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Career OptionsExploring your career options involves much more than simply searching for a “career”; it involves exploring the world of work as a whole and becoming aware of all the possible entry points and job titles that a career area may have. Trying to sift through all of the information may feel overwhelming at times. However, with access to online resources and other services that connect you to professionals in your industry of interest – you will find that your career exploration skills will sharpen with the more research you do. Think of it as having a blank map in front of you. As you begin to conduct research, spots begin to appear on the map and continue to do so until you eventually have a fully detailed canvas with clear starting points, pathways, and end locations. Each website you visit, each article you read, and each person you speak with will provide you with knowledge and experience that will begin to take shape in your career map. Not sure where to start or have an idea but want more information? Drop by the Student Success Centre at Gilmour Hall 110 to speak with our knowledgeable Advisors.
Career CruisingThis easy to use Canadian career information database is a wonderful resource to start your career research. There are many features including general information about career options, interviews with people in the field and additional resources to connect you to professional associations and certification sources. You can explore careers by cluster areas, related careers and school subjects. This database can also be used to explore further education options or to understand the education requirements of the career you have in mind. The education section will give you a listing of all the college and university programs across Canada. While there are some basic self-assessment tools to help you get started, more in-depth tools can be found in our self-assessment section. Access Career Cruising. Career ResourcesWhile Google is a great search engine, it is important to recognize that there are many more specific sites that are focused on helping you learn about your career options. Below you will find a listing of some of our favourite websites: An excellent listing of occupations can be found on the Alberta Learning Information Services site. You can search by job title or subject area. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada has a Canadian occupation classification system and a new “Looking for Work” tool which offers job forecasts. You can search occupations by interest themes on O*Net’s Occupational Information database. This is an American resource. Click on Advanced Search, under O*Net Descriptor, select interests and select from the six occupational themes. McMaster Library includes: comprehensive directories and resources for gathering information about career fields, industry specific information, organizations, salary ranges and professional associations. The University of Toronto Mississauga, Concordia University and the University of Guelph have online databases to help you look at linkages between career and major. Penn Career Zone, an American source has a great collection of short videos about various occupations. We also recommend that you browse job postings to understand the job descriptions, requirements and a variety of job titles:
Value of Your DegreeA university degree is valuable in today’s job market. Your education is providing the foundation for development of some key skills employment-related skills including: leadership, critical thinking, time management, initiative, communication and adaptability skills. Often, we hear the question, "what can I do with my degree?" What you do with your degree can depend largely on the attitude and approach you take; however, to help you get started, we have developed some guides that are focused by faculty and/or program to help give you some suggestions. Check out the PDFs currently available to help get you started. Information GatheringResources on the internet are great for gaining a broad understanding of the variety of career opportunities that are available. However, to really fill in the details and learn even more about careers and their various entry points, start talking to people in your field of interest. You will receive relevant and up-to-date information, tips and advice about future trends and suggestions on how to enter the field. You can also find out how to build experiences that will make you more qualified for a job in the future. To help you connect with people in a variety of industries and occupations, take a look at our MentorLinks program and attend the various campus events that we organize throughout the school year.
If we do not have a mentor or event in your area of interest, then you can source out people in the career area through professional organizations and by tapping into your own contacts and networks. The podcasts (available soon) and FYIs on Informational Interviewing were created to help guide you in conducting information interviews. Whether you conduct Information Interviews in a structured or informal manner, the important thing is that you are reaching out to others in order to explore and learn more about career options and the realities of work. Gaining ExperienceDon’t fall into the trap of relying on your degree to get you a job. It is imperative to gain experiences (either paid or unpaid) along with your university degree to be well-equipped for a broader range of opportunities. Gaining experience allows you to expand on the skills you have, develop new ones and build experiences directly related to the career areas you are exploring. There are a variety of ways to gain experiences to facilitate your career development. Check out the Service-Learning, Experience and Job Search sections of our website for a range of opportunities. Looking for something specific and need help sorting through the resources and services? Drop by the Student Success Centre at any time to speak with an Advisor and they can guide you to the services and resources.
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According to an article by The Globe & Mail, one of the fastest-growing fields of work for people aged 18 to 24 and those over 55 is self-employment.
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