Career Trends

I found this article very interesting, even though it is just statistics. One stat that stayed with me is the ratio of guidance counsellors to students in Canadian high schools is 371:1. I was surprised at this ratio, considering that the decisions a student makes in high school will have a great affect on their postsecondary education, training, or occupation options.

A short article on how to think in terms of a career carillon instead of a single career curve.

On page 216 of the Shift, Gratton mentions that the internet is increasingly being used to help entrepreneurs find funding for their projects. This made me think of something I had seen in passing a couple of times, called 'crowdfunding'. Crowdfunding refers to sites that allow you to raise money for a certain idea, company, start-up etc. These sites charge a fee (usually percentage of money raised) and provide certain services to customers (PR, coaching etc). Some sites allow only certain types of ventures (creative ventures, Bands only, T-shirts only, non-profit/charity only), while others are open to everyone. Sites typically offer a "Keep-Everything" policy (where you keep the money regardless of getting the goal), or an "All-or-nothing" policy (where you only get to keep the money if you reach the goal). This article provides some of the top platforms for crowdfunding, however in my preliminary research I was able to find sites that were not on this list such as "GoGetFunding" and "Patreon" and "GiveForwards". It seems that these sites are popping up all over the internet! Definitely something to keep an eye on!

Gen Yers who hold a Ph.D. report being underemployed at a rate of 34 percent, compared to 27 percent for Gen Xers and 25 percent for Boomers.

This article discusses the quality of Canada's education and skills training. It also focuses on looking at how Germany delivers education to its citizen. The two education systems are compared.

In "The Virgin Guadalupe" of The World is Flat 3.0, Freidman talks about how in Ireland public college education is basically free. This allows them to develop a more educated workforce which has been beneficial for them economically. This article from Oct 2014 explains how Germany has moved in the same direction.

This is not a test! Looking ahead to 2020, the U.S. proportion of the global talent pool will shrink even further as China and India, with their enormous populations, rapidly expand their secondary and higher education systems.

Although a couple years old, this article points out some important/interesting factors related to our readings about what the Canadian economy needs.

Key Messages: Canada earns an "A" on its Education and Skills report card, ranking 2nd among 16 peer countries. Canada's strength is in delivering a high-quality education with comparatively modest spending to people between the ages of 5 and 19. Canada needs to improve workplace skills training and lifelong education. Unfortunately Canada earns a "C" in the "science, math, computer science, and engineering" category as well as the "high-level science skills" category.

This article discusses how companies, such as Johnson and Johnson are looking towards countries such as China for new innovations.

This article looks at how the Ukraine is looking to improve their higher educational system to match that of the U.S. It shows how the rest of the world's educational system is pushing out higher quality graduates to compete with American innovation

This article identifies the different risks associated with foreign investing, the different markets available (frontier, emerging, developed), and the steps one should take when investing overseas.

I came across this organization and thought it was worth sharing in relation to upcoming trends in recruiting and networking. Brazen powers online virtual events and career fairs for leading organizations around the world, improving recruiting, networking, and audience engagement. Their mission is to change the way people find professional opportunities and employers find talent. They also believe that everyone deserves a job they love, which is evident in their work setting (they don't work in cubicles, have access to snacks, lunches, and have comfy lounges to work in with a large screen TV). I don't know of many organizations myself that have these awesome perks at a workplace, but perhaps what this organization is starting is an emerging trend, as well as a new way of recruiting and expanded networking beyond LinkedIn.

This short article from a marketing school resource outlines key themes for self-marketing and the need for skill mastery in the changing workplace. While also providing more general advice to job-seekers everywhere in the form of how to put yourself out there. 

Outsourcing brings in a lot of flexibility and financial freedom but it also has its pitfalls. Any company looking to outsource must keep in mind the pros and cons of outsourcing before deciding to take the plunge. Take a look at this list of advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing.

This article talks about people needing to change their view from secure employment to gaining employability skills, as one is likely to change careers a number of times throughout life. It mentions some ideas for a future worker to consider.

An interesting list of many things we can all do to increase social capital. Some seem really easy and straightforward, but the reality is that you never know how/ when a network will come in handy for your career. A good reminder of how very important our social connections are.

Posted: In this era of chronically tight government budgets, consider this: every year while Canadians spend billions of dollars on jails, courts, and police to prevent criminal inmates from re-offending -- with mixed results at best -- a prison outside London, England, has a strategic program to prevent recidivism that costs government almost nothing. On page 214, Lynda Gratton talks about social entrepreneurship and that it will continue to develop and become more important in decades to come. Craig and Marc Keilburger discuss some of the reasons why Canada is falling behind in the area of social entrepreneurism. They suggest that the government needs to set up structures to create these entreprises and allow easier access to start-up capital or loans.