Lindsay Purchase

In your wildest dreams, what would you want career development to look like in Canada? What is your vision of an ideal system, mindset, approach or resource to support people as they navigate all stages of their careers?

As we move through our day-to-day work, this kind of big-picture imagining tends to fall by the wayside. Visualizing what could be doesn’t always feel practical when we have to work within the confines of what is. But with this issue of Careering magazine, on the theme of “Career Development Reimagined,” we hope to spark questions and dialogue about the changes people want to see in the sector. You can’t do it if you can’t dream it.

Eighteen months into a disruptive and often devastating pandemic, we are in a moment that feels ripe for reflection. This issue of Careering both examines where we have been – the changes the field has made, by choice or by necessity – and where career development needs to go in Canada. The strategies, case studies and ideas this issue’s authors present reflect an inherent belief that we can do better than just going back to “normal.”

There’s something for everyone in this issue – available exclusively online at ceric.ca/careering – with articles on career education in K-12 and post-secondary; re-envisioning approaches to workforce development; hybrid career services; inclusive workplaces; measuring and communicating the value of career development; and much more.

You also won’t want to miss our multimedia feature sharing reader responses to the question, “What is your ideal vision of career development in Canada?” Your ideas for the future of the field fill us with excitement and hope about the many possibilities that lie ahead!

As you navigate busy schedules and new challenges this fall, we hope you’ll also take time to reflect and have conversations about how we can all reimagine career development.

Happy reading – and dream big!