MASCA
MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION
VOL. 48, NO. 3
Opportunities Up North By DONNA BROWN MASCA Executive Director
NOVEMBER 2011
Varied Career Paths Needed By JUDITH JOSEPHS, Ed.D. Visiting Lecturer, Salem State University
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DONNA BROWN
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arlier this fall, many of you received invitations to the Canadian College Fair held in Newton on October 2 and 3. I had the opportunity to attend the Sunday evening session and meet with a number of admissions counselors as well as Marc Jacques, Academic and Economic Affairs Officer for the Consulate General of Canada. As the mom of a Canadian University (Dalhousie) graduate, I knew a bit about the process of attending school in Canada. However, things have really changed for the better since we started that journey in 1993. Getting a student visa, working in Canada as a student, and procuring postgraduate opportunities are among the positive changes. And, more importantly in these economic times, there’s the lower cost for high quality postsecondary education. As this is National Career Development Month, it seems sensible to share some of the career preparation programs available at Canadian universities and colleges. Virtually any major of interest to a student is available in Canada. Additionally, many schools have extensive co-op programs that allow students to gain real work experience (for pay) while they learn.
The University of Waterloo (www. uwaterloo.ca), located in Waterloo, Ontario, is at the forefront of co-op education, providing its students with alternating four months of study and paid work terms. Over 100 programs are offered, ranging from Bioinformatics to Tourism and Parks Management. Co-op jobs are available in Canada, the United States, and worldwide. Some of the companies accepting co-op students are Amazon, Ernst and Young, Facebook, Google, Research in Motion, Government of Canada, and Barclay’s Capital. Students interested in journalism have a number of interesting opportunities. At St. Thomas University (www.stu.ca) in Fredericton, New Brunswick, students spend their second, third, and fourth years at the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) broadcast center shadowing professional journalists, developing skills in print, television, radio, and web, and (continued on page 8)
tudents today do not have enough choices offered to them regarding career pathways. No doubt all students need some type of formal training beyond high school. The direction provided by community colleges, apprentice programs, and military training offers more choices to students. My career as an educator has included many years as a guidance counselor and director of cooperative education. Employment in the 21st century will require some type of postsecondary education as the passport needed for employment. I see that, in addition to academic proficiency, there is a need for increased applied settings for high school choices. These educational paths provide an engine of opportunity. High-quality career guidance is essential if students are to achieve the American dream. Inappropriate career guidance is the reason students end up in classes they find boring, irrelevant, and cause dropouts. In middle school all students should develop an individual career plan including a goal, program of study, degree or license, and work learning experiences that correlate with the student’s objectives. My experience has shown that students perform better academically when their learning experiences correlate positively with the employment they are (continued on page 4)
November is National Career Development Month