Category Archives: Adult Career Changes

You took some time off. Finished your degree. Went on sabbatical. Stayed home and raised young kids. Took care of an elderly parent who needed you. Whatever it was, the net result is an employment gap—and it’s making you squirm. Do people even hire professionals with the dreaded G-word on their resumes? Of course they …

Career readiness refers to when one has established career and education/training plans that are linked to occupations offering sustainable wages (Career Readiness Partner Council, 2012). Renewed national focus on career and education planning is evident in school settings, marked by the rise in the use of individualized learning plans (Solberg, Wills, Redmond & Skaff, 2014). …

It has been an historic year for Aboriginal peoples in Canada. In June 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its findings of the harms experienced through the Indian Residential School System, along with recommendations for moving forward, including the elimination of education and employment gaps. As Canada comes to terms with its …

I’ve never understood retirement. Naturally, the concept of travelling more and engaging in leisurely pursuits sounds compelling, but work gives me – and most people I know – a sense of purpose. I can’t ever imagine outgrowing the desire to learn new things and meet new people. I likely take these cues from my parents, …

NACE blog team member Chris Carlson wrote eloquently about networking for introverts earlier this year. His piece inspired me to think more deeply about the role of introversion in higher education career services. As both an introvert and the career liaison for the liberal arts student population at my university, I recently began to include …

In 2014, Canada welcomed over 250,000 new immigrants, and these new residents offer career professionals a market with widely varying career management needs.  Many of these newcomers will come from countries where a job search is vastly different to that in Canada.  For example, India where it is the norm to include the employment status …

In the movie, The Intern, seventy something Robert De Niro becomes an intern at a company run by thirty something entrepreneur Anne Hathaway. Hilarity ensues. The situation is played brilliantly for laughs, but there’s nothing funny about the generation of boomers pioneering a new phase of life. We are in the midst of a talent …

When a client starts experiencing increasingly demanding employer expectations, the decision to leave may seem like a rational choice. A career change can fuel one’s passion, maintain work-life balance, and enable a client to get off the beaten path. But wait. A quick move may not prove to be the best option. Remind your client to …

After a couple of years working in customer support at Calgary-based software provider Replicon Inc., Scott Bales was given an opportunity to put his background in programming to good use for a new role in product development. “I moved into that role and realized pretty quickly that it was not something I wanted to do,” …

As a career consultant, I work with people in what I describe as “the day after the worst day of their life” – the day after they are terminated. When I see clients, they are sometimes in shock, very sad, angry or have a host of other strong, negative emotions. In order for them to productively move …