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What are YOU gonna be when you grow up?

Pique has partnered with the Mountain Youth Society to bring readers a monthly column that looks at the issues facing our youth aged 13 to 35.

"What are you going to be when you grow up"?

That's one of the most simple, yet profound and confusing questions bombarding soon-to-be-graduates and young adults today.

As this school season winds down and the hopes for a spectacular summer approaches, it's decision-making time for lots of you students out there.

Maybe you go to university; or you do an internship to see if you even like the career your contemplating?

Maybe you go to trade school, or maybe you wait and travel for a year to gain a different perspective on life and your goals... but to add my two cents to the equation, explore all your options.

That little dream which you've held on to since you were a kid but were too embarrassed to tell people about...maybe you should take a good look at that...anything is possible.

Here's what some of our local youth and young adults thought about post secondary education and other options.

 

Caroline Stroud: Do you feel that you've been given the necessary help to figure out if and what you want to do for post-secondary education?

Chase Harley - Grade 12  - Whistler Secondary : "Planning 10 at school was helpful, that's where they gave me a site to look up a bunch of colleges and what they offer, that's how I found Selkirk for New Media. But they don't really tell us much; they kinda leave us to figure it all out ourselves. They give the colleges and universities time to give presentations at the beginning of the school year but you don't always know what your getting and it's kinda hard to find the course that I want. Selkirk is pretty much the only one in B.C. that I could find and it's especially the only one that I could find that had a ski area near it.

In the end, I don't think there is much else that they could have done to help me. I think if you really want to figure it out you kinda have to do it yourself. You've gotta go out there and figure out what colleges there are and what courses they give"

Ali Calladine - Grade 11 - Whistler Secondary: "In Grade 9 you don't talk about universities. It just came upon me all of a sudden because I jumped a year from grade 9 to 11, it's almost like it's just beginning to sink in but I don't know what I want to do yet. I see a lot of easy and enjoyable ways to keep my options open by getting good grades and doing a lot of extra curricular activities. I've also been reading university publications, the Globe and Mail put out a Universities magazine and Maclean's put out a publication as well.

I'm starting to realize that in terms of making decisions about your life, you can't always be spending the current time making plans for the future so I think I'm significantly less stressed out about post secondary than I was a few months ago."

Kayla Benbow  - graduated Whistler Secondary in '02 and from University of Victoria in '07 in Psychology : "Counsellors are completely useless, at least in helping you figure out what you should do. Ask people that have done what you are considering doing, people who have actually gone through the system recently and have up-to-date current information. At (university) I went to multiple counsellors in the hopes of figuring out what degree I should get...none of them helped. The most useful information seems to come from people that are a few years ahead of the point I was currently at."

 

Stroud: What about making the "Big Bucks" with career vs  following your passion?

Chase Harley: "If it's not a big deal for you being rich in the future then do what you want to do cause for me, being a freelance filmmaker is maybe not going to get me a mansion anywhere but it's what I like to do. I think people should do what they like for sure but if it's a major goal in life to get super rich and have a super nice house somewhere and that's more important to them then that's ok too... it would be great to have both aspects."

Ali Calladine: " I always assumed that I would go into something like the sciences and math and I'm going to go and do something to make me a lot of money and it's the kinda thing my family does, they are all doctors and finance people and real estate agents in my family. But now I'm starting to think that maybe people can be so much happier if you go to university, not for something that is going to make you money and a career, but for something that you enjoy learning about and then find a career from there."

Kayla Benbow : "Do not expect to get a career out of a Bachelors Degree. Yes it is true that you may get a certain job ahead of someone that does not have schooling or there is that rare position that requires a BA. Generally speaking however; I would recommend being prepared to get a Masters if you want to skip that pesky working from the bottom up thing."

Stroud: To GAP or not to GAP? What about taking a year off and travelling before starting post secondary school?

Chase Harley : "I thought about it but I know what I want to do and I feel that a lot of people who take a year off don't really do anything in that time so I figure I might as well just get it out of the way."

Ali Calladine: "I definitely want to go to university right away, I've been looking forward to it for a long time."

Kayla Benbow: "No matter what you do, find time to travel. Growing up in the bubble of Whistler is a weird and sheltered experience, do not be afraid to break out and see the world."

 

Resources:

Books

What Color is Your Parachute for Teens: Discovering Yourself, Defining your Future by Richard Bolles

What's Next? by Barbara Moses

Now What? The Young Person's Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career by Nicolas Lore

 

Websites

www.training-innovations.com (resource for someone graduating high school who is not pursuing post-secondary education and is looking for work - Whistler: 604-923-1600)

www.parinc.com (find out about career areas you might be interested in)

http://typefocus.com/s_education.html (questionnaire that links personality type to occupational professions)

http://careerpathsonline.com (try their "The 10-Step Career planning guide")

 

Here are some key points for students and career decision-making from Tara Mollett of Sea to Sky Employment Resource Centre:

•Explore your interests and values and how they connect to occupations

•Gain some hands-on experience in the workplace to explore your interests (and disinterests) first hand.

•Think in terms of skills that you need in order to do what you want to do.

•Understand that individuals can have up to five careers in one life-time so long-term and short -terms goals are important; try to find some continuity between long term and short term goals and develop your skills for the long term.

•Consider all options for post secondary education.

•Make sense of the labour market and do your research - Where are the jobs? What are current salaries?

(http://www.workfutures.bc.ca/)

•Networking is key! Talk with people who are in the careers that interest you and find out what they like, don't like and what the reality of the occupation is - Futureworks - Youth program for gaining employment and reaching employers.