Let's take a look at some comon myths starting with the grandparent of them all:
Strategy: Focus on a goal and go for it! Don't confuse choosing a major with making a career choice. Volunteer, find relevant paid part-time and summer jobs and join associations. Network, network, network. Look out for short courses and workshops that can help tailor a general degree to fit a specific occupation.
Strategy: Plan B. Every student needs one. Take, for example, the case of Lisa. An excellent student, she applied for a graduate school clinical psychology program and was unable to secure admission. The next year, she implemented Plan B by looking at more schools and by including counselling psychology programs. The result? Three offers, complete with scholarships. The advice? Remain mobile, if possible, and keep your options open.
Strategy: Consider a study or work abroad program. This would enable you to experience the adventure of travelling to faraway places while gaining relevant work experience that may assist in clarifying your personal career goals.
Strategy: Research the labour market before you graduate. Visit the Career Resource Centre and read up on the career(s) you are considering. Keep abreast of what's happening by reading newspapers and magazines. Check the job postings to see what kinds of jobs are being advertised and generate a list for future reference. Talk to professors, friends, relatives - anyone who may be familiar with careers in your field of study.
Strategy: Take a serious look at your resume. Do you come off as just a good student or as a well-rounded and marketable prospective employee? If you are lacking experience or are short on relevant skills (e.g., computer skills), start working on building up any inadequacies. A volunteer position might help you fill the gaps.
Are there other beliefs that you have about planning a career that you would like to check out? Before you make (possibly misguided) career decisions that may greatly affect your future, visit the Career Resource Centre, 474 University Centre. The friendly staff can assist you in finding the resources needed to get in touch with career decision-making reality!
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Food Chemist Chef Food Demonstrator Food Production Manager Food Production Manager Sales Representative Food Service Supervisor Food Tester Packaging Inspector Food Processing Engineer Food Products Inspector Public Health Inspector |
Baker Farmer Aquaculture Manager Bartender Food Microbiologist Cooking Show Host Market Gardener Buyer Cook Dietician Nutritionist Food Stylist |
Oenologist Sommelier Cereal Chemist Dietary Aide Caterer Butcher Waiter/Waitress Editor Food Scientist Food Writer |
For more information on these occupations or any others, please visit the Career Resource Centre at 474 University Centre.
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NEW!!
Visit the Career Resource Centre Virtual Tour site at: http://www.umanitoba.ca/student/counselling/tour/tour.html |
Internships are a wonderful way to gain practical experience. They offer hands-on, career-related work experience that can have a significant impact on future educational and professional decisions. Some positions offer free room and board, some pay a stipend, some are salaried and others are volunteer. Regardless, internships can provide valuable insight into an industry, an occupation or a company. They are also a great way to expand a network of professional contacts.
Internships can take place over the summer months although some may be of longer duration. Co-operative programs are another great way to gain work experience while still a student.
At the University of Manitoba, there are seven Co-op and Internship
programs available in the following departments:
More information on these programs is available from your Faculty Office or Student Employment Services, 474 University Centre. |
Youth Link, a Government of Canada publication, is chock full of career-related information for students. A number of internships are featured including the following:
Career Edge
International Development Research Centre
Canadian International Development Agency
National Research Council
Remember, applying for an internship position is just like applying for any other job - you must be prepared! This means researching the company, having your portfolio, resume and cover letter up-to-date and paying attention to deadlines.
If you need assistance with any of these tasks or if you required more information on internship programs, contact:
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
Dr. Biehl now divides her time between SBGH, where she continues to practice Anaesthesia, and the Bannatyne campus, where she presides over the Faculty of Medicine's thirty-five residency programs. As an Anaesthetist, some of Dr. Biehl's activities include answering consults, completing pre-operative patient assessments, and attending to the pain management needs of post-operative patients. As an integral part of the surgical team, she cold be called into the OR at any time. At the Medical College, Dr. Biehl makes decisions as to the number of residents accepted into each program, reviews the residency programs on an ongoing basis, and communicates with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She also chairs the Faculty of Medicine's Equity Committee, which examines the working conditions of the students and staff in the faculty and implements ways in which these can be improved.
The medical profession has undergone many changes since Dr. Biehl entered it more than twenty years ago. For example, one can no longer become a General Practitioner after only four years of medical school as she did. In fact, one can no longer become a General Practitioner. This specialty, now called Family Medicine, has its own two year Residency program which begins after the fourth year of medical school. At two years, a Residency in Family Medicine is the shortest of the thirty-five programs. The longest is Neurosurgery, which is six additional years after an undergraduate degree and four years of medical school.
When asked what students should know before considering a medical career, Dr. Biehl states that while Medicine is very rewarding, it is also very consuming. Being a doctor often means putting the needs of others ahead of your own. This translates into an extremely irregular schedule that necessitates excellent organizational and time management skills. Combining a medical career with a family is a challenge, but one that is taken on and met successfully by many practitioners.
She also stresses that success as a medical student and as a doctor demands a genuine thirst for knowledge. In a field where the information load doubles every six years, one can never stop learning. It requires a considerable effort to keep up with all the new developments, which is one of the reasons there are so many distinct specialties in Medicine and Surgery.
Finally, Dr. Biehl cautions that doctors can no longer begin a medical career expecting to enjoy the status that once came automatically with the initials "M.D.". The information age has given people access to more and more complex data. As a result, patients are demanding an increasingly proactive approach to their own health care., and are not as inclined to take a doctor's word at face value. Medical professionals continue to provide an invaluable service, but are experiencing a shift in their patients' expectations which they must be willing and able to accommodate.