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By Ashley Kiani

Coming home from work in the midst of Toronto rush hour, in the smog heat of July, with a gaining headache, I had a crazy thought. It arose while overhearing a conversation of two middle-aged working women sitting next to me on the subway. It went something like this: “Well, as you know, my son Eric just finished his Master’s degree last spring. He’s spent 6 long years in university, and now has it in his silly head to start an eco-tourism camp up north. After all that money we invested! Can you believe it?” To which the other replied, horrified, “But he can’t seriously do that for a living!”

By Roger Sauvë, People Patterns Consulting

We all seem to acknowledge the fact that the job market is filled with change and uncertainty. We can put forth all kinds of great statistics and trends to prove our point … I actually do this for a living. Career development practitioners and career counsellors provide one-on-one personal advice on what this all means. This is all good and necessary stuff to help make short and long-term job related decisions. This is not enough.

By John Harnett

The 2004 CACUSS (Canadian Association of College and University Student Services) Conference

The University of Manitoba certainly arranged a wonderful professional development and networking opportunity to members and other conference delegates at CACUSS 2004, held in Winnipeg from June 14 – 17, 2004.

Some may not be aware that CACUSS consists of five divisions each of which focuses on a specific area within Student Services.

1. CADSSPE – Canadian Association of Disability Services Service Providers in Post Secondary Education, professionals who assist university and college students who have a disability.
2. COUCH – Canadian Organization of University and College Health, persons who work in health services in Canadian post-secondary educational institutions.
3. CUCCA – Canadian University and College Counselling Association, counsellors and counselling psychologists in post-secondary institutions, counselling educators and graduate students in counselling-related programs.
4. NASSA – National Aboriginal Student Services Association, whose mission is to empower colleges and universities to become welcoming environments where Aboriginal Peoples can successfully pursue educational goals while maintaining their cultural identities.
5. SASA – Student Affairs and Services Association, whose members come from a broad range of student services professions within the university and college environment.

Each of the divisions attempts to ensure, along with the conference planning committee from the hosting institution, that the conference includes sessions that focus on the divisional areas.

Most divisions began with a pre-conference workshop designed to give members some specific, more in-depth skills, knowledge and information which will enable them to possibly enhance programs they are currently offering, or to offer new programs or further fine tune skills that they feel would be valuable to students who utilize their service.

The conference days all began with a powerful plenary session which focused participants on a theme for each day’s concurrent sessions. This year’s plenary speakers over the three days were Dr. Don Gehring, Mr. Justice Murray Sinclair, and Dr. Philip Berger. As with most conferences, the remainder of each day consisted of concurrent sessions which further allowed members to learn of new initiatives or to hear about the effectiveness of existing programs occurring across the country.

The other highlight at any conference is the opportunity for delegates to network with fellow professionals and discuss comparable issues with others from across the country. Delegates had the chance to meet socially with a host of other professionals either from their own or other divisions; new professionals had opportunities to meet with other new professionals or with more seasoned people; directors often met with like-minds to discuss issues at their level and; groups with specific interests had an opportunity to find out what colleagues were doing as well. Many delegates find this part of the conference to be very helpful in fine tuning what they do in their day-to-day responsibilities.

CACUSS conference 2004 was an outstanding opportunity to learn of new programs and initiatives occurring across the country and in the United States. Delegates left Winnipeg re-energized and revitalized with a host of new ideas to enhance the exceptional service they are giving to their students.

Written by John Harnett, President of CACUSS. John is a Counsellor at the College of the North Atlantic Engineering Career Centre in St. John’s Newfoundland. He can be reached atJohn.Harnett@cna.nl.ca

By Maureen Fitzgerald

Why do so many people begin their career search by looking at the job listings? They scan all the vacancies in the hopes that someone will hire them to do something. They start from the assumption that potential employers are in the driver’s seat and will either accept or reject them. Job searchers tend to see themselves as desperate and at the mercy of those hiring. This fundamental assumption is, in my opinion, the main reason why many applicants are unsuccessful at finding great jobs.

By George Fitzsimmons and Donald Macnab, Psychometrics Canada Ltd.

Are you considering switching from paper and pencil assessment of your clients to an on-line Internet based system? The traditional methods most of us were trained to use are rapidly being updated with new technology. Is it safe, secure, respectable? Are there precautions, processes, or policies to implement before taking the plunge? How could using on-line testing affect my quality of service and my client’s progress?

By Denise Hughes

One of the primary components that many career counsellors and practitioners rely upon is the administration of career assessment inventories. Often this takes place early in the process to assist students, clients, or job seekers in focussing their job search strategies and/or educational planning pathways to areas that will be in line with their preferences, education level and career goals. As part of the process of developing Career Portfolios, students may be asked to document personal and career-related experiences, and include the results of a career assessment inventory, to help plan and achieve educational goals, relate these goals to occupations, and prepare for entry into the workforce once their educational goals are complete.