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By Jen Denys

“You can do it.”
“Yes you can.”

These phrases I’ve heard over and over again the last couple of years. No, I’m not talking about reading a child’s storybook aloud, although I’ve had the great pleasure of doing so on a regular basis. These positive words of encouragement are those spoken to me by my greatest supporters. If you meet me, you will likely see a confident, young business woman who genuinely enjoys helping people. While most of these characteristics have remained a steady pattern in my life, the confident part wasn’t always so.

By Jean-Marc Hachey

Career counsellors are frequently passionate communicators. The following is an account of how I transformed my own passion for providing career advice into a viable and interesting lifestyle: that of a self-published author and professional paid speaker. You too can turn your communications abilities – through courage, creativity and persistence – into a challenging but rewarding public speaking or publishing career in the wider career services industry, if you are motivated by a passion to share.

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.

By Stacey Campbell

Confucius, a prominent Chinese philosopher once stated: “If you find a job you love, you will never work a day in your life”. However, what Confucius has failed to mention is that finding the job you love is easier said than done. Cultivating the right career destination or education path can be a frustrating and challenging pursuit for many individuals. Recent statistics reveal that 50% of all university students either drop out, or change their major after their first year of post-secondary education (Train, 2003). Naidoo (2005) and Chew (2004) note that Generation Y (born between 1980-2000) will be prone to many more career changes in their lifetimes compared with their predecessors (Generation X and Baby Boomers). With the recent elimination of the Ontario Academic Credit (OAC), young people are forced to make major decisions regarding their academics and careers earlier in life. Furthermore, middle-aged populations, newcomers to Canada and individuals with disabilities face complex barriers and challenges when discerning a rewarding and suitable career. I think it goes without saying that the career practitioner field is a much needed profession!

By Deirdre Pickerell and Dr. Roberta Neault

Career Management Professionals (CMPs) can often be found delivering their services within government funded community-based agencies. The mandate of these agencies is typically to support unemployed Canadians as they identify career options, develop job search skills, and strengthen their ability to maintain employment.