Wednesday, 4 March 2015

Alanna Wilson - Blog 8

As we shift into the last couple chapters within our text, Chapter 8: School-to-Work Transitions focuses on how education has a purpose in today’s society and the change from school to working in our labour market.

As our first year comes to a close, the pressure for next year rises as does the fear of not getting a desired position upon graduation. The section on “Transitioning into the Labour Market” describes: “Nearly one-third of graduates found their job through “networking” through their contacts with family and friends”(p. 239). It also mentions: “Individuals who had experience, such as through volunteer work or through co-operative education placements, had an easier time finding career-related work.”(p. 239). I think this statistic is greatly related to education and is something we have covered recently in our classes, after all, it usually is about “who you know”.

I found that the statistics surrounding job-education mismatch post-graduation quite interesting. It stated: “…23 percent of Canadians indicated that there was no relationship between their education and job”(p. 242). I agree that this number is accurate, as I can name a few of my friends that this has happened to, some of which even have an Education degree. Far too often, (and from what we saw in the video last class), students seek work when their ideal position is not attainable. I don’t see anything wrong with working part-time/full-time if you’re unable to find work right out of graduation. However, I think there needs to be a balance of maintaining their education through volunteering or pedagogical courses that will set themselves apart and become noticeable to employers.

Discussion Question:
The text mentions that: “through volunteer work or through co-operative education placements (students) had an easier time finding career-related work”(p. 239). Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?

What other additional qualifications do you think are needed to make yourself known to future employers?

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