Five Ways to Be Entrepreneurial at the University of Ottawa
When many people think of entrepreneurship, most think of someone who starts a business and associate it with taking a financial risk in hopes of gaining a large profit. At the Entrepreneurship Hub (also known as the eHub), we look at it as more than creating businesses and focusing on the mindset and opportunities that can be provided to make one more entrepreneurial.
At the eHub, we want to create an entrepreneurial environment that is campus-wide which will provide and enhance opportunities for students, alumni, researchers, and staff members. Not only will it help create a foundation for those who want to start their own business, they will also acquire entrepreneurial related skills that will help them in their professional and personal lives.
This article will list out five ways you can be entrepreneurial at the University of Ottawa.
1. Take Courses Related to Entrepreneurship or Skills Related to Entrepreneurship
Many people base their post-secondary education on what they believe will lead to success in the job market. A lot of programs give students the option to take electives within their faculty or out of faculty electives which gives them the opportunity to further pursue their interests. The University of Ottawa has courses tailored towards entrepreneurship and some of them don’t even require prerequisites.
Different faculties offer different individual courses. At Telfer, some courses involving entrepreneurship includes ADM2313 The Entrepreneurial Society and ADM3313 — New Venture Creation. In the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Social Sciences, they offer AHL3300 — Creativity and Innovation and in the Faculty of Engineering, they offer courses such as GNG1103 — Engineering Design and GNG2101 — Introduction to Product Development and Management.
2. Look Into Program Options That May Enhance Your Degree
Many people can tailor their university experience to fit their interests which can be accomplished by adding another major, minor, or specialization. You can tailor your degree so that it has some kind of focus on entrepreneurship. For those doing their degree in Commerce, they can add a complementary option in entrepreneurship on top of their specialization.
For those in the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Social Sciences, they can participate in the Entrepreneurship, Creativity, and Social Innovation option. You would take six courses throughout your degree to complete this option for a total of 18 units.
3. Keep an Eye Out for Events and Workshops
During the year, the Entrepreneurship Hub hosts multiple events and workshops that help to enhance and encourage a campus-wide entrepreneurial spirit. The Link is a web series that features the entrepreneurial journeys of alumni from uOttawa.
Bench, Biz & Beyond is a collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine and the Innovation Support Services. This program allows participants to understand how discoveries that are made in labs are later applied to help patients.
The Build Your Own Career Bootcamp is a workshop that teaches the fundamentals to those who are interested in starting a business. These events are only a few of the ones offered in the fall semester. There are still many more as well as events during the winter and summer semester.
It’s a good idea to stay updated and aware of possible workshops and events that interest you and you can even do them with some friends!
4. Expand Your Circle
During your time in university, you will be busy juggling a number of things and one of those things includes being social and spending time with friends. A lot of students make friends from their classes or from people in the same faculty which can then be convenient for school-related tasks, however, if you go out of your comfort zone and meet people from different faculties or new clubs, you can be introduced to many new opportunities that could enhance your entrepreneurial skills.
At uOttawa, there are a variety of clubs such as the Entrepreneurs’ Club, Enactus, and the Computer Science Association that all devote their time to either help improve your entrepreneurial skills, organize networking events, or host entrepreneurial competitions.
By joining clubs, you can also meet people from different faculties and network with people outside of your circle. This can be beneficial as it can keep you open-minded as well as teach you things that you may have never known about before if you had not expanded your circle.
5. Participate in the Entrepreneurial Mindset Certificate
At the Entrepreneurship Hub, you have the opportunity to participate in the Entrepreneurial Mindset Certificate which is a chance for students to develop a large range of soft skills and entrepreneurial knowledge. This would occur through a variety of workshops and they would involve the program’s three learning streams which consists of skills, networking, and tools. It can also help students boost their resume as well as strengthen their career readiness.
There are many ways to be entrepreneurial at the University of Ottawa that don’t just involve starting a business. The Entrepreneurship Hub has some great resources and opportunities to help all students out no matter how big or small their interest in entrepreneurship is. I hope these five ways will help you on your entrepreneurship journey and you will learn a lot as well as accomplish a lot.
