Career Trends

TheSelfEmployed.com is a Web portal for all things self-employed. The site aims to be your one-stop-shop for everything you need to know to have a fun and successful entrepreneurial journey. At the site, you will find relevant articles, how-to videos, podcasts, forums, and special offers that are all deigned specifically for the self-employed.

This resource looks specifically at self-employment. I thought it would be a good website to post because self-employment is a growing form of work.

This short article is interesting in that it argues that despite being a job that can't be outsourced, the construction industry gets neglected and has a reputation for being a dirty job. It also points out the positives and possibilities within. It made me think how this industry could be a smart one to get into and will probably go through some changes in the coming years as it evolves due to the fact of more/different people getting into it because for the most part, it can't be outsourced (eg. hopefully women and not the typical "macho" type).

"The World is Flat" chapter 6 reveals that less young people are interested in science compared to the 'race to land on the moon' era which is really interesting, This website offers statistics on the most occupied college majors and business is overwhelmingly #1. People seem to want to make as much money as they can and the university I went to (Laurier) was very business dominated - so much they are building their own business building across the street!

After reading these chapter in "The World is Flat," in particular chapter seven, I was thinking about l education and what has been beneficial to my learning now and in the past. it reminded me of this video about the benefits of music. Music is and always will be very important to me, and I thought this video would be worth sharing.

In Chapter Seven, Freidman talks about Georgia Tech's investment in musical activities for their science students. This video gives an overview of the neurological research behind why playing music benefits the brain.

This is a video from a TV show called The News Room. ** There is some bad language. A girl asked the panel "Why is America the best country in the world?" I feel his answer epitomizes the idea of a shift. A lot of what he says reflects on how our economy only cares about money and making the most profit and not the person anymore. I know this is not the typical article we reflect on, but I feel we can benefit from listening to this. We might be Canadians but we can listen to this and understand. Our education is not the best; we do not have the most well-off middle class. We can all learn from this. Jillian

This article talks about a program at the University of Waterloo aimed at engaging children, at an early age, in science and technology skills. It mentions that our education system is not doing enough in this area, so tech companies are investing in these programs to enable students to have more exposure to these STEM opportunities.

This week I thought it might be interesting to look at the history of who has been admitted into Canada, and why. Immigration has a lot to do with our economy, and is one of the ways that the government can shape the workforce (and the general culture) of the nation. With our steadily dropping birthrate and aging population, it will continue to be an important part of Canada's workplace. I believe that immigration policy is one of the most explicit ways Canada makes its cultural and economic values know through cycles of liberal and conservative thought.

Outsourcing as a form of exploitation - this article comments on the environment and working conditions in Apple's outsourced manufacturing facilities and that despite media coverage of this issue, the general pubic is more concerned with speed, innovation and price than the treatment of workers overseas.

This is an interesting YouTube video of a talk Michael Sandel gave on the idea of outsourcing surrogacy to India and whether this is or is not exploitation - audience members also shared their thoughts.

This site supports Friedman's three convergences of horizontalization, using new technologies with new ways of doing business, and the world now having access to plug-in and play. The article talks about outsourcing many services (especially within manufacturing) all over the world. In 2012, China was the 18th fastest growing economy in the world, with a real GDP growth rate (constant prices, national currency) of 7.8 percent. Although the figure is its slowest growth since 1999, it is also representative of a maturing economy as it gradually transition from a developing to developed nation.

In reading Friedman's three convergence story of Rajesh Dhruva, I decided to look up his company. I was impressed! His company partners with Disney, SEGA, Microsoft, Sony, and probably many other well-known gaming companies that I'm just not familiar with! Just a fun link... Dhruva Interactive is a experienced game development company in India located in Bangalore. It is one of the top game development firm and art studio in Bangalore, India.

This article is an interview with the author. It gives a bit more background about the book and the author. As well, it provides more detail about the author's viewpoint, which is useful for understanding the text. Annotated link: https://diigo.com/071dt2

This is a short article from the Globe and Mail addressing the concerns of "Cloud Computing" in the business world, which is relevant as one of Friedman's flatteners. It also links to chapter three through the second topic in terms of horizontal business where you are able to do more yourself, the same principle is true with cloud computing - more can be done in-house with its use limiting the need for other tech/people.

I chose this article because Friedman discusses in these chapters how the glob population is exploding and countries such as China and India have populations who are catching up to the Western World in terms of their skills. This article shows how this is already happening as Canada is actively seeking skilled professionals to enter the country to live and work here

This is a short article that I like because it touches on Friedman's Convergence I; the advancement of technology in the workplace and how this can increase productivity.

This article echos Friedman in touching on how smartphones have converged so many platforms/task/activities that they have changed the way we live and work.

Friedman describes three convergences that have changed the playing field. The second one describes new technologies combined with new ways of doing business and how it creates a bigger impact. Friedman uses SouthWest Airlines as an example and this article is about five businesses that have changed because of technology - travel being one of them.

I came across a newspaper article this week about the living wage needed in my city, which was $14.95 per hour. This got me thinking about how the minimum wage is so much lower and as a result many people are considered 'working poor' as they are working full time, yet not able to make ends meet because they are being paid less than the living wage. I came across this website in researching more on this issue. Living Wage Canada is a site/portal to facilitate learning and information sharing among these communities to help build a national living wage movement. It includes details about the Canadian Living Wage Framework which provides a consistent living wage definition, calculation methodology, and strategy for recognizing corporate and community leadership who commit to pass a living wage policy.

The CCDF provide numerous services in order to provide career development. They provide numerous courses and training programs that they create themselves.