By Linda Cicuta

I have collaborated, interviewed, met, and worked with hundreds of professionals and am convinced there is at least one common factor among them all: their career paths have been experienced rather than planned. This theory also rings true for practitioners in the career advising field. The following stories are of two professionals who have pursued different paths, leading them to the same career center at McGill University.

Cindy Mancuso has held a career advising / counseling position for nine years and has taken a more “traditional” route to arrive there. Although her initial thoughts about this role were less desirable, she has grown to love it and continues to find it challenging.

Being from Montreal, Cindy attended cegep and completed her collegial diploma (DEC) in social science with a concentration in psychology. She continued her education and obtained a B.A. with a specialization in sociology and a major in psychology. At this point she entered the full-time work force, but not in her field of study. She worked for Teleglobe Canada – Credit Union, where she was previously employed on a part-time basis, for an additional four years in banking, loans and client service. While working during the day, she took evening courses in family life education and was an on-call youth care worker for Shawbridge Youth Centre. Then, a new opportunity arose as a shadow for a young autistic boy, and Cindy made her move away from the business world and into the community sector. She also managed to work for the school board as an educator and eventually applied for her masters in counseling psychology.

Once Cindy completed her masters degree, she networked herself to a career counsellor position for a center for new immigrants, and eventually started her own private practice in psychotherapy. Following this, she spent two years in a similar position with a women’s centre in Montreal, which is when she decided to put her private practice on the back burner. Although her job was intense and challenging, Cindy kept her options open and networked herself, yet again, to the position of career and diversity counsellor within McGill University’s Career and Placement Service (CAPS).

Joëlle Grundman’s route to the field of career advising seems to have been more of a “winding” road than the one taken by Cindy. Originally from France, where she obtained a bachelor degree in applied business languages, Joëlle’s career started with telemarketing and administrative positions. Over the course of three years, she worked for a software and a chemical company as an administrative assistant.

After immigrating to Montreal, Joëlle found herself once again working as an administraive assistant for two different companies. At this point she enrolled in night courses towards a certificate in human resources at McGill University. While studying, she found a permanent position at the Jewish General Hospital within the Nursing Department. Although she once again worked in an administrative role, she found herself very much liking the function of her department: recruiting.

Five years later, and with her almost-completed certificate, Joëlle left the hospital for a position at Jewish Employment Montreal (JEM) as an Employment Counselor. During her 3.5 yrs at the agency, she worked predominantly with mid-career professionals and started seeing new immigrant clients near the end of her contract. During this time, Joëlle had developed and maintained a network with McGill’s CAPS office, specifically with the director. Eventually that network paid off and she arrived in her current role of career advisor, alongside Cindy.

Both Cindy and Joëlle did not plan their paths to becoming career advisors, but both share the love of the work. They both continue to find it challenging and rewarding, especially working with such a variety of students, from a vast array of countries and cultures. As for their future plans, which seem to be in line with the undefined progression of a career advisor, it is uncertain. Cindy most recently restarted her private practice in psychotherapy and adds to her professional development by attending conferences annually. She eventually would like to increase her level of responsibility and decision making power in a managerial role. As for Joëlle, she is currently expecting her first child and therefore will be putting her future plans on hold. Although her own role as career advisor will decrease, she sees the path and advancement potential in this profession as dependent upon individual preferences. For instance one could add variety to their work via new initiatives or by working at different career centers, serving clients of various backgrounds. It seems quite evident that becoming a career advisor is not as clear cut as some other professions: there are several paths one can take to get there. This said, from someone with a university degree in criminology, who has worked on a cruise ship, taught science in elementary schools, was self-employed as a recruitment consultant, and who is also a career development advisor, and a colleague of Cindy and Joëlle.

Linda Cicuta is currently a career advisor at McGill’s Career and Placement Service, and has spent over 10 years in the career education and recruiting field. Her diverse background, including an undergraduate degree in criminology, early employment as a science instructor and a youth worker, has given her a thorough understanding of how career paths are often experienced rather than planned. Although her career history has led her in different directions, Linda continuously finds herself in a training type position, allowing her to share her experiences and expertise..