Career and Life Management (CALM)

Unit: Choosing a Career

Career Cruising A Great Place To Start
Career Cruising is an interactive career resource for people of all ages. It
will assist you in finding the right career, explore different career options
or to plan further education and training.
1. Begin by logging on to the computer and accessing this website:
www.careercruising.com. The user name is trathmore and the
password is partan. !ou will have to create a profile"account for
yourself.
#. $o to the Career %atchma&er section. This section will as& you to
answer '( )uestions. *hen choosing +, -,T pic& .does not matter/
as this is not definitive enough.
0fter the '( )uestions have been answered, the computer will
generate and extensive list of careers you should consider.
*rite down the 1 careers that interest you:
1. -urse
#. 2harmacy Technician
'. 0ddictions counsellor
3. 0buse"crisis counsellor
1. ocial wor&er
'. -ow go to the left of your list 4 there is a box for .5evel of
6ducation/ 4 clic& on .high school/ 7and unclic& .C/ and .8/.9 Then clic&
on .update./ This will ta&e the career list that you have 4 and tell you
what careers you can have with only a high school level of education.
*rite down the 1 careers that interest you:
1. drivers license examiner
#. cashier
'. dancer
3. life guard
1. actor
3. -ow go bac& to .5evel of 6ducation/ and clic& on the next box
7college, etc9. %a&e sure that this is the only box chec&ed off.
Clic& on .update./
*rite down the 1 careers that interest you:
1. casting director
#. actor
'. child : youth counsellor
3. addictions counsellor
1. abuse " crisis counsellor
1. $o bac& to .5evel of 6ducation/ and clic& on the last box
7university9. ,nce again, ma&e sure that this is the only box
chec&ed off. Clic& on .update./
*rite down the 1 careers that interest you:
1. social wor&er
#. marriage and family therapist
'. child : youth counsellor
3. addictions counsellor
1. abuse " crisis counsellor
;. *hat did you notice happened to your top 1 career choices as you
changed the amount of education that you earned<
=irst and last list were mostly counsellors and the other two we >ust random
>obs.
?. -ow scroll down to the section on the left side called .%y &ills./
This is another s&ills inventory. Complete all 31 )uestions. 0t the
end of the inventory Career Cruising will generate another list for
you. Clic& .start my s&ills,/ and begin.
*rite down the 1 careers that interest you:
1. dispatcher
#. abuse " crisis counsellor
'. social wor&er
3. pharmacy technician
1. addictions counsellor
@. 0re there any differences in career suggestions between the first list
and the last list<
There isnAt really any differences between the first list and the last list.
(. 2ic& two careers that you are interested in. 8sing the .Careers/
section of Career Cruising, provide the following information about
the careers you are interested in.
Career B1 6mergency %edical Technician
Core Tas&s 7found in section .0t a $lance9
Travel to scenes of emergencies, such as car accidents or heart
attac&s.
$ive care and treatment to patients and ta&e them to the hospital
%ay open airways, give oxygen, shoc& stopped hearts or administer
medication
*or&ing Conditions
Because most emergency services function #3 hours a day,
paramedics wor& irregular hours. -ight, wee&end, and holiday
shifts are common. 0 shift can last anywhere from @ to 1# hours
2aramedicsA wor& ta&es them both indoors and outdoors, wherever
they are needed. They travel to emergency scenes in specially
e)uipped vehicles li&e ambulancesCor even helicopters
Their wor& is both stressful and exciting. 2aramedics are expected
to reach emergencies in a matter of minutes while driving safely.
*hen they get there, they often have to deal with people who may
be horribly in>ured, mentally disturbed, or extremely upset. ItAs
their >ob to calm people down and alleviate their suffering
6arnings
%ost paramedics earn between D'1,EEE and D@E,EEE a year.
Fighly trained paramedics usually earn more than those with only
basic training.
6ducation and Training
Colleges, hospitals, and emergency service organiGations all offer
paramedic training. 2rograms can last anywhere from about ;
months to 3 years, depending on where you live and the level of
)ualification you want to achieve. The most highly trained
paramedics study for at least # years. Courses typically combine
inHclass instruction with supervised hospital and ambulance
experience.
2aramedics need to be licensed by the regulatory body in their
province before they can practise. Be sure to contact the
paramedic association in your province to find out what the exact
re)uirements are. ee the ,ther Iesources section for lin&s to
provincial associations.
0pplicants to emergency medicine or paramedic training programs
must generally be at least 1@ years old, and have a high school
diploma, a valid driverAs licence, and C2I and first aid certification.
,ther Ielated Careers
-urse
2olice ,fficer
*here can you go to school for this career< 7Be specific in institution and
location.9
0IT 2olytechnic, Calgary, 0B
Fow long will you have to go to school for this career<
1. 6mergency %edical Iesponder 71?;Hhour certificate of achievement9
#. 6mergency %edical Technician 71EHmonth certificate program9
Career B# 0buse"crisis Counsellor
Core Tas&s 7found in the section .0t a $lance/9
2rovide oneHonHone counselling to clients
Felp build selfHesteem and confidences in clients
Inform victims of abuse if their legal rights
*or&ing conditions
Their hours of wor& vary depending on where they wor&. =or
instance, counsellors who wor& for government agencies may wor&
from (:EE am until 1:EE pm. ,thers do shift wor& in a shelter or on
a #3Hhour hotline, which may re)uire them to wor& evenings,
overnight, or on wee&ends.
0buse counsellors not only wor& one on one with their clients
but also as part of an informal team dedicated to stopping
domestic violence. They spend )uite a bit of their time
communicating and collaborating with other professionals who
provide help to people experiencing family violence
0buse and crisis counsellors are employed by hospitals, shelters,
school boards, colleges and universities, social service agencies,
and various nonHprofit organiGations. They wor& indoors in offices
or counselling rooms
6arnings
In general, fullHtime counsellors can earn between D'E,EEE and
D;E,EEE a year. Those who wor& on a partHtime basis can earn D1@
to D3E an hour.
6ducation and Training
6xact educational re)uirements for crisis and abuse counsellors
vary depending on the employer. Fowever, you usually need to
complete at least a degree or diploma in an area such as social
wor&, social services, or psychology.
BachelorAs degree programs in social wor& are offered by
universities throughout Canada. Colleges across the country offer
diploma programs in social services and some universities will allow
you to apply credits earned in a diploma program to a bachelorAs
degree in social wor&
0lternatively, some employers hire graduates of related programs,
such as psychology or human services, who have also completed a
counselling certificate program. %any of these certificate
programs cover areas such as domestic violence and crisis
intervention. Courses taught in these programs include effective
communication, family violence, and ris& assessment.
,ther Ielated Careers
0ddictions counsellor
ocial wor&er
*here can you go to school for this career< 7Be specific in institution and
location.9
%ount Ioyal, Calgary, 0B
Fow long will you have to go to school for this career<
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