Morning Brief: Top Working Holiday Visa Destinations, 2023's Must-Watch Movies & More
Happy "Friday Jr." — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕
Off The Top: Fredericksburg, Texas, is having a big shindig this month... and it's a little nuts. Dubbed the "Testicle Festival," the event is apparently the preeminent party centred around eating, uh, exactly what the name implies . Battered, fried, grilled — you name it. Now, sure, you certainly can eat beef testicles — and people do — but this seems like one of those instances where the product is a lot more fun to say out loud (Testicle Festival!) than actually stuffing down your gullet.
In Case You Missed It
1. Sick Of Shovelling Snow? Check Out The Countries Offering Working Holiday Visas
Do you ever look out your window this time of year and think to yourself, why the heck am I currently living in Canada ? For those of a certain vintage, the feelings of winter discontent will only grow after seeing the list of countries that allow easy access to working holiday visas — temperate locales like Australia, Spain, Italy, and Croatia. In fact, as Katherine Caspersz points out, there are well over 30 countries where obtaining a working holiday visa is actually quite a cinch, including many of the major players in Europe.
- The Catch: You have to be between 18-35 for most of these visa opportunities. And in most circumstances, you can only stay in the country for up to two years — so it's not necessarily a direct precursor to a permanent relocation.
- What Else? For many countries, you also need to show proof of funds to cover accommodations for the start of your stay and for a return ticket back to Canada. Basically, don't just show up with the clothes on your back.
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
2. The Most Anticipated Movies Of 2023 (That Are Almost All Based On Existing IP)
It shouldn't come as a shock that the majority of upcoming 2023 releases that are on the radar for movie lovers are already known commodities. Once again, there is an abundance of sequels, spinoffs and reboots (and in some cases, sequels to spinoffs) — to the point where a film based on a famous Mattel doll almost seems wholly original. From boxing drama Creed III (with star Michael B. Jordan making his directorial debut), to Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick follow-up, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One , to the Harrison Ford swan-song Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny , there's plenty to get excited about, Emma Caplan writes.
- My Take: Sequels and reboots aren't inherently terrible but there's something to be said about a movie like 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once , which was thrilling and entirely original and a massive box office hit. I'm more excited to see what 2023's version of that is rather than debating Chris Pratt's voice work in The Super Marios Bros. Movie .
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
3. The Most In-Demand Job Skills You Need To Supercharge Your Career Move
Making a career move is never easy, though there are a few obvious ways to set yourself up for success. For one, if you possess the sort of abilities that prospective companies desperately need, you're going to be in good shape; that's basic supply and demand, baby. As Helena Hanson writes, LinkedIn recently evaluated the most sought-after skills by employers, both globally and within Canada, and it turns out that there are a few factors that the vast majority of hiring managers are on the hunt for.
- Go Deeper: The skills to beef up? Customer service topped the list, followed by sales, accounting, business development and marketing. If you've already got skills, you may want to emphasize your track record when applying to that next job.
- My Take: Somehow, newsletter writing did not crack LinkedIn's top 20 most desired abilities — though I suppose we can tie that into communication (No. 7), digital marketing (8), social media (13) and social media marketing (19).
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
What Else You Need To Know Today
✏️ SCHOOL TIES
Like a lot of young Canadians in media, my colleague Brooke Houghton went to Ryerson, since rebranded as Toronto Metropolitan University. There's a lot to like about the post-secondary school located right in the heart of the city's downtown core — and also a handful of drawbacks you should consider before applying.
Here's Brooke's honest review of TMU
.
🏝️ ISLANDS...
Tristan da Cunha is the world's most remote island. It's truly a speck on the map situated in the South Atlantic Ocean about halfway between Cape Town, South Africa, and Montevideo, Uruguay — aka, not somewhere you're likely to stumble upon while searching for a gas station. Asymina Kantorowicz spoke with one of the adventurous souls who actually lives on the island about
what it's really like living on the edge of the world
.
📺 ...IN THE STREAM
One thing you shouldn't waste your time on during your seven-day trip aboard a fishing vessel to get to Tristan da Cunha? The free-to-use streaming platform Tubi. MTL Blog's Mike Chaar recently tested out the service and found that its limited catalog of contemporary shows didn't quite warrant its advertising-supported programming.
Read the full review here
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📌 JOB BOARD
'Tis the season for a career change, apparently. VIA Rail is currently hiring to fill a number of remote customer service positions that pay at least $25 per hour. There are a couple of caveats you'll need to keep in mind before applying, however.
Helena Hanson explains the details right here
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🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Reality TV stalwart Kristin Cavallari turns 36 years old today. Prosthetic-headed dance music producer Deadmau5 is 42.
Mad Men
matriarch January Jones turns 45. Nine-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper is 48. Professional '90s parent-upsetter Marilyn Manson is 54. The immortal queen of coastal grandmother garb Diane Keaton is 77; her
Godfather
trilogy co-star Robert Duvall is 92. Disgraced former talk show host Charlie Rose is 81.
HEY YOU! You should sign up for the email version of this newsletter right here . It's better than this version. Trust me.
Thanks for reading
Narcity's
Canada Morning Brief —
the newsletter with significantly more subscribers than there are inhabitants on Tristan da Cunha.
Have a question or comment about today's edition? Let me know at andrew.potter@narcity.com or hit me up on Twitter if you'd prefer at @andrewjoepotter .
Have a great day and I will see you back here tomorrow to round out the week!
