CAREERS & EDUCATION HIGHER LEARNING
Choose your program wisely for academic success
W
hether you are looking for a four-year degree or a shorter credential, choosing the program to study is an important academic decision. As a newcomer, you may not have the same grasp of the Canadian labour market as someone who has gone to school in Canada and heard about different programs and careers from the time they were in kindergarten. This means that some extra research and self-assessment may improve your decision-making.
Key factors to consider
work experience can help in deciding a direction. Your research should include both a frank self-assessment and a thorough review of critical information about programs as well as careers.
Knowing yourself
Consider your interests and talents when choosing a program of study. It is often easier to apply yourself if you are interested in something and if you don’t have to struggle very hard with it. Having good academic preparation is also important. If your program requires a lot of math, have you developed ease with the minimum stated math requirements? If you will be writing essays, would an introductory writing course be helpful? Knowing yourself should be one lens through which you consider academic and career direction.
Newcomers to Canada will want to capitalize on their credentials and strengths when choosing a program of study. Programs that call on a high degree of familiarity with Canadian culture may be more of a struggle and require more time in Canada to get that knowledge. Personal assets such as knowledge of languages, areas Other questions you want to where you have proven expertise and skills, evaluated credentials and prior ask yourself could include: If your
chosen program of study is highly competitive, have good grades come easily to you? Can you live on the income of the career you are preparing for? If the market is saturated, are you willing to move to find work? If only one in seven applicants to medical school are accepted, do you still have a good chance? Are you comfortable with the routine tasks in a specific career, such as the physical care nurses provide to both men and women? Would you need to complete a short course in personal coaching or would you need more background of the Canadian context of that profession?
this fit in with the kind of lifestyle you would like to have? Is studying life sciences or psychology the best way to get into medical school? Without full, current information, you may not even know what important questions to ask.
Some program descriptions sound perfect, almost too good to be true. It feels like all you need to do is sign up and you will be on the way to where you want to be. While this may be true for some studies, others need quite a bit of research, questioning, attending information sessions and information interviewing. As you research programs and careers, you may About the program There are many things to look at gather information from schools, when you are choosing a course of but it is often best to go beyond this study. Some of them aren’t obvious. and speak to individuals working in If you are hoping for a career related the field you are interested in. Career to your studies, you not only want counsellors and advisers can also to know the current job market, help with finding current education but also what might be the future and labour market information. direction. There is a tremendous variety What impact might technology of academic and career-related have? If you are getting credentials in programs to choose from. Deciding a particular field, are they necessary? on one prematurely without full Can others work in this area without information may lead to regrets. them? Examples of important Recovering from a bad decision is information might include: Does a possible, but it can be costly and police foundation diploma lead to demoralizing. While the future a career with the police, or would can’t be entirely predicted, it is a degree in sociology be a more possible to have a better chance of direct route? Do you understand success. A thorough exploration the working conditions of a shelter and honest self-appraisal now worker? How many shelter workers will help and alleviate unwelcome spend years working at night? Does surprises later. Geneviève Beaupré and Susan Qadeer have extensive experience working in university and college settings, providing career, academic and personal counselling to international and immigrant students.
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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 18 Issue 6 | 2021
