2023 Youth Professional Career Development, Innovation & Entrepreneur Experience Share Forum (I) Successfully Hel

加拿大"年轻/二代专业就业,创新与创业经验分享会'' (I)

《北美之声》创办人陈蓉编辑报道

On August 29, 2023, the "2023 Youth Professional Career Development, Innovation & Entrepreneur Experience Sharing Forum" (I) took place online. This event was organized by the Canada-China Economic Trade & Culture Exchange Promotion Alliance (CCEA), CPAC and the Confederation of Chinese Alumni Associations (CCAA), in collaboration with nine professional associations: CCFA, CPMPAC, CSIP, NACSAE, CCPAA-ON, CNIW, AAIA, CCAACF, and UTCSSA.

In this virtual haven of inspiration and mutual support, we come together to uplift, learn, and empower each other on our unique journeys, bringing some exceptional individuals from diverse backgrounds who have scaled the heights of success in their respective fields, embarking on a journey of inspiration and insight. Our virtual stage was set for an exploration of career growth, innovation, and entrepreneurial empowerment.

Moderator: Danielle Chen

CCEA/CCAA VP , IT Marketing & Personal Branding Expert,

WIN (Women International Network) Guest Speaker

The event was moderated by Danielle Chen. The event commenced with a review of the two most significant events of 2022-2023: the "Canadian Professional Career Development Forum and Job Fair." Following this, guest speakers shared their successful career journeys and offered valuable advice for young individuals.

1.Speaker Eddie Wang

Co-Founder and Managing Director of TopOffer.Entrepreneurial projects in Canada, Singapore, Israel, and Tanzania. He founded 5 companies, and is an investor in two Silicon Valley VC funds. Graduated from York Schulich and Cambridge University Judge Business Schools, Schulich Guest Lecturer.

Speaker Eddie Wang

Speaker Eddie Wang shared his entrepreneur experience starting from how he approached CEOs for a good product to sell, to the recent success of his educational company–TopOffer. He advised young entrepreneurs to serve the market by creating VALUE, understand the business model and be prepared for the most difficult journey. He also shared his three life philosophies: Young entrepreneurs should have a clear goal and set priorities, need to know the rules well to break the rules, and never take NO as an answer.

2.Speaker Ruby Zhang

PhD student in Economics at Harvard University. Worked with a research lab using data from Meta, which was published in Nature. Graduated from University of Chicago with 3 majors

Speaker Ruby Zhang

Speaker Ruby Zhang shared her academic study journey at the University of Chicago and current PhD study at Harvard University. She advised youth should find something that can motivate yourself internally, and be intentional about goal-setting. Youth need to introspect often, be curious and seize good opportunities. She mentioned the potential career opportunity after an Economics PhD study would be in academia, or private or public sector.

General Reflections

Speaker Kate Mao

Founder of Into Archive, an e-commerce platform connecting luxury vintage stores from cities all over the world. Entrepreneur in New York, RISD graduate, Fashion/Art.

Speaker Kate Mao

Speaker Kate Mao shared her entrepreneur experience by introducing her company which connects luxury vintage stores from cities all over the world, and her company website which participates in unique collaborations with other companies and a roster of over 250-influencers online to market and futurize the cycle of vintage. Her advice to young entrepreneurs is to create something doesn't have to be world-changing.Niche interests and specialties are valuable.

Speaker Coen Zeng

University of Waterloo, 4th year Computer Science student, Co-op at Amazon,Minted, Coveo and Kirchhoff Automotive

Speaker Coen Zeng

Speaker Coen Zeng shared his 4 co-op work journeys and experience which involved active co-op searching, interviewing, and then actual working. He expressed the importance of internships, and then focused on the experience and feeling from his summer co-op work at Amazon which involved coding and implementing his design with several programming tools. He summarized a few insights about doing internships, including the objective to find out what you would like it or not; some IT’s focusing more on ability thus previous experience is critical; And the actual co-op work is a really another interview so you need to focus and dedicate.

5.Speaker Cindy Lin

First year Resident Doctor at Toronto SickKids Hospital. Graduated with Honors Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto, Doctors of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario

Speaker Cindy Lin

Speaker Cindy Lin shared her study journey to successfully become a resident Dr. at Toronto SickKids Hospital. She showed her leadership, responsibility and passion about medical education research and mentorship work beyond the day to day clinical work. She provided a few tips for driving career to pursue: 1. Your career does not define you. You define your career. 2. Be passionate about what you choose to do. 3. Build and find your community and support system as you build your career, etc She also explained the current and future Canadian health care system which required for more Doctors and welcome Youth to pursue your dream.

Following that, a panel discussion and Q&A session took place, during which the audience posed several insightful questions. The discussion centered around how young individuals can confront challenges and surmount difficulties on their path to success. Additionally, the conversation delved into the outlook for future job opportunities and the emergence of new entrepreneurs.

Panel Discussion with Q & A examples

Q: 'Will Ruby stay in the USA or Canada for career development? Which city would you choose and why?'

A: The academic job market is highly variable and unpredictable. The job market typically peaks during the sixth year, but now some apply during the fifth year. People often apply to up to 100 research institutions in the US, Canada and the UK. However, it depends on the market's needs. Different departments may be looking for economists in various fields each year. One important thing is setting boundaries.

Many grad. students get overly stressed about landing a position at their desired research institution and tie their self-worth to it. For me, I'd prefer a big city, so there are only a few options in the US and Canada that I'd consider. Otherwise, I'm open to private or public sector research opportunities. It's essential to be flexible. Ultimately, it's your life, and you need to set your own limits, so have an open mind.After all, we've all heard of organizations like 'Doctors Without Borders.' Maybe there could be 'Researchers Without Borders' in the future.

Q: Kate, How do you optimize the strategy for an online e-commerce website and its products? This question might be for someone else, but it's a great question.

A:When I approach things online, I find it essential to be vigilant on social media apps. Twitter, in particular, serves as the original source for a lot of information, especially in the early stages of celebrity events, drama, and company news. It's text-heavy and quick for sharing information, so I spend up to an hour daily on Twitter. This feeds into my other social media platforms, where I showcase photography and follow trends. Trends can fluctuate, so staying closely connected with accounts similar to yours can be beneficial when building a brand or company online.

As for offline strategies, it's relatively new territory for us. To navigate it, we conduct research by networking with brand owners and people within the region where we plan to operate. For example, in New York City, we've had numerous conversations to understand what successful brands are doing and how they market. We draw inspiration from high-fashion brands like Louis Vuitton or Chanel, analyzing the market through a similar lens. This might involve magazine features, wheat-pasting in the city, or collaborations for online videos and interviews. These practices have proven to be highly effective.These are some insights I've gathered over the years.

Q: Cindy. Someone named ING mentioned that they graduated with a degree in life sciences from UFT and is inquiring about job options for undergraduate students in biology, especially entry-level positions related to biology or medicine.

A: That's a really good question. It may highlight some of the unfortunate shortcomings in our current undergraduate system and its structure. In my opinion, most life sciences undergraduates would benefit from pursuing a master's degree because undergraduate studies often lack practical exposure.If you aspire to work in a hospital but don't want to become a doctor, you can explore allied healthcare roles, such as a physiotherapist, dietitian, or pharmacist. These roles require additional training at the master's level to gain practical experience. Alternatively, you could pursue a career in research, but this typically requires a master's or Ph.D.

Another avenue gaining popularity is the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, which combines science and business. If that interests you, it's possible to find job opportunities right after earning a bachelor's degree. However, keep in mind that as more people pursue master's degrees, it might become increasingly necessary in some cases.

Q: Can a doctor be specializing in two different fields at the same time? for instance, being both an orthopedic doctor and dermatologist.

A: There's nothing stopping you from doing two or three specialties, but each require its own residency, so you'd have to apply to get into the residency. As a resident doctor, you don't make the full salary of a real doctor. So how long do you want to spend being a trainee versus a real doctor?

I also think some specialties are harder to match together, for example, you can be an ICU doctor and orthopedic surgeon, because they are related and you can combine the two knowledge. But if it's like two separate things, I think it's a little harder to incorporate. And you're going to end up picking one over the other.

Q: Which one is more difficult? Which medical specialty is the most challenging? Is it a neurosurgery or neurology?

A: And I think they're both very challenging specialties, as we're still trying to understand the brain, which we're still trying to be better and better every day with research. Neurosurgeon takes longer, they take about 7 years to do residency and have to do a PHD essentially. Neurology just ran for five years. So, duration wise neurology is shorter. But again, understanding the brain is something complex and something that's constantly evolving.

Q: Is it mandatory for a doctor to go through the residency phase?

A: Yes.

Q: Between the internist and surgeon, which one has a broader knowledge and faces a higher level of difficulty?

A: I would say they face different types of difficulties and broadness of knowledge. So, we'll start with the knowledge base as the internist, they know everything about the body systems, so their knowledge base comes from knowing how different diseases present, how to treat and manage them without any surgery.

As a surgeon, their knowledge base is much more practical. How can surgery fix things?. In terms of the second part, difficulty. I would say it's challenging in its own ways, as an internist, the diagnosis is not clear. You don't know what you're dealing with sometimes, and that's difficult. As a surgeon, you have a clear diagnosis most of the time, which is why you're operating, or you know, you're operating to reach a diagnosis. So, in that sense, it's easier, but their hours are a bit harder in some ways.

Q: Is obtaining a medical license required to practice as a doctor in Canada?

A: Yes.

Q: What are the requirements for practicing as a doctor in Canada after graduating from prestigious medical schools like Peking University or Peking Union Medical College? is a recommendation from local Canadian doctors necessary? If so, how can one go about finding such a recommendation?

A: I don't know the exact specifics of the process, but I do know technically you have to do a residency in Canada, even if you're a doctor abroad. And I know there's quite a few family doctors out there who are licensed medical conditions in their original country. But they came here and they essentially do what I'm doing right now and go through a whole recipe to be a practicing physician in Canada.

Subsequently, esteemed organizers and representatives, including Mr. Cheng Zeng, Executive President of CCEA; Mr. Ti Wang, President of CPAC; Mrs Tracy Duan, President of CPMPAC; Mr. Yaojie Lu, VP of NACSAE; Mr. Nelson Liu, VP & Secretary General of CCAA; and Mr. Yuanpeng Zhao, President of Xidian Canada Association, Mr Mark Chan& Maria Sun, Parents of gesture speaker Ruby Zhang, expressed their gratitude for the inspirational speeches and successful stories shared by the speakers. They commended the vision, leadership, responsibility, passion, dedication and outstanding professionalism demonstrated by the younger generation throughout their journeys. These insights have furnished attendees with a clear roadmap for effective career development, offering valuable guidance to young individuals embarking on their professional paths. All leaders encouraged young people to learn from these exemplary role models, prepare for forthcoming challenges, and elevate their personal careers to new heights.

In closing, Mr. Cheng Zeng announced that the 2nd edition of this event will take place on September 16, 2023, featuring a lineup of remarkable young speakers. We invite you to stay tuned and join us once again for another inspiring session.

Video of this forum has been published on Youtube with link below:

https://youtu.be/rd-GrA1Etms

Special thanks for Event Organizing Committee Volunteers:

Planning: Cheng Zeng, Ti Wang; Bill Ye, Changchun Zhao, Emily Gu, Thomas Li, Tracy Duan,Lian Guan, Ling Loerchner, Peizhong Wang, Mia Ma, Nathan Jia
Moderators: Danielle Chen,
Poster Design: Sia Yang , Yongtong Zhang
Zoom Tech Support : Sam Wang, Bill Ye, Nelson Liu,
News Reporting : Cheng Zeng, Margaret Han, Amy Xiao, Jeff Peng, Rong Chen
Advertisement : Nelson Liu, Zhiyong Huang, Emily Gu, Mia Ma, Jana Chen, Bin Cheng
PPT : Cheng Zeng
Student Volunteers: Evelyn Chen, Grace Zhou , Cynthia Zeng