Career and Job Search Help Blog

 
       (credit: Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis, courtesy of flickr.com)

Many students grapple with questions about possible career paths to follow after high school and some even consider whether or not they should pursue a post-secondary education. For many, these decisions will have a definite impact on their lives. Not only will having an education determine their income level but it will impact on their lifestyle and career development. 

Statistics Canada recently completed a new study over the course of 20 years looking at how much a university degree is worth. The study tracked 15, 000 graduates between 1991-2010 to see just how valuable a post-secondary degree was with respect to income prospects. The study showed that men and women earn much more than high school graduates; about $500,000 more over this period. 

The top earners were men with Engineering degrees and women with business administration degrees.  “The literature clearly demonstrates that post-secondary graduates tend to fare better in terms of labour force participation, unemployment, and earnings than do people with less education." The study also found that not all degrees are equal and that some well paid jobs don’t require a post-secondary education such as construction work. Also interesting was that women double their earnings and have more to gain by going to university.  

With this in mind, Canada Career Week is an opportunity for students and job seekers to take part in various career and development opportunities. This annual event brings together people from diverse industries and sectors where ideas can be exchanged, shared and collaborated upon. The theme for 2014 is LiveByDesign "positioning career development as a creative, intentional building process. Career development enables us to live by design, constructing the life we want to live." Many organizations, schools and asociations are hosting events focused on career development.

 Contact Point.ca - Virtual Career Summit

Canada Career Week - La semaine canadienne de carriere  - Includes events, blogs and competitions across Canada. 

Careeer Professionals of Canada - Canada Career Week Summit: Beyond 2014

Services for Youth -  educational information and resources for youth

You can also visit the library for more career-related information and resources. Here are a few titles featured in our collection.