Enjoy the journey as much as the destination
What is a Career Development?
- Career Development is a lifelong path of learning and skill building that includes education, paid work, volunteering, extracurriculars and other personal/professional development.
- Career development is the process of learning about yourself, exploring different options, making choices, & taking action.
When Exploring Careers, Remember:
- It’s okay to not have everything figured out about your future!
- Our careers are so much more than one pressing decision. They are made up of tiny little decisions! Focus on your next small tangible step.
- Our careers are dynamic, evolving & require continuous adaptations and resilience through multiple transitions.
- You will not be choosing one career for the rest of your life.
- Create plans with flexibility… remember ‘Plan B’ & ‘Plan C’.
- Be open to new experiences and be reflective with your experiences. Ask yourself ‘What did I like about that?’ ‘What didn’t I like?’.
- Explore your values, interests, strengths and goals.
- Don’t forget your dreams!
- Network with people in roles you may be interested in to learn more about what’s happening on the ground in your field.
Our Career Development Model:
Career development is a continual, non-linear process. You will likely go back to revisit steps you have already taken because of new information you have discovered. Depending on your situation, you may start at a different point in the process.
Discover Yourself
- Self-discovery can be accomplished through personal reflection, observations from those who know you, and self-assessment tools. This process can be supported through discussion with a career counsellor.
- Find links to our self-assessments on myTrent under the ‘Support’ tab > ‘Careerspace’).
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Our Career Development Model Continued:
Explore Options
- Knowing the educational and career options allows you to be better prepared when evaluating your choices.
- Exploration may include talking with people in your field of interest, identifying employment trends, learning the requirements needed to reach your goal, and trying out your options.
- It includes volunteering, part-time/summer work, informational interviewing and experiential learning.
Resources for this stage include:
- What Can I Do With My Degree?
- Labour Market Information
- Occupational Profiles on Career Cruising (which you can access through myTrent under the ‘Support’ tab > ‘Careerspace’)
Make Choices
- You will want to start to narrow your focus to a few career options in order to start making some clear goals. If you are struggling at this stage, it is often worthwhile to circle back to do more reflection or research. *
- Making choices can be challenging. You may find it helpful to connect with a career counsellor. Schedule a Career Counselling Appointment through the Student Experience Portal.
Take Action
Depending on your career goals, taking action may look different.
- If your goal involves further education, your focus will be on the application process, ensuring you meet the prerequisites and choosing schools.
- If you are ready to start looking for work, then your focus will be on building your experience, growing your professional network and developing a work search strategy.
- If you are still evaluating your career options, your next step may be to start meeting with people in the field, complete a career related self assessment and/or meet with a Careerspace.
Either way, the key is to develop a flexible plan for success that will help you stay motivated and on track!