is creating something as simple as a creative transfer agreement.” “There is a belief that once you pay for something like a logo that it is yours, but it is not by law.” “Being an entrepreneur, as lonely as it can be, make sure that you're finding ways to connect and be inspired. If you're having a hard day, just call someone.” “Be good to yourself. Rest. Take a day off every now and again.” “You see things and you say ‘why?' I dream things that never were and say ‘why not?'” - George Bernard Shaw   Our guest is Central Branch Founder, Brady Dahmer. Brady is a multiple award-winning designer and creative entrepreneur. With over 25 years of experience, Brady has held board positions in several arts foundations and events, developed courses, served as a faculty member of a national art school, worked with Fortune 500 Companies, entrepreneurs, revolutionary thinkers, and current and future leaders. He taught Design and Art Direction, and designed a curriculum, at The Art Institute, and ran the TYE international youth entrepreneurial program for high school students. He is the author of ”I Wish We Knew That Before We Started...” Brady holds a Bachelor's Degree in Design and Advertising from Conestoga College. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

In this week's episode, we have Emily Greathead joining us. Emily is a scientist by day and costume designer by night. She graduated from Conestoga College with honours from the BioTechnology Technician program. She has a strong passion for science and discovering new innovative ways within her industry. On the side and as a hobby, Emily has also participated in multiple community theatre productions, creating the costumes and working backstage to create memorable shows for her community. We both share a fandom for Harry Potter as well. If you want to get to know Emily a bit more, you can follow her on Instagram @emigreat99 

This episode features Mo Oyadiran. Mo is an associate faculty member at Conestoga College teaching many courses in the project management program. The discussion focuses on the importance of the project status reporting process, including how it can increase stakeholder engagement and allow the project manager to guide the project narrative. This is an episode of the Understanding Project Management Discussions podcast which consists series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

This episode features Christopher Chang. In addition to Christopher's experience in the field of project management, he also provides mentoring and consulting to new startups in the area. In addition, Christopher is an associate faculty member at Conestoga College. The discussion focuses on the executing, monitoring, and controlling activities that take place during planning. That is, those activities that ensure that plans are completed effectively. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast which consists series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

This episode features Jeffrey Thomson. Jeffrey is an experienced consultant in a number of areas including procurement and contract management, program management, and intellectual asset management. He has also been an Associate Professor of Project Management at Conestoga College. Our topic is the management of project costs. During the discussion, Jeffrey outlines why this is such an important aspect of project management. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast - which consists series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

This episode features Ian Adare. Ian is a program manager with experience in a variety of sectors including education, healthcare, banking, and automation. He has also been an Associate Professor of Project Management at Conestoga College. Our topic is the management of project issues. During the discussion, the source of issues will be discussed, the approach to solving issues, and the relation of issues to risks and change requests. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast - which consists series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

This episode features Marion Chang. Marion has many years of project and portfolio management experience in the financial, transportation, and technology industries. She also has attained her PMP and is a certified agile project manager. She is also an Associate Professor of Project Management at Conestoga College. Our topic is critical chain project management where we discuss the use of this methodology, its relation to the critical path method, project resources, and the use of project buggers. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast - which consists series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

This episode features Charu Sachdeva. Charu's started as a graphic designer and then moved into operations and project management roles. She is also an Associate Professor of Project Management at Conestoga College. Our topic is project communications where we discuss the importance of communication planning, its relation to stakeholder planning, and the challenges of communicating with a virtual team. This is an episode of the Understanding Projects podcast - which consists series of discussions with PM academics and practitioners about the real world aspects of projects and project management. The podcast is based on the text Understanding Project Management - A Practical Guide by Dave C. Barrett.

This is Part 2 of a 2 part interview. Daniel Henderson began his hospitality career in Waterloo, Ontario. Graduating from both Chef Training and Food & Beverage Management programs at Conestoga College, he pursued his Red Seal Qualification at the Waterloo Inn and Conference Centre. Striving for change, Daniel moved west to Vancouver Island where he began studying the art of Sushi under several Japanese Chefs. Landing in Victoria, B.C. with the Oak Bay Marine Group, Daniel worked his way through the Island at several Japanese Sushi Restaurants until finally managing the Sushi Bar at beautiful April Point Resort and Spa. Ready for his next challenge, Daniel returned to his roots in Ontario in 2004, to French and Mediterranean kitchens. He worked at the Cambridge Inn and Conference Centre as Executive Sous-Chef and as Chef for Blackshop and Sole restaurants. It was in 2008 that Daniel took his passion back to the Asian cuisine and joined Bento Sushi as their Corporate Chef. In his role at Bento, Daniel managed culinary development for over 1300 chefs in over 400 locations across North America including 4 restaurants in Manhattan, New York. With Bento, Daniel opened more than 75 locations as well as led all culinary development during Bento's rapid expansion to the North Eastern United States. During his time at Bento, Daniel's sushi training also brought him to Japan where he experienced the art of Sushi first hand. While leading the culinary team at Bento, Daniel completed his Certified Chef de Cuisine designation in 2012. Alongside his C.C.C., Daniel's other achievements include having won the Alumni of Distinction award from Conestoga College and being nominated for the Ontario College Premier Award in 2013. Moving on from Bento, Daniel led the Food & Beverage team at Holt Renfrew in 2014, helping define dining and food moments and refining Food & Beverage concepts within the luxury retailer, while leading the opening of 2 Holts Café locations in Yorkdale & Vancouver. Shifting to the growing digital consumer demand, Daniel took his next step joining Chefs Plate in 2015 – Canada's leading direct-to-consumer meal kit delivery service. In his role as V.P. Culinary Innovation, Daniel led the Culinary, Sourcing, FSQA and Operation teams with a focus on rapid production development to provide Canadians fresh, speed scratch dinner solutions for time starved families coast to coast. Daniel led these teams to acquisition when Chefs Plate was acquired by the world Meal Kit leader, Hello Fresh in October, 2017. Today, Daniel works at Loblaw Companies Limited as Senior Director, Product Development – Meal Solutions. Currently, Daniel leads the Culinary, Sourcing, FSQA and Operations teams within Meal Solutions at Loblaw under the PC Chef brand - focused on helping Canadians solve dinner through both digital & traditional store fulfillment channels. The recent pandemic has led the Meals team to launch pcchef.ca – a next day delivery service of PC Chef and local restaurant meal kits with daily delivery. Instagram: @chef.hendo.eats Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah

This is Part 1 of a 2 part interview. Daniel Henderson began his hospitality career in Waterloo, Ontario. Graduating from both Chef Training and Food & Beverage Management programs at Conestoga College, he pursued his Red Seal Qualification at the Waterloo Inn and Conference Centre. Striving for change, Daniel moved west to Vancouver Island where he began studying the art of Sushi under several Japanese Chefs. Landing in Victoria, B.C. with the Oak Bay Marine Group, Daniel worked his way through the Island at several Japanese Sushi Restaurants until finally managing the Sushi Bar at beautiful April Point Resort and Spa. Ready for his next challenge, Daniel returned to his roots in Ontario in 2004, to French and Mediterranean kitchens. He worked at the Cambridge Inn and Conference Centre as Executive Sous-Chef and as Chef for Blackshop and Sole restaurants. It was in 2008 that Daniel took his passion back to the Asian cuisine and joined Bento Sushi as their Corporate Chef. In his role at Bento, Daniel managed culinary development for over 1300 chefs in over 400 locations across North America including 4 restaurants in Manhattan, New York. With Bento, Daniel opened more than 75 locations as well as led all culinary development during Bento's rapid expansion to the North Eastern United States. During his time at Bento, Daniel's sushi training also brought him to Japan where he experienced the art of Sushi first hand. While leading the culinary team at Bento, Daniel completed his Certified Chef de Cuisine designation in 2012. Alongside his C.C.C., Daniel's other achievements include having won the Alumni of Distinction award from Conestoga College and being nominated for the Ontario College Premier Award in 2013. Moving on from Bento, Daniel led the Food & Beverage team at Holt Renfrew in 2014, helping define dining and food moments and refining Food & Beverage concepts within the luxury retailer, while leading the opening of 2 Holts Café locations in Yorkdale & Vancouver. Shifting to the growing digital consumer demand, Daniel took his next step joining Chefs Plate in 2015 – Canada's leading direct-to-consumer meal kit delivery service. In his role as V.P. Culinary Innovation, Daniel led the Culinary, Sourcing, FSQA and Operation teams with a focus on rapid production development to provide Canadians fresh, speed scratch dinner solutions for time starved families coast to coast. Daniel led these teams to acquisition when Chefs Plate was acquired by the world Meal Kit leader, Hello Fresh in October, 2017. Today, Daniel works at Loblaw Companies Limited as Senior Director, Product Development – Meal Solutions. Currently, Daniel leads the Culinary, Sourcing, FSQA and Operations teams within Meal Solutions at Loblaw under the PC Chef brand - focused on helping Canadians solve dinner through both digital & traditional store fulfillment channels. The recent pandemic has led the Meals team to launch pcchef.ca – a next day delivery service of PC Chef and local restaurant meal kits with daily delivery. Instagram: @chef.hendo.eats Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah

#16 – Ania's career path has taken her many places. When she was in high school she wanted to be a lawyer but a guidance counsellor crushed that dream. When she wanted to go to fashion school in Los Angeles, the almighty dollar crushed THAT dream. After an amazing experience at Conestoga College, she finally settled into a career in business, however, a tragic loss led her to realize there was more to life than work. She began to look for something that would give her a better work-life balance and although she excelled at a career in insurance, it wasn't a long-term career option for her. As Ania found herself drifting towards something where she could be more creative, she took the plunge and headed back to school as a mature student at Sheridan College for their Interior Design program. After a tense period of trying to land a steady job, she has found her fit at Wilfrid Laurier University while also managing her own design company, a YouTube channel, and a podcast.Link's to Ania's projects: Podcast: https://communitycactus.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/InteriorDesignHub Business: www.interiordesignhub.ca ______________________To support Career Crossroads, click hereTo leave Career Crossroads a review, click hereYou can find Career Crossroads at careercrossroadspodcast.com or follow us on social mediaInstagram: @career_crossroadsLinkedIn: Career Crossroads PodcastFacebook: Career Crossroads PodcastTwitter: @jcollatonTikTok: @jonathancollaton___________________You can find Career Crossroads at careercrossroads.ca or follow us on social media: Instagram: @career_crossroadsLinkedIn: Career Crossroads PodcastFacebook: Career Crossroads PodcastTikTok: @jonathancollaton

A self-made millionaire, Tahani Aburaneh came from extremely humble beginnings. After being born to Palestinian parents in a refugee camp in Amman, Jordan, and is supported by international aid groups, Tahani was married against her will at age 15 to her cousin and sent to Canada without speaking a word of English. Determined to not be defined by her circumstances, she finished high school and managed to complete a business diploma from Conestoga College. Eventually, Tahani managed to leave her marriage and went on to build several successful businesses and a thriving real estate empire. Today she is also the author of Real Estate Riches: A Money-Making Game Plan for the Canadian Investor, and is one of the country’s leading experts on real estate investing.Show Notes:1:40- Tahani talks about life in her refugee camp felt like2:18- Tahani talks about her childhood. Emphasis on her relationship with her dad2:55- Tahani’s arranged marriage5:40- Tahani explains the “why” behind moving to Canada and how she reconciled with the decision. (To support her family in the refugee camp)7:00- Tahani’s Dad's letters7:13- Tahani’s life when she came to Canada + her husband8:03- Excitement over going to school + learning English10:20- How Tahani balanced her wife and home duties with school + her part-time job11:17- Numbness wore off and Tahani starts questioning her life and decisions12:12- Tahani talks about her marriage13:04- Amy’s first reflection13:42- Rock bottom14:97- Tahani’s brother passed away + mom suffering from illness15:45- Tahani talks about her real estate career starting + her first home purchase with no down payment17:06- Gratitude and mindset shift18:09- Tahani talks about her new “why” her two kids being her inspiration behind her hustle19:07- Amy's second reflection22:49- Her inspiration to help women24:25- disadvantages of not promoting women at the forefront of investing29:23- Tahani dedicates the episode to her parents30:06- Amys conclusionSupport the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

Gareth Berg is currently the Restaurant Coordinator at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph Ontario. This public facility is owned by the City of Guelph and is home to the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. In addition to hockey, this 5000+ seat venue also hosts concerts and conventions. Gareth oversees the 240 seat restaurant, 5 bars, 3 kitchens, 32 private suites and 55+ staff. Additionally, Gareth also teaches at Conestoga College in the Culinary and Hospitality programs. Gareth got his start in The Industry as a dishwasher at Benjamin's in St Jacobs Ontario. Being a hard worker, he quickly moved up to cook's apprentice. From there he moved on to La Costa in downtown Kitchener and eventually followed that up by going to Culinary School at Niagara College. Gareth starting working at Trius/Hillebrand Winery under Tony Deluca. Eventually, he moved on to Chef at the Merchant Ale House. In 2006 Gareth went back to school for a degree in Business Management - Hospitality at Niagara College. While working on his degree, Gareth worked at a number of bartending and service jobs in Niagara Falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake. Upon graduating, Gareth starting as the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at Zee's Grill in Niagara-On-The-Lake. Eventually, he moved on to Fionn MacCools in Cambridge Ontario. The job at Finn McCools involved taking his staff to open and train additional Finn McCools franchises as well as training incoming franchisees and their teams at the Cambridge location. Eventually, Gareth moved on to the Breadalbane Inn located in Fergus Ontario as the General Manager/Maitre'D for several years before finally entering his current roll in 2014 at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph where he remains to this day. Podcast Artwork @zak.hannah

Show Opening... But first (0:33); A couple of things...Things on Brian’s mind (3:20); Work-from-home research study conducted by Conestoga College (22:22); Why voter loyalty to incumbents could spell victory for Trump (44:12); Premier Ford to Make an Announcement (54:40); FREE PHONES FRIDAY (1:29:17)

A worldwide pandemic, a full-scale office renovation, a complete 100-page public website redesign and a marketing team of one. How did they get it done you ask?Well, we sat down with Inderjeet Singh from Khalsa Credit Union (KCU) to find out. How does a small team, with an ambitious digital transformation vision make it happen?… Simply put by Inderjeet, “It takes an entrepreneurial approach”.In our latest podcast interview hear from Inderjeet, who heads up not only marketing but the human resources function, on how a small cross functional team successfully launched their new Forge-powered public website without delay, even with a pandemic and an office renovation in the works. Learn about the power of small and how smaller credit unions can leverage their nimble nature to get it done.IN THIS INTERVIEW:[3:40] Khalsa Credit Union’s digital transformation journey[6:20] Key areas of focus for digital transformation including removing friction in the member experience[8:30] Digital vision into the future [10:38] The changing role of branches[13:02] Elements of digital transformation beyond technology (hint: it’s a lot to do with culture)[17:08] The evolution of payments[19:30] How smaller organizations with limited resources make digital transformation happen[21:30] The importance of an entrepreneurial mindset[24:10] The importance of cross functional teams[25:50] Public site relaunch using Forge[27:58] Vision and goals for new public website[30:34] Steps in building the new site[35:27] How Khalsa resourced their team (hint: keeping the team small is key)[37:02] Khalsa’s efficient production process and tools used during the project[40:45] Inderjeet’s recommendations for other credit unions [44:33] Key challenges and lessons learnedABOUT INDERJEET SINGH, HEAD OF MARKETING AND HUMAN RESOURCES, KHALSA CREDIT UNIONInderjeet has more than 10 years of experience in leading HR, organizational change and is currently responsible for human capital strategy and service delivery, digital transformation and member experience at KCU. He is a member of Executive Leadership Team focused on implementing KCU’s strategic vision.He believes the credit union model provides for a better future by improving the financial well-being of its members and makes positive impact in the communities.A tireless community advocate, Inderjeet works with various not-for-profit and charitable organizations in lower mainland.Inderjeet holds a Bachelor of Science and a Certificate Program in Human Resource Management from Conestoga College, Kitchener and received his CPHR designation from CPHR BC & Yukon and currently resides in Surrey.Find Inderjeet on LinkedIn ABOUT KHALSA CREDIT UNIONKhalsa Credit Union (KCU) is a member-owned financial institution serving the Sikh community across southern British Columbia. With six branches, over 15,000 members and over $460 million in assets, KCU is the largest Sikh member owned financial institution in the world. We are a strong and growing organization with over 30 years’ experience serving our members in Surrey, Abbotsford, Vancouver, Victoria and beyond.Learn more about Khalsa Credit Union.

Guest Name : Doug Dedman, President at DBM Systems Inc. Language : English, Publication date: Sep, 23. 2020 Doug is a President at DBM System Inc. He has been working in S&OP in various capacities for over 10 years, but his career working with manufacturers started well before then. He played an instrumental role in developing and growing the S&OP practice that has become the focus of DBM today. Visit the DBM's website: https://www.dbmsys.com/ Doug also has taught at Conestoga College in the School of Business, and taught various APICS courses as part of the CPIM program. He is a frequent speaker at local APICS chapters as well at International Users Conferences. Doug received his Honours BA in Economics from the University of Waterloo, and his MBA from University of Windsor. He is also certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) with APICS. In this episode, you'll learn: What does an effective S&OP mean? What are the most challenges in S&OP and how to overcome them? What is the role of an executive in S&OP? How to get the support from the CEO ? Connect Doug on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-dedman-7a21b010/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bicarasupplychain/message

In this week’s episode, I interview Dianna Fong-Lee.  She wears two hats: one as an occupational therapist and the other as the Program Co-ordinator of the Occupational Therapy Assistant/Physiotherapy Assistant (OTA/PTA) at Conestoga College. She worked as an occupational therapist in a clinic for ten years across patients lifespan during her time there. Her main focus was on assistive technology and helping people with communication difficulties. Over the past twenty-five years she’s worked as an educator.  I’ve also had the honour of being one of her students. Her mission has been to educate the youth of tomorrow about lowering the stigma around disabilities, which has also been a big passion of mine. I love her message and I think you will too.

Welcome to Episode 17 of DirtStories. Becca Grieb chats with Paul Pacheco - the coordinator of Conestoga College's Heavy Equipment Operators program - about becoming an operator. Paul takes Becca through the basics of the heavy equipment operators training program at Conestoga College. He also shares his insights into what makes a good operator. In this DirtStories episode, learn the benefits of taking a college-level trades course and how this program sets graduates up for success. The program currently has employment rate of 85%-95% within the first 3 months after graduation. It's great that there are programs like this to help train the next generation of operators.

For this episode I return to The Village of Riverside Glen, this time exploring the learning opportunities for Personal Support Work. Supporting our seniors at retirement and Long-Term Care residences through this global pandemic has been an undeniably stressful and intense situation, but one potential positive aspect to that is that it has drawn attention to the roles of PSWs, and the ongoing need for people to pursue this line of work. Today I interview Sarah Pottier, Chair of the PSW and Supportive Care Program with Conestoga College, and Hubrecht Quist, Director of Nursing at the Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about the Personal Support Worker Education program at Conestoga, and more specifically the "Living Classroom" - an immersive learning experience where students learn to be PSWs working directly with residents at Riverside Glen. You can find out more about the Living Classroom at https://livingclassroom.ca/ and more about the Personal Support Worker program at https://www.conestogac.on.ca/fulltime/personal-support-workerThis interview was originally recorded on July 1st, 2020 Get on the email list at bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com

Host Tyler Bennett is joined by Shequell Gilgeous-Glasgow and Alex Otzyv of the Conestoga Condors in Part One of Episode Five of the Four Quarters Podcast, powered by Four Quarters Media. Off the top, the three discuss the OCAA's decision to suspend Fall sports come September, and whether or not it was an early decision. Then, both Gilgeous-Glasgow and Otzyv give some insight into the 2019-20 season, and what lies ahead for the Condors in 2020-21. (MUSIC: bensound.com)

Show Opening... But first (0:39); Cincinnati police raise 'Blue Lives Matter' flag outside justice center (2:04); Students may not return to town this fall as Waterloo's universities and Conestoga College move courses online (20:52); Premier Ford updates Ontarians on COVID-19 situation (43:28); Open Lines (1:26:49); The Possum Lodge podcast (1:47:25)

If you have ever wanted to dive into the world of influencer marketing you have probably had a million questions. How do I start? How do I connect with brands? How can I establish myself and my brand while growing a following? Through building up Below the Blonde, host Amanda Weldon has been able to learn through trial and error and the everyday hustle. Big shoutout to Conestoga College and the PR and Communications class (and Professor Cynthia Breen) for sending in a laundry list of questions on the topic of influencer marketing. Scotty Shares mediates this bonus episode as Amanda breaks down her experience navigating the waters of building a brand and working on influencer campaigns. Join our hosts for a light hearted conversation infused with insight on the world of #influencermarketing. *This episode is also dedicated to our frontline workers who are facing the Covid-19 pandemic. Let's all do our part and stay at home to #flattenthecurve. --- Be sure to follow along with @wediditpodcast on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook - and with our host Amanda Weldon on @belowtheblonde on Instagram.

Saiba mais sobre o Conestoga College em Ontário no Caadá, nesta entrevista com a representante do College abordamos assuntos como: 1 - A área que o Conestoga College fica é um forte centro tecnológico, vocês oferecem muitos cursos nessa área? 2 - O College fica na região de Ontario, como é a dinâmica dos estudantes entre Toronto? 3 - Como o diploma de 2 anos do College pode impactar no mercado canadense e no mercado brasileiro? 4 - É comum o estudante brasileiros procurarem o diploma de 2 anos para futuramente aplicar para o PGWP? 5 - Qual o diferencial de um College Público como o Conestoga? Siga nos: @BlogBeetrip

We just assume that if we have a control system that it will work well with the Mechanical Systems. This is not always true to get the most out of both systems you must make sure your design and implentation is spot on.To better understand how to make these two work together Aaron reaches out to two Industry experts from Conestoga College.

We just assume that if we have a control system that it will work well with the Mechanical Systems. This is not always true to get the most out of both systems you must make sure your design and implentation is spot on.To better understand how to make these two work together Aaron reaches out to two Industry experts from Conestoga College.

In our 2nd interview podcast of 2019, Steven Haedrich, President of New York Label & Box Works (NYLBW), shared reflections on his continued admiration and application of the Deming Philosophy. (This is Tripp's second interview with Steven.  Link here for the first interview.) Highlights include: Update on NYLBW Immersed in the Deming Philosophy every day Everything is moving much faster; quality has been a selling/differentiator Also, a focus on innovation Deming Chain Reaction, less rework/fewer mistakes/creating good paying jobs; the ONLY way to survive! Continual improvement on a daily basis Impact of a Total Cost focus?  NO!   Lowest price still gets the bid Interaction with your peers in sharing the Deming Philosophy; sharing it every day with both private and public companies – explaining the old ways of sale commissions, performance appraisals, etc. Other obstacles; clients and vendors adverse to partnering Steven's 2014 podcast – Deming is it! Wonderful opportunity to join the board of directors of The Deming Institute Deming Online – worldwide access to online learning with the potential to reach millions of students of the Deming Philosophy How to get the word out on the Deming Philosophy Steven's speaking engagements – Graduate School USA, Conestoga College, upcoming printing conference People are beginning to realize the limits of the prevailing system of management People are beginning to see the prospects of a changing world and the need to be more effective with management systems Where to start – The New Economics, 3rd edition, with Chapter 11 by Kelly Allen The world is finally realizing that the old ways that we have accepted as the standards of thinking are no longer going to prepare us for the complexities, for the challenges, for the true globalization of the world.   The Deming Philosophy captures the essence of collaboration and cooperation and teamwork and systems thinking and continual improvement; including joy in work! The Deming Philosophy allows for a different end of the day experience; allowing us to make the world a better place!

An interview with Steve Schoger, designer and creator or co-creator of many online tools like Tailwind and Refactoring UI and Heroicons and Zondicons. Refactoring UI book Refactoring UI website @SteveSchoger on Twitter Transcription sponsored by Larajobs Editing sponsored by Tighten Matt Stauffer: Welcome back to the Laravel podcast season three. Today, I'm going to be talking to Steve Schoger, co-creator of Refactoring UI and about 10,000 other products you probably already use. Matt Stauffer: Stay tuned. Matt Stauffer: All right, welcome back to Laravel podcast season three. It has been a minute. It's been a couple months since the last one, and we're going to roll up, finish up season three. And I let you all vote on who you wanted to hear from. So, we got three people who were at the end. And the first one is Steve Schoger, designer extraordinaire, Twitter fame, making books, and making dollars. Matt Stauffer: And Steve and I have known each other for a while. We work together at Titan for a while. I've also learned a lot about design from him. So, I'm really excited to hear not about Steve the designer quite so much, but about Steve the person. Matt Stauffer: So, first of all, Steve, the first thing I always ask everybody is first of all say hi to people, and then second of all, if you're meeting somebody in the grocery store and they ask what do you do? How do you answer that question of them? So, let's get started with that. Steve Schoger: Yeah. Sure. I usually introduce myself as my formal title. I usually say UI graphic designer. Even that's weird, because depending on where you work, my job title might be different. It's either UI graphic designer, visual designer, but I usually say like, yeah UI designer. And usually they have a clueless look on their face. I usually say I design websites. Is the easy answer. Matt Stauffer: It feels like it's a little bit of a lame answer. I say the same thing all the time. I'm like, "I make websites." Steve Schoger: I know [crosstalk 00:01:48] get all technical, but they won't get it. Matt Stauffer: Exactly. Steve Schoger: And then some people are just completely like, if I'm talking to someone older, they'll be like, "Oh, so you design books?" I'm just like, "Yeah, I do." Matt Stauffer: It's easier to say yeah and move on and by your tomatoes than actually have to answer it. Steve Schoger: Yeah this conversations over. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. My go to for a while has been I make websites, and I'm getting more and more dissatisfied with it, because I did it for a good reason. It's hard to have that conversation with those people, but then everyone's like, "oh, can you make my website for my Mom and Pop Sausage Shop." Or something like that in WordPress. And I'm like, "No. No, I'm sorry." I know some people who make websites. So, now I'm like, "I make web applications." I don't know anyway. Matt Stauffer: So, okay. So, you are right now coming off the heels of a successful launch of Refactoring UI and everybody in the entire internet heard about this thing and it's super exciting, but just a couple years ago, you were working a nine-to-five, and you had not achieved the level of Twitter fame. So, we're going to walk through that process. But before we go there, I want to learn a little bit about who makes the man who we know today. Matt Stauffer: So, where are you from originally? And when did you first get into design? Even in the earliest stages. Whether it was drawing on your wallet at age three or whatever. What are the steps you can remember that really got you to the point where you realized that design or art or creativity in general were things you might be interested in long-term? Steve Schoger: Yeah. So, to your first question. I'm from Ontario, Canada, and I'm from a city called Kitchner. Which is about a hundred kilometers outside of Toronto. And it's a population of 200,000, is the city of Kitchener, but it's this Tri-City thing. There's three cities next to each other to make one big city, which is about about half a million people. And I actually grew up on a small town outside of ... that's the city I live in now, which is Kitchener, which is a city, a small town of 200, 300 people. Matt Stauffer: Wow. Steve Schoger: Yeah and and I started getting into design, I guess, when ... kinda what you said, I started drawing when I was a little kid. I guess, my mom put this miniature horse in front of me when I was ... I can't even recall this, it was like when I was a baby almost and I'd draw it, but I could ... she acknowledged that I could draw depth. You know when people draw a horse or something, they draw a stick figure or something, but I actually drew the depth of it. Matt Stauffer: The angle of it. Steve Schoger: Yeah, exactly. And she saw, "Okay. There's Talent here." And, I guess, that's the earliest form of what I do. So, I've always been into art and when I was younger, I wanted to be an animator/ I'd watch a lot of cartoons cool stuff. And I didn't really ... when I was younger, the job I have now was not even a job. So, I never designed on the computers until I got to like ... Actually, the first time I used Photoshop was my first day of college. Matt Stauffer: Okay. Steve Schoger: Yeah. So, I'd be doing art and stuff and I'd take graphic design courses in high school, but they're not computer based graphic design. It's school, low-budget, you're working with pen and paper, and you're drawing letters and stuff. Matt Stauffer: Using rulers and all that stuff. Steve Schoger: Yeah, exactly. Matt Stauffer: Now, what was that, because your teacher said, "Oh, there's all this newfangled stuff. But we want you to know the basics." Or was it not even in the context of the newfangled stuff and they just said this is what graphic design is? Steve Schoger: Yeah. I mean, I didn't really ... I guess, that's what I thought graphic design was, and then when I got to college then I started using Photoshop, and everyone around me in the classroom got a handle on Photoshop. They already knew their way around a little bit, but the course I took, it wasn't graphic design. It was multimedia design production. So, that's everything from graphic design to to video, to a little bit of development, to even a little bit of music production, because I didn't know I wanted to do graphic design. So, I took a ... but I knew I wanted to do something in media. Matt Stauffer: Okay. So, when you went up to college, you just said, "I want to do something media-related." And you were still trying to figure out what exactly, so you just tried a lot of different classes or? Steve Schoger: Well, it was a course called multimedia design and production. All those things I just said. And yeah, I just wanted to get my hands wet with everything, and figure it out from there. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I went to college. I didn't know what I wanted my career to be, let's put it that way. Matt Stauffer: But you did have a sense that it was going to be creative and you were going to making ... So, basically was that class the full spectrum of potential careers you were thinking of that point? Steve Schoger: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: Okay it was a perfect all-in-one experience on all them. Did you come out of that class then knowing graphic design is it? Or did it still take some time to figure it out? Steve Schoger: No, no, because like, I guess, in high school, I wanted to be a rock star in high school. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Tell me more about this. Let's pause college. Tell me more about this. Steve Schoger: Yeah, I play guitar. I picked up a Guitar when I was grade eight. So when I was 12, I guess. And I got really into it, I'd spend four hours a day. I'd come home from high school and play guitar until I went to bed. Matt Stauffer: That's amazing. All-electric or were you an acoustic as well? Steve Schoger: I started on acoustic. The way I got a guitar is my great grandma passed away and it was my inheritance. Matt Stauffer: Okay. Steve Schoger: She didn't have the guitar, but the inheritance money went towards a guitar. So, I started playing acoustic and then I always wanted an electric guitar. So, I picked one up maybe first year of high school or something like that. And that's all I did. And I played in the high school bands and stuff. I played bass guitar in the high school band and stuff. Steve Schoger: And, I mean, that was just an unrealistic dream. But when you're in high school you're just, "I'm gonna make it. I'll be ..."- Matt Stauffer: So, when you were in high school, you legitimately were interested enough in that dream that you thought, "I'm going to graduate from high school and I'm going to join a band or start a band. And I'm going to tour the world, and that's where my money's going to come from."? Steve Schoger: Yes. That's what I believed. Matt Stauffer: Because some people say that ... is kinda like the side dream. That was the dream. So, what dissuaded you from that dream? Steve Schoger: Well, my parents. They were like, "Well, you should consider going to school first, then maybe think about doing that." Matt Stauffer: Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So, they were and trying to weave them together a little. Steve Schoger: Yeah. So, even when I was in multimedia design, I still had this music industry dream in mind. So, I did the multimedia course. I graduated from that, finished it, and then there was this music industry arts program at the same college. I went to Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. And it was really hard to get into it. But I applied for it anyway, right after I graduated from multimedia, and they accepted me. So, and I'm thinking, "Well, I might not be a rock star, but I'd love to be in the music industry right? I'd love to show you music production." Steve Schoger: So, that course covered everything from music business, to just being in the studio and recording artists, and all that stuff . Still an unrealistic dream. Look at the music industry now, right? But I took that course and, I mean, that's still my hobby today. So, I don't regret taking that course. I learned a lot out of that course, but then when I finished that program, I was interning at small record labels. And they all saw the multimedia design on my resume, and that's what I ended up doing at those labels, right? I end up doing a lot of web stuff. A lot of designing little brochures and one sheets. A lot of stuff like that. Steve Schoger: So, I was doing that more and more, and I kinda enjoyed it at this point. Because I was kinda doing it for something I really enjoy doing. But I wasn't getting paid, it was all internships and stuff. Matt Stauffer: Oh. Got it. Steve Schoger: Right. And then I'm like, "Well, I got to get a job in this,." And I tried to follow my music industry path, but there was no money in it. So, I'm like, "Well, I just enjoy doing this anyway." So, this is in like 2009. So, right at the peak of the recession. It was impossible for me to get a job. I couldn't get a job anywhere, right? Steve Schoger: So, I'm thinking "Well, not a bad time for me to go back to school." And I already took multimedia, and I'm thinking "Well, what can leverage all these skills?" What can add to this? And I was thinking, maybe I'll take a look at marketing course or some kind of copywriting course. So, I took advertising and copy writing at Humber College. Steve Schoger: But, when I was in school, in that course, I spent way more time working ... I was making ads, and again in the course, I was making fake ads, right? But I spent way more time working on the creative, than actually the writing the copy. And that year I also spent a lot of time just learning web development. And I learned a little bit of this when I took multimedia, but I forgot everything I learned. So, I was real learning that stuff. And it was easy to pick up again. Matt Stauffer: Real quick. What were you learning? Was it mainly HTML and CSS? Steve Schoger: Html and CSS. Matt Stauffer: [crosstalk 00:11:20] did you get into a CMS or anything like that, or not at that point? Steve Schoger: Yeah, I learned about ... I knew about WordPress and stuff. But even that was ... it was a little too technical for me at that point too, because WordPress you can use the templates, but I really wanted to make something unique. WordPress is always just like, you got the header, the content area, and the sidebar. Ad I didn't want that. I don't want that constraint. So, I just started hand coding, and I learned about a few other CMS's at the time. I don't even know what they were called if you asked. But I tried them out, and I found one that worked for me, and I built a little blog for myself, and I would never write, at all. But that's everyone who starts a Blog and has the attention of write a post every week. And some people succeed at it and I did not. Matt Stauffer: I'm there with you buddy. Steve Schoger: Yeah. Steve Schoger: So, I was doing that. And then during this time in school, maybe in the second semester, it was a one year program, like a post grad program. And I took, in the second semester of that, I spent a lot of time ... I realized I wanted to do web design, at this point. And if I found a job before I finished school, I would have just dropped out of school, because I already had two diplomas at this point. So, it wouldn't phase me to drop out. But I couldn't find a job, but I was doing informational interviews, where I would contact the company and say "I'm not looking for a job. I just want to learn what you guys do day-to-day, and learn about the company." And I did a quite a few of those, and it was my way of networking. And you know what? I did do a little bit of like, "Oh this job. This place is hiring a designer. I'm going to ask if they want to do an informational interview." And I did it with a few companies. And one of my informational interviews turn into a job interview and they offered me a job the day later. So, that's how I got my first job. Matt Stauffer: So, tell me about the difference between an informational interview and a job interview when you know they're hiring? Was it, because you didn't think you would have the qualifications or do you think you're more likely to get in for the informational interview? What made you want to do this one type of interview versus just applying for the job? Steve Schoger: Well, if I did an informational interview, it's this ... my sister recommended that I just reach out and ask for informational interviews. And, I guess, I didn't think I was qualified for the job. So, I didn't apply for the job. And I feel like they're more likely going to have me in, if I have no intention of this Matt Stauffer: Ulterior motive. Steve Schoger: Exactly, exactly. Matt Stauffer: So, that's really interesting. Steve Schoger: I recommend anyone, I recommend to everyone does that. If you're a student in school, and you're just maybe not confident enough to go for that first job interview. Just shoot ... most people ... very few people turned me down, for an informational interview. Matt Stauffer: I mean, it makes sense. We've had a few people reach out for that. It seems so unique that I'm like "Yeah. Sure, I'll talk to you for a little bit. We can't always give you a full hour, but we'd love to chat with you a little bit about Titan." So, I hear that. That's really cool. Steve Schoger: Yeah, and I bring my portfolio in, and say "Hey, can you take a look at this and give me some feedback?" Matt Stauffer: I'm a student. I'm still learning and I'd eventually like to work at a company like this. That kind of thing? Steve Schoger: Yeah, exactly. And I was more thinking about, I was going for visual design jobs, but then I was interviewing with companies, and they're looking for UX designers, and I didn't even understand the role at that point. What the difference between a UX designer and a visual designer is. And sometimes I still don't understand the difference. Matt Stauffer: I think most people still don't get it. I still struggle. Steve Schoger: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: Okay. So that was what? 2010, 2011 at that point? Or was it- Steve Schoger: That sounds about right. So, I think, so. Yeah. Matt Stauffer: Were you married yet at that point? Steve Schoger: No, but I was dating my now wife at the time. I met her in high school. And she's my high school heartthrob, and she rejected me in high school. Matt Stauffer: Oh snap. Steve Schoger: Well, she liked me. She later confessed that she liked me, but friends and influence from that. Kind of like, "Oh no, he's gross." Matt Stauffer: He's a rock star, you don't want to be with that kind of a guy. Steve Schoger: Yeah, but then later on we connected after I graduated from Fanshawe. We were talking on MSN at the time. MSN messenger. And that's how we really started to get to know each other, and then she came to visit me a few times, then we started dating. And then I sat a year off between when I graduated from Fanshawe and Humber, and that's when I really, I also spent that year figuring out what I wanted to do, working on my web design skills. And I was just getting to know my now wife at the time. And then we moved into together when I moved to Toronto. Matt Stauffer: Okay. So, during those years in between, when you weren't in school, the reason I asked about her, I mean, first of all, I'm always curious, but also, were you living alone, working just side jobs while you figured this all out? Or what was your life situation during that time? Steve Schoger: The years between- Matt Stauffer: So, basically you got a you got a job in 2010. We're about to talk about what, I think, was the first design job that you got. So, prior to 2010, where you in school the whole time, or where there any years in there where you were - Steve Schoger: [crosstalk 00:16:52] going back and forth here, because I'm stressing out and forgetting things. There was that year between Fanshawe and Humber. And that was me just getting more familiar with Photoshop again, because I haven't touched it in a long time, getting more familiar with code. And I was living with her, but not living with her. She was still a student. And I was just living at her place. Like, I was still living with my parents, but I was just always over at her place. I brought my computer over there and we just pretty much lived together. Matt Stauffer: Were you doing freelance work at this point or? Steve Schoger: No, I was [crosstalk 00:17:26] I was just learning. I took one job that I just was not qualified to do. And I started doing it and I'm like "I can't do this." And I had to say like, "Yeah, I'm not ... sorry." Because you ... I think, the best way to like ... you just got to try, right? That's how I am with ... maybe this is a conversation for later on, but- Matt Stauffer: No no, lets do it. Steve Schoger: That's how I am with speaking. I am really uncomfortable doing public speaking, but I just force myself to do it, and now I'm doing a lot of talks this year, and I regret are doing every one of them, but it's like, "Well, I gotta do them." And I put myself in that situation, but it's like ... anyways. Steve Schoger: So, yeah. I was just working on my craft, I guess, in the in that time, right? With my girlfriend. And that's how I ... and I just bring a lot of blog posts, learning how to design. Matt Stauffer: So, in 2010, you got your first job, and it came out of an information interview. So, a couple questions around there. What was your actual job supposed to be? And at that point where you primarily thinking of yourself as a UI visual designer? Had you started thinking about any of the other aspects of design that you do today? Because today obviously you're doing interface design, but there's a lot of UX embedded in the stuff that you're working on as well. So, how did you think of yourself then? And what was the actual job that you got? Steve Schoger: So, the formal title of the role, and this is goes back to different places have different titles, but the formal title was "interactive designer." And that could be the same as UI designer at our company, visual designer at another company. So, the work I was doing there was more like ... it wasn't so much software design, which I mostly focus on now. It was more like doing websites. And just doing the creative, mostly. Matt Stauffer: So, you'd basically be the one who says "Hey, we're working for Joe's Plumbing. Here's the font that Joe likes." And you'd put together Photoshop documents. Would you also convert them or are you mainly delivering fat Photoshop documents to web developers, and then moving on? Steve Schoger: Yeah. I remember when ... So, going back to the informational interview I had. The moment it turned into a job interview, there's that transition in that part, and I got all excited. He asked if I code. And I knew a little bit of code. I coded enough to build my own personal website, and that's all he wanted to know. He saw my website. He saw that it's probably not the best code, but he made it. And and I didn't need to code for the job. But he liked that I coded, because it just made it easier to communicate my ideas to the developer. Matt Stauffer: And probably also, because you understood the constraints that the developers are under. One of the things I said, when we first started working with you one, of the reasons that we were excited to work with you, and we'll get to here eventually is, because you were a designer who understood that for example, you can't deliver something with an image that would theoretically have to go wider than the browser, but you didn't give us what the image should look when it goes wider than the browser, right? Like when the browser gets a little wider. It's so clear what it's like working with a print designer, who doesn't understand ... not even responsiveness necessarily, but just like, you literally can't curve a thing that way in HTML. It's literally not possible. Matt Stauffer: As someone who understands what it's like to implement something, your brain was set in a different space, I think. Steve Schoger: Yeah, I think so, because everything was print design back then. There was no responsive design. Yeah, that's for sure. And everything was ... even if you wanted to use a custom font, you embedded it as an image. So, I was a big font guy. I didn't like using just the web defaults. So, I always searched for new fonts, and I'd export that as an image. Steve Schoger: So, I did a lot of the exporting stuff. and, but then yeah, I'd usually hand that off to the front end developer. And I was, when I was working there, I was the only designer at the company. It was a small company. I think, there's eight or ten of us in total. Matt Stauffer: Was it a consultancy? That just took client work and did a design- Steve Schoger: Exactly. Matt Stauffer: Built the front end, maybe integrated CMS, deliver it, move on to the next client? Steve Schoger: Yeah, and they specialized ... they worked with a lot of media companies. So, television production companies, and I think, that was just as a result of ... they worked with one, and word of mouth and ... Matt Stauffer: Its who you know. Steve Schoger: It often works that way. Steve Schoger: Yeah. So, I was doing a lot of that stuff. Matt Stauffer: Okay. So, what was your next transition after that? I mean, did you stay at that job for a couple years and regardless, what made you want to move to something Different? Steve Schoger: Yeah. So, I was working in downtown Toronto at this point, at this company. And I worked there for two years, I think. And it was good. I liked being in a small company, but there's also part of me, "It's my first job. What else is out?" So, I was curious, and I interviewed at other companies, but then we also wanted to move back to our hometown, Kitchener, because Toronto is so expensive. By the way, I wish we bought a house in Toronto at that time, because it was- Matt Stauffer: Because now it's so different. Steve Schoger: We could have sold our house then and had no mortgage whatsoever and moved back here. But whatever. Matt Stauffer: [crosstalk 00:23:14] you could predict the future. Steve Schoger: Yeah, right. Steve Schoger: But I wanted to move back to Kitchener, Waterloo. First of all, Kitchener had this ... we have a little bit of a tech scene here. Blackberry, you know Blackberry? They put our name on the map, our city on the map. And we have at the University of Waterloo. So, a lot of trucks, a lot of engineering talent. And this created this little tech community. And I saw this from Toronto, and I was really interesting in it. But there was no design whatsoever. It was all engineers, right? And I'm thinking "I could have a huge competitive advantage if I go there. There's no designers whatsoever." And there was a company ... So, I was interviewing at a company called "Desire to learn." And they're an educational company. Matt Stauffer: I feel like I know somebody else who worked there, or did you- Steve Schoger: [crosstalk 00:24:19] it might be me. Matt Stauffer: Oh okay. Sorry. Keep going. Steve Schoger: And are you familiar with Blackboard? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah Steve Schoger: The same kind of- Matt Stauffer: Can you give a real quick intro to anybody who hasn't heard before though? Steve Schoger: Yeah. It's e-learning software. When you go to school, it's your login portal, and that's where you can get your grades and your assignments and all that stuff. And I even used Desire to Learn when I was at Fanshawe. That was one of their first clients. And I had a friend working there and I was really interested in the company, but they never had any design either. I was their very first visual designer. Steve Schoger: But, to step back a little bit. My friend recommended I apply for this job. So, I applied for it. But at the same time, the company I was working at, we had a really low time, it was not good. And right when I got offered the job, the day later, my boss, before I even got to go into his office and say "I'm quitting." He basically said I gotta lay everyone off. We're closing the doors. Matt Stauffer: Wow. Steve Schoger: So, it was like the same day. I'm like, "Wow. Perfect." Matt Stauffer: Talk about timing. Geez. Steve Schoger: So, I had a little tweak break there, before I started my new job, because I basically I said "I have to put my two weeks notice in." Matt Stauffer: And then turns out you didn't. Steve Schoger: I think, I had a week. We were still wrapping things up and I had nothing to do. Matt Stauffer: Okay. So, you moved back, because you said Desire to Learn was in Kitchener. Steve Schoger: Yeah, moved back to Kitchener. But my wife was still working in Toronto. So, there's a little bit of ... I moved him back in with my parents that summer, is when I moved in. And Caitlin was still in Toronto, living at the place we were renting out. Steve Schoger: So, the summer we were living a little bit long distance, but I mean, we were an hour away from each other. So, I saw her on weekends and stuff. And she was interviewing locally at that time. And I started my job as Desire to Learn. And like I said, I was the first designer there, and UX was such a buzzword at this time. No company understood. They're like we need to invest in UX, but no one knew what it meant. And I worked at that company for two years. And in the two years I was there, I don't think anything I actually did saw the light of day. It was one of those situations. And it maybe has since I've left right? I've made these projects and they were sitting there, and you could work on them. But yeah. Matt Stauffer: That's tough. Steve Schoger: And right when I was leaving, they hired a ... I think, they have a good design team, now. They grew their design team since I have left them. Matt Stauffer: So, is that why you left? Because you just felt what you were doing wasn't actually- Steve Schoger: I was getting burnt out. And I was really passionate about what I was working on. Where I took my work home with me. And it was so frustrating to not have any of my work see the light of day. So, that just burnt me out. And plus, other factors were going on in my life where, we were renovating our house. And I'm not sure if you've been through a process like that, but never again. Matt Stauffer: It's definitely a second job. And it's a second, more stressful job. Steve Schoger: Yeah. So, it's just all these stressful things in my life, to the point where "Man, let's just get out of this city and let's go move to California." And I even went for a job interview in California. They flew me down and stuff, and that was kinda fun. And I didn't get the job. I think, the reason I applied for the job was because I was just depressed, and I just wanted something to change in my life. Matt Stauffer: Maybe some change will make everything better. Yeah. Steve Schoger: Yeah, right? But once I left my job at Desire to Learn, and the house was done, we finished renovating the house, everything settled down, and I felt good I didn't make that decision. Steve Schoger: So, when I left Desire to Learn, I went to an insurance company, a local insurance, well not a local, it's a Canadian insurance company. Well, do you guys have Sun Life in the states? Sun Life? Matt Stauffer: Sounds familiar, but I'm not sure. Steve Schoger: Maybe, because I've talked about it. Matt Stauffer: Probably. Steve Schoger: Yeah. So, it's an insurance company. And it's just a huge company, a huge Canadian company, thousands, tens of thousands of employees. Matt Stauffer: Are they based out of Kitchner as well? Steve Schoger: We have an office kitchener ... I say we as if I still work there. There's an office of Kitchner. I don't even know where the head office is. In Toronto, maybe. But there's offices all over Canada. Matt Stauffer: Got it. Okay. Steve Schoger: And I worked there for two years. And when I started that job, this is when I started freelancing with you guys, Titan. And it was around that same time and it's around the same time I met Adam. And I'm trying to think of a way to tell this story that has this nice, seamless, flow, but I'm trying to remember everything that happened. Matt Stauffer: So, let me let me turn it and maybe this will help you out. So, a lot of us, when we met you and Adam. So, Adam worked at Titan, I think, when I first heard about you. So, he would say "Yeah, I got these buddy that I'm working with, and we do these design things together blah blah blah." So, we just started hearing your name more and more often, and eventually he's like, "Yeah, why don't you guys, consider pulling him in for something?" So, we would and we're like "He's really great." Matt Stauffer: So, we had this idea, especially because, I actually meant to mention this to the listeners that this Kitchner, Waterloo, that whole triangle, is really weird, because there is an excessive amount of technological ... I don't know if I want to say excessive amount of talent, but I don't know. But there's an excessive number of people who do the type of work that I do in that one little space. Matt Stauffer: You're there, and Adams there, and Vehicle's there, and all these other folks are there, and every time we open up a job posting. It's a guaranteed that at least several of the qualified applicants come from this little tiny circle, out of the entire globe. This little tiny circle. Steve Schoger: Well, it's like I said, we do have this tech thing going on here, and I don't want to say it like ... people will say "Well, we're the Silicon Valley of the north." But everyone says we're the new Silicon Valley. But it's like "No, but there definitely is something going on here." Matt Stauffer: And I hear a lot of people say like, "Oh, we've got a nice little tech community." People say that about my local town here. And what they mean is "We have more than nothing." But that's not what it is where you are. There is seriously a lot of people all doing the same stuff there. Matt Stauffer: So, when I start hearing about you, what I figured was, Adam and Steve have known each other since high school, they grew up together, they live down the road from each other, they happen to be very talented, and when I've only learned pretty recently that that's not the case. So, why don't we- Steve Schoger: [crosstalk 00:31:13] no that's not true, yes. Matt Stauffer: Why don't we come at it from the angle of how did you meet Adam in the first place? Steve Schoger: Yeah. Steve Schoger: So, I met Adam, because ... I was always working on a lot of side projects. So, when I was working at Desire to Learn, I'd be working on my ... I'd spend a lot of time working with just startups, helping them out, and just getting my hands dirty, right? And a friend of mine that I went to high school with, his name's Chris Albrecht. And I always wanted to work on projects with him, but he was always busy. He had a kid at this point. He was always doing house renovations. He's one of those guys that's good at everything. He can build a house, and he's a developer, and he's just ... and you want to hate him for it. Matt Stauffer: You don't, because they're also good at being a wonderful person, but you want to hate them a little bit. Steve Schoger: And that's the problem. Yeah, you want to you want to hate him. Good at everything. But then he's just an awesome person, so you can't hate him. So, like "Well, God, man." Steve Schoger: But he took a a software development course at Conestoga College, which is a local college. And that's where I met Adam. And, I think, the two of them were the top of the class. So, Chris talked very highly of him, and he said Adam works on a lot of side projects like I do, I should connect with him. Steve Schoger: And I said, yes sure. And I just sent Adam a message on LinkedIn, and it's funny, I tweeted that recently, the the message I sent to him. It's funny when I re-read it, because I dug it up, and I re-read it. And it's not how I talk to him, at all. It's like, I'm really proper. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, I was gonna ask if it was was really formal. Steve Schoger: Yeah it was a really formal, "Hey, we should connect. I heard a lot of great things about you. I hear you're a good designer, and you're a good developer. It's a really rare combination." And now we just talk like bros. But it was funny reading that and I just said "We should meet up and grab coffee." And I just showed him some of the work I'm doing, and he showed me the stuff he's working on, and I said, "We should work on a project together, just to get a feel for each other and see what it's working with each other, and maybe about can turn into something else." Steve Schoger: And, I think, the very first thing we worked on was, he happened to be working on this Resume Builder app. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. I remember that. Steve Schoger: And I had this idea for a Resume Builder app, and I was designing one, but they're both separate projects. And we're like, "Well, we're working on the same thing. Why don't we build this together?" And we never took it seriously, right? We just wanted to get a feel of what it was like to work with each other. So, we did it, and we got it half done, and that will never see the light of day. Matt Stauffer: Right. That was enough. Steve Schoger: Yeah. Nut I did like working with them. That's what we learned about each other, right? I really like that he's got a really good sense of design, and I have that way of ... we talked about earlier that, I understand a little bit of code. So, I can communicate with him effectively. So, I think, we had that good dynamic that worked well together. Steve Schoger: And, I think, I met him ... I'm not sure if I met him when I was working at Desire to Learn or when I went to Sun Life, but ... no, I met him when I worked at Desire to Learn, because the reason I went to Sun Life, it's like I was going there because, A) it was a pay increase. So, that was nice. But I knew I was going into this big company, that was just a huge bureaucracy. Matt Stauffer: You're a cog. Steve Schoger: I'm going to be miserable there. But I went there, because this is around the same time I was talking to you guys. And I'm like, "Well, I can make this transition into freelance maybe." And you guys were my first starting point there, and what brought me to Sun Life is "Well, I'm going to work my nine to five, and when I get home from work, I'm going to turn that off. And then turning that off and then I can work on freelance projects." And that's what I was doing for you guys. Matt Stauffer: And that's the type of job you want to have, if you're going to start that transition to freelance, is the type of job where you can turn it off at the end of the day. Which, if it were your soul thing, it would be worse, because you want a job you love, but if it's the thing that's helping you transition, you actually want one that you don't love and you don't care about, that goes away. That's really interesting. Steve Schoger: I almost didn't care if I got fired. It's that kind of thing. I didn't want to get fired, because it paid the bills, but it's ... Matt Stauffer: You weren't emotionally or mentally tied to it, other than showing up and doing the things you should do to get the paycheck basically. Steve Schoger: Yeah exactly. Matt Stauffer: Huh. Okay. Steve Schoger: So, this is where you get more familiar with where I come into the picture. Matt Stauffer: Lets pretend like I don't know it. Steve Schoger: So, I'd work on a few projects with you guys, and I was also doing a few projects with Taylor. And, I think, the first thing I did for him was spark. I did the first Spark website. I did the website and I did a logo for him. And, I think, I did that before I started work with you guys, because Adam recommended me to Taylor, and then he recommended me to you guys. Steve Schoger: And I knew nothing about Laravel at this point. I only know about Laravel, because of Adam. Adam got Laravel famous. And I said, "Hey man, I come with you?" Matt Stauffer: Me too. That's hilarious. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. So, I remember that you were doing that transition stuff. When did you leave Sun Life? What was the the moment right? Steve Schoger: Because I was talking ... I did a few you projects with you guys. And then I'm not sure who suggested it first, but we basically had an arrangement. I think, it might have been you who suggested it. It doesn't matter. But you guys wanted a designer, because you never had a designer at your company. And Taylor just wanted an ongoing designer, but neither of you had enough work to fulfill a 40 hour week. Steve Schoger: So, the arrangement was, well, I do one week with Titan, one week with Taylor, and then I'd have an off week to go find any other freelance work. So, we had that arrangement worked out, and then you guys matched my salary at Sun Life. So, it felt easy going into, it was easy to convince my wife it all worked out. Steve Schoger: So, I made that leap. And that's what brought me to that thing, an I've been working with you guys for ... how long have been with you guys for now? Matt Stauffer: Has it been two years with this arrangement? Steve Schoger: It's funny. I've been with ... every job I've had has been two years. Matt Stauffer: That's it. That's your magic number. Steve Schoger: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. I think, it's been two years. Because, I think, we did one year, and at the end of the year, we thought about it, and we re-upped it. So, it's probably been two years this way as well. Steve Schoger: Yeah, and, I mean, we're on pause right now, right? And that's ... we're talking about that shortly. Matt Stauffer: [crosstalk 00:38:17] story. Yeah. Steve Schoger: So, I was doing that, and I don't know ... next question, I guess. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: So, I think, that worked really well, and, I think, it was really great for us. I mean, that's a curious business thing that anybody else can ask any of us more about, is that idea where Dan and I since ... Dan and I are both liberal arts Majors, with the design aesthetics, who are programmers. So, we always wanted a designer. From the earliest days of Titan, we wanted a designer, but it was hard for us to really justify at the beginning. Matt Stauffer: So, this was a really cool way to do this transition. And now we have a full-time designer, and have had Steve working with us for a while. But it took us this kind of experience to start building design into our workflows, and our ways of building. So, just anybody who's curious about that, it worked out really, really, really well, for us. Matt Stauffer: But the next part of the story was what you used in that third week. And that third week, was a combination of, I think, finding other clients, but also starting to become not just Laravel famous, but eventually just web development, broad internet famous, and then there's books and stuff like that. Matt Stauffer: So, where were you thinking? What was your approach? What was your attack? What was your mindset? What were the first steps you took to start using that time and start garnering a reputation? Steve Schoger: Yeah, I think, for the first year, I was doing a lot of ... I was just doing ... I was using the time for freelance, and I was finding new freelance clients. And I don't even remember any of the projects I did in that time, even though it was like a year ago, probably. Two years ago. But they're just a little one off things right? Steve Schoger: But it was still ... the tricky part about that thing. It's like, well, I work on a freelance project for a week, but there was more to do after working after that week ... For you and Taylor, we all had this understanding. Well, I'll be back with you in two or three weeks. But when I get a new client, it's like, well, I had to be ... Full disclosure. I have this [inaudible 00:00:28] going on, so I can work with you this week, but I won't be back with you 'til the following week. Steve Schoger: And they had a deadline, so it's like ... Well, I don't know how long I could do this for. I could only pick certain projects that last ... It was hard to find clients that worked that way. Matt Stauffer: [crosstalk 00:00:40] one week or less at any given moment. Steve Schoger: Yeah. So what I spent my time doing is just working on my personal brand, or working on little side projects, and the first project I did was Hero Patterns. That was a website for ... It's SVG background patterns. You can go on heropatterns.com and it's just a bunch of patterns that you can use for a hero background or whatever you want to use it for. I built that just as a fun project. I wanted to learn more about SVG, so that seemed like the right step, and I just wanted to add it to my portfolio and add to my personal brand. Steve Schoger: Then I released a bunch of icon sets. That's what I was doing in that time, just working on free, open-source projects. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. And those took off pretty quick. I remember seeing Hero Patterns, and I think [Zomicons 00:01:40] as well, on things like CSS Tricks. So it was pretty early on that you were releasing these things, and they were getting picked up pretty broadly. Steve Schoger: Yeah. Well, the Laravel community has certainly helped with growing my Twitter following, because it's such ... The whole community is really active on Twitter, first of all. Then I had Taylor and Adam retweeting my stuff and that really helped. Taylor had probably 50,000 followers at the time, so it all helped. I was growing my following there, and then Hero Patterns was getting posted on Product Hunt, and that really helped. Steve Schoger: From there, where does that bring us to? I was doing all these little open-source projects, and then I started doing the tips. Let's move up to that, 'cause I don't know what else ... Oh, I released another little project, Heroicons, which is like SVG icons, marketing icons ... They weren't meant for in-app experiences, but more if you go on a marketing page, and you're showing a features section. You can put the icons there and customize the colors. I thought it was a pretty interesting idea when I made it and it was a fun little thing, and I could make some money off of it. Steve Schoger: I released that and it did okay. I think I made $10,000 in the first few months, over that period. But Adam was launching his books and his courses, and they were doing insanely well. I saw him doing that and I'm thinking, at this point, I think I could maybe do a design book or something like that. I had all these ideas for what a design book could be for developers, and I was sharing these ideas with Adam. He encouraged me to build my following first. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, yeah. Steve Schoger: 'Cause that's what he did and that's what made his launches so successful. He proved that what he was making was worth it. Steve Schoger: I started doing the tips on Twitter to prove that I know what I'm talking about, and I can provide little ... Basically the tips, if you're not familiar with them, they're little bite-sized design tips. Here's a before of something that a developer might design, and here's an after of how you can improve it. It's like, take it, instant improvement, instant gratification, and they've evolved over time. Steve Schoger: The first tips, I was working on a project for you guys, let's say, and I'd take a screenshot of that project I was working on and post it and that was it. Immediately, they started doing well. People started seeing them and they were like, wow, these are pretty useful. Then they just grow and grow and grow. Steve Schoger: The tip idea, by the way, I stole the hot tip idea from Adam, 'cause he was doing hot code tips, and he stole it from Wes Bos, 'cause Wes Bos has been doing it for years. I talked to Wes Bos about that recently, and he said he stole that idea of a tip from someone else. Matt Stauffer: Really? Steve Schoger: Yeah. But he made it his own by adding the fire emoji. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, yeah. Steve Schoger: But now people think I created the fire tip and there's people copying me. It's all great. It all grows from there. Steve Schoger: Then, like I said, I was working on these projects, and I'd maybe work on something and I'd see, well, that's an interesting insight, and I'd take a screenshot of it. But then they became a higher quality thing. Well, in order to communicate this idea, I need to make this own little thing specific for this. Matt Stauffer: Compose the tweet with all the ... You made a little graphic side-by-side with all the bullet points and everything, right? Steve Schoger: Yeah, exactly. So the very first tips that I was doing, I'm just doing them and not thinking of it, and then Adam would bring in a lot of ideas. He'd share his ... This would be a cool tip for you. Matt Stauffer: Sure. Steve Schoger: Then we'd work on it together, and then they became ... with both of us working on them together, the quality went up and up and up. We'd try to make each tip better than the last, so they eventually just did really well. I think the biggest tip I posted got 13,000 likes and 3,000 retweets. Matt Stauffer: Holy crap. I knew they had gotten big but I didn't realize they'd gotten that big. Steve Schoger: That's by far the biggest one. At the beginning, they were getting ... The very first one I ever did, 40 likes. Then from there, it got 100 likes. Then it was 300 likes. I'm like, whoa. That's so big. Now today, it's like I can't post one without getting at least 2,000 likes and 300 retweets. Matt Stauffer: Geez. Go ahead. Steve Schoger: Yeah. They just spread so far. Matt Stauffer: That's awesome. Steve Schoger: The last tip I tweeted, people are hijacking the first comment, 'cause they know ... They see a little fire emoji in the tip, and they're like, first comment. Matt Stauffer: At least it's first comment, and not, do you see this? You should go to my course, blah blah blah. Steve Schoger: No, it was a friend of mine who's just joking, 'cause on the Kanye posts, people try to hijack it with their art. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. That's awesome. I wanted to point out something really quick here. I think one of the reasons that these spread so much is that, first of all, they're really high quality. You really know what you're doing. There's not a lot of people talking about it this way, and they're really easy to digest and apply. So there's one aspect. They're just really good tips, broadly, this is a really good idea. Matt Stauffer: But I think the other piece about this is that your tips ... You mentioned the fact that [inaudible 00:07:38], there was a lot of dev and not a lot of design. We have talked about this for a long time, about the Laravel community and other programming, especially back in programming communities. I have clients all the time that say, yeah, you can tell this was made by a developer, referring to something that they have that they're asking us to fix up. That means something. "You can tell this was made by a developer" means it doesn't look good, it's hard to understand. The information density is bad, the flow is not good. Matt Stauffer: There's this very big issue, with us as developers, knowing how to put stuff on the page, but not really knowing how to make it and such so that it's going to be ... not even just enjoyable, but understandable for the end user to really get the information out in a reasonable, pleasant way. Matt Stauffer: One of the things I love about your tips and a lot of your teaching is I think it reflects the fact that you do understand developers, and you do understand development, and you do know code, and you know enough developers and work with enough developers to know where our shortcomings are. You're not just putting out generic design tweets, but many of these tweets ... not all, but many of them ... are explicitly useful for people without a design background who are put in context, that because we're application developers, we need to build user interfaces. We don't know what you're doing. Matt Stauffer: I feel like a lot of basic design tips people give tend to be relatively useless to developers 'cause it's the same three things you've heard over and over again, but you really narrow in on practical design tips that help application developers. I wanted to point out that that is something I think probably comes intentionally, but also probably comes a little bit because of the specific background you do as a tech-adjacent designer, right? Steve Schoger: Yeah, and I think also, Adam's involvement too is a huge, huge- Matt Stauffer: Sure. Steve Schoger: I'm more or less the face of Refactoring UI, but it's honestly ... Adam and I are doing it ... Basically, the tips are ... From the birth of a tip idea, me and Adam will be ... Adam might point something out to me and say, this is an interesting little insight, and I'll have a sketch file of all my tips. I'll be able to either take a screenshot of something and I'll passively work on it until it best communicates the idea, and me and Adam are going back and forth at this point. Steve Schoger: Then there's the tip launch day, that we decide we're going to post ... That's a two-week process before we get ready to post it. Then me and Adam jump on a call and spend some time figuring out, how do we want to work this? How do we frame it in a way that communicates it? A lot of time gets put into these. Steve Schoger: But, yeah. Certainly, I have that kind of background that helps communicate to developers. But I don't want to discredit Adam whatsoever. Matt Stauffer: I love that. Steve Schoger: He's equally involved in that process, and he's coming with his developer point of view. Like I said, he's got a really good sense of design as well. And to be fair, some of the tips we've posted, I never even thought of them as tips, 'cause I'm so ... I have a designer mindset. Matt Stauffer: Sure, sure. But Adam was able to help you see- Steve Schoger: Yeah, exactly. Some of them ... It's like, one of the tips, for example, is offsetting a box shadow to make it appear like a light's coming from above to make it look more natural, right? Matt Stauffer: Right. Steve Schoger: And he suggested that tip, that was his idea, 'cause I never even thought of it as a tip. I'm like, I just do that. It's just second nature. I don't even think about it when I do it. Doesn't everyone do that? There's quite a few tips like that, where it's like, I never even thought of it as a tip before, as something insightful. Matt Stauffer: That's cool. One of the things that I pointed out to Adam that he does intentionally, but I don't know if everybody recognizes, is that he has a talent for ... We haven't actually said it. This is Adam Wathan, in case anybody happens to listen to this podcast and doesn't know who Adam is, which I kind of doubt. It's Adam Wathan. Matt Stauffer: He has a knack for recognizing what everybody in a particular community doesn't know, and everybody in another community might know, and then bringing the stuff that the other people know into the community where they don't know it. Refactoring to Collections, if you were to sell that book to someone in a community where they use collections pipelines for everything, they'd be like, why would I spend money for this book? But Adam understands how to bridge that information, so part of his talent, I think, is helping bridge the knowledge that you have as a talented designer and a tech-adjacent talented designer who does have a lot to offer. But he's also able to help you bridge that gap into developer mindset. So I love that you brought that point up. Steve Schoger: Yeah, I think that's very accurate. Adam's probably the best teacher I know. Him and Jeffrey Way are the really good teachers. Adam's probably one of the smartest people I know, and him and my other friend are the smartest people, I know, but the other guy that I'm speaking of is ... He was almost an astronaut. So that's who I compare Adam to. They're both completely different. He couldn't do what Adam does and Adam couldn't do what he does. Matt Stauffer: Well, you mentioned Refactoring UI. That's a perfect segue. So, hot tips was a big thing, and then you and Adam decided you guys were going to make Refactoring UI together. A lot of people have questions about that, you did just launch it. Before we talk about how it started, what did it end up being? If somebody's never gone, what is Refactoring UI right now that they can go purchase? Steve Schoger: Yeah. Refactoring UI is sort of a package. It was pitched as a book, but that takes all of the ... pitched it as a book to help developers get good at design. But we made this whole package, this whole resource for developers to help them make their designs better. So there's the book aspect, and that's probably the main component that everyone's familiar with. But then with that, we provide color palettes. So a big problem with developers is they don't know how to choose colors, so we just provide a bunch of color palettes for them. We provide a bunch of font recommendations, and there's an icon set. So it's this big package that you can go pick up. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. That totally makes sense, and it's good to know it's not just a book, 'cause I think that you guys said, what's the best way we can teach this? It's not just book, it's also resources that help you do the thing. And there's videos too, right? I think you mentioned that. Steve Schoger: Yeah, I didn't mention that. There's videos in the package. The videos are taking the ideas that are introduced in the book and applying them to a real-world example. Matt Stauffer: You tweeted out a couple of those, so if somebody wants to get a sample, they can see what that's like. I think you tweeted some. Steve Schoger: Yeah, there is a one video available you can watch. We emailed it out to the mailing list, so you can sign up and you can get that. You can also check out, if you're interested in that kind of thing, I also have a YouTube channel where I do UI breakdowns, and that's all part of it. Matt Stauffer: Okay. So we now know what it ended up being. And it just launched ... Right now, it's January 11, and it just launched a couple weeks ago- Steve Schoger: A month ago, December 11. Matt Stauffer: Okay, there you go. Steve Schoger: There you go. Matt Stauffer: When did it start, if you remember, and what were you originally thinking? Steve Schoger: Yeah. Like I said, I saw Adam get successful with all his courses and stuff, and I'm thinking, well, I could maybe do that with design for developers. So the original idea was, I was going to write a book. But I was bouncing my ideas back and forth with Adam, and it just made sense to get him involved in the project. And I think this was even before I started doing tips, I thought I was going to write a book. It only made sense to get him involved and make it a 50/50 partnership, 'cause he can bring his developer frame of mind to it, and to articulate the ideas that have much better than I could. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. At that point it was still a book. What thinking process did you guys go to when you were starting to write this book that made you realize it needed to be more than just that? Steve Schoger: Right. I think when we started working on the book, there was a few ideas in the book that ... It was too difficult to communicate in the way we were writing it, the style of writing it was. And there was a few ideas we wanted to communicate that just couldn't be communicated that way. That's when we realized we needed to make some videos attached to it. There's a few insights in the videos that you can't necessarily find in the book, 'cause maybe it's a little more hand-wavy. We like to make the book very- Matt Stauffer: Very concrete? Steve Schoger: Yeah, very concrete, where in the video, there's a few more ideas that are a little more hand-wavy. Matt Stauffer: What was the hardest part about writing this book, about this whole process for you? Steve Schoger: Making the book was a roller coaster of emotions. Matt Stauffer: Oh, yeah? Steve Schoger: Well, you've been through this, right? I think early on, we had all these ideas of what the book was going to be. We spent so much time planning, and not enough just doing it. What we realized is that we should've just started doing it and let it just unfold, right? Matt Stauffer: Right. Steve Schoger: What was the hardest part? The book is more or less a picture book. There's more pictures than there are words. I made about 300 images for the book. Matt Stauffer: Wow. Steve Schoger: And they're not just ... A lot of books will just take a real-world example, take a screenshot of it, and put it in their book. We had really specific points we wanted to communicate, so we thought the best way to do it is design a little UI for it. One of my goals with the images was to make it so ... First of all, I might design an entire UI just to communicate how to do a drop shadow. I thought it'd be cool if every image in the book is something you can go ahead and create yourself, challenge yourself to create that image in the book. And I wanted there to be a little bit of hidden gems within all the images. Steve Schoger: So it's like, oh, we're teaching you how to do a drop shadow here, or a box shadow, but I noticed in this little UI example, you had this, and I never would've thought to do that on my own. So there's a whole bunch of little hidden gems like that in images. That took a long time. Steve Schoger: The way we delegated work with the book was Adam wrote all the words. We worked on all the concepts together to figure out how we communicate these ideas, and Adam wrote all the words, and I did all the images. Matt Stauffer: Got it. Steve Schoger: Some chapters will be like ... There's 200 words, but then nine complex images. So I just couldn't do any of the writing with the amount of time I was spending on the images. Matt Stauffer: For sure. What you're saying is you did all the work and Adam just mailed it in, right? Steve Schoger: Yeah, exactly. Matt Stauffer: I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. Steve Schoger: No, no. I couldn't have done it without ... Like I said, Adam is far better at articulating these concepts than I could've ever done. If I wrote the book myself, it would've been ... I don't want to say a failure, but it wouldn't be near as good. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. And I want to attest to the fact that I know both of these guys relatively well at this point, and they basically disappeared off the face of the planet for weeks at the end there, because they were both putting in such long days. Tell me a little bit about that time for you. Steve Schoger: Yeah. Just for the listeners, I had my thing, gig with you and Taylor, and I think I sent you guys a note at the end of September, maybe? Matt Stauffer: I think so, yeah. Steve Schoger: Is that about right? And Adam and I were passively working on the book at this point, but we realized it needed a full-time commitment. So I sent you guys a note saying, hey, I know you guys knew we were working on this book. We were getting towards ... gearing up launching this. So I sent you guys a note saying, hey, do you mind if I go on a leave, and you guys were fully understanding about it, and that was awesome. I feel like I'm in debt to you guys for that. Matt Stauffer: No, dude. Not at all. Steve Schoger: Then that was in September, and we already had a launch date in our head. We wanted to get it done before the new year. We already announced that we were going to get it launched by fall 2018, right? Matt Stauffer: Right. Steve Schoger: And then I just worked on ... We worked on the book for three months there. There was a break in between where we were both ... And you were there too ... invited to speak at Laracon Australia. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Steve Schoger: Both Adam and I made a bit of a family vacation out of that too. We spoke at the conference, but it's like, well, going to Australia is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and our wives want to come, so we brought our whole family along. Matt Stauffer: I got to meet your families and I loved it. Steve Schoger: Yeah. That was a two-week break we had in there. Then when we got home, we realized ... We wanted to launch it at the end of November. That was the original goal. But we got back from Australia, we were like, that is impossible. There's no way to get this amount of work done in that amount of time, so we pushed it back a bit. We didn't actually have a date in mind, but we were thinking, we've gotta get it done before the new year, because if we don't get it done by ... If we didn't get it done in the week we got it done, then we probably would've postponed it to the new year. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, 'cause it was just too close to Christmas and everything's too crazy around then. Steve Schoger: Exactly, exactly. Even at the time we launched, it was a little bit ... I don't know. Yeah. And we were just ... Like you were saying, we disappeared, especially in the last week. That was ... I didn't sleep for three nights, the last three days before the launch. I was up for 72 hours. I got maybe two hours of sleep in that period. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. I saw you at the end of that period. Steve Schoger: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: [crosstalk 00:21:09] Steve Schoger: No, and I was just neglecting my family. My wife was incredible about it. She even said, hey. Would it be helpful if I go sleep at my parents' for the next few nights, just to get out of the house, and you have time to yourself? Matt Stauffer: Wow. Steve Schoger: She was incredible for that. Yeah. That was just ... I was trying to stay active on Twitter, 'cause I needed to keep promoting the book and make it look like I was still alive. But, yeah. Matt Stauffer: Because we're pretty short on time, I try to keep these under an hour and we're going to go a little bit over, I want to ask you a lot more questions, but I want to at least push on this one thing. What did it feel like to put out your first big product, and what were you doing after the launch? Now that it's been a couple weeks, how do you reflect on that experience about having done it, about the launch day ... Does this make you want to go do something like this again, or do you say never again? How do you feel about it right now? Steve Schoger: I don't think I'll ever work on a book again, for sure. But I'm all down for working on projects like this again, big product launches. They're fun. Steve Schoger: I know when Adam did his Refactoring to Collections book, it was like, he was working on that in the evenings and stuff while he was working for you guys, then he had this unexpected huge

A local to Kitchener, Ontario, videographer Phil Marques has always had an interest to combine his love for music and videography together! Phil has three years of communications technology education and two years of stage production under his belt. He received a one year certificate for Media Foundations at Conestoga College, and a diploma for the two year Broadcast (TV) Program. Phil has had the privilege of working with local artists such as Breaching Vista, Amberwood, The Red Factor, Red Handed Denial, Shae Dupuy and To The Trees. As well as big touring acts such as Texas In July, August Burns Red, Adam Gontier, One Bad Son, and Say Yes! For classes/booking: http://justtheletterk.com/booking Get Socialistic with me:

Featured Guest: David Hamilton The recent discovery of a lake of liquid water beneath the Martian south pole culminates a series of stunning discoveries that are forcing us to rethink the question of habitability on the Red Planet. Now two space missions are underway aimed at sites on Mars that may be the best candidates yet for life and boasting the most advanced bio detection instruments ever sent into space. To help us prepare, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by space physicist David Hamilton. Join us at Solar System Social this Thursday, August 23rd The Star Spot will be live on location at an upcoming event hosted by Solar System Social, a prominent Toronto speaker series. Join us for a provocative discussion entitled Who Deserves to Explore Space on Thursday, August 23rd at 6pm at Burdock pub. Visit  solarsystemsocial.com for details. Current in Space Our solar system has been playing host to a foreign tourist and now something is scaring it off. Then great ball of fire! Simon prepares us for a revolutionary new spacecraft that will shine new light on everyone’s favourite star. About Our Guest David Hamilton is a professor at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. His research background is in the detection of life signs on Mars. He is also the leading force behind Social System Social, a series of public events aimed at connecting the dots between science, entertainment and storytelling.

Stefanie Miller Stafanie Miller is one of the co-author of the book “What’s Self-Love Got To Do With It?“, an expert in the field of Paramedicine and First Responder Mental Health. She’s joined by our host Heather Andrews to discuss topics relating to PTSD and growing despite the adversity. Here’s a quick overview: Growth through adversity, How she lived and continue to work with PTSD? Can one ever be cured from PTSD? Does Stefanie ever relapse? What to do to stay healthy? Stefanie Miller, A-EMCA Stefanie joined the County of Brant Paramedic Service in 2009 after graduating with honours from Conestoga College, where she was awarded the Mature Student Award. She has also been named the recipient of Conestoga’s 2017 ALUMNI of DISTINCTION Award. She worked with the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Service until December 2015. Stefanie spent six years between the two services as a part time paramedic and[...] The post The Heather Andrews Show | Stefanie Miller appeared first on Get You Visible Podcast.

In this episode of the Maker's Co Podcast you'll meet Tim, a local photographer/videographer and good friend of ours. We touch on a lot of different topics with him including the importance of finding your passions, turning those passions into meaningful work, and wading through the never ending resources that exist in the world, to help you learn new skills, to find the ones you connect with. We had a lot of fun with this one, we hope you enjoy! PS - We recorded this back in May, so some of the content talked about has already happened, like our launch event! Stay tuned to our website and social channels, we'll be doing a recap of the evening with photos and videos if you missed it. Topics covered: Meet Tim - Journey from working in TV to photography/videography Becoming a photographer - side hustle to career Preparing for a life in visual storytelling Find your resources, they're everywhere and a lot of them are free Time is your most valuable resource Find the people online or in life that you admire and learn from them Coffee interlude Being a photographer AND a videographer - different ways to capture the same story Print your photos! Make photo albums! Seeing photos online vs. holding them in your hands How to print photos Personal projects - food show, weddings, documentary Sauna interlude Marketing - word of mouth & digital ads Automation Favourite failure Wrap up Resources from the episode: Conestoga College - https://www.conestogac.on.ca/ Nikon D90 - http://en.nikon.ca/nikon-products/product-archive/dslr-cameras/d90.html Prime Lenses - https://www.techradar.com/how-to/photography-video-capture/cameras/9-things-you-should-know-about-using-prime-lenses-1320807 Taylor Jackson - http://www.taylorjacksonphoto.com/ Adobe - https://www.adobe.com/ca/creativecloud.html Reaper Digital Audio Workstation - http://reaper.fm/ It's Alive - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKtIunYVkv_S7LqWqRuGw1oz-1zG3dIL4 Lindsay Coulter - https://lindsaycoulterphoto.com/ Smile Tiger - https://smiletigercoffee.com/ The Bauer Bakery - http://www.bauerbakery.ca/ Aeropress - https://www.aeropress.ca/ Show & Tell Coffee - https://www.instagram.com/showtellcoffee/ Finao - https://www.finao.com/ Nick & Taylor Make A Food Show - https://www.519foodshow.com/ Nick Beninger - https://fatsparrowgroup.com/ G Suite - https://gsuite.google.com/ Photography Presets - https://digital-photography-school.com/save-tons-editing-time-lightroom-presets/ Quote: More from Timothy Muza Timothy Muza Photography & Films - https://timothymuza.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/timothymuza/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/timothymuzaphoto/ Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/timothymuza More from Maker's Co: The Maker's Collective - http://makerscollective.club/ Catch Up On Past Episodes - http://makerscollective.club/podcast-2/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/MakersCoClub/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/makerscollectiveclub/ Get In Touch & Join The Club - http://makerscollective.club/contact/ More from Lacey: LJH Creative Consulting- http://www.laceyjheels.com/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/laceyjheels More from Laura: LH Style Coaching - https://lhstylecoach.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lhstylecoaching

An interview with Adam Wathan, co-creator of the Tailwind CSS library and author and video producer. Adamwathan.me Test-Driven Laravel Refactoring to Collections Advanced Vue Component Design Tailwind CSS Alberta Oil Sands Reaper Conestoga College Vehikl Desire2Learn Tighten Nitpick CI Adam Wathan's $100k product launch Full-Stack Radio Mark Rippetoe - Starting Strength 5/3/1 Video of Adam lifting tons of weight 5/3/1 calculator Matt's WeightXReps Training Journal Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C# Adam on Twitter Refactoring UI Editing sponsored by Larajobs Transcription sponsored by Tighten Matt Stauffer: Welcome back to the Laravel podcast, season three. Today we're talking to Adam Wathan; author, video maker, teacher of the things, power lifter. Stay tuned. Matt Stauffer: All right, welcome back to the Laravel podcast, season three. This is the version of the Laravel podcast where we get to know less about tech and more about the people behind the tech, and today my guest is none other than Adam Wathan who has taught us all about testing, collections, view, components and many other things. One of things I love about Adam is that he's never satisfied with what's happening around him and he's always taking in stuff from other places, and we'll talk about this more probably later in the podcast, but when I describe Adam to other people, I say he's the guy who basically finds what's good everywhere else and brings it to us in the Laravel world. So if you haven't heard of Adam, my mind is blown. You should go consume everything he's ever made; it's all gold. I will say to some of y'all that his name is pronounced Wa-than, right? That's right? Adam Wathan: Yeah, you got it. Matt Stauffer: Wa-than. Not Way-thin, not Way-than. I'm trying to think about other things I've heard, but Adam Wathan. So Adam, say hi to the people, and the first question I always ask everybody is when you meet somebody in the grocery store how do you introduce yourself? How do you tell them what you do? Adam Wathan: Cool. Yeah, so thanks for having me on. I'm Adam. I usually explain ... It depends on what people ask, because some people ask like what do you do? I say I'm a software developer, although I don't actually get paid to write code, I get paid to teach people about code. So I either describe myself as a software developer who creates courses and e-books and training products for other software developers who are looking to kind of level up. So that's kind of the shortest version that I try and give to people that usually is enough that they kind of either are interested in it and ask me more questions or aren't interested and don't want to hear anymore. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, so I'm already going to cheat a little because I want to ask one little thing about your motivation that I've been curious about for a while and hopefully they'll still come out when we talk about your background but, you know, you're really smart guy, you learn a lot of stuff, but you're also a teacher and you also have like marketing kind of like sensibility, and you just gave an elevator pitch that would make someone who doesn't even understand programming want to go sign up for your product and I don't think that that's really common for a lot of us to know how to talk about it that well, so ... And if this is going to come out later that's cool, but do you have a sense for where your ability to kind of understand how to market something and how to ... And you talk a lot about how to do it in a non-skeezy way, but where did that come from? Is that something you had to work on, or do you feel like you've got some experience that's kind of taught you that? Adam Wathan: That's a good question and I don't think I have a great answer for it. I think I've always just really liked creating things that I was proud of and putting them out into the world with enthusiasm and I think that's been kind of like the simplest version of how I have always tried to share what I've been working on and then I think with the marketing stuff too, I guess I just care just as much about the quality of that as I do about everything I do. I just really like to make everything I do as good as I possibly can and that comes down to even things like, you know, landing pages and how things look on stuff like that. To me, the marketing is a product too and I want it to be good and I want to be proud of it, so it's just something that I just put a lot of effort into I guess the same way I would with something else. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, I mean, I tell this story to people all the time, but when you first joined Tighten, one of the things we were talking about was working on some open source projects together, and we immediately found a conflict in our ways of working where I was like, so what I do with this thing Symposium is I figure out a feature and I spit out the feature as fast as possible and then I move on to the next feature, and you're like what I do is I try to figure out exactly the best way to do this feature and I ponder on it and I make plans and I make diagrams and I get it exactly right so people will really get their needs met and then and only then do I actually build out a feature. Matt Stauffer: And we kind of had this like little head butt moment, and I think that I've kind of ... I would say I've shifted to your way of thinking, but I've been influenced by it a lot. Do you have a sense for where your kind of desire for excellence ... I think you were just talking about like where that comes from, is that just a personality trait? Is that something from your family, and what's that ... Where does that come from? Adam Wathan: I think it's just a personality trait. I've been like that with basically everything that I've ever been interested in my entire life. Like I would sit and play guitar and play the exact same seven notes for four hours straight until I played them perfectly, you know what I mean? So I think I just get a little bit obsessive over the sorts of things that I get interested in. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, I just want to get really good at it. All right, well, I'm sure we'll dip into the stuff a little bit more, but I do want to make sure that I actually have the space for your back story. So the second question I always ask everybody is, where was it that you ... Or what was the context in which you first had interactions with a computer? How old were you and kind of what was your interaction like at that point? Adam Wathan: Yeah, so I have sort of conflicting memories for a lot of some of the stuff. Not necessarily conflicting, but sometimes I have a hard time figuring out like what the timeline was, but some of my earliest memories of working with computers, probably the earliest one that I can think of. is when I was in grade ... It must have been probably grade two, maybe grade three, but I had this librarian at my school who worked with like some of the gifted kids to do little projects and stuff and me and him were working on the super old Mac that we had at the ... It was new at the time I'm sure, right, but like my memory of it's like the old school Mac where everything's black and white and stuff like that. Using hypercard to make this little project we went around and it was actually pretty cool. Adam Wathan: We got to like drive around the neighborhood and I got to like ask questions like different business owners about things and we put together this like little presentation in hypercard, and that's probably like my earliest memory of working with a computer and we got a computer in my family when I was pretty young too, probably grade four or grade five. It was just like kind of your standard ... It was like an Acer or Compaq PC or something with four megs of RAM and, you know, I can't even think, a 500 megabyte hard drive, and we got- Matt Stauffer: Yeah, a 486 or something like that. Adam Wathan: Like our internet a couple years later. Yeah, it was a 486 and I used to dick around on that, you know, looking up game tutorials for my Sega Genesis at GameFacts.com and stuff like that and- Matt Stauffer: What's the best game on the Genesis? What's your favorite, do you remember? Adam Wathan: Favorite Genesis game. I used to play the hockey games a lot. That was probably what I got- Matt Stauffer: You're so Canadian. Adam Wathan: The most fun out of. The funny thing is like I'm not super into hockey, but those were just the most fun like multiplayer games that you could play. That and like Mortal Combat and Street Fighter. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, of course. Adam Wathan: And all the classics. I didn't do much of the single player stuff, just mostly hanging out with friends and playing. Matt Stauffer: No Sonic and Knuckles and things like that? Adam Wathan: I did play Sonic, but I wouldn't say like I have, you know, nostalgic memories about how much I loved that game or whatever. It was a fun game but, yeah. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, I feel like not a lot of people have the same level of memories of Sonic as they did at Mario. I just never quite connected in the same way. Adam Wathan: No, Mario definitely has a more special place in people's hearts, I think. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, you actually got into this a little bit, but my next question is going to be kind of what was your first exposure to the internet? So was that primarily it at least at the start? Adam Wathan: I'm not sure if it would have been at school or at home, but yeah, it would have been most of the time that I spent on the internet would have been at my home desktop computer on our 14.4 connections we used to use. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. So when you were in middle school and high school, what do you think you wanted to do with your life? Did you know? Adam Wathan: I had some conflicting thoughts, so at one point when I was a kid I wanted to be a cartoonist, that was my dream actually. Matt Stauffer: I had no idea. Adam Wathan: I used to draw all the time and I used to like ... You know how you'd have like the book fairs at school, I don't know if you had those in the States. Matt Stauffer: Yeah yeah, Scholastic. We had them here. Adam Wathan: The Scholastic Book Fairs. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: I'd always be ordering like the how to draw this or the how to draw that books and I never got really good at it, but it was fun and then eventually I got into like playing guitar and stuff like that and I wanted to be like an audio engineer, but I also wanted to be a programmer and I really liked my programming classes in high school, so I ended up going to university for computer science, but I also considered going to college for music industry arts, which is a program that actually Steve Schoger, who some people might know actually did go to at the college that I used to go to. Matt Stauffer: Oh, he did? Adam Wathan: But I decided against it because it just didn't seem like a profitable career path, so I eventually chose computer science. Matt Stauffer: So you had programming classes in high school. Was this Java or C++ or what kind of stuff were you guys doing there? Adam Wathan: Let me think. So I think we ... I don't think we had computer programming classes 'till like grade 10 and we did a lot of like Pascal and we did C, and we did Java and then we have a web one which was later, which was kind of weird because the Java stuff was ... Even the Java stuff isn't ... When I think back to the fact that we did Java in high school, I don't remember doing any of the stuff that I know about Java now. Like I didn't know what object oriented programming was when I came out of high school, even though Java is an object oriented language. We just would write procedural code in like our main- Matt Stauffer: Good job, yeah. Adam Wathan: Java file or whatever, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: And stuff like that, but yeah. Matt Stauffer: What made you choose those classes? Adam Wathan: I think I just thought it was really fun to be able to make the computer do stuff. Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: So I remember like one of my earliest memories of programming actually is when I was a kid I was like super obsessed with pro wrestling, that was like my thing. And I used to download all these like wrestling simulators so you could like ... It's so funny because they weren't ... they're not like games, right? They're like you create characters, you choose their move sets, you give them the statistics and stuff and then you like run simulations and it would spit out like texts, like this guy punched this guy, then this guy powerbombs this guy- Matt Stauffer: Right, and you're not actually controlling what they did, right? Adam Wathan: No, no, no. It's just a computer simulation based on random events- Matt Stauffer: That's fascinating. Adam Wathan: As well as like, you know, the statistics and attributes of the different wrestlers. There's a couple different programs that you could use to do that and I was always looking for different ones to test them out, and then one day I stumbled upon a tutorial online that was like make your own wrestling simulator in QBasic. Matt Stauffer: Oh, nice. QBasic, yes. Adam Wathan: And I was like, okay. And that was my first exposure to QBasic. I followed the tutorial and got everything set up and I didn't know how to like do random stuff or anything like that, so I never got very far with it. It was all just very like ... It was not like conditional logic or anything, you would just do this, this, this. Matt Stauffer: It just takes input- Adam Wathan: I couldn't figure out how to make it do exactly what the other things are doing, but I could make the computer do stuff, and that kind of got me interested in the whole QBasic programming stuff and then I just started looking into more like QBasic tutorials and finding out stuff that you could do, and I remember getting really into ... I don't think I'll ever remember the actual name of it. I found a site that I think might have been it, which is Pete's QBasic tutorials, which I don't know if that was the site for sure, but some of the content looked really familiar, but it had lots of tutorials on like making like tile scrolling RPG engines in QBasic and stuff and- Matt Stauffer: What? Adam Wathan: Where you could create like little sprite characters and you'd make these like 20 pixel by 20 pixel squares and lay them all out and make it scroll as you use the keyboard and stuff like that. So one summer I had this dream of making an RPG, which of course never even remotely happened, but I had a lot of fun just hacking around on the computer getting it to render this stuff and do stuff like that. So I think that's where I really got excited about programming because I don't know if I have a specific passion for programming more than anything else, but it was just like a really perfect kind of platform for just doing creative things, you know what I mean, and making stuff. It's the most like powerful tool for just like making interesting things that I know of so far, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: So I think that's what kind of got me into that. So I did a bunch of QBasic stuff messing around with that and eventually I started making my own little websites on Geocities an Angelfire and stuff like that and yeah, I've kind of been doing that ever since, so. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, I was thinking about how creation was definitely a trend for you. I mean between music creation, you know, as a guitarist and music production, you know, and the art and everything like this is it's wanting to make things happen and figure out what the tools are, so it's interesting hearing you say, you know, it's the most powerful tool that you can use for that. Adam Wathan: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: Do you ever draw still? Adam Wathan: No, not at all. Matt Stauffer: Do you have any of your old drawings anywhere? Adam Wathan: I might. My parents just sold their house and gave me a big box of like crap lying around that was mine. Matt Stauffer: You got to find something, man. Adam Wathan: I think there's a couple sketchbooks in there so I should maybe- Matt Stauffer: That would be amazing. Adam Wathan: Dig through those. Matt Stauffer: Please. Okay, so you went off to school for computer science and did you have a sense ... Did you have any shifts during school with what kind of aspect of CS that you were interested in or if ... And yes or no, what did you think you were going to do afterwards? Adam Wathan: Yeah, so I actually only went to the university for a single semester, so I did the first semester a bunch of the classes I did find fun like the ones that were direct programming, so we had like a C class where we'd basically get these weekly kind of projects that we have to work on where just have to go through a bunch of problems to get the computer to do that stuff, and that was the stuff that I was really interested in and really excited about, but then we also had classes that weren't as interesting, like digital fundamentals and stuff related to more like computer engineering sides of stuff which is interesting, but it didn't get me excited and want to work on it. Adam Wathan: That stuff was like a chore, and at the time I was also playing in a band and we ... That was all I wanted to do. Like we were playing shows and recording demos and stuff like that, so the computer stuff was not really a big focus for me at the time and I was commuting to school which was about a 45 minute drive away and living at home, so I didn't really get like embedded into the sort of university community that was there. Adam Wathan: So I didn't really like make any friends or meet anyone, I was only there for classes and that was it. So it was really hard for me to sort of, you know, become a university student. That was like this thing on the side I felt like for rest of my life, where my friends were and my hobbies were and stuff like that, so I only stuck with that for a single semester and then dropped out to just basically work full time while I reconsidered what I wanted to do, because it just ... I just wasn't enjoying university and I don't think it was the programming that I wasn't enjoying, it was just the educational side of it and having to get pulled away from the things that I was actually excited about to work on that. So I don't remember what the original question was, but that's kind of that story. Matt Stauffer: Well, no, and that's actually perfect and before I move on from that, I want to ask one question which is, was the distinction between doing versus learning abstract theory, was it about how concrete something was that was the difference between what you did and didn't like, or did I kind of miss that a little bit? Adam Wathan: No, I think that's true. I think the other thing is there's just a lot of classes that you have to take in university that aren't as ... they're not all really like cohesive, you know what I mean? I don't know what the system is like in the U.S., but in Canada we have university and college, which I think is kind of like college and community college in the U.S. Matt Stauffer: I think so, yeah. Adam Wathan: But the way that you pick your classes and stuff a lot of it is you have to go into the school and you have to go and sign up for different classes and you have different requirements, and you have to get credits and different things, but a lot of it is kind of up to you and they don't really put together like a cohesive curriculum. So I had to have X Math credits, X Elective credits, so I took like this history of music class, which is the only class I've ever failed in school in my entire life. Matt Stauffer: Oh, my God. Adam Wathan: And you would think that I ... Just because it's so damn boring, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: And I just like couldn't get into it at all. But everything was just kind of disconnected. There was like some math over here, some physics over here, and because at the early stages of things it's kind of like when you're in like first year of high school or something, they're just trying to teach you all these fundamental concepts- Matt Stauffer: Basics, yeah. Adam Wathan: Without kind of tying them back to the goal they you're trying to get into and I ended up going back to college years later which we can talk about maybe a little bit later, where the curriculum was much more cohesive and everything is sort of designed to teach you to be a programmer, and I really liked that experience. So yeah, I think it is just the fact that there was only one class that I actually liked, which was the programming class and everything else just felt like high school all over again, you know. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, yeah. No, I totally hear that. I mean there's a lot of conversations happening these days and I'll wait to go into them until we talk more about your later school experience, but around trade school versus university, versus whatever else and what are the pros and cons of each and I think a lot of it ... You know, one of the things I've come down to recently is that I've always been a pro university person with lots of caveats, and one of them is just like the school you're at really makes a big difference, and the classes you take and the professors you have. You know, there's a lot of factors that can give you a very, very, very, varied experience, even in the same type of program in the same type of school. So where did you go from there? You said you kind of were reconsidering your working full time, you were recording with your band and were you doing any touring at that point, too? Adam Wathan: No, we never got successful enough to do anything interesting like that. I was local shows and stuff, but yeah, so I was just working like crappy factory jobs basically. I'm trying to think what was the first job that I got after I left university. I have to try and reconstruct a time line, but the one I remember most specifically was working for a company where I was basically just in a factory building really high-end like antique looking stoves. Adam Wathan: So I did that for like a year while I still played in bands and did stuff like that and then eventually a friend of mine was working up in the Alberta oil sands like way up north and I would have all these construction projects to extract all the oil out of the sand and sell it of all over the world, and his dad actually ran the site up there so he had a lot of pull and one day he just called me and he was like, "Hey, do you want a job up here?" And I was like, "Sure." He's like, "Someone's going to call you tomorrow and offer you a job." And I didn't know- Matt Stauffer: That's awesome. Adam Wathan: What it's going to be. Like I had never seen the job description or anything, but this is just this guy's kind of style and so ... Yeah, I ended up working up there for two years doing like basically data entry stuff for the materials team, so I worked in an office in the frigid cold in Fort McMurray where it's like minus 50 degrees Celsius in the winters. Matt Stauffer: Holy crap! Adam Wathan: Our offices are these little portable trailers on the construction site and I was just there basically in Excel reconciling like purchase orders and invoices and making sure that, you know, we received the materials that we had paid for and that all this ... Just a bunch of really kind of monotonous data entry stuff, but for being like a 20 year old kid it paid really well and I did that for like two years until kind of that whole industry and economy started to suffer a little bit more because gas prices and oil prices dropped and they did a bunch of big layoffs which was ... So I got laid off, which was like a blessing in disguise really because I know a lot of people that basically just stayed up there forever because you can never get paid the same thing to come home. And I would work up there for 14 days straight, 10 hours a day and then they would fly you back to where you lived for seven days off. So I was constantly flying back and forth. which just made it really hard to have like a normal life, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: So yeah, I got laid off from that, came home, decided I would use that chance to try and get into like the recording stuff, because I was getting into recording a lot when I was up there and doing it when I was coming home just as kind of a hobby, but I thought why don't I try and like find some bands and record and like mix EPs for them and stuff. So I did that for like a year, which is a dumb industry to get into because bands don't have money, especially local bands, so you can't make a lot of money doing that, but what I found is while I was doing that I was using this tool called Reaper, which I still use out of my podcast and stuff like that, and I found that there was a bunch of features that I wished it had that it didn't have, and it was created by the guy who created Winamp originally, and it's like a very hacker friendly tool, so it lets you like extend it with Python or C++ or Lua now as well, so you can write all these sorts of like plugins and extensions for it and the API that they give you to do that stuff is like very powerful, you can access basically everything in the tool and write your own menu options and dialog boxes and all sorts of features and stuff. Adam Wathan: So I started getting into like hacking around with that doing really simple things and then one of the guys in the IRC chat for the software, kind of like this elite group of people who are like hacking on stuff there. I made this thing using Python and he was like, "You should port this to C++ so we can include it in this big extension that they maintain." and I was like, "I'd love to do that, I just don't have any idea how." and he's like "Well, okay, I'll help you." So for the next little while he would kind of like ... He kind of put together like a playground in this extension source code for me to like write my features in and help me figure out how to get XCode compiling it and all this different stuff, and that's when I kind of really like reignited my excitement and passion for programming because I was just having so much fun adding features to this tool and making it easier for me to do my work to the point where I was having way more fun adding features to the tool than I was actually using the tool to record bands. Adam Wathan: And I didn't even get back into web development or anything at that point. I hadn't made a website since like high school. So that's when I decided you know what, I think I'm going to go back to college and do this programming thing again, but I decided to do college and study university specifically because I knew like what I didn't like about university and I wanted to do something that was a lot more practical and focused on making you into a programmer than it was, you know, educating you about computer science. Matt Stauffer: So I had been meaning to ask and that's helpful. Are you familiar with the concept of a trade school? Adam Wathan: Yeah, like where you would go to learn to become like an electrician or something like that? Matt Stauffer: Yeah, that's not the same thing, right? You're more talking about it's a school, but it's more like single focus sort of like our community colleges, but I was wondering whether colleges like a little bit different than communities or if it's just- Adam Wathan: Yeah, I'm not sure. So the college I went to is Conestoga College. I'm going to pull up the website now, but basically here college programs are usually two-year programs and you get a diploma, and university are four years and you get a degree, that's kind of the fundamental difference. So I'm going to try and pull up like the actual program that I did here so I can kind of talk a little bit about the actual curriculum because I think it's kind of interesting. Matt Stauffer: While you do that, this is definitely similar to community college. It literally even in the Google preview says your community ... Ontario Community College and this is definitely not trade school, definitely community college, if that makes sense. Adam Wathan: Yeah, so I did the software engineering program there, and not the computer programmer course, which I got kind of turned on to that by asking around to friends who had gone to the school to kind of figure out like, you know, what are you supposed to do, but if you look at the actual program courses here we can maybe like link to this and then show it to people that are interested, but like in the first year we had classes like software engineering fundamentals, operating system fundamentals, C, C++ programming, computer security, object oriented programming, some of this has changed, but then year two we did like web design and development, relational databases, Windows and mobile programming, microprocessors and embedded systems, software quality, so like in school we learned about automated testing, which is pretty cool. Matt Stauffer: Nice. Adam Wathan: You never learn that in university. Advanced computer security, mobile application and development. Yeah, so it was just like all programming. Every class was programming, but it was just focused around some different kind of element of it using different technologies and stuff like that. So the nice thing about that is that college is really close to my house and unlike university where the schedule it's like really weird, sometimes I'd go to a three-hour lecture and then have seven hours off then have to go back in the night for a one-hour class. Like this is structured so much similar to high school, you know what I mean? Adam Wathan: Like you'd get there in the morning, you'd leave in the afternoon, so you're there for a long period of time, you get to like meet people, you get put on projects with people, and I really got into what I was doing there in terms of like I made a lot of friends, you know, that kind of became like my focus which was I think what made me not stick it out in university. It was just like such a side project, whereas I was able to really sort of like embed myself into what we're doing in this program, so- Matt Stauffer: That's really interesting. Adam Wathan: Yeah, that went really for me. So I did that for two years. It's a three-year program, but the way they do it is kind of weird. They have like three years with co-op, I don't know if people use that term in the U.S. It's kind of an internship- Matt Stauffer: I don't think so. Adam Wathan: Like paid internship. Matt Stauffer: Oh, yeah. Adam Wathan: So if they do like two years of schooling and then for 18 months you go out into the workforce. There was like four work terms across those 18 months I think, something like that. And some people do them all the same company, some people do four different ones, some people split up however, but you get paid to do that, which is pretty cool like 18 bucks an hour or more depending on who the employer is, and then once you're done that kind of co-op internship stuff, you go back and do your third year of schooling and then you get your diploma and then you're done. Matt Stauffer: Oh, cool. Adam Wathan: So I just did the first two years, and then I did my co-op at Vehikl who were called Chrome Media at the time, and I think I was like the only person to apply for that job because everyone else was trying to get a job at Desire2Learn which is a company that makes like education student management software, and it's all C# and Windows stuff and that's what they teach us in school so that's what everyone was excited about and they were kind of like the cool, hip company in the area, but I was like the only kid in my class that used a Mac, so doing the Windows stuff was painful for me. I had to like boot up a VM and do stuff like that, so even with all our projects I would do in school I was always trying to find technologies that I could work with easier on my Mac. Adam Wathan: Because we had a lot of like web based projects, even though we didn't have a lot of web specific courses, but in the later years we'd have like a project that was a two-month project and you could choose the technology, which is cool, so some people did C#, some people did, whatever. I chose PHP because that was the only programming language I knew of that you could do dynamic stuff on the server. Like at the time I didn't know that oh, you can use Ruby to do that or Java or any of these other languages, I just knew from like trying to create PHP scripts I could accept form submissions when I was 16 years old that like PHP was the language that you do ... I used to do stuff on the server, so I started looking into, you know, tools for PHP that could compare with like ASP or C#. Matt Stauffer: Like MVC. Yeah. Adam Wathan: That like framework and I found my code igniter and stuff like that and so we started messing around with those sorts of things, and I was lucky enough to find a handful of people that wanted to work on those technologies with me instead of doing the C# stuff and they were all pretty bright people, so we did a bunch of projects using that stuff and then when it came time to look for co-op opportunities I applied to Desire To Learn and they never got back to me, which is great because if they had and I had gotten a job there I'd probably still be a C# developer now. Adam Wathan: Instead I saw this tiny, little company that was only three people at the time that was doing like Magento sites and some custom app development in PHP, and I was like you know what, I'll apply for that and I ended up being like the only person in my class who applied there and that ended up being like the best way it could have ever possibly worked out because I met some really cool, talented people there that really helped me get my career to where it is now and encouraged me to speak at user groups and get involved in open source and stuff like that. Matt Stauffer: That's awesome. Adam Wathan: So after I went and worked there I did my whole kind of internship co-op stuff there and I just never went back to school because I had a mortgage and stuff like that. I was like 26 at the time or 25, 26, and I couldn't really afford to like not get paid for another year or going back to school and the whole point of going to school was to be able to get a job. and now I had a job and even if I wanted to leave there, well, I had a job doing programming for a living on my resume now so it didn't really matter, you know what I mean? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: So I got what I needed out of it and then kind of got into the workforce doing PHP stuff and actually like even when I started there, that's when I really got seriously into Laravel stuff. We actually started using Laravel 4 on a client project before it was officially released when it was still like in a beta, which is cool, so I was getting paid to write Laravel code on my very first programming job. Matt Stauffer: Which is amazing. Adam Wathan: Pretty neat. Matt Stauffer: That's very cool. And who are the three? It was Chris and Grant and who was the third person, do you remember? Adam Wathan: Chris, Grant and Caryn, who is like a ... She's a product designer. Matt Stauffer: Product designer, yeah. Adam Wathan: A UX person there. Matt Stauffer: I didn't know she was employee number one. Adam Wathan: I don't think she was employee number one. They kind of went through a couple different iterations of the company doing different stuff- Matt Stauffer: Got it. Okay. Adam Wathan: Over time, but when I got there it was the three of them and they kind of had their thing figured out. Matt Stauffer: Very cool. All right, so the story from there you did at Vehikl ... So when did you start speaking? Was it the Laracon EU testing talk? Was that your first kind of big conference, or what was your speaking journey like? Adam Wathan: So the first talk that I ever gave was like an intro to Laravel talk at a Meetup that we created so that I could give that talk basically like the vehicle we created like the Kitchener-Waterloo Laravel Meetup which only survived like a few Meetups because we also had this like Guelph PHP user group which half the time we were doing Kitchener anyways and that eventually just became like oh, we'll just do everything there because we'd meet up once a month there. But yeah, so I gave a talk at that user group to about like 30 people or something, which was my first time doing any speaking like that, and I may have done another talk after that to like a local Meetup, but yeah, the first conference talk I think was the community day at Laracon EU 2015 or maybe '14, yeah, and I did the talk- Matt Stauffer: I remember it, but I don't remember the year so, yeah. Adam Wathan: Yeah, I can't remember what the talk was called, TDD the good parts, I think, and then after that I think I gave a talk at True North PHP in Toronto at Chris Hartjes and Peter Meth's conference and from there I just kind of got into it more and more. Once you kind of have one conference under your belt, it's a lot easier to get into the other ones, especially if you make the effort to get them filmed and post them online and be able to use that stuff to help show people hey, I can actually do this and it'll be fun. I'm a grown up I can do a good job. Matt Stauffer: Cool. So at some point you were using Laravel, and you became more aware of some of the world's around there. You were looking into things in Rails, you were talking about Ruby some. What was that journey like from Laravel being the thing that you were spending all your time in, to kind of expanding your exposure to the rest of the web world, I guess. Adam Wathan: I can't say ... I can't think of a specific ... I can't remember exactly how I heard about some of these other things, because like I said, I only remember being in college and being like well, PHP is what I use on a server. I didn't even know Rails existed. Like in some ways, in a lot of ways I wish I had known, because I probably would have never become a Laravel programmer. Not because I don't have ... I have anything against Laravel, but throughout the years it's become pretty clear that philosophically I'm much more aligned with the way people think in kind of the Ruby world, right? Adam Wathan: So I was already kind of like deep into Laravel stuff and feeling like pretty fast and productive with it and I'm sure all I was doing was poking around the internet looking for tutorials, reading things about how to do this and that and somewhere in there someone said similar to how this works in Rails blah, blah, you know what I mean? Like eventually you just kind of like start hearing about these things. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Start hearing it, yeah. Adam Wathan: And the Laravel community was a lot less mature than it is now at that point, so a lot of the really good content that was out there was focused on Rails. Like Rails had a big head start on a lot of what we're doing in the Laravel world. Rails came out in like 2004 I think originally. And there's blog posts written in like 2008, 2009 that are still really useful blog posts for people writing Laravel stuff now, so it was actually really interesting for me to discover that kind of whole world because at the time this was like 2013, 2014 when I was learning Laravel originally. Maybe ... Yeah, probably 2013, there was like eight years worth of high quality Rails content out there. So if I could just figure out- Matt Stauffer: Yeah, sitting out there already. Adam Wathan: How to translate the syntax from Ruby to PHP, you know, there was all this content out there that could make me a better Laravel developer, basically. So I got really, really deep into all that stuff and that's when I discovered companies like Thoughtbot that had done tons of blogging and written books and put together video tutorials or Gary Bernhardt's Destroy All Software, which is all Rails stuff. There was just so much good stuff out there and that's where I basically focused all my learning at that point was taking everything that people had already ... Like I make this joke a lot of the time that any time like someone runs into a problem with Laravel, like a design decision where you're like okay, well, what's the best way to do this in Laravel, take the current year subtract four years, include that in your search query and look for how to do that in Rails and there will be like 100 quality blog posts out there. Adam Wathan: So yeah, I got really into just kind of researching what people were doing in these other ecosystems and finding out what made sense to try to port back and apply to what we were doing in PHP stuff and yeah, that's kind of been like my shtick, I guess. I'm always looking outside my existing community to see if ... I think of myself as like Christopher Columbus like going across the sea to the foreign lands and bringing back treasures for people. Matt Stauffer: Nice. Yeah, so let's see. So you worked at Vehikl for a while and do you know how big Vehikl was when you left? Adam Wathan: So it was still actually just the four of us- Matt Stauffer: Oh, yeah? Okay. Adam Wathan: When I left, which was kind of like my motivation for leaving. I still was really enjoying the work that I was doing there, but I had this like nagging feeling that I was missing out on the ability to grow faster by not being part of a bigger team where there was more ... Not more experienced developers like developers with more experience, but just more developers- Matt Stauffer: More people, yeah, yeah. Adam Wathan: That were experienced- Matt Stauffer: With different experiences, yeah. Adam Wathan: To learn from, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: And that was kind of stressing me out at the time, so I ended up leaving to go work for a company that did Rails consulting, but when I got there I got dumped onto a project doing C# and Angular, so I only stayed there for like three months because I want to blow my brains out ,and I soon ... Like within the first week of working I was like I can't believe I left my other job, this sucks so bad. And then after being there for a couple months Tighten, this company out of Chicago that does some Laravel stuff, I don't know, people might have heard of them, posted a job posting on the old Laravel job site and I applied for that and ended up going to work there for a while. Matt Stauffer: It's so weird because I've been trying to figure out how to ask you questions about that time, and it's really tough. I don't know how, but maybe I'll just try and throw a broad one at you and see if that goes somewhere. What was the area you grew in the most while you're working at Tighten? I think that may be a question to start with. Adam Wathan: That's a hard one. I can't think exactly what ... I think the biggest changes for me are the things that I had to figure out the most was like the remote working thing. That was like a new thing for me and figuring out how to ask for help with things and get stuff done and get help from people in a way where like I'm just so used to ... I was just so used to working in an office where if you're frustrated with a problem, like the people sitting around you can tell, you know what I mean? Matt Stauffer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Adam Wathan: And that's not as easy in a remote company, so you have to figure out ways to manage that sort of thing, especially when people are not always like available at the same time because everyone's kind of working ... Like even though you have kind of standard-ish hours, there's still a lot of a synchronicity to it, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah, yeah. Adam Wathan: Everyone has different calendars with different things going on, which is very different than being in an office. Yeah, people have stuff scheduled and calls and stuff, but you can like see when someone is available. So figuring that out was probably ... That was probably the biggest change and area for me to kind of figure out how to work that way, and yeah, it was good though. I think the remote working set up is the way to do it, as long as you can make sure people are able to communicate when they need to communicate and feel ... You have to be more deliberate about asking for help, which can be hard, you know what I mean? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: If you can just be frustrated and people can tell and people offer to help, that's one thing, but sometimes it's like you feel like you have to ask for help every 15 minutes with something, especially when you're starting, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: And that could be like ... It's like a degree of shame or something like associated with that. That's hard to get over. Matt Stauffer: We've been working ... That's probably been the biggest barrier with bringing on juniors is that the combination of junior, plus remote, it's really an extra level of shame. Adam Wathan: Plus new job, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: Which is hard for even for like an experienced person, yeah. Matt Stauffer: New job, remote, new tech, I don't know what I'm doing, everybody else here has got it and I'm asking for questions every 15 minutes, I feel like I'm bothering people. Adam Wathan: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: That's definitely tough. Adam Wathan: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: So this is the last question I'll ask about your time at Tighten, but one of the things that was really impactful from our perspective was that you had a lot of thoughts about how a company should be run and a lot of them came from watching Base Camp and and Thoughtbot, and thinking about concepts that you've talked about in the podcasts and some of the times I've talked with you about on podcasts of things like no estimates and stuff like that, where there's a certain way of thinking, and I think that Dan and I say often that your time at Tighten was really impactful in terms of just kind of like sharing those things with us, but it wasn't always just as easy as Adam comes in and teaches something. Matt Stauffer: Often it happened in the context of, you know, there was a ... Not necessarily there was a conflict, but there was sort of like well, why is it not happening this way and we'd be like, "Oh well, I don't know. We'll figure that out." So I was wondering during your time at Tighten, do you feel like you learned anything about what you wanted to kind of do when you grew up kind of vibe in terms of teaching, or were there things that you learned about how you think software should be written or something that happened in the context of those learning moments and those conflicts and everything that we had during those times? Adam Wathan: Yeah, I'm try to think if there's anything specific I can take away as like a learning ... Matt Stauffer: And if not, no worries, I'll just edit out the question. Adam Wathan: Yeah, I think like ... I mean, what I like working on the most at Tighten was being able to create projects for companies, build stuff for other people. I think if anything, what I maybe took away is that ... What's the best way to say this? I like having control I guess of like my own destiny in that sense because working with companies to build new projects for them there's like this of course this whole layer of stuff that comes with that that isn't there when you're just building something for yourself of course, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: And it can be a real challenge sometimes to get people on board with building something in a way that is in their best interests, even though they might not understand why or agree why, and that's just like a whole thing that you have to figure out how to navigate that can just get in the way of what you want to do which is just like creating the best thing for solving a problem for them, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: So I think being able to get into what I'm doing now where I get to like create training stuff and stuff like that has been a nice change in that sense, because it lets me focus on just doing ... Creating the thing that I want to create. But yeah, like you said, like I think a lot of the reason that I cared so much at Tighten and everywhere I worked about how to try and run these projects successfully is for that same reason because I just want to make the great project, you know what I mean? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: And I think everyone is on the same page there, right? Like you want to figure out a way to navigate the other stuff and minimize it so that you can just focus on doing the work, but because I just care so much about doing the work and that's what I want to do, that it kind of pulls me down this path of figuring out like okay, what is stopping us from being able to just do the work and what ideas are out there in the world that people have that can help us focus on- Matt Stauffer: Help us, yeah. Adam Wathan: Just doing the work for people. So I don't know if that really answers your question in terms of I guess like a specific kind of learnings or take aways, but in terms of, you know, that sort of project management side of things, I think that's sort of like where my motivations at least come from to care about that stuff. Matt Stauffer: Well, it's funny because you say everyone feels that way and of course everyone, you know, hopefully wants to really do a good job for the client, but it also reflects a little bit back on what we were talking about earlier about you love doing things to the best they can possibly be done and it's not just your things, you know, it's also other people's things. Like every project you have a hand in, you want it to be the best possible thing, and if there's stuff getting in the way of that, well, then that's stuff that you need to kind of shave off so that it can just be the optimal it will be. So I totally hear that and that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for answering that kind of convoluted question. Matt Stauffer: So the transition from there was it was during your time there that you wrote your book and you released it and you were able to transition it to be doing your own educational stuff full time. So in terms of that switch, when and what was the process like for you to start thinking you know what, working at somebody else's consultancy may just not end up being the thing for me and I want to try info products or I want to try my own products or something like that? Like what was that journey like for you? Adam Wathan: Yeah, so I think for me what really happened there as I put together this book and released it, I didn't really have crazy expectations for it or anything like that. Again, it was just one of those things where I've always just really liked making polished things that are finished that you can look at and be like this is done and this is tidy and this feels nice. And I used to do that with even like trying to contribute tutorials to Game Facts and stuff back in the day. I never got anything on there, but I would just like agonize over like making some sweet like ASCII art title at the top of these like stupid plain text files- Matt Stauffer: That's perfect. Adam Wathan: And I just wanted it to feel like a polished thing, right? So that was kind of like one of my biggest motivations for making the book was first of all, I've always been interested in like creating something and selling it and seeing like what it's like to make your own money on the internet sort of thing, but I also just like ... It's hard to think back to it now because I have a few products now, but back then I kind of felt like I just had never got to finish anything, if that makes sense? Matt Stauffer: Yeah, definitely. Adam Wathan: And this is a common thing that I think like agencies deal with a lot in general, right? As you get to work with a client, you do a lot of really great work for them, but you're not necessarily like always around 'till the end of the project because maybe eventually they hire their own team which is one of their goals from the beginning, right? They're trying to get like a head start on something so that once they have a little bit of traction they can build their own team around it, because of course that's more economical way to handle that. Adam Wathan: Or the other end of the spectrum is you start working on a project for someone and it turns out that they just aren't able to hold up their end of the bargain really and the project is just not going to work out and you do work for them for six weeks and then they realize like you know what, I'm not ever going to be able to make an app company properly, so you kind of just say okay, thanks for your work, you did a great job, but like that's the end of the project. Like I've worked on so many projects that never even went to production, you know? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: Or got any users or anything like that and that's kind of like a ... At the time that was kind of "I just want to finish something. I just want to have something that's done." I did that with my Nitpick too, that little SaaS something- Matt Stauffer: Yeah, I remember. Adam Wathan: That I built, and the whole goal there was just the same thing, like I want to build an app 'till it's done and then put it out on the internet, and that was just like a cool feeling. So I did the same thing with the book and then the book ended up being, you know, pretty successful, and before I worked on that book, I had the idea all along that what I really wanted to do was some sort of testing thing, like some TDD book or course or something, but it was just like ... Sounded like so daunting, it just sounded like a big project. Adam Wathan: So I stumbled on this idea to the collections thing, and that seemed so much more manageable, so once I had finished that and, you know, it was pretty successful, I thought you know what, if I want to do this like testing product, this is the best possible chance that I'm going to have to be able to spend the time on that because the book did well enough that like I can take six months off and focus on this thing. So I thought you know what, I'm not going to get a chance like this again. If I don't do it now then this money is just going to go into an RSP or something and it's just going to ... Yeah, of course that's good, I should have money saved away for a time. Matt Stauffer: Right, right. Adam Wathan: I'm not going to ... Like it's not going to change my life in any way, I'm just going to keep doing the exact same thing that I'm doing. The book's going to be out there, but I'm not like seizing the moment to use it as an opportunity to try something. So I thought you know what, this is like the only chance that I'm going to get to probably do this, so why don't I try it out. So that's when I decided to move on to try and to just do something for myself and see how it panned out and I did the testing course, which was way bigger than I even was worried about it being originally. Adam Wathan: So it's a good thing that I didn't try and put it together when I was still working, but that did really well too, and that's been able to let me focus on continuing to do more stuff like that. I'm always able to stay just like a little bit enough ahead of where I need to be that I have some time to figure out what the next thing is going to be, you know, and I'm just kind of like building the bridge as I try and cross the river. Matt Stauffer: Yeah, that's awesome. I remember one of the things that you said when you let us know that you were going to be going off to do the thing full time and you said, "You know, I don't know how this is going to work out, but I know that if it totally flops in six months I can apply to one of a myriad programming jobs, but if I don't try this, there's no guarantee I'll ever have this chance ever again where there's the traction for my book and I have enough money to kind of try this thing and so I got at least try it." And that really stuck with me, just the idea that like ... And I mean I've had that happen where I've had an influx of cash and it just kind of goes and spreads out across retirement savings and health expenses and whatever else, and your life is exactly the same even though you put all that work into it, and so that idea of those are those moments and it's scary, but like what's the worst thing that's going to happen? I'll use up all the money and then apply for jobs on the other end. Matt Stauffer: You know I'm a little less stable because I'll have to be applying for a job versus having once settled, but there's no guarantee that your job's not going to shut down the next day, you know, and so like the idea that oh well, everything's perfect now, I'll be put ... No, no. You know, I really love that kind of thinking and obviously at least so far it's working out really well for you, so I'm hoping that's an inspiration for other people to kind of consider taking some of those leaps. Matt Stauffer: I would love to ask you a million questions about how you think about product and stuff like that, but we're longer than usual, and thankfully other people have asked you that on their podcasts, so I'm going to try and link some of your stuff with Justin Jackson and some other people, also Full Stack Radio, even though it's you interviewing other people, you do learn a lot about the interviewer by the questions they ask. So all this super interesting stuff that we don't have time for, I hope that we'll be able to ... People will be able to kind of suss that information out anywhere else. Matt Stauffer: But I think one of the things we have not talked about, so every time I'm going to be interviewing somebody in the Laravel podcasts I go into Tighten Slack and I say I'm about to interview this person and I'm actually opening my Slack right now to make sure that new questions ... Yep, a couple of new questions came in, and I say, "Are there any particular questions that y'all want to ask them?" And so I ask that question in Tighten Slack, which is kind of funny because you are still in some of our Slacks and you used to work there, but there's still some questions. Matt Stauffer: So the first question came up for you is, "Do you even lift, bro? Which first of all is fantastic, but second of all in our Slack that actually triggers a gif of you doing a lift, so it's perfect. So we haven't gotten to talk about that at all. Adam Wathan: Yeah. Matt Stauffer: Where did that fit into your whole world? Can you tell everybody a little bit about kind of that part of your life? Adam Wathan: Yeah, so when I was working up in Fort McMurray in Alberta, I've always been kind of like an overweight kid. Matt Stauffer: Same. Adam Wathan: And like most people, like you just want to look better, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: So when I was working up there, you're just like so bored and you're not using your willpower for basically anything else that it was like an opportunity to finally try and do that seriously, right? It's actually funny because if you follow along with like the bootstrap podcast like Ian and Andre, Andre is kind of doing the same sort of thing. Like he decided to basically take off some time during the year from any really like mentally sort of straining work. Like I think he's just mostly focused on doing some consulting stuff and I'm not even sure if he's working the same amount of hours and stuff that he was doing normally, but he decided like, you know, I want to take this opportunity with this kind of reserve of mental energy that I have and focus on something like really life changing thing, which for him was like getting in shape, right? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: And it's funny because I never really thought about it that way, but when I heard him phrase it that way it's like you know what, that's exactly like why I was able to do it originally, because I just didn't have anything else pulling at my brain. So when you're going to make dinner or even going out for dinner with your friends it's easy to order the vegetables instead of the fries because like I just haven't used any of that brainpower, you know what I mean? Matt Stauffer: Yeah. Adam Wathan: So when I was working out there, I just ... It was easier for me to start eating a lot better and get into like home workouts and stuff like that and that led me down this whole path of eventually discovering like strength training. Pro tip; if you're a programmer who wants to like start exercising, the terms that you should be Googling are strength training. That is the term that's going to find you ... At least I think is going to find you the stuff that's going to resonate most with how your brain works in terms of things being really measurable and being able to like science the shit out of everything with lots of percentages and math. Adam Wathan: But eventually I kind of stumbled onto this like form of exercise where you're just focusing on like lots of really high bang for your buck compound exercises like multi joint movements like squats and deadlifts and bench press and overhead press and chin ups and barbell rows and stuff like that, and once I finally found the good stuff online which was like Mark Rippetoe's content and stuff like that, you learn like what you should be doing is progressively trying to increase the weight that you're lifting. Like a lot of people just go to the gym and they just like pick whatever they think is going to be like a good weight to lift that day and just do it or whatever, but they're not actually tracking their progress, so they don't really make progress, but if you can develop a plan where you know like okay, this week this is what I'm lifting, next week I have to try and lift this and it goes up and up and up. Adam Wathan: For me that's what was able to keep me kind of motivated because I was seeing progress on paper because seeing progress in the mirror is a lot harder, it takes a lot longer and it's a lot more subtle and gradual, and if you're not taking the pictures of yourself topless in the mirror every week to compare like okay, do I actually look like I'm getting in better shape, but if you're just like blogging stuff in a notebook it's easy to say okay, I bench pressed 185 for six reps last week and this week I did it for eight reps, that's pretty cool. So I've kind of gone into this whole thing of getting stronger and lifting and eventually started competing in power lifting competitions because like with everything I do I have to take it to the extreme. Adam Wathan: So what started as like 185 pound like skinny fat kid to trying to like look better without his shirt off, turned into like a 260 pound dude deadlifting 600 pounds and winning nationals power lifting gold bells. That was just something ... I would still be doing that, but it's a hard ... Once you get there's like a point of diminishing returns, which I think I definitely hit, where you're just more likely to get injured than you are to make progress, and I've hurt myself a couple times and I have a nagging back injury now that doesn't bother me day to day, but any time I get back into lifting, no matter how light I start, after a couple weeks I do one rep not 100% perfect and my back is messed up for a week, it's really frustrating. Adam Wathan: So it's hard for me to really stay motivated into it these days because the thing that kept me going was like getting stronger. So going to the gym to lift less than I did before is like, whatever. I still need to get back into it more, but yeah, that was a big thing for me for a while. Matt Stauffer: It's funny because as you were saying that, a light was going off in my head. I switched to a new trainer about four months ago and it was the first time the trainer has been trying to teach me the skills to be able to stop working with him versus just kind of like giving himself job security by just kind of telling me what to do. And he's a Mark Rippetoe guy and he just moved to Chicago, or he's moving to Chicago this weekend and so he's like here's everything I know and he set me up with this thing called ... Have you ever heard of the 5-3-1? Adam Wathan: Yep, that's what I always used to do. Jim Wendler. Matt Stauffer: That's literally what I started it this week at the new gym on my own and I've got a 5-3-1 calculator. Adam Wathan: That's awesome. Matt Stauffer: I plug all my information in. Adam Wathan: It's amazing. Jim Wendler is like he's the DHH of weight lifting. Like he's just got that same like everyone over complicates things attitude and there's this quote that I ... So this is so funny because like so many people who get into power lifting are like super nerds about this stuff, right? Like the amount of like just nerds that get into this stuff is outrageous just because of the fact that you get to make spreadsheets, you get to calculate like your estimated one rep max based on how many reps you lift this way or whatever. Adam Wathan: And I'll never forget there's like a F.A.Q. section in one of Jim Wendler's books where someone asks a question and it's like, what is the best ... I can't remember exactly how it was phrased, but basically the question is like what incline should I be using on like

In this episode of IM In A Car :) Rob talks with Paul Osborne, Associate Vice-President of Marketing, Enrolment Management & Registrar at Conestoga College. During the drive Paul talks about his early education in radio broadcasting, and how his career slowly shifted to education, ultimately leading him to Contestoga College. He also talks about the importance of collaboration & communication, the impact that Conestoga graduates have in the local community, and gives some advice to potential employers about how to minimize risk when hiring.

Riley Nowak, female student at Conestoga College attending the Social Service Worker program talks to AM640 about the class action lawsuit against the province's College. They are looking for a refund if they choose to withdraw from courses.

Nesse Podcast, apresentamos o Conestoga College, um dos mais conceituados Colleges de Ontario! Saiba porque a região de Waterloo é uma excelente opção de moradia, conheça a estrutura do College, além de informações sobre o mercado de trabalho e carreira nas principais áreas de atuação do Conestoga. Conheça também os principais desafios e o dia a dia no College!

On this week's podcast: Can the expertise and lessons learned in one startup ecosystem be used to benefit ecosystems in different cities and countries? That's what Tim Ellis has spent much of the last few years doing. Tim is the former CEO of the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo and a long-time member of the Waterloo startup community. He has been taking expertise developed in Waterloo and sharing it with startup ecosystems internationally—including in Australia, where the University of Wollongong was so grateful for his help that they awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Science degree. He's now also bringing that same expertise to Cambridge, Ontario, heading up the creation of Grand Innovations, a new innovation centre with partners that include the City of Cambridge and Conestoga College. Grand Innovations is scheduled to open a 50,000 square-foot facility in the Galt area in the next year. In the update: A look at the fate of Startup Calgary, the new Ontario Scale-Up Vouchers program, and Michael Litt's column in the Globe and Mail on Vidyard's efforts to resist gentrification in downtown Kitchener. Links: Grand Innovations The Gaslight District Tim Ellis on Twitter (@tellis) "Startup Calgary finds new home under Calgary Economic Development" (Metro) Ontario Scale-Up Vouchers Program "Can tech uplift a community without gentrifying it?" (Globe and Mail)

Sandy Dietrich-Bell has been the Chief Executive Officer of oneROOF since 2006 and has worked in the field of social services since 1999. Sandy is also a therapist specializing in trauma and abuse, a part-time faculty at Conestoga College, and a proud mother and grandmother."I have always been drawn to the field of social services because I really want to make a difference in this world. Having lived-experienced myself, I have always felt that I needed to be part of the solution regarding the issues of youth homelessness, abuse, and societal violence."Her incredible insight on the human condition, especially applied to youth, provides a rare perspective into the lives homeless adolescents. “To me, Respecting the Process means respecting the uniqueness of each person. You might not understand their process, you might not agree with it, but its theirs and if you’re truly here to assist them and to help them, than you walk with them on their journey. You don’t drag them onto your path. We need to start embracing people where they’re at and helping them walk their journey, to fulfill their purpose, instead of trying to instill ours on them. Letting them see that it is the small things. It is the every day experiences that you & I have had that make us who we are today. It’s not one big pivotal thing that happened last Tuesday that has defined you as a human being. It’s a culmination of everything you have experienced and if you start devaluing that, then you devalue your own process and that’s what we need to get around. We have to start reminding people that every experience has a purpose and all things happen for a reason. The result is what we make it.” — Sandy Dietrich-Bell, oneROOF Chief Executive Director

Carolyn Dawn Good is a cross-disciplinary artist originally from a tiny town just outside Elmira. She grew up as a Mennonite preachers kid and headed to the west coast in 1986 only to return to Ontario a couple years ago. She looks at life through a different lens. Her BFA from University of the Arts and her recent small business venture program at Conestoga College are like yin and yang balance to this outlook. Her custom artwork gives people hope, inspires them to embrace their own creativity and is the source of much inspiration. In this episode of Work and a Life we'll discuss how Carolyn has evolved from a creative wanderer to a savvy businesswoman without sacrificing her power. She'll be telling the story in a creative visualization metaphor that you can plug your own issue in an imagine a creative solution. You may find out more about Carolyn Dawn Good: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cdgood Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/cdgoodart Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/cdgoodART

Track List: Marco Demark -TinyDancer(Deadmau5Remix) You And I (Deadmau5 Remix)- Medina Move For Me - Kaskade ft Deadmau5 Deadmau5 - Not Exactly Toca Me (Deadmau5 Remix) - Fragma so I went with the DJ that every one knows and loves DeadMau5 (Dead mouse) and did a mix of songs that have that signature bass beat in the songs. I can remember the first time I heard a DeadMau5 song and it was on 88.3 CJIQ FM out of Conestoga College in Kitchener and had no idea what song it was but it was love at first note, I emailed DJ Ampz to ask him the name of the song because it became a must have, there are a hand full of songs out there that I can say have had such a profound effect on my DJing but "Not Exactly" by DeadMau5 is one.