Inspiration Behind My Love For Cars + The Automotive Marketing Connection

Growing up in the early 2000s (much like I’m sure the 90s babies would a test to) life was so much simpler. Social media didn’t have an abundant presence in our lives, and the word “playing” was taken in the sense of playing outdoors until the street lights came on. The only message boards that we were hiding behind (and hiding should be taken loosely in this context) were the ones on our game consoles, and even then, it was rarely used. Conversations could be overheard by others, and the participants didn’t have to fear that they would be misinterpreted or misunderstood. There was an overall understanding that life was just easier and I miss that. 

I noticed that kids nowadays have their heads buried in their phones rather than books, and even zooming in and putting a spotlight on their hobbies can be alarming. When did things change? Why can’t we just go back to the old days? 

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When I really stop and think about it, my whole life I’ve never wanted to fit in. Even when I was that shy and quiet girl I always found a way to be different, and honestly I have to give credit to that feeling today, because it got me where I never thought I would be in life. Even with the hobby I have with writing and cars, it’s very rare to see a female in the automotive world (with the things society wants you to believe). I guess part of it has to do with the influences I’ve had in my life (so benefit to having mainly male cousins who loved cars and working on them in their spare time when I was over).

My love for cars has always been around, but it really heightened in high school when I was first introduced to the Fast and Furious movie series (and I know I’ll probably get a lot of judgement for this) from the 7th installment. Plus it did help that I happened to have partially taken an auto course a couple of years later in grade 12. Now I do say partially because I did end up dropping the course, (which I do regret), due to the fact that I was intimidated by the boys in the class – but to no surprise I was the only girl. Of course my high school waited until I graduated before introducing an all girls auto class which I was sure thrilled about. 

All of this brings me back to the point of how happy it makes me to see a strong female presence at the various shows I’ve been to. And that’s what this week’s blog post will be about – the unedited version of where my passion for cars came from (as you just read), and a mini dive into the college that offers a specialized marketing program for any passionate automotive students. So get comfy and buckle up! Because you’ll be in for a real ride!  

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Known as the Automotive Business School today, Georgian College [of Applied Arts and Technology], has its main campus located in Barrie, and has been in operation since 1967 although it was actually established back in 1985. Its rich history has roots in many different sectors including business and management, tourism and recreation, skilled trades, and a specialized program for Automotive Marketing, just to name a few. Their main mission is to inspire innovation, transform lives, and connect communities through the power of education, and I have to say with the long history they have, they are able to do this with ease. 

Spread across many different regions of the province, Georgian has a total of 8 campuses with 2 of the 8 located in Barrie. Although as of this year, two announcements were made for closures, the campus located in Orilla, as well as the campus located in Muskoka. Luckily for these students, not all hope is lost. Georgian plans to move the respective courses, classes, and students from both campuses, and merge them into the main campus located in Barrie. Any new students starting in the Winter 2026 offering (essentially starting in January 2026) will start at the respective campuses and move over to the Barrie location continuing their studies in May 2026.  

Georgian, like many other colleges, including the one I went to previously, Humber, offers the option to either obtain a degree or a diploma through its partnership with Lakehead University, offered specifically at the Barrie campus. Students are given the option through the various programs to study for 2 years and graduate with a diploma or 4 years and get a degree. Their university partnership program allows students to earn either university degrees, college degrees, combined degree-diplomas, and graduate certificate programs. Georgian also allows for transfer credits to different colleges throughout the world having more than 780 articulation and transfer agreements with 59 institutions around the world. 

In terms of the co-op education, Georgian has more than 6200 employers that partner with them to offer work experience. They were actually the first Ontario college to offer programs accredited by Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning Canada which represents the highest standard of achievement for co-op programs in Canada. Since co-op can lead to full time positions after graduation, Georgian has been able to maintain the highest graduate employment rate for more than a decade, with students getting a job within the first 6 months after graduation. Impressive, I know! Another really cool co-op related offering Georgian has is something called Georgian’s eCo-op (entrepreneurship co-op) which allows students to opt to be their own boss and start a business.     

Now, the main campus Georgian operates out of is pretty significant to the school and its success, which is essentially why it’s considered to be so popular and the most talked about. This campus actually is a fairly new one, opening in 2011, believe it or not. It’s worth $65 million and has 165,000 square-feet of space it offers which has allowed Georgian to provide programs with doubled enrolment numbers for the health and wellness programs to 3000 students. It’s home to a variety of health clinics that are open to the public as well as laboratories and classrooms.

Georgian also decided to open the new Peter B. Moore Advanced Technology Center that’s worth $30 million and is a 56,000 square-foot facility. This new edition is home to the first engineering degrees in Central Ontario, Lakehead-Georgian degree-diploma programs and labs with emerging robotics, mechatronics, and manufacturing technology. It also has the only anechoic chamber in the region. This space is used by students and faculty in partnership with industry and community partners on research projects. 

The Barrie campus offers students an on-campus residency. It is an 8 floor house with approximately 525 students that includes 16 live-in resident staff members (15 Resident Attendants and a Manager of Residence Life). There are also two dual bedrooms for students with disabilities. When the residency is not being used in the summer time, it functions as a summer accommodation facility and hotel, although few students choose to stay year round and continue learning throughout the summer semester. 

Their most recent success was in 2017, when the school celebrated their 50th anniversary with the introduction of a new student services Centre at this campus. 

Did you Know: Every year in June, the students of the College organize and host the largest outdoor Auto Show in North America, that is solely student run? 

Automotive Business Program – A Mini Dive

I gratefully learned about this opportunity years ago when I was an Auto Show attendee, and I really enjoyed being there and admiring all of the cars that were on display, and I have to say it was amazing. Now with Georgian also being known as the Automotive Business school, and the only one in Canada, it makes sense this would be the program they specialize in, so let’s learn a little more about it!  

Admission requirements if you are a student coming straight out of high school include the following: 

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status
• Grade 12 English (C or U)
• Any Grade 11 or 12 Mathematics (C, M, or U)
• Minimum of 60% in Grade 11 College or University level Mathematics (MBF3C or MCF3M) 

However, if you are considered a mature student, non-secondary school applicant (19 years of age or older), or a home school applicant applying to this program, you may also be considered for admission. The chances of you getting in are equal to those who are attending right out of high school so not to worry. Eligibility may be met in any of the following ways: equivalent courses were taken, upgrading, completion of GED, and equivalency testing. 

For applicants that have taken courses that can be applied to help fast track their studies, they can refer to the Credit Transfer section of Georgian’s website to fill in the forms. The whole process is quite seamless, and doesn’t take long, as long as you have the proper documents needed to check the validity of each course. This includes documents like Course Outlines, References, Resume, Certificate, Diploma, Syllabus, Course Report, or Transcript. You can also be admitted based on prior relevant life/learning experiences but it would still be best to refer to the website I linked earlier in the paragraph to make sure. 

First things first, this program is offered in 2 different ways, you can either obtain a Diploma in 2 years through the Automotive Business (Co-Op) program or get a Degree in 4 years through the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Automotive Management) Co-Op program, that sure was a lot to say in one mouthful! However, there is a pathway from the Diploma program to the Degree program so make sure to do your full research into this by sending an email to ABSC@georgiancollege.ca or calling 249.388.2412 if you’re interested for more details. 

The program consists of 19 courses total, which also include 2 communications courses, 3 program option courses, 3 general knowledge/education courses, and 2 co-op work terms. This allows students to have the basic and advanced knowledge in the business, all while getting actual experience. Georgian offers the best pathways for upcoming students looking to pursue a career in Automotive Business, and the college is well connected with major companies such as Honda, which helps to build a wide network for students. 

Regardless of whether you enrol in a diploma or degree program, you will surely get the relevant experience needed through the co-op experiences offered throughout the program. This can be added to your resume after graduation and will likely help you find a full time job in this respective field quite fast. Although, some would argue going for the Diploma might be the best option. For those that don’t agree, hear me out first. This program helps build and engage students to have the professional and essential support roles needed in the automotive industries. The main focus of this program is to gather the knowledge and experience, and it helps to kick start careers by offering an 8 month co-op term which allows students to be able to network with various companies and professionals. 

To help with this, the college partnered with Honda Canada Manufacturing (as mentioned before), who has been in operation for almost 60 years, and has actually been one of the biggest employers of many Georgian alumni. If you really stop and think about it, finding a program that offers so much hands-on experience and is well connected with big companies is so rare to find nowadays. Honda and Georgian College partnered together to offer students opportunities, and provide equipment and spaces that can help students learn and engage more efficiently. This partnership has $1.8 million invested into it, providing spaces, equipment, research and development centres, as well as scholarships and awards. Honda also doesn’t just offer Automotive Business students co-op programs, they also offer it to the IT, HR, and Accounting students. They have really displayed an interest in helping kick-off students and their careers, and it’s so nice to see.

As if you needed another reason to partake in this program here’s another one, scholarships and awards. Every year Georgian offers $150,000 in scholarships and awards which is so helpful to students who might be struggling to pay off their loans or debts accumulated. 

Final Thoughts 

Thank you for tuning into this week’s blog post, I was happy to share this little dive into my inspiration behind my love for the automotive world and to talk about the automotive school of Canada. Since we are on that note, why not take a look at another article I posted talking about the 5 of the most iconic cars in the Fast and Furious Saga. Let me know down below what drove you into loving the automotive world.