Career Planning: An Early Start
How early is too early to begin considering a career path?
Often students and parents consider the Grade 10 Careers course as too much pressure, too soon to begin thinking about a post-secondary path. But my career planning began in earnest when I was eight years old.
My second grade teacher asked students in the class to take turns lying on our backs on a large poster paper while another student traced the outline of our body on the paper with a pencil. Then we were asked to use paint to add facial features and fill in a outfit or uniform that would depict our career of interest. I painted my life-sized cut-out as a nurse.
Eight years old might only be a tad too early to begin this process if your definition of career planning is narrowly defined as one job or area of work that you will have for the rest of your life. But one job for life hasn’t been a reality in the world of work for a long time now.
What if ‘career’ could be defined as the sum total of all that you do, now and in the future?
Expanding your view of career might just make the on-going process of exploring potential career paths much more interesting. It would also reduce the stress of leaving this type of exploration until key pathway decisions, such as senior course selection and post-secondary program choices, need to be made.
- See ALL experiences as career education and preparation. Volunteering. Travelling. Reading. Exploring. Asking questions. Making mistakes. Succeeding. Meeting new people. Being alone. Learning new skills. Problem-solving. Making choices.
- Collect data on yourself to use for discovery of patterns and fit. Save this data in a portfolio for later review.
- Involvement in clubs and activities
- Work experience, paid or unpaid
- Volunteer experience
- Interests
- Achievements
Stay tuned for more information about Online Portfolios for students.
3. Consider thoughtfully Frederick Buechner’s quote on calling: “Vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” What does that mean to you?
4. Search online for a wealth of information to add to your data collection. For example, check out this YouTube video from Alain De Botton’s “School of Life” channel: How to Find Fulfilling Work or Shawn Achor’s The Happy Secret to Better Work.
Start the exploration now and enjoy the journey of your unfolding career!
posted by Danette Adams, Student Services
