The One About Careers

In this episode of "The One About Careers," hosts Sarah-Jane and Devon discuss the concept of the number of employers individuals will work for in their lifetime. They explore the evolving nature of job titles and the changing expectations surrounding long-term employment. Devon emphasizes that worrying about the number of employers is fruitless, as it varies greatly depending on individual circumstances and industry trends. Sarah-Jane shares statistics regarding the number of employers individuals have throughout their career, which really means that most individuals need to get really good at job searching. 

Devon mentions a book called Range: Why Generalists Triumph by David Epstein. Devon discusses how the book explores the concept of being a generalist and how it can be advantageous in the business world and in one's career.

In this episode of The One About Careers, Devon and Sarah-Jane delve into the evolving nature of jobs and careers in today's economy. They explore the shift from traditional notions of one job for life to the current landscape where individuals may have multiple careers or job titles over their lifetime. Devon reflects on her personal journey, transitioning between environmental consulting and career education, highlighting the changing definitions of careers and job titles. They also discuss the prevalence of people working multiple jobs simultaneously, citing factors such as geographic location and industry dynamics. 

The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by today's youth entering the workforce, including a lack of basic work experience and skills. Devon and Sarah-Jane emphasize the importance of providing opportunities for teenagers to gain practical work experience and adapt to the demands of the modern workplace. 

There are many different kinds of academic and training institutions.  In this episode, we talk about some specific examples and how those do or do not relate to earnings.  We both agree that understanding why someone is pursuing post-secondary education is key to deciding the kind of education required.  

Sarah-Jane discusses more about this topic in her book, Lost & Found: An Adult’s Guide to Empowering Teens to Make Their Best Career Decision.  You can learn more about her book and receive a complimentary chapter here.  Sarah-Jane also speaks to parents, teachers, and educators on the topic included in this podcast as well as others.  You can reach out to her at [email protected].

Looking for some career guidance for the teen in your life? Check out Devon's website at https://careerified.ca, or book a complimentary consultation at 

In this episode we chat about the some of the meaning of academic success: marks and credentials.  We then dive into how this connects or doesn’t connect to earnings.  We both agree that success has many different definitions and that there are a number of paths to creating an income.  We emphasize the importance of defining success for oneself and understanding the various options available.

Sarah-Jane discusses more about this topic in her book, Lost & Found: An Adult’s Guide to Empowering Teens to Make Their Best Career Decision.  You can learn more about her book and receive a complimentary chapter here.  

Sarah-Jane also speaks to parents, teachers, and educators on the topic included in this podcast as well as others.  You can reach out to her at [email protected].

Devon works with students all the time on sifting through these kinds of challenges. If there's a student in your life who is struggling with what to do after high school, reach out to her at [email protected].

This episode is the beginning of a mini-series where we look at various myths and truths about careers and education.

Up this week: learning. What we believe about learning has a massive impact on our career choices. If you think that you have to finish all your learning by a specific date so you can get going on your career, you'll definitely want to tune into this episode!

Resources mentioned this episode:
Mindset by Carol Dweck
The Current War

In this episode, Devon geeks out on a theory which is really helpful in understanding how outside influences can affect careers. Understanding that there are actually some
patterns to the “randomness” of external events can actually help us be more prepared
for when they happen. Sarah-Jane gives some real-life examples from her clients’
experiences.

Devon refers to videos by Dr. Jim Bright. She recommends this one.

Sarah-Jane refers to her book, Lost & Found: An Adult’s Guide to Empowering Teens to Make Their Best Career Decision, which can be purchased on Amazon. You can also
check out her book and obtain a complementary chapter here.

We career folks loooove to talk about using happenstance to help with career development, job search and career transitions.

But what are we even talking about?

In this episode, we'll define happenstance, how it works and how the teens in your life can use it to help them figure out next steps in education and careers.

Hoooo boy, do we career pros love throwing out that term "labour market information."

The question is...what exactly are we talking about?

In this episode, we'll break down the what labour market info is, where to find it, and what is most and least helpful about it. It's really just another tool that can help the teens in your life make informed decisions about their careers.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Job Bank: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis/search-occupations
LMIC Job Trends tool: https://lmic-cimt.ca/data-dashboards/canadian-job-trends-dashboard/

As always, you can find Sarah-Jane at https://careergrowthco.com/, and Devon at https://careerified.ca.

Parents, guardians, teachers, mentors...how much did you know about the day-to-day tasks of your work before you started doing it?

Here's part b of that question: how much of a chance is there that your kids have a good grasp on the day-to-day of the types of work they're thinking about?

Tasks are huge! The ones you like, the ones you don't, and everything in between.

In this episode we'll talk about why it's important to know that stuff, and give you some ideas of how you can help the teens in your life get more aware while they make career decisions.

How many of you have ever been in a job where the workplace was not at all what you'd hoped?

(We're guessing a lot.)

Where you work, how you work, who you work with...all of these things are a critical piece of your career decisions. We very often talk about careers in terms of what people do. There may also be some talk location broadly, like talking about industries and well-known employers in them.

We often skip talking about working conditions and how that might impact your career choices. This episode should help get you started!