I was Head of Guidance with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and a high school guidance counselor for three school boards in Ontario for 10 years prior to that. I can tell you from first-hand experience: guidance counsellors do NOT have the time to work one-on-one with your child to help them decide upon a career area, nor choose the university or college program best suited to their needs! Approximately 60-75% of the guidance counsellor’s job revolves around paperwork, not counselling.

Boards of Education introduced several initiatives to try and help students choose careers. One of these was the grade 9 “Bring Your Child to Work” day. Although most students enjoy this day (mainly because it’s a day off from school), it does little, if anything, to help them choose a career. The reality is that few children follow in their parent’s footsteps when it comes to choosing a career.

Good career counselling tests, not the free ones from the internet, cost money; money that the Boards of Education do not have. School cannot afford to do multiple career assessments. Often, teachers will find a free online career inventory and use that with the class. Well, you get what you pay for. To base a student’s entire career choice (and the resulting tens of thousands of dollars on tuition, accommodation and other living expenses) on the results of ONE test, I think, is negligent and irresponsible.

Sadly, the majority high school graduates head off to university without knowing what they want to be when they graduate. Many have chosen programs with little to no thought as to why they are choosing them, or take a guess based on what they think they, or their parents, might like. Some go because their friends picked the same program, or because they assume that once they get there, they’ll figure out what they want to be. Other times, parents exert pressure on their children to enroll in a certain program. But, if their child’s heart is not in it, the student will not be happy, and may end up dropping out. Students will not get help in university with choosing a career.

The result of students heading off to university or college into the “wrong” program are the student becomes bored or incredibly stressed and does not do well. They either drop out mid-year (usually after first term grades are posted) or do very poorly in their program. Some finish the year but don’t return, or switch their major, wasting valuable time and money. Additionally, if their first-year marks aren’t high enough, they may not be granted entry to a different major or program.

Net Result of Choosing the Wrong Program

1. Wasted tuition for one year (with residence will exceed $25,000. per year)
2. Wasted purchases of expensive textbooks
3. Psychologically, the student’s self-esteem is negatively affected
4. Student often come to the conclusion that university or college “isn’t for them” when it isn’t the case at all. If they were in the program they were suited for, with a career goal in mind, they would have been interested and motivated. Now, they are a college drop out.
5. Student is back to square one with no clear goals or direction
6. Student may enter the workforce into a lower-paying job, never to try university again

Over the course of several sessions, we will:

1. Meet with the student and his/her parent(s) for an initial consultation where we:
   1. Get to know the student; their hobbies, interests, job experience, etc.
   2. Review the student’s transcripts
   3. Discuss any limitations (financial, learning / physical disabilities, health issues, etc.)
   4. Discuss educational goals (College? University? B.A., M.A., PhD? Etc.)
2. Interest Inventory Testing: I will administer 5 or 6 different career assessments to determine the student’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, skills, work preferences, learning styles and personality. This is always done over 2 different sessions on different days.
3. I analyse the test results and prepare a detailed 9 – 10 page report, as well as identify several specific careers that the student would be suitable for. This list contains no less than 15 compatible careers.
4. We will all meet again to review the report. The student is then given step-by-step written instructions on a flow chart that I have prepared, explaining all the steps they need to take next.

By the time the student gets their report, they are usually highly motivated, as they see the correlation between their interests, strengths, ability, personality, and their possible career areas. They are curious and excited to see what careers are on “the list”, and there are often careers on that list that they never considered. For the students who had an idea of what career they wanted to pursue, seeing it on the list confirms they are making the right choice and gives them renewed confidence.

I offer a similar service for adults. Often people are forced to choose a new career when they are let go from their company, or downsized, or when the company goes out of business. Sometimes companies push you out the door as they want young, recent graduates, whom they can pay less and who are up-to-date on the latest technology and social media platforms. Sometimes after years on a job, you need a change. Perhaps you have done a job you didn’t like for a decade or more, and finally decide you are going to pursue your passion. But – you’re not sure what that passion would be. One thing for sure is that when you finish the training or program you go back to school for, you want to ensure that there are jobs to be had in the new field --- we explore this as well.