Finances may be what comes to mind when you think about preparing for retirement. While important, it’s only part of the equation. Depending on how much your identity is tied up in your work, effort will be needed to find what will fill you up after school’s out for the last time.

A fall 2023 retiree survey in the Carrick on Money newsletter published in the Globe and Mail revealed factors like focusing on health, family connections and finding day-to-day freedom should be considered alongside finances.

"I think a lot of people focus on the financial aspect of retirement. A lot of my clients talk about it after. They say they were worried about finances, and in retrospect, that they should have done more to prepare for this massive change emotionally,” says Cindy Brcko, a Toronto-based registered social worker specializing in working with older adults.

Feelings during the transition to retirement can range from excitement and relief to sadness, dread and everything in between. Whatever you feel as you retire, it can help to remind yourself that you’re not alone. And with RTOERO, you won’t be. Our ultimate retirement planning bundle for education workers is designed with you in mind to help you get retirement-ready with confidence – financially, socially and emotionally. Download it here: rtoero.ca/retirement-bundle/

The NCWIT Aspirations in Computing High School Award honours genderqueer and non-binary individuals in grades nine to twelve, for their computing-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Applications are open September 1 to November 6.

In addition, educators who endorse student applications are eligible to apply for the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award to be recognized for all they do! Educator Award applications are due December 4. Get all the details here: https://www.aspirations.org/ aspirations-canada.

The University of Guelph-Humber is located in Toronto on Humber’s north campus. Our seven programs are focused and offer each student work placement experience. Students who choose UofGH know the career field they are interested in, want a close-knit, supportive community and the benefits of a Toronto location.

On your own

• Visit campus on Sunday, November 19 for Fall Information Day
• Listen to program presentations
• Explore student services
• Talk to experts in all areas to get your questions answered
• Tour the campus with a current student
  
  Sign up and get more details at guelphhumber.ca/futurestudents/fid2023.

With a class
Join us on December 6 with your Grade 10/11 students for SWOOP into UofGH. It’s a day for skills workshops, opportunities to observe and participate. Your class will attend an engaging, faculty-led session (related to one of our academic programs), visit hands-on learning labs and tour campus.

• Choose from one of seven program sessions to meet your teaching goals
• Runs from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm
• Qualifies as a SHSM Reach Ahead Experience, or field trip programming for related high school curriculum
• Just $15.00 (including HST) per student participant; educators attend for free
• Price includes all learning materials, a swag bag and lunch

Sign up at https://ghswoop2023.eventbrite.ca.

Applying for college or university can be a stressful time for students. What if they don’t get accepted into the program they want? What if they get there and discover the program just isn’t a good fit? Ensuring a student understands they have options can go a long way to ease their postsecondary concerns. Ultimately, it’s their decision, but you can help guide them along the way.

20 years of service, 11 locations bringing essential care to people and pets experiencing homelessness.
This fall, Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO) will be celebrating 20 years of bringing accessible veterinary and human health care to people and pets experiencing homelessness in Canada, but the celebrations will be far from sit down dinners and stuffy ceremonies. Instead, the organization is hosting Mini-Vet School (TM), a virtual event to answer pet owners’ most asked questions.

As a society, we are gradually beginning to reframe the midlife crisis — and indeed any life transition — as a period of transformation and rebirth. Crisis then becomes chrysalis, where the best is yet to come. Applying this lens to our careers can yield insights and new opportunities, especially when the world seems upside-down. The ability to see unexpected and unwanted change from a place of hope rather than fear, and as an opportunity to learn and grow rather than to resist or deny, is called a Flux Mindset. Think of it as your mental muscle for change. You can’t control what’s happening in the world or in the economy any more than you can avoid entering midlife. The rapid ascent and power of generative AI has amplified these concerns. No job feels safe, no career path is certain, and previously "secure" professions may be under threat. Against this backdrop, how can we harness a Flux Mindset today in order to better prepare for the future? This article covers the key: how we see, and talk about, the shape and trajectory of our careers. Companies have an unprecedented opportunity to proactively craft new norms, structures and policies that could positively shape work for decades to come.

While we may not all possess a talent for art, we are all capable of benefitting from it. Art enables us to understand and explore parts of ourselves we don’t usually access on a day-to-day basis.

This is also why incorporating art in career exploration can help clients better understand, explore and express what matters most to them in their career. This listicle was designed to help career practitioners learn more about how using art in career exploration can benefit their clients, as well as tools they can use to incorporate art in their practice.

A new CERIC-funded report from Creative Futures Studio Inc. sheds light on 10 megatrends that will shape the future of work in Canada. The report, Career Development in 2040, digs into the trends that workers, employers – as well as those who advise them – need to understand to thrive in a labour market facing massive disruption. Based on an extensive literature review as well as interviews with career development professionals (CDPs) and career services users, the report highlights 10 major trends: 
- Work Anywhere 
- AI & Automation 
- Living with Climate Change 
- Geopolitical Conflicts 
- Reconciling the Impacts of Colonialism 
- Economic Precarity 
- Globalization Under Pressure 
- Education, Disrupted 
- Declining Mental Health & Well-being 
- Generational Shifts 
The report also identifies microtrends within each area (32 in total), including the impact of the "green skills revolution" on new job creation, greater recognition of the skills of neurodivergent individuals, the increasing popularity of the "learn and earn" model of post-secondary education and how Gen Z’s values-driven approach to work will inform their leadership. 

OSCA/ACOSO 2023 Fall Conference 
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!

A tremendous thanks to all of YOU for making our first in-person conference since 2019, "Come Back to Get Ahead," such a success. 450 guidance and career educators, sponsors, exhibitors and presenters networked together, reconnected with old friends and made new ones. It was inspiring to experience the synergy, laughter and connections made at this year’s event. 

If you have not already done so, please don’t forget to complete our survey found in the link below. This will help us to improve our conference next year, when we celebrate our 60TH ANNIVERSARY!  

https://forms.gle/MoFC8iubxHjvtVPn8

Thank you as well, to all of the PRESENTERS who inspired our growth, resilience and wellness with their stories, strategies and resources. This conference would not be possible without the financial and resource contributions from our SPONSORS and EXHIBITORS. They keep us informed about the current educational landscape and offer resources to help us in our daily practice.  

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Platinum Sponsors: Naylor and Cambrian College

Gold Sponsors: ONCAT, Brescia College at Western University and Cape Breton University

Silver Sponsors: Carleton University, University of Guelph-Humber, Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, OCAS, Collège Boréal, OACETT, Tyndale University

Bronze Sponsors: Laurier Faculty of Music and Metalworks Institute, Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians, Fleming College, Brock University

Special Sponsors: Ontario Colleges (who contributed to our bags)

THANKS TO OUR EXHIBITORS…

• Ontario Tech University
• Métis Nation of Ontario
• Attached at the Root Ltd.
• Seeking Scholarships
• Ontario Universities’ Application Centre
• Erin Mills Connects
• Canadian Forces
• Morale and Welfare Services
• AgScape
• mycampusGPS Education Consulting
• Forests Ontario
• OzTrekk Education Services
• Discover Year
• OYAP Coordinators Provincial Association
• Vancouver Film School
• Seneca Polytechnic
• Yconic
• Sima Health Consultancy
• Royal Military College
• St. Clair College
• Katimavik
• Université de l'Ontario français
• SchoolFinder
• Canadian Gap Year Association
• Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
• Sault College
• Department of National Defense
• Prepskills
• Trades for Tomorrow
• Laurentian University
• Regional Assessment and Resource Centre - Queens
• Edutravel
• Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities
• Ceric
• Waterloo
• Wellington Flight Centre
• University of Nicosia Medical School and Veterinarian Medicine 

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!