Transitioning from high school into post-secondary or the workforce is a big change. It’s the crucial time in your life when you discover your identity and what it’s really like to be independent. The closer we get to Grade 12, the more stress we have put upon us to figure out what we want to do after high school and potentially for the rest of our life. Many of us, even us who are in Grade 12, still have no idea what we want to do. Here are some helpful hints to discover your future.
1) Find out what your passions and interests are; music, science, helping people, working with children, building things, etc. Research careers involving these interests.
2) There are many helpful websites that narrow down possible careers that would suit you based on a series of questions you answer. Some of these websites are:
http://www.careercruising.com/ (my personal favorite)
https://careerinsite.alberta.ca/careerinsite.aspx (this is through the government of Alberta, most provinces websites have some type of career finder/planner)
http://www.jobsetc.gc.ca/toolbox/quizzes/quizzes_home.do (this is through the Canadian government’s job bank website)
3) Many schools have a career office where you can find pamphlets on many careers, talk face to face with someone about finding a career, and complete quizzes much like the ones you would find on the websites above.
4) You can also attend career and post-secondary fairs that your school hosts or open houses at post-secondary schools. Make sure you stop and talk to the people at the booths that interest you and collect information about the job or post-secondary institute.
5) Once you have figured out what you want to pursue after high school or have narrowed it down to some possibilities, start researching that/those career(s) in greater depth. Find out the education or training you need and the prerequisites you need in high school to receive this education or training. It also helps to talk to people who have been working in the field you are pursuing in which you should find out the kind of jobs they have worked, what they like about their job, what they don’t like, and a typical day for them at work.
6) Figure out where you would like to go for your post-secondary, consider factors like cost, whether you want to stay at home or leave, and which institutes offer the programs you want to take.
7) Apply, Apply, Apply! Apply for the post-secondary institutes you wish to attend (keep in mind it usually costs money to apply), apply for bursaries, grants, and scholarships you may be eligible for.
Example: In Grade 10 and 11, I had narrowed down my future careers to either engineering, geology, or geophysics. Now that I am in Grade 12 I have put in a lot of time and research figuring out which one I want to take in university. I attended the post-secondary fair at my school in November and the career fair last spring as well as the University of Calgary open house. I have had many opportunities to speak with people in all three of these careers and in the end I decided that I would take both geology and geophysics, which are very similar and share many of the same courses. So far I have applied only to University of Calgary (my preferable choice due to the fact I can live at home) but I am also considering University of Alberta.
*Remember, if you find that once you start your post-secondary education you aren’t passionate or don’t enjoy the career you are pursuing, you can always switch, it’s never too late.
