Fall Interactive Tour- Integrating students and leaders
The Fall Interactive Tour was an event I was looking forward to for the past few weeks, it generated a lot of buzz and promotions that made it look really appealing. I figured it would be a great chance to meet fascinating leaders in the industry and learn from their experiences and provide worldly advice for emerging students like myself. I was spilt up into a group filled with all Seneca and Sheridan students so I figured it would be a great way to network and meet fellow students with the same educational background.
Our very first workshop introduced the lovely Trina Boos from Boost Agents. Her lecture providing interview skills as well as preparation upon graduating from school was very compelling and informative; I felt like she understood the problems students face, bringing in personal experiences as well as scenarios to help answer questions. She seemed really down to earth and offered tips and tricks to on research skills and networking tools that would be beneficial and relevant in the near future.
One of the main highlights from the tour was introducing Jay Bregman from Hailo because the app he created along with his team is one of the apps I absolutely adore. He described how the idea and creation of Hailo formulated from a boat in the UK, a story which I found rather fascinating and inspiring, especially for start-up businesses. It also helped that I received a $10 credit on my Hailo account redeemable for my next cab ride. Another highlight from the tour was meeting the creative director of SapientNitro, I got a chance to talk to him personally and ask him about his previous work experiences that would eventually lead him to a director, as well as his recent Harley Davidson campaign he took part in.
After we finished the panel discussion, our next mission on the itinerary was to stop at a studio called Shopify, a commerce platform that allows people to sell online and offers a professional online storefront. The inside was really modern- a loft style office filled with Macs and glass windows so everyone can see what’s happening in the meeting rooms. On a side note, the inside of the office also used to be a brothel. The graphic designer Trevor introduced himself as a previous Seneca student and the perks of working at Shopify which just recently bought out Jetcooper. The one thing that surprised me about this company was how young the company and employees were. Grip Limited was the next studio on our tour and my favourite in terms of the interior structure of the office; it allowed everyone to be treated “equally” where everyone can be seen. The railings allowed workers to view down to the main atrium where people utilize that area to make announcements as it is a focal point of the studio. There is also a really cool orange slide located on the side of the atrium, creating a “fun workplace” environment as well as an interesting interior concept.
For future students attending the Fall Interactive Tour, I would recommend them preparing questions beforehand and to bring a notebook to take down important notes. They should also embrace the experiences and soak in as much information as possible and try to talk more people- whether it’s other students, leaders or employees in the workshops. Lastly, they should also dress appropriately for the weather and prepare their feet for some intense walking.