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Career Options

Why is it important to explore career options?

There are literally thousands of potential career options available in the labour market today and the world of work is constantly changing. For example:

  • New occupations and skill demands are emerging while others are in decline.

  • New ways of working are emerging, such as flexible work schedules and job sharing, while traditional nine to five jobs are becoming less and less the norm.

  • Some jobs tend to offer higher wages and benefits, especially those where workers are in high demand while others offer lower wages and minimal job security.

These trends are strongly influenced by changing economic and labour market conditions. It is important to explore and gather information about these trends to identify career options that hold the most potential for the future and that are “best suited” to an individual’s personal skills, interests and abilities.

Exploring career options also helps individuals identify areas where they may need further skills development, education and training to meet occupational requirements.

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Strategies for exploring career options

  • Carry out occupational research. Gather information about occupational duties and descriptions; location of work; skills, aptitudes, and abilities required; salary or wages; education and training needed; hours of work; and the employment outlook for each occupation.

  • Gather and explore labour market information. This includes about education and training, industry, occupational and employment trends, wages, employment legislation and other areas.

  • Carry out information interviews. Speak to people who work in a particular field or occupation of interest.

  • Participate in a job shadowing exercise. Spend time with a person who is working in an occupation that is of interest.   “Shadow” a worker to observe the roles and responsibilities associated with a particular occupation in a workplace environment.

  • Participate in a mentoring exercise. Mentoring is similar to job shadowing, but the process is usually more in-depth, continues for a longer period of time and involves more interaction between the mentor and the participant.

  • Gain work experience. Individuals should spend some time working in a particular occupation or job to help determine if the work is suited to their personal traits and occupational aspirations.

    A variety of  opportunities are available to gain work experience including: co-operative education programs; work-study arrangements; internships; volunteer positions; summer jobs; casual employment; and contract work.

    Other benefits individuals gain through work experience include:

    • opportunities to demonstrate their work-related skills and identify their strengths and weaknesses; and

    • potential referrals to future employment opportunities.

  • Seek assistance from a guidance, career or employment counsellor. A career professional can be a valuable resource during the career exploration process to help individuals:

    • identify appropriate sources of information;

    • critically assess the value of the information;

    • interpret the information; and

    • apply the information to their personal circumstances.

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Additional Resources