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Career professionals report their clients felt pressured into choosing careers they didn’t want to pursue

More than 7 in 10 Canadians who see a career counsellor or coach say they wish they had made different career decisions earlier in their lives, according to a national survey of 1,300+ career service professionals undertaken by CERIC. The results are being released at Cannexus, Canada’s largest career development conference, which will be held Jan. 27-29 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.

The career professionals surveyed report that they often hear from the students and adults they advise that they would go back and change their career choices if they could. They report that among their clients:

• 71.7% say “I wish I had understood myself better and chosen a career that is aligned with my values”
• 66.5% say “I wish I hadn’t been pressured into pursuing a career I didn’t want to pursue”
• 61% say “I wish I hadn’t played it safe and let fear prevent me from taking a different career direction”
• 58.8% say “I wish I hadn’t narrowed my options so soon and been able to explore other careers”

The findings point to the need for Canadians to have better career development skills, starting at a young age and continuing throughout their lives, says John Horn, Chair of the Board of CERIC, a national charity focused on research and education in career development. These skills include the ability to identify what to learn for the jobs of the future and how to develop the emotional resilience to navigate change – and not be limited by other people’s expectations or our own doubts.

“We all want to have work that makes us spring out of bed in the morning – that feeds our souls and allows us to create the life we want for ourselves and our families,” says Horn.

Canadians want to balance their search for a career they are passionate about with economic realities, say career counsellors surveyed. Their clients are evenly divided, with 45.3% anxious about making the “right” career decision and 49.4% concerned about their ability to find decent-paying work. Of note, only 3.2% of career professionals report that their clients are fearful of AI/automation and what that means for their job prospects, which differs from would be expected given the level of public discussion around technology displacing workers.

Career professionals also identified a number of persistent myths about career development that are constraining people’s ability to find rewarding careers – foremost among them that the vast majority think career guidance ends in Grade 12:

• 85.2% agree that most Canadians don’t know that career guidance is available beyond high school
• 82.1% agree that most Canadians think that careers are linear, moving from post-secondary to a job in your field
• 79.3% agree that most Canadians believe that choosing a career means deciding what to do for the rest of your life
• 51.2% agree that most Canadians feel that if they only follow their passion, they will land their dream job

Canadians at every age should know that there are professionals they can turn to for career support, says Horn. While teachers, parents and managers all have a role to play, professional career guidance is available, often for free in post-secondary career centres and community agencies, as well as from fee-based, private-sector career coaches.

“Canadians need to take charge of their career development to make the most of their talent and potential – there are professionals who can help,” Horn says. “Working with a career professional can help people identify personal strengths, clarify career goals and build the strategies to pursue a satisfying life.”

CERIC has released an updated guide to computing careers, responding to strong demand for computing graduates in Canada and a changing technology landscape. Authored by Randy Connolly, Janet Miller and Faith-Michael Uzoka of Mount Royal University, the second edition of Computing Careers & Disciplines: A Quick Guide for Prospective Students and Career Advisors provides the latest information on types of computing careers and the academic pathways to get there. The new guide is available for free download now and will be launched at the Cannexus National Career Development Conference in Ottawa next week.

Friendly and approachable, the new guide describes the five main computing disciplines as defined by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), as well as expands on six other popular computing specializations. These descriptions are designed to help support prospective students, parents, academic advisors and career counsellors in making sense of the maze of computing disciplines and post-secondary options. For each of the main disciplines, the guide provides an overview of job tasks, as well as listing core courses, sample degrees, and other pathways at Canadian colleges and universities.

The colourful, graphic-rich guide expands on the content of the popular first edition from 2017 to answer these three questions:

• Why should you consider computing when choosing a career?
• What kind of computing jobs are out there?
• What kind of education pathways will guide you to the computing career you desire?

The guide builds on findings from a CERIC-funded international research project that surveyed thousands of students and faculty from Canada, the US and Africa. Research showed most undergraduate students did not understand the differences between computing disciplines. The guide was also developed to meet a need among career advisors supporting students interested in technology at both the secondary and post-secondary levels. The guide assists students to make decisions around computing education and career paths that align with their values, interests and skills. In particular, the guide helps equip students with adequate discipline information prior to application for program admission or prior to when they are required to choose a major.

The updated guide seeks to dispel myths about computing careers. Contrary to stereotypes, computing is often highly social. It also supports flexible lifestyles, can be creative and allows for work abroad. The guide also underscores that computer work is highly varied and is more than just programming.

The five different computing disciplines described in the guide are:

• Computer Engineering – concerned with the design and construction of computers and computer-based systems
• Computer Science – covers the widest range of computing topics from its theoretical foundations to the development of new computing technologies and techniques
• Information Technology – prepares students to meet the computer technology needs of business and other organizations
• Information Systems – focuses on integrating information technology solutions and business processes
• Software Engineering – the discipline of developing and maintaining large software systems

Specializations include: network technology, data science, bioinformatics, game development, multimedia + web development and cybersecurity.

The guide highlights that there are many pathways to most computing careers. This includes three- and four-year degrees, two-year diplomas and one-year certificates in addition to stand-alone training or post-degree specialization. The guide also notes that computing careers can be confusing to navigate, as program titles don’t always map to the five discipline areas or to job titles in the workforce.

The new edition of the guide has been enhanced with alumni profiles and additional resources. More content can also now be found on a companion website, computingcareers.ca. A revision to the French version of the guide is under way and expected to be ready this spring.

In addition to a PDF that can be downloaded for free on CERIC’s website at ceric.ca/computing, print copies are available at $10/copy through CERIC for bulk orders of 10 or more. Single copies will be for sale at the Cannexus20 conference only. Contact sales@ceric.ca for more information.

The guide authors will be presenting at Cannexus20 on Computing Disciplines 2.0: What Career Advisors Need to Know on Monday, January 27.