Working Abroad

 Over the reading week I travelled to Jamaica with my family. It was a wonderful week, very relaxing, but it also got me wondering about the different jobs available on the island. Are there jobs available in the government for international citizens? Private sector? Tourism? Through some internet research, I discovered the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and look forward to educating myself on the types of positions available with this organization. International job searching is complicated, and challenging, but I have I have  found it helpful to talk to some of my professors who have experience working abroad and talk to them about the organizations that they worked for and their experiences.  It requires networking!

A great resource to consult for work abroad information, is The Big Guide To Living And Working Overseas. As a Laurier student, you can sign-up with your Laurier email address. I still feel unsure about what I want to focus my career on, however, I would love and welcome the opportunity to work and live abroad. The Big Guide debunks some of the myths as to how students and new graduates secure employment overseas, and one of the main messages they send, is you need to cultivate clarity around your skills and the career you want to pursue, before you can be an effective international job searcher. Undergoing a local job search without definitive clarity around what kind of position you want is difficult enough, without adding the complication of applying to a foreign country. So begin with cultivating career path clarity, and then look at how that path can take you to the international landscape.

Megan Wibberley, Peer Advisor

Beyond post-grad programs: continuing education options for new grad

Because more people are getting undergraduate degrees than ever before the job market is demanding workers who have more than ‘just’ an undergraduate degree.  For recent grads, this might mean more school time, more student loans and less working.

As an arts student, I’ve learned many valuable thinking, analytical and writings skills that will be important for any career path I choose. I also know that putting my knowledge of romantic poetry on my resumé probably won’t impress a potential employer.  Analysis, writing and communication skills are great transferable skills to have, but arts degrees often don’t provide students with the tangible, in-demand, hands-on skills employers are looking for.

If another few years of school are financially impossible, taking a few continuing education courses or mastering in-demand skills on your own time can give you the boost you need to start your career.

Local community colleges and many universities offer courses that can help you build your skills.  Knowing how to use Microsoft Office applications isn’t a skill so much as an expectation. Every university graduate knows how to make documents, presentations, charts and graphs because they are required in many of our courses. Taking continuing education classes can help you build skills that will make you stand out among other applicants.

Check out:

• OntarioLearn.com is an association of 22 Ontario community colleges that offers more than 930 online classes.
• The Canadian Association for Continuing Education works to advance continuing education resources and courses at Canadian Universities. Check out the members page to see Canadian universities that offer continuing education classes.
• The resources available to alumni at your former college or university.  You still have access to many valuable online and library resources as an alumnus.

Do it yourself

From learning a language to mastering HTML, the Internet makes free tutorials available on just about any subject.  If you are willing to take the initiative and make the time, the Internet is a great starting point for boosting your skill set.

Check out:

• LearnThat.com provides free tutorials on software applications such as Dreamweaver, Quicken, Photoshop and many others
• W3Schools.com for free web building tutorials, references, examples and quizzes
• MIT OpenCourseWare is a free publication of MIT course materials that reflects almost all the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT.
• Google! A quick Google search will lead you to any type of tutorial you are looking for

Nicole Wray, Peer Advisor

Volunteer!

As most students are aware, volunteering is gaining popularity and importance in the eyes of most corporations and employers. However, most students are not taking the time to get involved to help them in their future endeavours. The importance of volunteering to put on one’s resume cannot be stressed enough! It is a good way to practice net working, gain experience and learn. 

One volunteer experience I have personally held over the past two years at school is as a Peer Advisor for the Laurier Career Centre. From this, I have had the privilege of being surrounded with an abundance of information about job postings, on-campus recruiting sessions and skill-building workshops. I have realized that I am better at networking and delivering presentations than I thought and have further refined my time management and organization skills that will be extremely valuable to me in my future aspirations. Having gained these insights about myself through volunteering will help me advance in my career as I am now able to recognize where my strengths and weaknesses lie in my skill set and I will be able to adjust things as I move forward in my career planning.

Laurier’s Career Centre is holding information sessions regarding the Peer Advisor and Career Centre Ambassador volunteer positions that will be delivered by yours truly. 

The Peer Advisor position requires 3 hours in office and 2 external a week. Roles include performing in‐person resume critiques for non‐graduating students, provide students with career‐related information, assist staff in the Resource Centre, and complete special projects based on the centre’s needs and your interests! 

The Career Centre Ambassador position requires 2 hours a week externally. Roles include marketing events and Career Centre services to peers, presentations to clubs and classes, develop flyers and posters to advertise programs and assist at staff information booths across campus! 

Attend an information session to learn more:

Tuesday, February 9^th

5 – 5:30pm in CC-001 at the Career Centre

And

Thursday, February 25^th

Noon – 12:30pm in CC101 A&B at the Career Centre

Tara Mitchell, Senior Peer Advisor

Student Career Leader Program