Post-secondary Pathways

Mentor All-Stars

Student Question: "How did you choose your university or college program? What helped you decide which career pathway to take?"

Ishaan's Perspective

This is a great question as I too have asked and been asked about this question. From what I have heard and experienced, it is always important to have a sense of your career pathway before you start researching different programs. I understand that money is something important to consider, but regardless of the profession you choose, if one has the willingness to work hard and create a difference, the money will come regardless. I believe that the best way to decide which career pathway to take is to understand what you are passionate about and what your strengths are. It is important to consider both of these factors and balance it out as passion represents our interests, while strengths represent realism and technical ability. I decided to pursue a career within accounting and finance as I have a passion for business and am strong in analyzing numbers. It would not make sense for me to pursue a career in sports as I do not have the ability to play that sport professionally although I am passionate about it.

As for looking at university programs, it is very beneficial to have a list of what you are looking for- whether that may be prestige, co-op, or certain degrees. Having this list will allow you to speed up the process in finding the right program and focus on applying to that said program. One thing I wish I did was talk to upper year students who were in the programs that I was targeting to not only get a sense of what the university is looking for, but to understand the culture there.

Overall, the university process may seem daunting at first, but it becomes much easier once you decide which career pathway to take. If you have any specific questions you would like to discuss more, [please let your Deaf & Hard of Hearing Itinerant Teacher know so] we can set up a Teams meet and I can assist you in finding the right program. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Kayla's Perspective

Right now, I have taken the apprenticeship route.

I had the idea of going to college for mechanics after enjoying transportation technology in high school. In grade 12, I took construction tech instead after another course wasn’t available and I learned more about the apprenticeship program and the journey to becoming a skilled tradesmen. I learned that it was beneficial in terms of being able to learn on the job while getting paid, and the program provides schooling without such a heavy cost.

To answer the second part of the question, taking a lot of hands-on courses or any courses in general that you enjoy will help give you insight into what career pathway you might like.

Rimal's Perspective

Yes, I remember being in your shoes and having all the uncertainty of what life after high school might look like for me. I knew I wanted to go to university, so a lot of the decision-making for me focused on what programs/schools to apply for.

Since I didn’t have too narrow of an opinion of what career pathway I wanted in grade 10, I tried to keep my doors open as much as possible by taking courses I was interested in and working diligently to excel and learn more about myself. For me, this looked like taking core French all the way through to grade 12, as well as Math/Calculus, Biology, Physics and Chemistry. This strategy worked for me, as I gained a lot of valuable problem-solving skills and insight about myself. Some key observations about courses I took revolved around:

What am I curious to learn more about? (e.g. I prepare in advance for these classes, I like to research more about certain topics from class on my own time)
What do I excel at? (e.g. I find it easy to learn these concepts under time pressure, I do well on tests/assignments)
What do I struggle with? (e.g. am I good at numbers? Applied science? Writing? Memorizing biology etc.)

The next part of this decision has to do with career-exploration. It’s never too early to start – when you have some time off during the summers try to see if you know any professionals you can shadow. Job-shadowing is a great way to talk to someone who works in a specific career and they can tell you more about what “a Day in the life” looks like… what their educational background was, how the career has evolved during their working life…what they think about the career. I found this experience very valuable – for example I shadowed an audiologist, chiropractor and vet. Some questions to ask yourself:

What does each career pathway look like? What do I like /dislike about this career pathway? KEY QUESTION: what is the common educational pathway?
What are my uncertainties and fears about a given career pathway – can I get this information from someone who is a professional in this field?
How does the career pathway I researched about align with my values about life (e.g. helping others/wanting my own business/ wanting a stable job / wanting to do cutting edge research/ wanting to work with submarines, etc. )

The point of this exercise is to have a general idea of what subject area I wanted to be in after high school – so for instance … Business / Engineering / Health Studies / Literature.

In grade 11, I started to do some light reading about university programs (nothing too time-consuming) but just to gather some knowledge because I knew that in grade 12 I’d be applying. Some factors I considered related to university programs (in no particular order, place emphasis on what matters to you and your circumstances).

What programs am I interested in (that relate somewhat to a general career theme I am interested in)
What are the required courses?
What are the required averages to get in?
How many students get accepted into the program? What is the class size?
You can google on the “Course Calendar” for the specific university/college to read up on program courses and required averages to stay in the program.
Where is the campus located? Do I want to live close to home/within driving distance or not?
Do I want to go abroad? Does the program support this?
Am I looking for a program with co-op?
What do graduates from this program do?
How much is tuition?

When I was in grade 12, I did the above research at a more detailed level and actually had a table comparing several programs to help me narrow down which programs I would end up applying to. I also went to open-houses and booked a tour for the few programs I was interested in (after I had gotten the offers and I was making a final decision).

Other remarks that I make because time has passed and I can reflect on the decisions I made in the past:

Take ownership of your decision; you are driving the car and determining the direction. Friends and family and teachers are there to support you on your journey but ultimately, you have to make the decision. Your supporters know you and can offer valuable input about your strengths/weaknesses/personality but you know yourself best.
You don’t have to have a clear cut answer right now but it’s great to think ahead. What does it mean to think ahead? It means to gather information by reflecting on your own skills and areas of strengths/weaknesses. It is very likely your pathway will differ from what you imagine right now because once you're in a program, so many more doors open that you didn't know about before.

I truly hope you enjoy this process; this is ultimately the starting of a journey to getting to know yourself and gain clarity on the difference you will make in this world! Good luck.

Julia's Perspective

Great questions and it's admirable that you're already thinking about it early (before grade 12). I chose my university program based off of my strengths and weaknesses of school subjects mixed with being realistic and finding a financially stable career. Money did play a bit of role in choosing my university program too because if I didn't have enough funds, then I wouldn't be moving out too far away. Luckily, in the GTA there are numerous of great schools close by and shouldn't be an issue either way. If I had to choose again, here are some recommendations when it comes to choosing a university/college program:

Choose a school/program with co-op or some sort of on-the- job experience - this will help you see what you like in the real world and help you expand your network for full-time job opportunities when you graduate.
Class sizes - most of my university classes were quite big (like 200-300 people) and it can be hard to build connections. If you want smaller classroom sizes, I suggest to look into those options like Western University's Brescia campus. I wasn't aware of the small classroom size offerings until my itinerant teacher mentioned it to me.

Going to your second question, I decided based on process of elimination on my strengths and weaknesses on school subjects. I say choose something you are interested in and want to learn more about and go from there. Keep in mind that nothing is permanent and nowadays, I feel there's more opportunity and less stigma for people to switch careers multiple times in their life. Even now, I'm deciding on what is my next career/job move. I believe that our post-secondary education and careers are continuously evolving learning experiences. It will be challenging, but things will always work out for the better with thoughtful planning. :)

Ariana's Perspective

In terms of knowing what program to choose it is great that you have already started considering it. When I was in 10th grade, I did not know what I wanted to do either and I was not thinking of what pathways to take yet. However, it is entirely acceptable not to have a clear path early on. Spending your first few years of high school figuring out who you are, your hobbies and what you hope to achieve one day. These are questions you can ask yourself when considering the future pathways to take in post-secondary. You will be more successful in life doing something that you enjoy as opposed to something that does not align with your passions.

One crucial lesson I have learned is that the future remains uncertain, and while it may seem daunting, there will be plenty of obstacles in the way. However, embracing this uncertainty early on will assist you with being well-equipped. Nonetheless, do not stress too much about deciding on a specific program now; instead, use this time for self-reflection. As you progress into grades 11 and 12, opportunities will present themselves, allowing you to identify your skills and passions. Choose courses aligned with your interests, and gradually, you will gain insight into the program that resonates with you based on the courses that you have taken.

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