Limitless

By Natasha Jung, SOUL mentor and marketing communications professional Two things people know about me: I love Jay-Z and I love people.

Being a people person, naturally, I get to meet a lot of people. A few times a year, I get invited to meet university students at conferences, speaker series or networking events.

Typical types of questions I get from students:

• What do you do for work? • How did you get to where you are today? • What are some tips you have for finding a dream job after graduating from university?

...you get the idea.

I recently attended a networking roundtable event that brought in professionals across different industries with students from different areas of study. One of the students came up to me and asked me something I had never heard from a student before:

"What are the challenges you face being a young woman trying to work your way up the corporate ladder? What are the limitations or obstacles I should be aware of and prepare myself for?"

While I am certainly aware of challenges women may face in getting to top leadership positions, I didn’t feel qualified to answer her questions, even though she was asking about my own experiences.

Why? There's so much more to the conversation of career advancement for women than what I have personally experienced. Having started off my professional career a few years ago, I had not yet faced any limitations or obstacles because of my gender (at least not that I'm aware of)...and I certainly hope I never do.

We had to switch tables before I could answer, so we couldn't finish the conversation and then the event was over. (Don't worry, I'm going to see if she wants to go for coffee to discuss further).

Where did these questions come from? Had she been doing some reading that had led her to believe these were things she should worry about before even graduating from university? Has she seen or experienced this first-hand? Did someone tell her that she should start thinking about these things as so to 'choose an appropriate career path' or 'set goals accordingly'?

The very next morning, I had a meeting with my Chief Marketing Officer who was visiting from Toronto. She's only 4'11", but by the way she carries herself, she has people convinced that she’s 5'8". This wasn't a meeting about campaign plans or the direction of the marketing group within our firm – it was a discussion of the book "Lean In," written by Sheryl Sandberg,

Facebook's Chief Operating Officer. In this book, Sheryl describes how women unintentionally hold themselves back based on limitations they've created internally, which affect their outward progression in their careers and lives overall. I brought up the questions the student asked the night before and we discussed the issue.

Inspired by the discussion around the table, I ask this of my fellow emerging professionals (females and males alike): If you're ever asked similar questions, I hope you can answer in this manner:

• Many of the limitations we see can often be self-inflicted and a reflection of how we compare ourselves in relation to our male counterparts around us • There will always be obstacles and challenges in our professional lives, but we should embrace and overcome them • We are only limited by what our minds think we can or cannot do • You go, girl! (just kidding...unless it works in that situation)

How's that for a pep talk? As much as I believe in all those messages and strive to live by them everyday, I can't ignore the facts.

Deloitte and Carleton University's Centre for Women in Politics and Public Leadership conducted a study, Progress in inches, miles to go. The study provides figures, facts and tremendous insight into female leadership across all industries and shows how women are under-represented in those top spots.

I don't have a magic formula to prescribe what emerging professionals (male and female) can do today and tomorrow to help change that. What I can advise to students who are carving their paths though, is this:

• Choose an organization where you have potential to grow • Have thoughtful conversations with people in your network about this topic if you have questions • You can't control external barriers, but you can certainly manage your own internal ones - don't ever limit yourself • Embrace any challenges that may come your way as an opportunity to grow • Ask yourself this question: What would you do if you weren't afraid?

Oh, and where does Jay-Z factor into this? Not only is he married to Beyonce (aka Queen B, who has the entire music industry wrapped around her finger), but he too doesn't believe in limitations. So in the words of Jay-Z, I tell myself this all the time and I hope you do too: "world can't hold me, too much ambition."

Social Media Contest

Members, we got a social media contest for you! Win advanced movie screening passes for you and a friend to see Divergent, yoga mats and spirit wraps! Simply tell us how YWiB SFU is helping you personally and/or professionally on our Facebook wall by Sunday, March 16 and you could win! We got lots to give away so don't hesitate! Contest Rules: 1. Tag your post with both #ywiblove and #divergent 2. Ends Sunday, March 16 at 11:59 p.m.

Please note, advanced movie screening passes are on Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at Fifth Avenue Cinema. If you can't make it to the screening, you can choose to opt for other prizes instead.

About the Film

DIVERGENT is a thrilling adventure set in a future world where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities, Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it's too late.

Set in a futuristic dystopia where society is divided into five factions that each represent a different virtue, teenagers have to decide if they want to stay in their faction or switch to another - for the rest of their lives. Tris Prior makes a choice that surprises everyone. Then Tris and her fellow faction-members have to live through a highly competitive initiation process to live out the choice they have made. They must undergo extreme physical and intense psychological tests, that transform them all. But Tris has a secret that she is Divergent, which means she doesn't fit into any one group. If anyone knew, it would mean a certain death. As she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, this secret might help her save the people she loves... or it might destroy her.

Executive for a Day Raffle Prize at International Women's Day Conference

At our International Women's Day (IWD) Conference on March 8 at the Century Plaza Hotel, we will have raffle prizes you can enter to win. One you might be interested in is our Executive for a Day prize where you could win a coffee chat/office tour of your desired organization to learn more about the career that interests you.

Organizations and professionals participating will be:

Erica Rizzo	Technical Talent Associate	Hootsuite
Pam Hernandez	Project Manager	Telus
Sam Ko	Manager, Platform Ecosystems & eChannels Marketing	SAP
Jennifer Maloney	Co-Founder	Yulu PR
Stephanie Shaw	HR Business Partner	Teck Resources
Sanj Kooner	Associate	PricewaterhouseCoopers
Pam Sirney	HR Manager	Holt Renfrew
Caoimhe Bourke	HR Manager	Smythe Ratcliffe
Sam Dundee and Andrea Yeung	Mergers and Acquisitions Analyst/Financial Analyst	Deloitte/Telus
Ellen Pekeles	Senior Vice President of Operations	Vancity

Tickets for IWD are now on sale: http://ywibiwd14.eventbrite.caWe will have more organizations and professionals, so stay tuned!

For a list of speakers and panelists, click here.

Mind Your Money Workshop: Answers to Your Financial and Tax Questions

Last month, we held a financial literacy workshop with Caroline Battista, a tax analyst with H&R Block Canada, and she covered everything from budgeting to reducing debt to income tax preparation. With the tax deadline fast approaching, she shared valuable advice on how to get organized early, debunked tax myths and outlined the paperwork needed to complete a tax return.

The response to the workshop meant there were more questions than could be answered. Caroline weighs in on some of the interesting unanswered questions:

Question: Do international students need to file a tax return?

Answer: The Canadian tax system is based on residency rather than citizenship, so there are a number of factors that determine whether you need to file a tax return. For example, if an international student leaves the country to go home for the summer, then he or she is less likely to be considered a resident and would not need to file a Canadian tax return. In the event that there is a tax treaty with your home country, your residency status will be determined by tie-breaker rules in the treaty. A breakdown of the criteria for residency status can be found here.

Your residency status does not matter if you earned income in Canada during the year. If you earned income, you need to file a tax return to report it. This could include money from a job, research grant, or teaching assistant position. If you earned income, you may be eligible to claim tuition and education credits and, if you plan to stay in Canada, you can carry these tax credits forward to use in future years when you are earning more money.

If you did not earn any income but are considered a resident, you may benefit from filing a Canadian return every year you study in Canada. Once you are older than 19, you may be eligible to receive the quarterly GST/HST tax credit, which is meant to refund some of the sales tax you pay.

Question: Can you claim moving expenses if you relocated to Canada from another country?

Answer: With a few exceptions, international students coming to Canada cannot claim moving expenses. You can only claim these expenses when relocating within Canada if you have employment income in your new location.

Question: How long can you carry forward tuition credits?

Answer: You can continue to carry forward unused amounts indefinitely, until you have enough income to use them. Since tuition and education credits are non-refundable credits, they cannot create a refund on their own; you need to have paid income tax during the year to generate a refund. Once you have carried forward your credits, you can no longer transfer them to a parent, spouse or grandparents.

You are required to claim your carry-forward tuition and education credits the first year you can use them, so you cannot choose to use a portion of your credits and save the rest for another year. That means you can only carry forward credits if you have more than you need to reduce your taxable income to zero.

Question: What is the difference between deductions and credits?

Answer: Most tax credits are non-refundable amounts, which means you must have paid income tax during the year in order to claim them. Tax credits are multiplied by 15 per cent before you can apply them to your tax owing. So, if you claim the $5,000 First Time Homebuyers Credit, you receive $750 in tax savings. As long as you have federal tax payable, non-refundable tax credits will increase your refund. Credits are of the same value to everyone so if you transfer tuition credits to your parents, they receive the same amount as you would if you save them and claim them later.

With deductions, the amount of savings fluctuates with income. Deductions are subtracted directly from your taxable income and you do not have to reduce the amount by multiplying it against a percentage. For example, if you earned $47,000 and made a $5,000 RRSP contribution, your taxable income would be reduced to $42,000.

As you earn more income, you pay more income tax. For 2014, you pay 15 per cent income tax on the first $43,953 you earn. From $43,954 to $87,907, you pay 22 per cent on that income. So a deduction can be used to drop your income to a lower bracket, as in the RRSP example above. If you earned $47,000 but your RRSP contribution dropped your income to $42,000, then you will only pay 15 per cent in income tax. And you don’t pay 22 per cent tax on the $3,047 you were over the income threshold. Moving and childcare expenses are other examples of deductions.

Since deductions usually result in bigger tax savings, the Canada Revenue Agency is more likely to ask you to provide receipts to prove your claim. If you cannot provide the proper documentation, your claim will be disallowed and your return will be reassessed without the deduction.

If you need further assistance preparing your tax return, H&R Block tax professionals are happy to answer questions for free. Or you can ask a question online at http://taxtalk.hrblock.ca/ask-us-a-question, or visit www.hrblock.ca to try H&R Block Canada’s new Tax Software. It allows you file one free return until March 31, 2014.

Overcoming the Silent Stigma with Kristin Bower

Coming up at our Cool, Calm and Collected workshop on Feb 20, we will feature Kristin Bower, HR professional from Vancity, as one of our guest speakers to teach us how to manage our stress effectively.

Inside and outside of the office, Kristin is an advocate for mental health and awareness, as well as author of the blog, Adventures of a Survivor!. After overcoming a personal depressive episode two years ago, Kristin started her blog and wrote to work through her feelings and experiences.

“I was at a point where writing was therapeutic for me,” she says. “But I also wanted to make the leap into advocacy work. Having been through two major depressive episodes, at that point in my life I felt strongly that I could leverage it to make the experience perhaps less scary and lonely for other people also experiencing mental illness.”

During the dark times, Kristin faced many challenges while she learned more about herself, mental illness and her workplace.

“I made a commitment to be honest and sometimes that is a fine line,” says Kristin. “For work and my personal life, being honest has come at a cost. I have lost or ended friendships because that person couldn’t understand or show empathy. And I do feel that my career has stalled at times because of my illness. But at the end of the day, I made a choice and it’s one that I have never regretted.”

Although overcoming her challenges was difficult, Kristin frequently reminded herself of what her values were and what was essential to her well-being. She wanted to surround herself with people that lifted her up and says being honest with herself and others was key in conquering her obstacles.

Aside from her blog, Kristin is also a community correspondent with Partners for Mental Health, a national not-for-profit dedicated to awareness and elimination of stigma associated with mental illness. In addition, she works with the Vancouver/Burnaby branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association and plans events at work in support of Bell Let’s Talk Day and Mental Health Awareness Week in May of each year.

With mental illness becoming more common today, affecting Canadians of all ages, cultures and educational levels, Kristin advises students to challenge their beliefs and assumptions regarding mental health and awareness.

“Open yourself up to learning more about the topic,” she says.

Hear from Kristin and others at YWiB SFU’s Cool, Calm & Collected workshop on Feb 20th. Registration is exclusively available on our Eventbrite: http://ywibccc.eventbrite.ca - don’t forget to share your posts about this event with #ywibcalm!

Also, check out Kristin in the National Post.

Cool, Calm and Collected Workshop on Feb 20

For our third workshop of the year, YWiB SFU presents a stress management and healthy living workshop designed to help you manage your stress effectively and live your best life.

Featuring three speakers who will each discuss a different aspect of mental health, this evening will also include a couple fun activities (including a stress-management themed DIY!).

Note - This event is business casual

Christine Jamieson Founder - Faces of Mental Illness

'Faces of Mental Illness' started in 2012 and has since become an international organization with branches all across the globe. It’s goal is to erase the stigma around mental illness and to create programs to aid in educating those who may one day be affected by it. Christine is also currently Miss Charity Vancouver and Miss Beauty for a Cause Vancouver. She is featured in the following articles: http://www.nsnews.com/health/North+Vancouver+beauty+queen+takes+action/8008677/story.html http://capilanocourier.com/challenging-the-stereotype-removing-stigma-about-mental-illness/

Kristin Bower  Talent Consultant - VanCity

Experience with mental health and awareness from a personal and professional standpoint, and also is a strong advocate for mental health and awareness in the workplace. Runs a success blog about the topic, and has been featured in the National Post before with regards to her work (article: “Overcoming the Silent Stigma” http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/05/07/overcoming-the-silent-stigma/).

SFU Health & Counselling

Hear from a SFU Health & Counselling representative on opportunities in the health and mental health awareness sectors. In the past, SFU Health & Counselling has spoken at our Holistic Living Workshop and they have worked hard on their Wellness Blog and creating the Hi-FIVE Campaign to empower students to reach their full potential with resilient and healthy minds!