There comes a point in everyone's life when they have to dig deep inside and decide what career path to follow. Base your career decisions on personal values, what you enjoy doing and what you are good at.

The Basics:

• Ask yourself: What interests me? What do I excel in? What do I like to do? What really matters to me?
• Take any career interest quizzes that your school offers. They will reveal your strengths and weaknesses and will be a great starting point towards determining the correct path for you.
• Consider that sometimes the activities that you excel at may not be viable options for a career. Choose a few secondary options and keep these alternatives in mind in case things do not go according to plan.
• Research the career fields that interest you to ensure that you know what to expect, what would be expected of you, as well as the education credentials you will need. View a list of occupations to discover more details about potential careers
• Try it! Spend a day with someone working in your field of interest. It could help you choose your future profession.
• Research the schools that offer programs related to your fields of interest to understand the benefits of attending one school or another.
• Aim for a first job that will offer you experience, not just a high salary. When starting your career it is important to be in a position where you can grow within your field
• Many professions have associations that can provide information on schools offering programs in their field, scholarships and bursaries, and internships to help you get work experience.
• Be aware that some education programs and institutions require that you have specific prerequisites before being admitted.
• Be willing to change and adapt! Things may not always go according to plan and your perspectives may change once you have started your career.

Check It Out:
Explore your career options on the CanLearn Web site. Take an Interest Quiz to discover your strengths and learn what careers best match your interests. You can also explore an extensive list of employment requirements for your dream job and search their lists of CEGEPS, Colleges and Universities

Define your abilities and interests by using the Career Navigator to review occupations matching your profile. This tool will also provide you with information on wages and employment prospects to help you make an informed career decision.

The Training and Careers Web site allows you to Identify Your Career Options and illustrates both the relevance of your education in relation to the occupations that you are considering and the level of studies required

Service Canada's Job Futures Web site provides a career and education planning tool, offers information on 226 occupational groups and describes the work experiences of recent graduates from 155 programs of study

Build a profile for the occupation of your choice on the Labour Market Information Web site and investigate the situation in local labour markets across Canada, including unemployment rates, economic trends, demographics, educational institutions and much more

Talking to people about their work is a great way to explore a career path. Learn more about how to do this effectively with information from the Information Interview section of Service Canada's Training and Careers web site

Copied from: www.youth.gc.ca/eng/topics/career_planning/options.shtml