Hot Tip -- by Sherri Liddle

Planning for an education is like planning for a vacation. It can be really exciting but also a little scary because there is a lot you need to know to reach your destination. You will need to figure out where you are right now and where you want to go. As well, you need to determine what kind of information you need and what are the best choices for you. After you have decided what you want to do, you now need to make plans and determine what actions you need to get there. Each step requires thought and research and may take some time, but it is well worth it and necessary.

Pursuing an education is an investment of your money and your time. Like any other wise investment, you need to ask yourself questions like: what is important to you; what are you looking to get out of it; how long are you wanting to make the investment for; and, is there anything else you need to look at or take care of to make sure you are well informed, prepared and confident to make this decision? The Youth Employment Centre has a learning advisor to assist you with any other questions you may have. Talk to your employment counsellor or, if you are between 15 and 24, call 268-2490 to register at the Youth Employment Centre.

This article will highlight an educational plan for a speech-language pathologist (S-LP) and an English as a second language (ESL) teacher. These people had to research schools, look at their educational and life needs and wants, look at school options, make a decision and develop an action plan. My mother is an ESL teacher and I have a good friend who is a speech-language pathologist. They generously provided me their feedback, suggestions and personal experiences, along with their educational and career planning process in field of the languages. Remember, although this is specific to these occupations, it is basically the same process for any other occupation. This article will hopefully give you an idea of where and how to start planning for your own education in the languages.

Speech-Language Pathologist (S-LP)

Colleen Belliveau, Speech-Language Pathologist - Gulf Island School District Masters Degree in Speech - Language Pathology

Definition: Speech-language pathologists work with children and adults to prevent, identify, diagnose and treat communication disorders.

Colleen was always interested in learning languages and studied French and German. Her interest with language also stemmed from some family friends who had children with cleft lips and palates, and had received help from speech-language pathologists. She took introductory language courses in linguistics and found she wanted to learn more about the structure of languages. At the same time, she knew she loved kids and wanted an occupation where she would work with them and use her eduction. She decided to pursue speech-language pathology targeting work with children. It seemed like a rewarding profession to her; working with children to develop communication skills.

She needed to develop an educational plan to reach her goal, so she researched various schools while attending the University of Calgary taking a bachelor of linguistics degree. What to do? Colleen suggests using the Internet to research which schools offer which programs and says to call the school to get informational packets as well. Colleen looked at U of A (University of Alberta) and UBC (University of British Columbia) at first, but also researched programs in Eastern Canada to keep her options open.

She said that through word of mouth, another linguistics student, she finally found the information she was looking for about the Western Washington University graduate program in speech-language pathology. Western Washington offered a mix of theory and clinical practice, which was what Colleen was looking for. This is where she obtained her masters degree. She says programs in speech-language require very high grade point averages (GPA), so she says to keep your grades up.

Colleen does not believe there is any specific funding available for this major; her main source of funding was a student loan. It is a good idea to research scholarships and bursaries available.

I asked Colleen if she has any suggestions for those interested in this profession. She says keep your GPA high, take lots of good background courses and focus on your studies. An education degree, with a few years of teaching experience, would also be helpful if you plan to work in the schools. Look at the requirements for graduate programs early and volunteer to get additional and relevant experience. Colleen found her volunteer experience at the Children's Hospital and in ESL was very valuable because it shows a person is serious about entering that field.

Colleen works for the Gulf Islands School Board in B.C and loves her job. She works with children who have speech and language difficulties. Because she knows she makes a difference in their lives, that is rewarding in itself for her. Colleen suggests thinking strongly about where you want to work: schools; hospitals; health units; or private practice. The same goes for who you want to work with: pre-school kids; school-age kids; or adults. And in keep in mind specific areas of concentration: articulation; language; literacy; stuttering; voice; neurological disorders; or brain injuries. She says the skills overlap, and you study it all, but having a high interest area helps. These interests may also develop while you are in school.

English as a Second Language Teacher

Carol Liddle, English as a Second Language Teacher - Chinook College Bachelor Degree in Education and Bachelor Degree in Science

Definition: English as a second language (ESL) teachers provide English language and lifeskills instruction to immigrants, international students and others whose first language is not English.

My mom's story is a little different from Colleen's as it will be for every individual. Career and educational planning is unique to each person, depending on one's needs and interests. My mom got into teaching English as a second language because, after she completed university, she and my dad moved overseas to work in an international exchange program through an organization called CUSO (Canadian University Students Overseas). This allowed her to teach for two years in India. She really enjoyed this experience working with people of other cultures and origins. My mom initially started teaching home economics in Canada, but decided that ESL was the route she wanted to go from her experience in India.

While she was at home with her children, she filled in time by helping some Portuguese ladies learn English and said she got lots of valuable experience from this. After hearing an ESL teacher speak at a meeting, my mom then decided to return to teaching ESL regularly. She says she initially decided on teaching as an occupation because her mom and her maternal grandmother were also teachers.

She then got involved in a program called Stepping Out, where she went to people's homes and taught ESL on a one-to-one basis. She wanted more hours and experience, so she applied and was offered an evening program at Forest Lawn. After that, she wanted more teaching hours, so she asked for it and got into the day program there. Another ESL teacher gave my mom a name of a person at Viscount Bennett School (now called Chinook College) and that is where she has been working since. She has always been happy there and is extremely busy with teaching, preparing classes, marking homework and helping the students with any other needs they may have. She says that Chinook College also has a good reputation. Because she was teaching at a basic level, she decided not to pursue the ESL diploma program at the U of C and instead chooses to continually upgrade her knowledge through professional development courses.

My mom has two degrees and her permanent certificate in teaching. This has given her some flexibility and choices in her life. She was a stay at home mom for a while, but because of her education, she re-entered the workforce with ease. She suggests that if you are interested in getting involved in ESL, get as much education and training as you can, specifically an education degree and an ESL diploma. My mom says if she had to do things differently, she would have decided to go into ESL much earlier and would have gone for the ESL specialization through school to compliment her education and science degrees. She recommends you find out your talents and interests by volunteering, as it is a great avenue to gain experience and exposure to a profession. My mom loves her job and looks forward to her work every day. She really enjoys working with diverse groups of people from various backgrounds and nationalities.

As you can see from the above examples, it is important to research and plan your education. Your circumstances and wants may change as you go along, but by doing some preliminary planning you will be able to adapt to anything that comes your way. Look at your interests, values and skills and conduct informational interviews to get feedback from people working in the occupations you are considering. Research schools to find the programs you want, look into funding options, assess your own life path, volunteer and develop a network of people interested in the same field.

I hope these stories have helped you look at where you are and what you want to do. You can also call the Youth Employment Centre's job developers to receive assistance in arranging informational interviews and networking opportunities. Talk with your youth employment counsellor or call (403) 268-2490 to make an appointment. Happy planning!

(Sherri Liddle is a career counsellor at the Calgary Youth Employment Centre.)