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Journey kit

Journey kit image It's common to change careers multiple times over the course of your working life. Career management is a journey, and there is no one set path. The journey kit can help you discover what motivates you, research career options, search for work and chart your career path—wherever it may lead!

Not sure where to start? Check out our pathway tool.

Intro to career exploration

The career as a journey

The changing career landscape

When it comes to career outlook, the only thing certain is that everything is changing.

Did you know that...

the average Canadian worker changes jobs every three years and changes occupations every five years?
up to 80% of new jobs in 2010 didn't even exist 10 years ago, and 80% of jobs that existed 10 years ago are no longer around?

Check out "Where will you be?", a video by Jim Bright, to see how the changing world affects careers.

Focus on the journey

As a student, you might feel anxious about finding the “right” career or learning what the “hot” jobs are. However, because the job market is changing so fast, it can be tricky to decide on a path based on a list of “hot careers.” Jobs that will be in demand by 2017 might not even exist yet!

Since the career landscape is so uncertain, the only thing you can count on is the journey—so it's important to enjoy it! Remember to keep an open mind about your career. It's common to change your mind about your career direction during university, and you'll have all sorts of experiences—both planned and unexpected—that may impact your career interests and choices in a major way.

What motivates you?

The best way to start your career exploration is to identify what motivates you and gets you really engaged in work. By understanding your "career motivators", you'll set yourself up to find career options that are the best fit for your personality and interests.

ACTIVITIES:

Read the What are career motivators? - info sheet.
Complete the Identify your career motivators - worksheet to identify your motivators.
Check out the Overview of career exploration chart to see the overall picture of career exploration (and how discovering your motivators fits in!)
Extra video resource: Watch Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us for an interesting take on career motivators.

Learn more about yourself

These resources can help you learn more about yourself, your likes and dislikes, and what interests and motivates you.

Counselling Services

Through UVic's Counselling Services, you can:

take personality and interest assessments (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory)
join the Career Exploration Group
make one-on-one counselling appointments

Career Services

Feeling lost about your career direction? Horizons is a self-paced online program offered to students and alumni who are exploring career possibilities. This free program will help you:

identify your career motivators that describe in concrete terms what you are hoping to build in your career
generate career option ideas
use online resources to research possible career paths
arrange and conduct in-person informational meetings
decide on the next steps in your career

You can also meet with a career educator to discuss how you can translate your skills and interests into different career options.

Get involved!

One of the best ways to discover your likes and dislikes is to try out a variety of activities. This can also help you meet people who might connect you to new opportunities!

You could:

volunteer
join the Co-op Program or Work Experience Program to try different jobs in your field
join a student club or course union (check out "Student groups" on the UVSS website)
try tutoring, a part-time job or a unique internship
take a professional or personal development course
ask a professor about helping with research
join a sports team or intramural league
travel (for fun or as part of an international co-op term, academic exchange or volunteer placement)