LCS VIRTUAL CAREER CORNER - Blog

Readiness after high school...

11/11/2019

I came across this article that touches upon the very heart of what our high school students and recent graduates are dealing with as they maneuver through the vast opportunities that lie before them, yet for some reason it seems enough is not being done to help students make these very crucial decisions. This four part series that was posted by Global News touches on the following :
Link 1
Failure to launch kids" Canadian students are not prepared for adulthood
Students are not ready to face the challenges of adulthood due to the lack of knowlege and the skills needed to carry out every day responsibilities (I do not mean attending classes at the post-secondary level - they have attained that skill over the past 12 years of K-12 school). Students can solve a complex math problem but may not know how to set up a bank account or do their tax return. Practical and theoretical knowledge need to be taught hand in hand. The bottom line, students have not figured out what they want to do after high school, we need to provide all the options - college, university, work, gap year for life experience, all of these avenues are viable options.

Link 2
One size does not fit all, Canadian campuses need better mental health services
Students need to be heard and they need to know that they are not alone, saying you are OK when you really are not needs to be addressed. It is OK to not be OK and be able to say it out loud. Mental illness and suicide rates have increased drastically - this ties in with the demand for more counsellors to be available to help students when they are seeking guidance.

Link 3
University is not better than college, then why is it getting all the glory
In my years of counselling high school students I give equal weight to both university and college. Colleges provide both hands on training alongside the theory with very positive results. Universities are beginning to understand the benefits of joint co-op programs that can be integrated with degree programs.

Link 4
Canadian school counsellors are stretched thin, and it's our students that suffer
This final article deals with what school counsellors face on a daily basis within the high school and post-secondary settings. The question that comes to mind is how can we effectively, as counsellors, schools,and parents help the next generations be ready for adulthood? The age old question "What do you want to be when you grow up" needs to be refreshed, or asked in a different way, It is such a broad question with no real guidance for open communication. The answer is usually IDK (I don't know).

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4

Global News (September 17, 24, October 1 and October 8)
https://globalnews.ca/tag/failure-to-launch/

Yes, Oh the Places You’ll Go...

11/11/2019

Recently I spent time putting together a bulletin board that is highlighting a upcoming Career Fair. But this is not just a design that just happens overnight for me, it takes time to plan, to create, to map out and then produce. Throughout the course of the day there was excitement and anticipation and such positive comments of bringing a huge concept into a small space. This is a very prominent bulletin board that will be viewed by all ages Kindergarten to age 99 because of the location. Everybody loves Dr. Seuss. This book touches on more than just the multitude of pathways in life, he talks about the challenges, the ups and downs, the bumps and valleys, the highs and the lows, the choices that we make - some good and some not so good. Everybody can relate no matter the age.

Guess Who ???...

10/17/2018

Recently I came across an idea of creating a Career board that showcases staff members and what type of employment they had during their high school years. What I found fascinating is that the trends of job employment of yesteryear are very similar to the job employment of our young people today..

Usually when you post a bulletin board in a school environment you are displaying the hard work of young and talented students as they progress through the grades. So in a school that starts in Kindergarten to Grade 12 there is lots of diversity in learning. I have actually never seen a bulletin board where students and staff are asked to interact with what is being displayed. But I decided to do something different.

Each silhouette has a job description and students and staff get the opportunity to guess who did what back in the day when our staff were in high school. This particular group being displayed are people within administration, IT. Library and Finance. Over the next few months I will be featuring different divisions within our school community. These staff members worked in grocery stores, babysat, worked for Mom and Dad, cut grass, had a paper route, worked as a waitress, farm hands, gas jockeys, bible camp counselors. So many of the jobs they had back in the day are so relevant today.

The Journey continues...

6/8/2018

I love working at a Kindergarten - Grade 12 school. I have the opportunity to watch students begin their educational journey and then be a part of the graduation exercises when they embark on a new and exciting journey. A journey into the big unknown in which some will know exactly what to do and some will need a little bit of time. I was walking down the hall the other day and had to stop and take this picture. This is what graduation is all about, dreaming big and having the confidence to be able to take that next step, whether it be post-secondary education, working, travelling, or taking a gap year until you can figure it out. As I have mentioned before, all of these options are OK.

Recently I came across a very well known children's book, written by Dr. Seuss called, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" Some parents buy this book for their graduating children to remind them it is all about choices, some will be good and some will be not so good. Choices may take you down a very successful path or down paths that may be confusing, difficult, and unsuccessful. You need to remember that life if going to be filled with excitement and disappointments. It is how you handle these situations, good or bad, unpleasant or exhilarating, that will teach you the life long lessons that will you will be facing. And remember, you will succeed. Why? Because you just completed 12 years of getting ready for the next journey that you are about to embark on. So seize the moment and don't look back!

Graduation...so what

4/24/2018

What does it mean to graduate? Is it attaining a certain number of credits or spending all your money on that special outfit that will make heads turn? Or maybe it is finally getting that acceptance letter to that university you applied to. For some students it may be the stress of not knowing what the next step is or even how to attain it.

When I graduated from high school, I went to college but I honestly was not ready for that. I did not have a high school counsellor making sure that I had the right courses in my timetable, to keep my options open - a very popular statement that I believe can be overused. Many years ago you needed all 3 sciences and the highest math to get into most programs but that is not so now. Times have changed, there are so many different pathways to enter into a program now.

I remember having a conversation with a parent one day, and it was stated that if a student took Essentials in Math or Consumer Math, the chances of going to university was impossible. In which I replied, every single student has the opportunity to go to university regardless of which Math they take. It is true, there are some programs that you will not get into with Essentials in Math/Consumer Math, but that is OK, take courses in your first year university that are of interest to you, maybe upgrade your Math, and eventually you will be on the right path.

Fast forward now to today, I never thought that I would one day be a career counsellor at a high school, helping students plan out their high school years so that they have equal opportunity to make some very wise decisions about life after graduation. Sometimes students decide to take a “year off” from academics which may bring about major life-changing experiences that might not be found between book covers. Sometimes those “life experiences” open doors that students may not even know were there.

When I think about graduation, I see it from this perspective: counting credits, calculating student averages, planning Convocation, preparing diplomas, helping students with university applications, writing letters and sending transcripts to post-secondary schools. But here is the other perspective: encouraging students to finish up well, always have a open door policy, so if students just need to stop by and be reassured that everything is going to be OK, someone is there to listen.

Today, it is important that students attain a high school diploma regardless of whether they plan to attend a post-secondary school, get a job, or experience life. It is now a necessity. Marks are not the end all be all. When I was in high school I was just an average kid with average marks - and I still went to college. But as the years went by, and I experienced life, I matured and then I went back to school, and it was then that I was able to apply myself and reach my potential. Each one of us have different levels of achievement - there are many high achievers, but if all we had were high achievers within our society there would be an unhealthy imbalance.

In less than two months, students will be walking across the stage to receive their diploma, and I am so honoured to be a part of these graduation ceremonies. Some will go on to university, some to college, some to Bible college, some to Missions, some may work or travel, and some just do not know and you know what, every single one of these choices is OK.

Futuristic Jobs

4/20/2018

As Career Counselor, it is important to keep with the times and the trends, providing an awareness of a vast array of future career opportunities available to students. What are the hot jobs going to be in the not so distant future and what kind of knowledge and skills will students need to
acquire these futuristic jobs. For example, what skills are needed to
be a robot counsellor, garbage designer, rewilder or a nostalgist.

Or how about a Certified UAV pilot, 3D-printed clothing designer, Augmented reality architect, Quantified self assessment auditor, Smart city urban planner, Smart meter test lab manager, Smart grid solution architect, Big data architect, Alternative currency specialist, or a Ecommerce business manager.
There are some other real cool jobs on this site: Futuristic jobs.

Times are changing and the so-called traditional jobs are evolving into new innovate jobs and we need people who can take the ideas and implement them into our everyday lives. How are our post-secondary schools helping to prepare young people for the future?

Transferable Skills

3/13/2018

I was thinking the other day what have I done to get to where I am today. What kinds of jobs have I had that has molded and shaped me into who I am today. As I study the one Week Project Book, I have found that Sean did learn a lot about himself and some of the skills he picked up along the way.

There seems to be a lot of negative talk about entry level jobs like McDonald’s, Tim’s, Canadian Tire etc. But we have to remember that these jobs expose people of all ages to different skills that can be transferred to a more serious career. Sometimes jobs like this motivate people to want to work harder so they can go to school and eventually be in a career that they are passionate about. I believe that these types of jobs are important for our young people who are just starting out in the world of work and also for those mature people who have had a significant job loss and need something interim until they get that call they have been waiting for - a opportunity to maximize the skills they have developed over the years.

I remember my first waitress job, in fact the job I had before landing this job was working the line at A & W putting pickles on hamburgers, yes just putting pickles on hamburgers.

I thought to myself, there has to be something better than putting pickles on hamburgers, and one day I was walking down the street and I saw the restaurant, and I knew I needed to apply. During my interview I was told that I was not waitress material, what does that even mean! But I was bound and determined to prove this restaurant owner wrong. And so began my two week trial period that ended up being the best six years of my life.

What skills did I learn, the most important one, communication, along with organization, memorization, working with a team, preparing and presenting food, being on time, making yourself presentable every day, etiquette, listening, being passionate about the job, respect others, multitasking, being a leader, decision making, energetic, being efficient and working quickly.

How many of these skills have I used in other jobs and am continually improving on in my current job today - every single one of them.

What Are You Passionate About (Part 1...)

12/27/2017

Sean Aiken is most known for the One-Week Job Project (52 jobs in one year), a life-changing experience, all because of the all-consuming question: what are you doing after graduating from high school, college, or university?

When Sean embarked on this new adventure his father said, “Sean, it doesn’t matter what you do, just make sure it’s something you are passionate about.” When Sean finished this project he made this statement, “I thought when I found my passion it was the key to happiness. There are many different things that contribute to our happiness at work. The two biggest factors are   1) the people we work with, and 2) the feeling that our work is significant.”

The following is a list of jobs that Sean explored over the course of one year starting at Week 1:  Bungee Operator, TV Talk Show Intern, Snowshoe Guide, Volleyball Coach, News Columnist, Florist, Yoga Instructor, Dairy Farmer, Events Team, Marketer, Caregiver, Framer, Researcher, Talent Broker, Courier De Bois, Innkeeper, Race Director/Concert Host, Storekeeper, Brewmaster,  Tattoo Parlour Assistant, Cancer Fundraiser,  Radio DJ, Hotel Worker, Veterinary Assistant, Film Festival Reporter , Advertising Executive,  Bartender,  Rock Climbing Instructor ,  Trade Show Salesman,  T-Shirt Entrepreneur,  Aquarium Host,  Exterminator, Stock Trader,  Baker, Fashion Buyer, Photographer,  Pizzamaker,  Vintner,  Martial Arts Instructor, Chiropractor, Realtor, Hollywood Producer,  Motivational Speaker,  Preschool Teacher,  Astronomer, Park Ranger,  Firefighter,  Cowboy,
Mascot,  Association Professional,  Air Force Pilot, and Mayor.

What did he learn, what skills was he able to transfer from one job to another. Was there common skills between job changes? What was rewarding, and what was challenging? Did Sean choose one of these jobs to be one of his many lifelong careers?

Take Your Kid to Work Day

11/1/2017

On the first Wednesday of November all grade 9 students across Canada have this great opportunity to experience “the world of work,” with their parents, a relative/family friend or be hosted in the community.

In years past, most Grade 9 students went to the workplace with a parent. Today, students are choosing to go with someone who is in a career that is of interest to them if given the opportunity. Why the shift? It seems that when asked the question, students do not want to pursue their parents’ careers. They want to explore other options, because today the choices are endless, and the educational system is realizing that more needs to be done to provide students with the knowledge to make wise decisions that will impact their lives.

There are two outcomes that arise from an event like this:
Outcome #1:
Some students will go away from this day and say yes, this is what I want to do for rest of my life.
Outcome #2:
Some students will go away from this day and say this is truly not for me so now what?

Both of these outcomes can be addressed within the educational system and by utilizing the expertise of high school career counsellors who can help guide students to post-secondary schools that fit their personalities and learning styles.

A website like this brings all types of post-secondary schools to one site, universities, colleges, bible colleges and trades schools. A link to different assessment and personality tests helps students understand themselves better.

Also, by offering courses at the high school level that specifically deal with careers, allows students to explore and hopefully be able to find a career that they are passionate about. Sometimes they need to go outside the educational system and either volunteer or work in an area they are interested in. This would then solidify in their own minds whether this is a good fit for them.

As students continue to seek and explore their options, high school career counsellors need to ensure that students have the right courses in their timetables throughout their high school years so they can enroll in their program of choice at the post-secondary level. High school career counsellors need to keep up-to-date with the continually changes for admissions, and to be current as to all the options available to students.

It is important to remember, there is more than one pathway for students to achieve their goals, their dreams and the ability to make a difference in “the world of work.”