Jouel Tiu
“Make mistakes now! This sets you up for success in the future,” Jouel Tiu advises current co-op students. When Jouel first started out in the program, he struggled with landing a position, eventually writing around thirty-seven different job applications before finally landing his first placement. Jouel describes this experience as a lesson in failure, allowing him to learn the power of perseverance and gain independence both professionally and personally.
In this interview, Jouel advises current co-op students to take advantage of the chance to learn and discover more about themselves within the program.
How did the Arts Co-op Program prepare you for your current career?
During my time with UBC Arts Co-op, I developed many tools for success, but I think my biggest lesson was around failure. During my first term, while my peers were getting jobs and landing placements, I was madly sending out applications and trying to land myself a job. It took me around thirty-seven cover letters before I landed my first placement. It taught me the power of perseverance. And it also taught me practical lessons for future job searches: customization and how to be sharp with my applications and communicate my value. And I think that’s a lesson in failure that I will hold near and dear, as tough as it was at the time.
What was your favourite part of being in the Arts Co-op Program?
I moved to Victoria for my first placement with the provincial government. I like to think that this is where I first experienced the thrill of moving to a new city and starting a new role. It’s a unique feeling, putting yourself in a foreign setting and shaping your own experiences. Since then, I’ve moved from Vancouver to Boston, and then from Boston to the Netherlands for different career opportunities. I credit these transformative journeys with that first step I took when I got on the ferry to Swartz Bay, beginning my first co-op adventure.
What advice do you have for current or incoming co-op students?
Fail now and fail often! The biggest opportunity you have in front of you is to fail. Use Co-op as the springboard for experimentation, for learning, for discovering, but also for failure. Make the mistakes now, learn from them, and this ultimately sets you up for success in the future.
How did your past work terms prepare you for your current position?
During my first work term with the BC Ministry of the Attorney General, I prepared for tripartite treaty negotiations between First Nations groups, the provincial government, and the federal government. I learned the importance of solid research and of networking and stakeholder management. In my second work term, I wrote grant proposals and final reports for The Sam Sullivan Foundation, a non-profit organization that empowered the physically-disabled community through leisure activities and designing personalized assistive devices. This work taught me the power of preparing engaging business cases and following-up with storytelling-based reports that speak to both the heart and the mind. My final two work terms, I spent marketing the expertise of BC Hydro engineers for hydro-powered projects outside the province and abroad. I developed my marketing and communication skills, promoting something that was entirely outside my realm of knowledge (I discovered a lot about power plants and micro hydro in the process)!
Today, I work for the IKEA franchisor in a global role. I still use many of the skills that I picked up during my different work terms. But the most important thing I learned was adaptability. This has enabled me to find my footing quickly, whether in a new role, or a new project. And it’s helped me realize that I come with an extensive toolbelt of transferable skills that can be used in different contexts. It’s allowed me to transition easily between creative, strategic, and operational functions, and between leadership and specialist roles. And that makes every day so much more interesting!
How has your Arts degree contributed to your career development, both during your work terms and in your current position?
My Arts degree didn’t prepare me for one specific profession. It equipped me to take on a wide array of different opportunities in different sectors and I’ve learned how to use transferable skills in a variety of contexts. Whether I’m facilitating a training session for participants from around the world, interviewing product designers for video productions, or presenting information architecture for a web platform in a virtual meeting, I’m using the skills I picked up during my years at UBC.
Jouel Tiu
“Make mistakes now! This sets you up for success in the future,” Jouel Tiu advises current co-op students. When Jouel first started out in the program, he struggled with landing a position, eventually writing around thirty-seven different job applications before finally landing his first placement. Jouel describes this experience as a lesson in failure, allowing him to learn the power of perseverance and gain independence both professionally and personally.
In this interview, Jouel advises current co-op students to take advantage of the chance to learn and discover more about themselves within the program.
How did the Arts Co-op Program prepare you for your current career?
During my time with UBC Arts Co-op, I developed many tools for success, but I think my biggest lesson was around failure. During my first term, while my peers were getting jobs and landing placements, I was madly sending out applications and trying to land myself a job. It took me around thirty-seven cover letters before I landed my first placement. It taught me the power of perseverance. And it also taught me practical lessons for future job searches: customization and how to be sharp with my applications and communicate my value. And I think that’s a lesson in failure that I will hold near and dear, as tough as it was at the time.
What was your favourite part of being in the Arts Co-op Program?
I moved to Victoria for my first placement with the provincial government. I like to think that this is where I first experienced the thrill of moving to a new city and starting a new role. It’s a unique feeling, putting yourself in a foreign setting and shaping your own experiences. Since then, I’ve moved from Vancouver to Boston, and then from Boston to the Netherlands for different career opportunities. I credit these transformative journeys with that first step I took when I got on the ferry to Swartz Bay, beginning my first co-op adventure.
What advice do you have for current or incoming co-op students?
Fail now and fail often! The biggest opportunity you have in front of you is to fail. Use Co-op as the springboard for experimentation, for learning, for discovering, but also for failure. Make the mistakes now, learn from them, and this ultimately sets you up for success in the future.
How did your past work terms prepare you for your current position?
During my first work term with the BC Ministry of the Attorney General, I prepared for tripartite treaty negotiations between First Nations groups, the provincial government, and the federal government. I learned the importance of solid research and of networking and stakeholder management. In my second work term, I wrote grant proposals and final reports for The Sam Sullivan Foundation, a non-profit organization that empowered the physically-disabled community through leisure activities and designing personalized assistive devices. This work taught me the power of preparing engaging business cases and following-up with storytelling-based reports that speak to both the heart and the mind. My final two work terms, I spent marketing the expertise of BC Hydro engineers for hydro-powered projects outside the province and abroad. I developed my marketing and communication skills, promoting something that was entirely outside my realm of knowledge (I discovered a lot about power plants and micro hydro in the process)!
Today, I work for the IKEA franchisor in a global role. I still use many of the skills that I picked up during my different work terms. But the most important thing I learned was adaptability. This has enabled me to find my footing quickly, whether in a new role, or a new project. And it’s helped me realize that I come with an extensive toolbelt of transferable skills that can be used in different contexts. It’s allowed me to transition easily between creative, strategic, and operational functions, and between leadership and specialist roles. And that makes every day so much more interesting!
How has your Arts degree contributed to your career development, both during your work terms and in your current position?
My Arts degree didn’t prepare me for one specific profession. It equipped me to take on a wide array of different opportunities in different sectors and I’ve learned how to use transferable skills in a variety of contexts. Whether I’m facilitating a training session for participants from around the world, interviewing product designers for video productions, or presenting information architecture for a web platform in a virtual meeting, I’m using the skills I picked up during my years at UBC.
