(Harrison Smith)
Top Story
Careers Supplement
What do future career paths hold for Queen's students? The Journal investigates the merits of grad school, taking advantage of the Queen's reputation, and how to snag your dream job.
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Brains and brawn
Queen’s students unsure of which degree to pursue or whether they made the right choice are in good company with Queen’s alumnus Jock Climie, ArtSci ’89 and Law ’94. Climie, a former pro athlete and current lawyer and TSN broadcaster, was uncertain about his career path when he first got to Queen’s. Climie said his original plan to go into medicine vanished after he looked at the courses he would have to take.
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Taking time to master grad school
During her four years as a biology major, Leah Winters, ArtSci ’08, made it through countless due dates, lectures and exams. Now she faces her toughest assignment yet. Finding a job is one of her options, Winters said, but she’s wary about making the jump from school to the workforce just yet. In 2004, more than 31,600 students in Canada received a master’s level qualification, a nine per cent increase from the previous year and the seventh consecutive annual increase. That year, for the first time, master’s level qualifications represented more than 15 per cent of all qualifications awarded. This is good news for Shelly Aylesworth-Spink, the director of the office of Dean in the School of Queen’s Graduate Studies and Research. She hopes to see Queen’s program grow.
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The peoples’ poetry press
Turning lemons into lemonade is old news for Molle O’Dolan, ArtSci ’11. O’Dolan used one publisher’s refusal as motivation to start her own publishing company. In her first year of a women’s and religious studies degree at Queen’s, O’Dolan already has a diploma in web design from Seneca College. She’s also working on a diploma in conflict analysis from Royal Roads University and a diploma for addiction management from McMaster University. O’Dolan grew up in Toronto and was an avid writer throughout high school.
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Everything will work itself out
With experience moving through many different sectors of the job market and getting a late start on his current career choice, Career Counsellor Paul Bowman can empathize when students come to him unsure about their career path. Bowman, Sci ’86, has followed an unconventional career path since graduating from Queen’s. He has worked in fields ranging from engineering to adult education.
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The value of a good reputation
Maclean’s magazine released the full results of its 2007 University rankings on Nov. 19. Tied with the University of British Columbia, Queen’s in second place overall in the Medical Doctoral category of Canadian Universities. Maclean’s rankings claim to act as a measure of the overall undergraduate experience. The magazine’s website says the information used to create their rankings is gathered from three national surveys in which over 70,000 Canadian university students participated.
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Negotiating an evolving job market
With the job market and employers’ expectations changing daily, your best asset upon entering the market is the ability to roll with the changes. Kathy Harris, owner of Jobmatics, a Canadian career-consulting firm, said in order to take advantage of the job market, you need to be skilled not just in your specific field, but in the world of technology. Harris said the pace of change has reached a point where the employers themselves can’t pinpoint what exactly they should be looking for in prospective employees.
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From notebooks to cookbooks
Food-lover Dana McCauley, Arts ’89, was once just like any other Queen’s student. She worked as a student constable and wrote for the Journal before graduating with an English degree. Almost 20 years later, she’s one of Canada’s foremost foodies and president of Dana McCauley and Associates Ltd.
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How to snag your dream job
With the semester winding down, it’s time to start thinking about will happen after those not-so-distant April exams. Whether this spring will find you searching for a summer job or looking for a start in the career of your dreams, how you go about your job search will have a major affect on its outcome. Because every job brings you one step closer to your ultimate career dream, the Journal has put together 10 ways for you to get a leg up on the competition.
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How to navigate the literary life
The artistic life is as unique as those who pursue it. But, it takes a lot of talent, not to mention perseverance, to survive as a writer these days. Frugal habits, travel, self-discipline and reining in late-night creativity to work during daylight hours are all part of the life of Steven Heighton, ArtSci ’84 and MA ’86. Author of the bestselling The Shadow Boxer, Afterlands and the Governer General’s Award nominated collection of poems The Ecstasy of Skeptics, among other works, Heighton knew from a young age he was drawn to the arts.
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The earth-loving chemical engineer
When Bryon McConnell, Sci ’93 and MSc ’95, came to Queen’s with a love of the environment, he had no idea he would end up working for the Department of National Defence. McConnell pursued a degree in chemical engineering because he wanted to acquire the skills to affect environmental change.
