Oh, the Places You’ll Go: The StFX Career Studio

It’s time to change your tires. It’s time to switch your gears. It is IndeedTM that time of year. May the StFX Career Studio FSWEPTM you off your feet and find you that LinkedinTM that will get you to where you want to be.

It’s that time of year when students start to think about summer jobs, the next chapter of their lives, their careers after graduation, and the journey they want to take. As a student, it’s often difficult to focus on anything other than academics, sports, and extracurriculars. This is where the Career Studio can help. It was put in place to help students workshop their careers and ease them along the job application process.

In early October, the StFX Career Studio hired three new peer mentors. I wanted to know more about this program, as well as the people who ran it, and had the opportunity to speak with two of them: Lidet O’Connor and Patrick Bowen. Lidet is in her fourth year in the Women and Gender Studies honours program, and Patrick is in his second year of a post-grad diploma in Artificial Intelligence.

First, I asked the peer mentors: “What is the Career Studio, and what can you offer students?”

Patrick replied, “The Career Studio is a room located in Schwartz 183 that students can drop-in anytime during business hours. We have a team of peer mentors here to help students with all things career related, whether that be resume tips, or deciding what they want to after graduation.”

“We help students regardless of their position on campus,” added Lidet. “If you are a first-year student, or a graduate student, or anything in between, we are here to help you.” Students from all programs are welcome to benefit from the services provided.

On a personal note, I asked both Patrick and Lidet what their motivation was for working with the Career Studio, given the other job opportunities available on campus. Patrick replied that, “there’s been times in the past where a peer or someone a few years into a field offered great advice. It was often a small but deciding factor on whether I got the job or connected with the right people. I see great value in doing that for other students as well”.

Lidet also finds the job quite rewarding, and mentioned that during her time at StFX, “people with a little more life experience have been very supportive, and have mentored me to the place I’m in today. I wanted to pay that back to other students.”

The StFX Career Studio is expecting an influx of students in the new year. Jane MacDonald, the manager of Student Career Services, spoke about the ways the Career Studio can help senior students graduating in May 2023 to think about potential “next steps after X,” whether that is “finding employment, [taking a] gap year, or discovering various jobs that might be of interest”.

It’s a one stop shop, free for all students. It’s normal to feel nervous about getting into a job, and the prospect of a “career” might seem far-fetched and a little intimidating. Whatever you need, the peer-mentors at the Career Studio are eager to help.

During my visit, I took the luxury to sit on one of their comfy leathers couches and browse through some summer jobs available in my field under the light of the table lamp. In the dreary winter months, I will find myself here again, dreaming of potential summer jobs and the places I’ll go, and each visit be greeted by friendly, helpful peers.