Happy New Year 2015 !!!

Happy New Year 2015!

Update:
I am back in the Healthcare field again, working as a Family Physician, satisfied with life.

My MBA has been very useful to me in the Medical field. I am glad I did my MBA. I did take a financial hit when I was doing the full time MBA, and not working at that time, but it was a bold experiment that was very well worth it in the end!

Cheers!
Gerry.

My HuffPost blog #11 about the importance of proper PR for leaders of organizations

My blog is at the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/gerry-som/mayor-ford-video_b_4186303.html

My Huffington Post article #11. The article is about the importance of PR for organizations. Leaders have influence on a number of people. Perception becomes reality for people who do not know someone personally. A leader can not be effective if he does not know how to manage communications and PR. If they can not manage it by themselves, they should hire professionals to do the job for them.

Cheers,

Gerry. 

My HuffPost Blog #10 about Healthcare Jobs in Canada and lack of opportunities for youth, new graduates and international graduates

From the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/gerry-som/healthcare-jobs_b_4165691.html

There is a need for equal employment opportunity rights for all Canadians, especially the under-represented segments like younger Canadians, new graduates and internationally educated professionals, in the healthcare sector in Canada. Right now, the recruiting is not fair, and does not represent all Canadians.

My blog about Medical Licensure in Canada for IMGs : www.GerryMD.com

Check out my blog about Medical Licensure in Canada for IMGs (International Medical Graduates), as I make the move toward licensure myself, soon. The blog is at the link: http://medicallicensurecanada.blogspot.ca/ or at the URL: www.GerryMD.com

Enjoy,

Dr. Gerry Som, MBA, MBBS
IMG Family Physician and ER Doctor
Toronto, ON
gerrysom@yahoo.com

TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT: Can computers take over human jobs? To what degree? How soon?

From the links:

• http://www.futuretech.ox.ac.uk/oms-working-paper-future-employment-how-susceptible-are-jobs-computerisation-dr-carl-benedikt-frey-m
• http://www.technologyreview.com/view/519241/report-suggests-nearly-half-of-us-jobs-are-vulnerable-to-computerization/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite_fallacy#CITEREFFord2009
• http://www.motherjones.com/media/2013/05/robots-artificial-intelligence-jobs-automation

Download this free e-book from the lin below, NOW! Read as many pages as you can! Don't be a Luddite! Coz you can't win!

http://www.thelightsinthetunnel.com/LIGHTSTUNNEL.PDF

TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT: 

• Can computers take over human jobs? 
• To what degree? 
• How soon? 
• What will be the magnitude of disruption? 
• What can we do about it?
• How should we prepare for the future?
• How can we ensure that we do not lose our jobs in the future?
• How can we stay in demand in the future?
• What are YOU doing about it, now?

The above questions are very vital. If you have not planned for the future, and are not prepared for it, you will face the music / consequences someday. The summary is this:

• Computers are getting more capable with time
• The growth is not linear, but exponential
• The past changes have been slow, but the future changes shall be way faster
• We humans have a perception of linear growth, but we are not very experienced in the perception of exponential growth
• The rich will use computers to do the jobs of humans to save money, improve efficiency, and productivity
• Many of the poor will be out of jobs -- those jobs that can be replaced by mechanization / automation / computerization / outsourcing, and they will have no choice but to become computer savvy
• The computer illiterate will be reduced / limited to working service jobs in restaurant / trades, as everything that can be mechanized / computerized will likely become so
• So, when are you getting started? Now is a good time! How about right now, this very second?

Good luck,

Gerry Som, MBA

Gen Y: Broke, Confused and Educated in Unwanted Fields?

There are so many articles in newspapers these days about:

• Gen Y not being in touch with reality
• Gen Y not studying in the right courses in North America
• Gen Y not having proper career focus and goals 

Some of the links to such articles are here:

• http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/university-degree-still-good-investment-163927242.html
• http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/pay-day-/inflation-gen-y-no-idea-coming-191511340.html
• http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/students-continue-choose-degrees-low-earning-potential-cibc-174640570.html

In India, I remember, people always encouraged their kids to study Medicine or Engineering. Not Law, not commerce, not arts, not sociology or philosophy. Just Medicine and Engineering. There were / are no trade schools in India. People just learn from their parents or mentors. Guess what are the fields in demand, in the world right now? Medicine and Engineering.

There is something wrong in North America. Why do most students not chase engineering or healthcare fields? They chase arts and social sciences. 

Some other scary sentences I read recently (from the articles at the link above):

• “It’s not an advantage to have a degree anymore, but it’s a disadvantage if you don’t have it,” says O’Grady.
• As if crushing debt and limited job prospects were not enough, generation Y has something else to worry about - inflation.
• Too few students are graduating from programs that are in high demand.
• Today's students have not gravitated to more financially advantageous fields in a way that reflects the changing reality of the labour market
• Students are making DUMB choices: they are continuing to pursue fields where upon graduation, they aren’t getting a relative edge in terms of income prospects.
• The average Canadian household currently owes more than $1.60 for every dollar of disposable income it takes in each year
• Inflation: Gen Y has no idea what’s coming

Some of the companies that I had applied to in the past...

Here are some of the companies that I had applied to, in the past, while doing my MBA studies: Deloitte, Pepsi, Coca cola, Ford Motor Corp, Nestle, McKinsey, Scotia bank, Royal Bank of Canada, HSBC, TD Bank, BMO, CIBC, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, GSK, Bristol Meyer Squib, Diageo, P&G, Baxter, Abbott, Apotex, Boeringer Ingelheim, Aventis, Bayer, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Bain, PWC, Syncrude, Suncor, Husky, Exxon Mobil, PetroCanada, Canadian Natural, Medtronics, Manpower, Spherion, Randstad, Novopharm, Genpharm, Taro, Patheon, BD, Biogen, Bioassay, Biovail, Astra Zeneca, Innopharm, Aventis pasteur, Wyeth, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Roche, Innovus, Solvay, Sanofi, Patheon, Jameison vitamins and many many more... 

I applied on their career section of company websites using their portals (Taleo, KeneXa or Brassring). For now, I have decided to focus on the Healthcare Management Sector only.

What I learnt : 

• Do not bombard (carpet bomb) the postings
• Be selective
• Customize resumes

Personal Branding tips for you :)

#Personal-Branding. "Occupy" the internet (Hint: Get accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Blogs). Develop an online presence - a positive one. Show up in search results - at least the first few pages of Google search results. When shortlisted, recruiters will do an online search of you. Let them see what you want them to see, by having an impressive and positive online profile...

#Hot-Tips: (1) Print your business cards (if not already) (2) Register your domain name and link it (URL forward) to your LinkedIn website. For example www.yourname.com or www.yourname.ca. Alternatively, create a website with your achievements. (3) Google your name. What do you see? If it ain't good, fix it :)

Gerry.

Here below, is a must read article:

http://www.beknownblog.com/2011/11/the-value-of-building-your-personal-brand/

My HuffPost Blog #9: Ontario Elevator Strike: Not an Uplifting Experience for Patients

My Huffington Post blog #9 : http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/gerry-som/ontario-elevator-strike_b_3547294.html

Ontario Elevator Strike: Not an Uplifting Experience for Patients

Bonne fête du Canada !!! Happy Canada Day 2013 !!!

<3 Bonne fête du Canada <3 Happy Canada Day 2013 !!! <3

My HuffPost Blog #8 : What Are the Benefits of a Business Degree?

Please check out my blog #8 at this link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/gerry-som/business-degree-benefits_b_3450026.html

Made it to the front page of Huffington Post!

Some pictures from MBA Graduation Day Spring 2013 @ Ryerson University Ted Rogers School of Management

Will post photos and video of Graduation Ceremony and Graduate Reception soon

Had a wonderful and memorable convocation and graduate reception. Many thanks to Ryerson University for making my day memorable. Will post videos and photos soon.

Student life is officially over and I am now an alum, not a student. Looking forward to doing well and doing good.

Cheers,
Gerry.

My HuffPost Blog # 7: Why Do Canadians Still Tolerate Political Scandals?

My HuffPost blog #7
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/gerry-som/why-do-we-accept-scandals_b_3429146.html

I look at the reasons why people in power are tempted to cheat and game the system for personal gains. I also look at some of the solutions. This is a continuation of my previous blog "How to prevent political scandals in 2013?". In summary, there will always be temptations to cheat. That is normal. What is important is how we keep them in check, and prevent recurrence

This week has a been a good one for my career...

Lots of positivity this week. Keeping fingers crossed. Working hard to make good progress and steer the career in the right direction. The above saying is sooooo true. "The harder I work, the luckier I get!"

There is no substitute to hard work! Hard work + smart work is even better!

Cheers,
Gerry.

Which are the languages that new MBAs should learn, to rule the world?

The answer is simple:

In order to be able to rule the world, MBAs should learn: 
(1) English
(2) The local language, where-ever you are working, and 
(3) The following languages (any level of proficiency that you can pick up - basic / intermediate / advanced) that are widely spoken in the world: 

• Mandarin (don't call it Chinese, lol)
• Spanish
• English (of course)
• Arabic
• Hindi
• Bengali
• Portugese
• Russian
• Japanese 

They are as follows (important ones) ---> Check out the table below:

Language	Percent of World Population
Mandarin	12.44%
Spanish	4.85%
English	4.83%
Arabic	3.25%
Hindi	2.68%
Bengali	2.66%
Portuguese	2.62%
Russian	2.12%
Japanese	1.80%
German	1.33%
Javanese	1.25%
Others	61.17%

(From the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers#World_Factbook_.E2.80.93_CIA.5B1.5D):

Reached 2000 LinkedIn connections today!

It is important to have a strong professional network, and LinkedIn is a very important tool. I have been using LinkedIn since 2009. It hit the 2000 landmark today.

Gerry.

Dear Graduation NINJA (No Income, No Job, or Assets) -- my 6th Huffington Post blog

My 6th Huffington Post article was published today. This article is about the thoughts a graduating student has, in 2013, completing studies and moving into the real world in a rough job market. NINJA stands for "No Income, No Job, or Assets". It is not uncommon for many new graduating students to be NINJAs. However, with optimism, proper personal strategy and effort, it is possible to shed the NINJA label step by step.

Do read it at this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/dr-gerry-som/graduation-day_b_3343890.html

I hope some of the new graduates can relate to this post. 

Cheers,

Gerry. 

May 2013 Blog Stats

Monthly page views: 60,000+
Daily page views these days: 2000+
All-time page views: 1/3 million +

A big thank you to the readers of this blog.

Cheers,
Gerry.

Spring 2013 MBA Convocation at Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada -- 14th June 2013 @ 9:30 AM

14th June 2013 @ 9:30 AM -- Spring 2013 MBA Convocation at Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada. There will be a reception at the Business School after that...

Looking forward to receiving my Master's degree certificate in hand, and officially graduating !

Cheers,
Gerry.