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Going Somewhere? magazine (40 pages) Government of Alberta, Employment and Immigration 4 goingsomewhere? © Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration you may or may not have thought about your career or your future, but the adults in your life probably have. you might have heard them use phrases like planning for the future or choosing a career. That can seem pretty irrelevant when you're just trying to survive high school. or looking for work because you need to pay the rent. When teachers, parents and other adults say plan for your future, they really mean focus on what you want because that's how you get it. When they say choose a career, they really mean use your interests, passions, values, skills and strengths to guide your choices about your living and your life. This magazine will help you do that. It's a good idea to read this magazine if * you're wondering what direction to take after high school and need to focus your thoughts * you know and like the direction you're headed in, but need some help taking steps to achieve your goal * you haven't got a clue what to think or feel or do about any of this If you have 5 minutes, flip back a page and just see what happens. It will help you figure out what you want. It will help you get what you want. It's about you—your next 5 minutes, your next 2 weeks, your next 2 years. Reasons to read Going Somewhere?! © Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration going somewhere? 5 3 Now 5 minutes kick-starts your future when IS Now This is not a dress rehearsal 4 3 Reasons to Read Going Somewhere? It will help you figure out, and get, what you want 6 Career Speak Career jargon clarified 7 what Motivates You Food? Money? Applause? 8 Research DYI Find out how to find out 9 watch out for Those Big Assumptions Seriously, they'll get you every time 10 Learn From Your Mistakes How mistakes help 12 Get a Helmet Life is tough. Play a game 14 Know Your Self 3 things to do NOW 15 Your Very own Board of Directors Who's on your team? 16 Labour Market Information Make LMI work for you Let Me Imagine Sit back and picture your future 17 Strengths What are yours? 18 Making Decisions Beyond rock, paper, scissors Going Somewhere? Live i Learn i Work cArEEr prAcTITIonErs And EducATors Going Somewhere? is a quick introduction to career development that encourages young people to begin preparing for life after high school. Articles and exercises help students to • identify their inner and outer motivators • discover their interests, passions, skills and strengths • explore possibilities related to what they like and what they're good at • set short- and long-term goals and move in a direction that interests them • build support networks • think broadly in terms of industry sector, rather than focusing on a specific job • explore various research alternatives (labour market information, volunteering or job shadowing) • use a portfolio to showcase education, achievements and awards The accompanying pdf-only resource Going Somewhere? Educators' Guide is available for free download at alis.alberta.ca/publications. catalogue Item # 752509 This publication is available to view or order online at alis.alberta.ca/publications. copies can also be ordered from the learning resources centre by telephone at 780-427-5775 or by fax at 780-422-9750. For copyright information, contact: Alberta Employment and Immigration career and Workplace resources Telephone: 780-422-1794 fax: 780-422-5319 Email: info@alis.gov.ab.ca © 2009, Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration This material may be used, reproduced, stored or transmitted for non-commercial purposes. however, crown copyright is to be acknowledged. It is not to be used, reproduced, stored or transmitted for commercial purposes without written permission from the Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration. This publication is not for resale unless licensed with Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration. Every reasonable effort has been made to identify the owners of copyright material reproduced in this publication and to comply with canadian copyright law. The publisher would welcome any information regarding errors or omissions. Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration publications may contain or reference publications, trademark, patent or copyright held by third parties ("third party material"), identified with a credit to the source. This does not grant the user a licence or right to that third party material. users who wish to reproduce any third party material in this publication should seek permission from that third party. Information in this publication was accurate, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of printing. however, legislation, labour market information, websites and programs are subject to change, and we encourage you to confirm with additional sources of information when making career, education, employment and business decisions. The province of Alberta is working in partnership with the Government of canada to provide jointly funded employment support programs and services. IsBn 978-0-7785-6938-1 All photos in this booklet are for illustrative purposes only. They are not actual photos of any individuals mentioned. 03/2009—100m 20 Go Anywhere Pick a path to your future 22 Dream. Vision Whatever you want to call it 23 Something Completely Different Does your work exist yet? 24 Backhoes to Ballerinas Where skills can take you… 27 A Skills-based world Get the skills you need 28 Small (Big) world Go global 29 Taking a Gap Year Experience the big (small ) world 30 Now, Next, Future Where are you spending your time? 32 Score Goals Long-term or short-term? Shoot for both 33 Think Sector Multiply your possibilities 34 Career Quiz Are you career savvy? 36 Gateway Jobs From entry-level to opportunity 37 Goal-Breaking You can always change your mind LifeworkLifework Find your balance 38 Help! There's support all around you also, check out… Water ............................................................................... 7 careercycle .................................................................. 11 Toe-may-toe, Toe-maa-toe ................................. 11 The power of portfolio .........................................27 let Go of remote control ................................... 35 Ask AlIs ........................................................................39 occinfo ........................................................................39 table of contents 12 goingsomewhere? © Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration 1. Each player picks a playing shape and cuts it out. 2. Each player rolls the die. The player with the highest roll goes first. Play goes clockwise after that. 3. Players must follow the directions on the square they land on. 4. The player who crosses the finish line first wins the game. You study and get your best mark yet on the exam. Move ahead 2 squares. MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES You work the fundraiser you committed to instead of going skiing with your friends. Move ahead 3 squares. Your friend skips the party to study & gets an A. You party, don't study and get a C-. Go back 4 squares. You're down on your parents because they don't compost kitchen waste. There are 3 weeks' worth of decomposing, half-eaten lunches on the floor of your room. Move back 1 square. This sucks! You're only 2 days late submitting your application for a photography course at the local college and they won't let you enrol! Move back 2 squares. Your grandmother is looking forward to your visit but your crush is throwing a party that night and you're invited. You visit your grandmother. Move ahead 2 squares. You need a better mark in English to raise your average. You lobby your teacher to raise your B+ to an A, claiming that you deserve more than 3.5 out of 5 for "originality of thought" on a paper. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 2 squares? Explain. You're watching a Friends re-run when you realize you have no idea what any of the characters do for a living. Move ahead 2 squares. At work, you have the opportunity to check Facebook and go online to some of your favourite sites without anyone knowing, so you do. You tell your supervisor you got behind on your work because of a computer problem. Go back 2 squares. The deal was if you mowed the lawn, you got the car. You didn't mow the lawn. Now you're angry because you don't get the car. Go back 2 squares. You own up to not putting the tools back in the crib at the end of your shift. Your supervisor is extremely upset and you're worried about losing your job. Move back 3 squares. Your friend has just scored the latest version of the hottest game. The jazz band is rehearsing for the big concert. You're one of 6 trumpet players. Will they miss you if you don't show? You go to rehearsal. Move ahead 2 squares. L ife's tough and it ai n 't a l ways a b o u t yo u~y o u ' r e go nna n ee d a h e l m et! Your supervisor asks you to work an extra shift. You were planning to work on your Social project. You work the shift and ask your teacher for an extension. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 3 squares? Explain. You've worked for 3 months, missed 4 shifts without a reason and been late 7 times. You ask your boss for a raise from $10 to $15 an hour. Go back 3 squares. 1. Each player picks a playing shape and cuts it out. 2. Each player rolls the die. The player with the highest roll goes first. Play goes clockwise after that. 3. Players must follow the directions on the square they land on. 4. The player who crosses the finish line first wins the game. You study and get your best mark yet on the exam. Move ahead 2 squares. MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES You work the fundraiser you committed to instead of going skiing with your friends. Move ahead 3 squares. Your friend skips the party to study & gets an A. You party, don't study and get a C-. Go back 4 squares. You're down on your parents because they don't compost kitchen waste. There are 3 weeks' worth of decomposing, half-eaten lunches on the floor of your room. Move back 1 square. This sucks! You're only 2 days late submitting your application for a photography course at the local college and they won't let you enrol! Move back 2 squares. Your grandmother is looking forward to your visit but your crush is throwing a party that night and you're invited. You visit your grandmother. Move ahead 2 squares. You need a better mark in English to raise your average. You lobby your teacher to raise your B+ to an A, claiming that you deserve more than 3.5 out of 5 for "originality of thought" on a paper. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 2 squares? Explain. You're watching a Friends re-run when you realize you have no idea what any of the characters do for a living. Move ahead 2 squares. At work, you have the opportunity to check Facebook and go online to some of your favourite sites without anyone knowing, so you do. You tell your supervisor you got behind on your work because of a computer problem. Go back 2 squares. The deal was if you mowed the lawn, you got the car. You didn't mow the lawn. Now you're angry because you don't get the car. Go back 2 squares. You own up to not putting the tools back in the crib at the end of your shift. Your supervisor is extremely upset and you're worried about losing your job. Move back 3 squares. Your friend has just scored the latest version of the hottest game. The jazz band is rehearsing for the big concert. You're one of 6 trumpet players. Will they miss you if you don't show? You go to rehearsal. Move ahead 2 squares. L ife's tough and it ai n 't a l ways a b o u t yo u~y o u ' r e go nna n ee d a h e l m et! Your supervisor asks you to work an extra shift. You were planning to work on your Social project. You work the shift and ask your teacher for an extension. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 3 squares? Explain. You've worked for 3 months, missed 4 shifts without a reason and been late 7 times. You ask your boss for a raise from $10 to $15 an hour. Go back 3 squares. going somewhere? 13 1. Each player picks a playing shape and cuts it out. 2. Each player rolls the die. The player with the highest roll goes first. Play goes clockwise after that. 3. Players must follow the directions on the square they land on. 4. The player who crosses the finish line first wins the game. You study and get your best mark yet on the exam. Move ahead 2 squares. MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES You work the fundraiser you committed to instead of going skiing with your friends. Move ahead 3 squares. Your friend skips the party to study & gets an A. You party, don't study and get a C-. Go back 4 squares. You're down on your parents because they don't compost kitchen waste. There are 3 weeks' worth of decomposing, half-eaten lunches on the floor of your room. Move back 1 square. This sucks! You're only 2 days late submitting your application for a photography course at the local college and they won't let you enrol! Move back 2 squares. Your grandmother is looking forward to your visit but your crush is throwing a party that night and you're invited. You visit your grandmother. Move ahead 2 squares. You need a better mark in English to raise your average. You lobby your teacher to raise your B+ to an A, claiming that you deserve more than 3.5 out of 5 for "originality of thought" on a paper. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 2 squares? Explain. You're watching a Friends re-run when you realize you have no idea what any of the characters do for a living. Move ahead 2 squares. At work, you have the opportunity to check Facebook and go online to some of your favourite sites without anyone knowing, so you do. You tell your supervisor you got behind on your work because of a computer problem. Go back 2 squares. The deal was if you mowed the lawn, you got the car. You didn't mow the lawn. Now you're angry because you don't get the car. Go back 2 squares. You own up to not putting the tools back in the crib at the end of your shift. Your supervisor is extremely upset and you're worried about losing your job. Move back 3 squares. Your friend has just scored the latest version of the hottest game. The jazz band is rehearsing for the big concert. You're one of 6 trumpet players. Will they miss you if you don't show? You go to rehearsal. Move ahead 2 squares. L ife's tough and it ai n 't a l ways a b o u t yo u~y o u ' r e go nna n ee d a h e l m et! Your supervisor asks you to work an extra shift. You were planning to work on your Social project. You work the shift and ask your teacher for an extension. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 3 squares? Explain. You've worked for 3 months, missed 4 shifts without a reason and been late 7 times. You ask your boss for a raise from $10 to $15 an hour. Go back 3 squares. 1. Each player picks a playing shape and cuts it out. 2. Each player rolls the die. The player with the highest roll goes first. Play goes clockwise after that. 3. Players must follow the directions on the square they land on. 4. The player who crosses the finish line first wins the game. You study and get your best mark yet on the exam. Move ahead 2 squares. MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES You work the fundraiser you committed to instead of going skiing with your friends. Move ahead 3 squares. Your friend skips the party to study & gets an A. You party, don't study and get a C-. Go back 4 squares. You're down on your parents because they don't compost kitchen waste. There are 3 weeks' worth of decomposing, half-eaten lunches on the floor of your room. Move back 1 square. This sucks! You're only 2 days late submitting your application for a photography course at the local college and they won't let you enrol! Move back 2 squares. Your grandmother is looking forward to your visit but your crush is throwing a party that night and you're invited. You visit your grandmother. Move ahead 2 squares. You need a better mark in English to raise your average. You lobby your teacher to raise your B+ to an A, claiming that you deserve more than 3.5 out of 5 for "originality of thought" on a paper. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 2 squares? Explain. You're watching a Friends re-run when you realize you have no idea what any of the characters do for a living. Move ahead 2 squares. At work, you have the opportunity to check Facebook and go online to some of your favourite sites without anyone knowing, so you do. You tell your supervisor you got behind on your work because of a computer problem. Go back 2 squares. The deal was if you mowed the lawn, you got the car. You didn't mow the lawn. Now you're angry because you don't get the car. Go back 2 squares. You own up to not putting the tools back in the crib at the end of your shift. Your supervisor is extremely upset and you're worried about losing your job. Move back 3 squares. Your friend has just scored the latest version of the hottest game. The jazz band is rehearsing for the big concert. You're one of 6 trumpet players. Will they miss you if you don't show? You go to rehearsal. Move ahead 2 squares. L ife's tough and it ai n 't a l ways a b o u t yo u~y o u ' r e go nna n ee d a h e l m et! Your supervisor asks you to work an extra shift. You were planning to work on your Social project. You work the shift and ask your teacher for an extension. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 3 squares? Explain. You've worked for 3 months, missed 4 shifts without a reason and been late 7 times. You ask your boss for a raise from $10 to $15 an hour. Go back 3 squares. 1. Each player picks a playing shape and cuts it out. 2. Each player rolls the die. The player with the highest roll goes first. Play goes clockwise after that. 3. Players must follow the directions on the square they land on. 4. The player who crosses the finish line first wins the game. You study and get your best mark yet on the exam. Move ahead 2 squares. MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES MOVE AHEAD 3 SQUARES You work the fundraiser you committed to instead of going skiing with your friends. Move ahead 3 squares. Your friend skips the party to study & gets an A. You party, don't study and get a C-. Go back 4 squares. You're down on your parents because they don't compost kitchen waste. There are 3 weeks' worth of decomposing, half-eaten lunches on the floor of your room. Move back 1 square. This sucks! You're only 2 days late submitting your application for a photography course at the local college and they won't let you enrol! Move back 2 squares. Your grandmother is looking forward to your visit but your crush is throwing a party that night and you're invited. You visit your grandmother. Move ahead 2 squares. You need a better mark in English to raise your average. You lobby your teacher to raise your B+ to an A, claiming that you deserve more than 3.5 out of 5 for "originality of thought" on a paper. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 2 squares? Explain. You're watching a Friends re-run when you realize you have no idea what any of the characters do for a living. Move ahead 2 squares. At work, you have the opportunity to check Facebook and go online to some of your favourite sites without anyone knowing, so you do. You tell your supervisor you got behind on your work because of a computer problem. Go back 2 squares. The deal was if you mowed the lawn, you got the car. You didn't mow the lawn. Now you're angry because you don't get the car. Go back 2 squares. You own up to not putting the tools back in the crib at the end of your shift. Your supervisor is extremely upset and you're worried about losing your job. Move back 3 squares. Your friend has just scored the latest version of the hottest game. The jazz band is rehearsing for the big concert. You're one of 6 trumpet players. Will they miss you if you don't show? You go to rehearsal. Move ahead 2 squares. L ife's tough and it ai n 't a l ways a b o u t yo u~y o u ' r e go nna n ee d a h e l m et! Your supervisor asks you to work an extra shift. You were planning to work on your Social project. You work the shift and ask your teacher for an extension. Should you move BACK or FORWARD 3 squares? Explain. You've worked for 3 months, missed 4 shifts without a reason and been late 7 times. You ask your boss for a raise from $10 to $15 an hour. Go back 3 squares. © Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration ost of the people around you probably won't encourage you to dream. ey'll want you to be "realistic" so you can succeed. Yet business people dream all the time—they call it "visioning." It helps them to set goals and move confidently towards their future. Good things can happen if you let yourself dream. Give your dreams "life." • Research the work you want to do. • Assess your strengths, skills and attitudes. • Learn the skills you need. • Set goals that take you toward your dream. • Reassess your dream and your goals regularly. What can happen if you have a dream and decide to pursue it? People learn best when they have a need or a rea- son to learn. You may not be excited about Dream. Vision. Whatever you want to call it. m polynomials but if your dream is to travel the world and immerse yourself in indigenous cultures as an ethnomusicologist* g you need to get Math 20 g so you can get Math 30 g so you can meet the entrance require- ments to enrol in ethnomusicology at university So you learn about polynomials. And, whether you end up in ethnomusicology or not, you graduate with a diploma that opens a lot of doors, leading to other possible dreams. * ethnomusicology (noun)—the study of the music of a particular region and its sociocultural implications, especially of music outside the European art tradition; the comparative study of the music of different cultural groups * Source: www.yourdictionary.com © Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration 22 goingsomewhere? going somewhere? 23 © Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration Dream. Vision. Different ou don't need to panic if you don't know what you want to do after high school. e work you're heading towards may not exist yet. Or if it exists, you may not have heard much about it. Chances are that when your parents were in high school, they didn't consider careers as web designers or MRI technicians—these occupations depended on technological developments that hadn't happened yet. at's why some of the most effective career planning you can do includes • exploring possibilities related to what you like and what you're good at • moving in a direction that interests you and watching for evolving roles once you're working in the field • staying open to the new and unexpected as it comes your way Suppose you like video games and you love to draw. You might want to work as a video game Something Completely artist or an animator but doubt you'd be able to find a post-secondary program or work in the field in Alberta. Surprise! You can pursue 3D animation in Alberta: • Check out 3D animation as a career at alis.alberta.ca/occinfo. Click on Search by Title and go to Animator. Explore the links. • Watch a video about one 3D animator's career at alis.alberta.ca. Click on Video Career Clip, then enter 3D Animator. • Bioware is an Edmonton-based video game company with a worldwide reputation. Visit their website at bioware.com. • You can study animation at several Alberta public and private institutions. Check out their programs at alis.alberta.ca/edinfo. Click on Search by Program and enter Animation. 26 goingsomewhere? © Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration Getting the Skills Getting the Skills mployers are usually specific about the skills they're looking for. Many occupations (such as school teacher, welder or physician) require some form of post-secondary education. ose that don't often require at least a high school diploma. In other situations, employers may be willing to train the people they hire. It's a skills-based world out there. One way to prove to an employer that you've got the skills to do the job is to earn a diploma, certificate or degree. High School One good piece of paper to have is a high school diploma. • For information about what you need in order to graduate, check out education.alberta.ca/ students/grad.aspx. • For information about returning to high school or completing a diploma after your third year, check with your local school board. Visit education. alberta.ca/apps/schoolsdir. If you're over 18 and have been out of school for at least 10 consecutive months, you can get a High School Equivalency Diploma. For more information, go to education.alberta.ca (click on Students, then High School Graduation and select High School Equivalency Diploma). A Skills-based World e Some post-secondary institutions will accept mature students without a high school diploma. Check directly with the post-secondary institution you're interested in. Go to advancededandtech. alberta.ca/college. Post-Secondary Currently 70 per cent of new jobs in Alberta require some form of post-secondary education. You can get a post-secondary education through an accredited institution or program: • Universities offer development in academic, research and analytical skills in degree programs in a number of disciplines and professions. • Public and private colleges offer certificate, diploma, academic upgrading, university transfer, apprenticeship, continuing education and applied degree programs. • Technical institutes offer certificate, diploma, applied degree, apprenticeship and continuing education programs, often related to trades or technical work. • Apprenticeship training is a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training in a trade. In Alberta, more than 50 trades (cook, hairstylist, electrician, machinist, etc.) have apprenticeship training programs. going somewhere? 27 © Government of Alberta, Alberta Employment and Immigration Getting the Skills Use the Power of Portfolio to store, organize and show information about your skills: certificates, diplomas, courses achievements: awards, articles, photos work and volunteer history: resumé, participation records, thank yous letters of reference Want that Job? Use the Power of Porfolio to help you land it! Ask about the Power of Portfolio wherever CALM 20 and CTS are sold! Visit alis.alberta.ca/tips Click on Tips by Topic, then About Portfolios! For information about • apprenticeship, visit tradesecrets.gov.ab.ca • the institutions listed above, visit advancededandtech.alberta.ca/college Click on Post-Secondary Institutions • funding your post-secondary education, visit alis.alberta.ca/studentsfinance On the Job Take advantage of on-the-job training. Keep track of workshops, programs and courses you take and keep any certificates or other records in a safe place. If your employer offers you only the bare minimum of training, train yourself: • Create your own orientation. Ask your supervisor or co-workers about policies you should be aware of and who you should go to for advice, direction and problem-solving. • Learn from everyone around you. If you don't know, ask and observe your co-workers, customers and suppliers. • Learn by teaching. Train a new person or help a co-worker pick up a skill you already have. To teach something, you have to analyze how you perform the skill yourself. • Learn by experimenting. As long as you work safely within company policy, try working beyond the rule book. For example, if you offer accessories to go with the outfit your customer is trying on, does it increase the likelihood of a sale? • Find a mentor or coach. Look for an experienced person who will provide formal and informal instruction and constructive feedback. • Do the research. Search the Web, trade magazines, newspapers, TV and books for information about your organization, industry and sector. You'll find tips about learning at work at alis.alberta.ca/tips. Go to the tips "On the Job— As a New Employee" and "On the Job—Learning." GOALS SET ' EM, REACH ' EM CAREER MYTHS TAKE THE FUTURE ARE YOU GAME? BETTER GET A HELMET! GET GAP WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TAKING A YEAR OFF QUIZ! GOT 5 MINUTES? TAKE 5 STEPS TOWARD YOUR

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