Biology

Introduction

Did you know that there are over 2 million job titles and over 900 industries in Canada? That is a lot of possible career options! Understanding the Canadian economy and the types of jobs that are available is one of the best ways to begin your career search.

Students often report feeling limited by their degree choice and worry that they may not have many viable career options. Although your degree can point you in a career direction, it will not necessarily determine the type of job you can pursue. Unlike many college programs, your undergraduate degree is not intended to train you for one specific job. Some students may feel frustrated by this, but the great news is that your degree opens up many more opportunities than you may think!

Employers today are looking for graduates with transferable skills and people who have a sense of where they fit into the world of work. Because of this, it is really important to think beyond your degree when making a career decision. You want to consider all of your interests, the skills you would like to use, what fits with your personality, and the values that you have.

Determining your career path requires a lot of research, both personal and occupational. It's almost impossible to make a career decision if you haven't invested time in both of these things. This section will get you started and will showcase some popular industries and occupational areas related to your degree.

Educational Services

The Educational Services sector comprises establishments that provide instruction and training in a wide variety of subjects. This instruction and training is provided by specialized establishments, such as schools, colleges, universities, and training centers. These establishments may be privately owned and operated for profit or not for profit, or they may be publicly owned and operated. They may also offer food and/or accommodation services to their students.

Educational services are usually delivered by teachers or instructors that explain, tell, demonstrate, supervise, and direct learning. Instruction is imparted in diverse settings, such as educational institutions, the workplace, or the home, and through diverse means, such as correspondence, television, the Internet, or other electronic and distance-learning methods.

Sample Job Titles:

Healthcare Biology Services

The health-care industry provides diagnostic, healing, rehabilitation, and preventive services. The individual physician is often the consumer's (or patient's) primary point of contact with the system. However, it is the health-care organization itself-that is, the hospital or health management organization (HMO)-that finances much of the industry today; it represents the preponderance of the physician's revenues.

Many people are attracted to the health-care industry for its human touch and service-oriented aspects. People are living longer and thus demand more and higher quality preventive and long-term care. The demand for health-care workers is expected to grow faster than the average rate for all occupations

Sample Job Titles:

Research

"Research" aims to generate knowledge in the hopes that it will help create or improve a product, process or service. "Development" converts research findings or other knowledge into a new or improved product, process or service.

In concrete terms, R&D brings new knowledge and processes to Canadian businesses — the new, higher value-added products, processes and services that Canada needs in order to thrive in a knowledge-intensive market. Innovative companies can offer skilled employment opportunities for Canada's knowledge workers.

Companies embarking on R&D projects need to adopt focused business strategies, obtain secure financing and undertake risk management.

Sample Job Titles:

Social Services

Social services is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or perceived social injustices and violations of their human rights.

Research is often focused on areas such as human development, social policy, public administration, psychotherapy, program evaluation, and international and community development. Social workers are organized into local, national, continental and international professional bodies. Social work, an interdisciplinary field, includes theories from economics, education, sociology, medicine, philosophy, politics, anthropology, and psychology. In many jurisdictions, clinical social workers are licensed mental health professionals.

Sample Job Titles:

Zoo and Aquarium

Have you always been fascinated by animals, or found yourself wondering how they survive, where they live, or how they evolved? If so, you might be interested in a career in zoo and aquarium industry.

Zoo and aquarium industry administrators have indicated a need for individuals trained in both zoo/animal science and management skills. Today's professional zoo and aquarium managers deal with more complex tasks and more sophisticated employees and are required to solve increasingly difficult problems. For example, today's curators are making decisions about animal welfare; education programs; research policies; conservation strategies and record keeping, while directing large staffs of keepers, educators, other employees and volunteers.

Sample Job Titles:

Other Industries

This section has highlighted a number of popular industries and job titles that align with your academic program; however, it was by no means an exhaustive list of all the possible options available to you with the degree you possess. Access the resources below to learn about other industries and job titles that are a fit for you.

Canadian Industries: Browse through over 900 Canadian Industries.

LinkedIn: Search through thousands of Western Alumni by degree.

National Occupational Classification (NOC): The national reference on occupations - organizes over 40,000 job titles.

Informational Interviews: Find out about jobs and career paths you never knew existed.

CareerCruising: Peruse career & further educational options (visit the "Resources" section of CareerCentral for the username & password).

Working in Canada: The leading source for labour market information in Canada.

US Occupational Outlook Handbook: Browse hundreds of occupational profiles.