Helping Newcomers Choose an Academic Path

by Susan Qadeer

Career counsellors working with newcomers are often called on to weigh and explore academic options with their clients. There are some very good reasons for newcomers to go back to school. They may find that they are unable to get reasonable work without Canadian qualifications; they may need time to improve their language skills or learn more about Canadian life and culture or like many others, this may just be the right time to pursue post secondary studies. In determining whether it should be a college or university, fulltime or part time, with or without a co-op work experience, or just a few courses, you will want to review determining factors with your client.

Some newcomers redo the academic programs they took in their former home country. They may like what they have done and want Canadian credentials, feel they have a greater chance of success in their studies and credibility in a search for work. It may not always be necessary to do this. Sometimes a related program or an advanced degree may further a career or broaden opportunities. Establishing credibility through work, voluntary or paid, is a good idea not only for admission but to see if this is a suitable field for further study. An individual’s circumstances, financial, academic, personal, may make a course or two a good option. Both colleges and universities have continuing education courses. There is no easy way to find specific courses except to visit the website of each school’s continuing education department.

Other investigations include the co-op option. In deciding, consideration should include whether the co-op is worth the time and money. Is the placement related to the educational program? Will the student have to find and arrange it? Benefits may include on- the- job training, obtaining Canadian experience and the possibility of getting hired, but the actual learning experience is only as good as the placement and supervision.

Some factors to consider

College or university?

The decision to go to a university or college is very individual. Which is more demanding, where can you develop skills, which one fosters intellectual challenge, which equips you better for life and/or for a working life, where can you get better remuneration? The answer to these questions is more likely to be, “it depends” and usually it depends on the specific program as well as an individual’s interest, abilities, academic tolerance and need. Furthermore, these institutions are evolving and changing and yesterday’s reality may no longer apply. Just as it is a loss to deny a highly interested student a broad university education, it can be soul destroying to send someone to university who may want to learn skills that are more concrete and work focussed.

University

Many newcomers arrive in Canada with an undergraduate degree, so taking a postgraduate degree may be a good idea to help solidify the previous degree or work experience or to change direction. There are many university graduate degrees that can establish professional standing and open doors to a good working life. For instance, a graduate degree in Library/Information Science or Public Health may not require a specific undergraduate degree and can lead to work in a number of different settings including academic, community, business and industry, healthcare and government. The benefits of continuing with a graduate degree in the same field as the undergraduate degree, offers Canadian credentials and perspective as well the usual advantages of having a graduate degree.

In general, critical factors for admission are an excellent command of the language of instruction both oral and written and a strong academic record as an undergraduate. Most graduate degrees are two years long but program length varies and can be as short as one year and as long as three. Some academic programs offer financial assistance. Some universities have categories for students who want to take a few graduate courses. This may need a school by school investigation.

Colleges

Colleges have developed many postgraduate certificates that help diploma or degree holders to get job ready or change career directions. They are very attractive because of their length (usually 2 or 3 semesters), may come with a work placement and are geared to a specific job market. This is an opportunity to learn new skills quickly and an opportunity to learn about the Canadian educational system and the specific terminology of a field. Other programs at colleges, diplomas (2-3 years) and degrees (4 years) also tend to be geared to job readiness or as in the case of some certificates (1 year), an introduction to a specific field. They tend to be less expensive than university degrees, but not always.

Bridging, Access, Pre Programs, Internships, Ready to Work etc. 

These programs go by many names but their goal is to help fill in academic gaps and get individuals ready for further studies or employment. They range from helping those without a high school diploma to preparing professionals with decades of work experience in their home country. Programs to help those who don’t have the educational qualifications for entrance to university and colleges are located at the post secondary schools or courses can be taken through the Independent Learning Centre or the Adult Learning Centres at local school boards. See the website below for programs to help newcomers with an existing profession to get ready for similar work in Canada and for programs specifically designed to introduce newcomers with good academic background and language skills to new professions.

http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/working/experience/

http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/

The list should be checked frequently for updates.

Academic Expectations

Newcomers may find substantial differences in Canadian educational expectations in the classroom. In addition to causing added stress, newcomers may find they are unprepared and lacking in skills for these expectations. For instance, class participation, group work and an emphasis on independent research and writing are part of North American academic expectations. In other parts of the world, there may be more emphasis on memorization and examinations. It takes time to assimilate a new way of demonstrating competence and the adjustment needs to be factored in to the decision of an academic path.

Proximity

Proximity to the school may not seem terribly significant, but long commutes can be very problematic to completing studies. Many classes begin early and that means getting up extremely early. If students can’t sleep or study while travelling, valuable time is wasted. Furthermore between public transportation delays and winters in Canada, it isn’t always possible to get to school on time or to get to school at all. Some programs only allow you a certain number of lateness’ or absences. Commuting time is also a factor in whether someone is able to work part time while going to school. Distance learning or online courses may be an option to consider.

Cost

Programs vary in tuition cost and may also include expensive tools and supplies. Some programs may not be government subsidized and can be very costly. There is usually the assumption that they are highly marketable on completion.

Duration

If students need more time to perfect language skills, it may be a good strategy to choose a longer program. If this is not the case, shorter programs may be sufficient for job readiness particularly if there is both previous education and work experience. Sometimes a few carefully selected continuing education courses are sufficient to get someone with experience, working again.

Marketability and Outlook

You don’t often have to tell newcomers about marketability. They usually know who is getting hired. What they may not know is in what direction the field is going. Are there significant changes coming so that a computer program or legislation or innovations or demographic trends may dry up opportunities in the near future? These factors need to be part of anyone’s career exploration along with the usual evaluation of skills and interests.

Salary

Salary should be a consideration since some careers just don’t pay enough. Other careers may look like they don’t pay well but may have possibilities of significant paid overtime, bonuses or tips.

Unique programs in colleges and universities

There are some programs that are unique and can offer skills or credentials or other qualifications that reduce or even eliminate the competition and could provide an interesting work life. Unique programs might offer careers for students who have been educated broadly, be the “aha!” that has eluded the indecisive, or possibly give direction to someone interested in many things. Unique programs are the ones that few people knew existed but make perfect sense when discovered by the right person. While there are many, here are a few that can serve as examples. At colleges, you can become a railway conductor in one semester; you can study information security management or become an orthotic/prosthetic technician. At a university you can study sustainable environmental management, intercultural education and financial engineering. The only way to find these unique programs is to do the research both online and by talking to those working and teaching in these areas.

Client needs and counsellor’s responsibility

All clients can benefit from a well informed career counsellor. Going down a wrong career path may be a learning experience but loss of money, time and self esteem as well as academic fatigue are possible outcomes of a poor choice. The more a counsellor can share their knowledge of researching directions, assessing skills and interests, specific programs and have fruitful open discussions about all the implications of a decision, the less likely major mistakes will be made. Newcomers may have good education and skills but lack the knowledge of Canadian academic programs, their admission criteria, academic expectations and competitiveness. The more counsellors know, the easier it will be for clients to narrow their academic focus and choose academic and career options more successfully, without false starts and wrong turns. While counsellors can’t be expected to know everything, we can teach the skills for exploring careers, share what we have learned ourselves and spend time researching options and learning more.

Susan Qadeer is a personal and career counsellor who has worked with both university and college students for decades. She can be reached at susanqadeer@hotmail.com.