We are excited to announce The Pixel Dreams Star Trek Scholarship. This old-school-PD initiative merges the wisdom of Star Trek with our company’s core values, offering a unique pathway to personal and professional growth.
PD will be awarding eligible candidates $1,000 per season of Star Trek watched.
This scholarship opportunity is for 2024 only. We may or may not continue this scholarship in future years.
Program Requirements
To qualify for the program, you must be a full-time PDTer with a PD handle, living in Canada. If you live outside of Canada, and would like to take part, please connect with your immediate leader. In addition, you must adhere to the following standards of our program requirements.
Cadence
- The entirety of a season must be watched in less than six months.
- A season is not eligible for the scholarship if it takes you longer than six months.
- Maximum two seasons per quarter ($2000). You could earn up to $8,000 per year!
- If we continue to the scholarship program in 2025, additional seasons past eight will be accepted in the next year.
Documentation
- You are to document the day, time, and location of each episode watched. If the episode is watched with others, we encourage you to add their name. See example below:
- Minimum notes per episode: describe morals and learnings.
Bonus: Note hidden messages and references. - Your episode notes will be reviewed.
E26 // The Neutral Zone
Stardate: 41986.0 Original Airdate: 16 May, 1988
Date & Time: Fri, Jan 26, 09:30 pm Location: 19CC
Participants: Khalid, Lannie, Philo, Sophie
Be “Engaged”
- You must be fully engaged while watching. That means, no background watching, ie doing other things while the episode plays.
- You must have an opinion on episodes and seasons, and be able to have a casual conversation with a bonafide Trekkie.
- Be prepared to answer Trek questions like, “what is the Prime Directive and why is it important?”
How to start
- You are to start at The Next Generation, Encounter at Farpoint (TNG E01-S01) and watch in order.
- You are eligible to start Deep Space Nine (DS9), the CEO’s favourite, once you are completed TNG season four. We recommend watching TNG and DS9 in tandem, going back and forth between the shows.
- You are eligible to start Star Trek Voyager once you have completed all of TNG and season three of DS9
Compensation
Speak to your direct leader on how you can take part. Our goal is to compensate qualified participants as soon as possible. Please note, that necessary deductions will be applied to the amounts.
FAQs
- How do I qualify for the scholarship?Adhere to the program requirements outlined above.
- I thought I didn't have to show my notes. Why is it a requirement now?Our Leadership Team is looking to gain better understanding of the episode-by-episode experience of our participants. We believe this information is vital to gaining insight, which will influence how we improve the program, or perhaps discontinue.
- Does the quality of the notes impact the receiving of a scholarship?Not at this time. However, the notes in combination of the overall learnings and growth of teammates will influence our decision to continue the program.
- How do I submit my notes?If your notes are typed, have them live in a Google Doc and share the document with careers@PD.
If your notes are taken by hand, capture the notes with your smartphone and create a Google Album with careers@PD.
In either case, ensure the season and episode titles are clear. - I've watched all the episodes a long time ago. Do I qualify? Regardless of your past viewing experience, you must start from the beginning of TNG sometime in Jan 2024 or after.
- Do members of the Leadership Team qualify for the scholarships?Yes.
- Do team members outside of Canada qualify?Yes and no. This specific program is designed for our Canadian team. We will roll out updates for teams outside of Canada.
If you live outside of Canada and would like to participate, please reach out to your immediate manager/leader to make a request. - When will the scholarships be paid?At the program director’s convenience. This is a pilot program that we’re refining and fine-tuning while it is running. There is much administrative work being done in the background. Our aim to have participants paid within two to three months of when program requirements are met.
Resources
Our scholarship program is more than an incentive to binge watch geek sci-fi; it’s a testament to our dedication to raising I+A. Studying Star Trek is a master class in advancing ones philosophies on management, leadership, teamwork, problem solving, values, principles, and so much more. The series, renowned for its imaginative exploration of complex issues provides a fertile ground for stimulating thinking and ethical considerations. Its portrayal of diverse, collaborative teams working towards common goals mirrors the fundamental dynamics of our workplace at PD. Like Star Trek, we continuously aim to foster an appreciation for multiculturalism, teamwork, and leadership. Furthermore, Star Trek’s scenarios enable a unique form of scenario planning, encouraging you to think critically about the potential impacts of emerging technologies and evolving societal norms. By engaging with Star Trek, we hope for you to gain insights into the future, develop a broader understanding of complex issues, and hone your strategic thinking skills, making you more valuable to your PD Team, and your community.
