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If you're ever thinking about buying or renting
a house, apartment or condo, one piece of advice that you're almost certain to
hear is, “talk to someone who lives there.” The same thing is true about
planning your career.
Whether it's a particular industry that
you're interested in, or a specific occupation, one of the most important
things you can do is to talk to somebody who's already working in that industry
or occupation. They'll be able to tell you a lot more about the job situation
and what it's like to work where they do than we could ever convey in this
resource.
They'll also be able to fill you in about
what kind of training is required, where you can get it, and they might even
have some tips that will help you find a job.
But if you don't know, or can't get in
touch with, someone who will fill you in on the details you need about a
particular industry or occupation, there are other resources available to you.
- Check the yellow pages of your telephone book or
do some browsing on the Internet. There are all sorts of professional, business
and labour associations that you can contact to find out more about a specific
industry or occupation. These organizations may also publish information about
the types of skills required, as well as wages, guidelines and standards.
- Locate copies of annual reports from various
companies in an industry you're interested in (these can be requested by
contacting the company directly, or you may be able to find them online). Or
check them out at your local library or another resource centre. Annual reports
often have a lot of information about how a company's been doing, what's expected
to happen, and the sort of jobs that are available.
- Visit a career, counseling, or employment
centre at your school, a college or university, or in your community. They
usually have information about training and job prospects in specific occupations.
Or, you can check out books and information about careers and industries at
your local library. Try the business section of your local bookstore too.
- Attend an open house at a university, college,
or other institute in your area.
- Attend a Career Fair at your school or post-secondary
institution.
- BC Stats, Statistics Canada, and public
libraries have all sorts of data about wages, hours, employment, GDP, and other
information that will help you keep up-to-date about what's happening in BC's
economy. Much of this information is available electronically, by checking out
their web sites. For BC Stats, go to www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca.
Statistics Canada's web site is www.statcan.ca.
- For complete program information on public
post-secondary education in BC go to the Education Planner web site, www.educationplanner.bc.ca. It
contains a searchable database on undergraduate program availability, application
dates, tuition costs, admission requirements, lengths, and much more at 26 of
BC's post-secondary institutions.
- Other resource materials also contain information about career options, occupations, and job market trends in BC. These publications also identify other reference material which you may find useful. For more information go to Other Useful Resources.
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