working in the 21st century

Since I have been (until recently) entrenched in a job hunt, I have become kind of obsessed with the process of searching for a job. What's the best way to do it? What are the new ways to do it? What is the least painful way to do it?

How do you get experience without having any? There's a copious amount of job hunting tips online, but I had trouble finding anything written by anyone from Gen Y. So much of what's out there seems outdated, and the job search methods seem inefficient and uninspired.

I plan to re-visit this topic over the next few months, as it's something so many of us are facing, and I would really like to help get some useful information out there. One resource that is pretty cool is an e-book written by my friend, Dev and his company, DreamNow. Titled Occupation: Change the World, it asks, "How do you make money and change the world?" I would recommend it for anyone with an interest in social entrepreneurship, or anyone who wants to learn more about what options are out there.

I'm volunteering with Youth Employment Services (YES) Montreal in the planning of a "Working in the 21st Century" conference, that is aimed at people aged 16-24. We've been working on coming up with ideas for relevant and interesting workshops. Myself and the rest of the group (most of whom are in their teens) are racking our brains to think of what people want/need to know as they think about their futures.

You'd think we would know what the kids these days should care about, but it's hard to know what we should know. If we knew already, then what use would this conference be to our generation.

If you were going to a conference that could answer all your questions about the working world, what kind of workshops would you want to see? So far, topics include: why entrepreneurship is Canada's hottest career choice, how to fast-track your career, networking, how to choose a socially responsible company, and the intergenerational workplace.

What kind of topics or info would make you want to go to this conference?

why gg is much more than just hot teenagers making out and plotting against each other

I adore Gossip Girl.

Although I usually can't relate to the lifestyles of the privileged, teenaged, Upper East Siders, nor to the drama that unfolds within them, I get a great deal of pleasure out of watching the show. I usually curl up next to my laptop with a sliced apple and some melted peanut butter (for dipping) and enjoy the 40 minutes of fictional drama.

I particularly loved last night's episode, titled Pret-a-Poor-J. One of the plot lines followed 15-year-old Jenny Humphrey as she began to shmooze with models, creepy Cobrasnake-esque photographers, Cory Kennedy look-alikes, and the Nylon extended social circle. Without giving away too much of the plot, I found it really interesting how the show reflected the way our photo-obsessed generation is gradually beginning to function.

The best advertisement—be it for fashion or just the self-promotion of one's party persona—is being visible, whether it be in attendance of parties, or mediated through social networking arenas or the site of one party photographer or another.

Despite being guilty of chronically photographing others, I still believe that there should be limits to how many photos are taken, and in what context. Most importantly, they should be taken with the permission of the subject or, you know, of her parents if she's underage and topless. I think the issues that were raised in yesterday's episode were very relevant for a large part of its viewership: girls in their teens, surrounded by cameras as they are.

I appreciate Gossip Girl's efforts to stay current, and to incorporate witty pop culture references, new and emerging uses of technology, and aspects of contemporary youth culture that are unique to right now. In this way, it's as much a period piece about aspects of our generation as Mad Men is of the advertising world in the '60s . And it's really just fun to watch.

dispassionate fashion

I just finished reading a book called 10 Steps to Fashion Freedom, which basically makes you look through your closet and bad shopping habits, and seriously evaluate how your clothing reflects your inner state. I have absolutely gutted my wardrobe, tossing most of my spur-of-the-moment purchases, and things that I just bought without really thinking about WHY I was buying them.

Now my closet and shelves look pretty empty, but very organized and functional. I now look at my closet and only see stuff I love, and that I know functions as a wardrobe—not just a mess of random pieces. The last chapter of the book is called "Shopping." It doesn't encourage you to go out and replace all the stuff you've just gotten rid of, rather to make a list of your clothing priorities (in my case: a suit for job interviews, a black cardigan, a flowy summer dress, and sandals (check). It helps you keep track of what you actually need so that the next time you go shopping, you have a plan.

Kate recently wrote about her vow to give up shopping (a favourite pastime of hers), and it is nice to know that I am not alone in my downscaling. I have always loved clothing, shopping, and hunting for unique pieces, but being broke and looking critically at my own consumption habits has certainly tempered my fashion zeal.

The pressure to look trendy and current, and to compete with the throngs of twentysomethings (with their jobs and disposable income) is something I find difficult to keep up with. With Facebook photo albums becoming like weekly fashion reviews, it seems everyone feels the need to keep a fresh crop of clothing and accessories on hand. It's amazing how many people can't afford to realistically do this, and the lengths they will go to in order to try.

The age old trick of the buy-wear-return of clothing items seems to be happening more and more frequently. People who do this habitually seem to me to be selfish, shallow, and desperate. I put it in the same league as the dine-and-dash (an instance of which I witnessed last night) which really exposes weakness of character. Basically, if you can't afford it, eat at home, or learn to get creative with your existing wardrobe, for god's sake.

Who knows, maybe once I get a job I will change my tune about clothing consumption. But I really think that it's one thing to enjoy fashion and stay current, but quite another to be fixated to the point of obsession, and worst of all to judge those who you feel don't keep up as well as you do.

talkin' 'bout my generation

"Some call this cohort Generation Y, others Generation Next. Both names are prosaic and don't do justice to this group's emerging record. The generation that made negativism fashionable was the Beat Generation 50 years ago. This new group is helping to reverse things. The Upbeat Generation works for me."

- Henry Aubin in the Montreal Gazette

Part of my thesis research looks at the increasing trend of "voluntourism" (a type of tourism that mixes volunteer work with sightseeing), and the generation that has both fed and gravitated towards the voluntourism industry, my generation.

People born between 1981 and 1999 are considered part of this generation ("Y," "Next," or even "Millenial"). Some of its main characteristics include ambition, a passion for social justice, and a desire to make a difference. According to Lisa Johnson, author of Mind your Xs and Ys: Satisfying the 10 Cravings of a New Generation, these traits have been fostered in the era of self-esteem-based parenting, and community-minded messages in school curricula. Basically, Johnson says, Generation Y has been taught that giving one’s time and abilities is more valuable than simply donating money.

BUT, and this is the main "but" in my thesis, voluntourism is not just about giving time and abilities. It is, largely, about money. A person has to have money in order to affort to be a voluntourist. To go abroad to some of the poorest countries in the world can cost thousands of dollars. Most international volunteering organizations such as Youth Challenge International require volunteers to do their own fundraising, the success of which is often dependent on the wealth and generosity of the would-be volunteer's contacts.

Although volunteering may be about free work, it is certainly not free to volunteer. Voluntourism, what journalist Laura Fitzpatrick has called "Vacationing like Brangelina," seems to be a privilege of the priviledged.

It still involves a choice, however, between heading down to Cancun for an all-inclusive week of booze and buffets, or spending more money (sometimes 5 times the amount) to volunteer in some capacity.

Who makes this kind of choice? Is it the tourist who, after glimpsing the poverty just outside the gates of her five-star resort, decides to take a less decadent trip as a form of atonement for the guilt of the wealthy? Is it the jaded traveller who has seen it all and searches for something more "authentic?" Or, is it simply a person who feels it is her duty to use his relative priviledge for an altrustic purpose?

Does our generation genuinely want to help, or do we just want pictures to make us look worldly on Facebook?

As much as talk about how our generation exemplifies The Age of Ambition kind of excites me, I wouldn't dare to say we are all revolutionaries.

Which is why the term "social entrepreneur," grates on my nerves. The idea of social entrepreneurs is wonderful: "those who see a problem in society and roll up their sleeves to address it in new ways," as Nicholas D. Kristof puts it.When Bono looked at the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa and created the (RED) campaign, he became a social entrepreneur.

When people find a way to turn a social problem into a new business venture, they become social entrepreneurs.

This is great in theory, and often very successful in practice. Unite for Sight, for example, provides eye care and glasses for poor countries around the world. Social entrepreneurship wonderful when it accomplishes something, but awful when it is just a buzzword. It is at its best when people can find a way to make altruism into a functional business; it is a sham when people claim social entrepreneur status for social capital.

What I am most curious about over the next few decades, is what our generation will do with our altruistic impulses and all our effervescent ambition.