Spotlight

Laura is currently an Occupational Therapy Student at the University of Alberta, finishing up her last semester. Once working, she hopes to continue her competency learning and complete additional certificates that widens her scope of practice as an OT.

Though, just after high school, she was accepted into the Faculty of Biochemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) which is not the same program she is working with today. She did not find her high school guidance counselor provided much direction for a program of choice, but rather helped with admissions criteria. The reason she chose to apply for the Biochemistry faculty was, in her words, “I like biology... and chemistry... maybe I should do a biochemistry degree”. She only realized she would like to be an Occupational Therapist a few years after high school. She felt she didn't really know how to plan for her career in high school and that her friends and family helped influence her career planning choices.

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Laura's Advice: think about if you are willing to leave Newfoundland to look for work, or to attend post secondary. Also, seek out people you may know that have completed a program you’re interested in. If you want to really know what a program looks like, getting first hand experiences is the best route. It paints a more accurate picture of what the cost really looks like, and the job opportunities that are out there. If you don’t have it all figured out while you’re in high school - THAT’S OKAY! Or even by your 1st...2nd...3rd year post-secondary. It’s all a process and it’s YOUR journey. As long as you work hard and keep pushing forward to the next thing, you’ll succeed in any goals you set for yourself. Or when there are times you struggle to push forward - that’s okay too. Be kind to yourself. You’re doing the best you can and everything is a learning experience.

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