Working Towards Your Future
We hope this section inspires you to explore educational opportunities, careers and follow your dreams!
Ask yourself:
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
When you were younger, you might have said you wanted to be a firefighter, a ballerina or even a professional athlete. Very few young people express an interest in being an insurance adjuster, a market researcher, a policy analyst or a database administrator. Why is that?
Although there are literally billions of people in the world working in all sorts of jobs, you might only know about the jobs held by people you know. For example, you might be familiar with the jobs your parents, friends or relatives have or those shown on TV. You may also see in your community many doctors, dentists, lawyers and teachers.
BE SURE TO INVESTIGATE ALL KINDS OF CAREERS. THE PERFECT JOB FOR YOU MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF… YET!
What is important is that you know that you can pursue anything! You can dream big dreams and work to make your dreams a reality. You can try things out, explore and decide for yourself what you want to do, and who you want to be.
What can I do?
DREAM! AND MAKE IT A REALITY. FIND YOUR PASSION – AND YOUR OWN PATH.
There’s never a bad time to think about your talents and interests and wonder how those might shape your future career. Here are some questions to consider:
- What do you want to do and who do you want to be in the future?
- What subjects do you enjoy and are good at in school?
- What do you enjoy doing? Do you like working with people, animals or in the outdoors?
- Do you want regular hours and a regular schedule or do you want flexibility?
- Do you like to work with others or alone?
- Do you want to travel the world or stay close to home?
ARE YOU A MATH WHIZ? MAYBE YOU COULD BE AN ENGINEER OR A SCIENTIST SOMEDAY.
IF YOU’RE GOOD AT LANGUAGE ARTS, PERHAPS YOU COULD BECOME A WRITER. DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO ART MORE THAN ANY OTHER CLASS? PERHAPS A CAREER IN DESIGN IS IN YOUR FUTURE.
Planning for Success in the Future Starts Today
As you think more about your career, explore what skills and education you will need to be successful in the jobs that interest you. Some of you may really like school, and some of you may fi nd it’s not your favorite thing right now.
Education is important for everyone, but this is especially true
for girls and women. Not only does education offer an entry
point to other opportunities, but also because the educational
achievements of women can have ripple effects within the family
and across generations.
In developing countries, investing in girls’ education is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty. To learn more about the challenges faced by girls around the world, visit Girl Rising.
As a young girl, Malala Yousafzai defied the Taliban in Pakistan and demanded that girls be allowed to get an education. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012, but survived to become one of the world’s best known advocates for the education of girls. To learn more about her, please visit Malala Fund.
In Canada, we are lucky that all girls have the right to go to school. Many of you not only learn the basics of reading, writing and math, but also receive an education that is related to your rights, needs, and hopes. Your education is delivered in a safe school environment where the teaching methods and curriculum are free from gender bias and actively promote gender equality.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW IS THAT EDUCATION OPENS A LOT OF DOORS FOR GIRLS JUST LIKE YOU.
FINISHING HIGH SCHOOL IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN DO. DON’T GIVE UP, ASK FOR HELP. KEEP ON TRYING.
Once you finish high school, it will help you find work or go on to more education.
Did you know that women in Manitoba are now the majority of the student body population in universities and many colleges?
Knowing what type of education or training you need for various careers will help you plan today to get where you want to be tomorrow. Many girls your age are starting to think about their options after they graduate from high school. Many want to know the difference between college and university.
In Canada, colleges and universities are different institutions. Usually, colleges have different kinds of programs than universities do.
Colleges tend to be more directly career-oriented than universities. This means they offer practical or hands-on training. Generally, a certifi cate program is one year or less and a diploma program is two or three years. Colleges also have pre-trades and apprenticeship training, language training and skills upgrading.
Universities are institutions that
can award degrees. All universities have
undergraduate (bachelor’s) degrees and many
have graduate (Master’s and doctoral) programs.
Undergraduate degrees usually take three to four years
to complete, if you study full-time. An Honours degree
(the fourth year) is usually required if you want to go
into a graduate program (Master’s degree).
Many universities allow students to combine
subject areas (ex: a Bachelor of Science
in Chemistry and Biology) into a
double major.
Many universities also offer professional programs, such as medicine, dentistry and law. In some cases, you can begin these programs after two or three years of undergraduate study.
New students and their parents or guardians can visit universities
and colleges to get more information about how post-secondary
education works. It is important to see what programs each school
has to offer, the requirements for admission, application deadlines,
program length, tuition fees and any financial help available to you,
such as bursaries or scholarships from each university or college.
For more information on all of your post-secondary options in
Manitoba, please visit: the Government of Manitoba`s Post-Secondary Education website.
Have you ever thought of becoming a welder or an electrician? Working on an oil rig? How about working as a power line technician?
One option for work after high school is to enter jobs in trades and technology. In Manitoba, there is a shortage of trained tradespeople. There are many openings with good salaries available.
Why choose a trade?
The right trade will provide you with lifelong skills. A trade career can offer you advantages such as:
- earning a good income
- job security
- career development
- as a trade apprentice, you will earn money while you learn!
So, how do you know if working in the trades is right for you?
Do you enjoy:
- practicial, hands-on activities?
- problem solving?
- physical activities?
- working as part of a team?
- lots of variety?
- creating and making things?
Then, you might want to consider a career in the trades. Check out: Skills Manitoba This organization introduces girls your age to careers in the skilled (or non-traditional) trades or technology. They even offer a Young Women’s Conference for Grade 8 girls to explore these careers.
Engineer Girl This is a website loaded with information about women in engineering.
Remember:
Don’t limit your explorations to careers that exist today. Many of the people working in the field of computers and Internet technology have jobs that did not exist when they were young. Believe it or not, you may one day work in a job that no one has yet dreamed into existence.
FIND SOMETHING THAT REALLY MOTIVATES YOU, SOMETHING YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT. IT WILL MAKE WORKING ALL THE MORE FUN FOR YOU!
Deciding on what you want to do may seem like an overwhelming task. Don’t worry, there are many people and resources that can help you make your dreams come true. Talk to your parents, a trusted adult, a teacher or a guidance counsellor.
Here’s a great way to get some work experience for the future and learn about responsibility – take a babysitting course offered through the Canadian Red Cross. Whether you’re taking care of your brothers and sisters, cousins or other kids in your neighbourhood, if you’re 11 years old or older and you’ve decided to become a babysitter, this course will help prepare you for this important responsibility.
For many young people, babysitting is their first job and the Red Cross can help you become real pros! The course will teach you how to care for younger children in a variety of age groups and how to prevent and respond to emergencies. The course also offers training to promote yourself as a babysitter to prospective employers.
For more information, visit Canadian Red Cross Babysitting website to find a course in your area.
