Alumni

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The Alumni Association of The University of Western Ontario is proud to serve and represent more than a quarter million alumni around the world.

We are committed to delivering the finest alumni experience, in keeping with our continued number one ranking as "Canada's best student experience”.

Student Success Centre

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The Student Success Centre is here to help with each step of your journey to a successful future. Our mission is to facilitate the development of career, educational, and life competencies for students and alumni through programs and services that guide successful transitions, foster local and global citizenship, promote leadership opportunities, encourage personal growth, deliver career resources, and ignite active engagement.

Description

Geography

The study of Geography examines issues from a spatial perspective combined with an understanding of humans and the environment. An understanding of place, space and process can help solve and prevent problems made by people living in urban areas, as by the demands people make on natural resources for the production of goods and energy. Geography at Western favours an integrated and interdisciplinary approach that combines social and physical sciences, and students can structure their degree modules to gain insights into career opportunities that build on their interests.

Western geography graduates develop strong analytical skills in geographic information systems, cartography, statistics, qualitative methods, social surveys and field and lab-based studies. With these, they can pursue a wide variety of interests and obtain either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. This broad, integrative perspective makes Western geographers employable in a wide range of occupations. For clarification on allowable module combinations please see the module combination chart in the online academic calendar.

Skills

Discipline specific knowledge is only one of the many benefits of pursuing an undergraduate degree. However, this knowledge alone is not enough to prepare you for entering the world of work. You will discover that the content of your degree does not restrict your job opportunities.

Being aware of the transferable skills you've developed throughout your studies will better prepare you for entering the job market and allow you to articulate the skills that are so valued by employers.

Knowledge Skills

  • Application of geographic concepts and techniques, such as geographic information systems (GIS), cartography, statistics and qualitative methods to urban, environmental economic, development, health and social problems.

    Application and use of information, communication and technology skills (ICT), including word processing, databases, internet communications, information retrieval and on-line searches.

Communication Skills

  • Written and oral communication is developed through assignments and essays, which can include an undergraduate thesis and presentations.

    Visual presentation skills are developed through the creation of maps and diagrams. These skills are also developed when assignments require the creation of a poster or web page.

    Development of these communication skills requires students to use specialized and/or generally available software packages, and to become more confident in the writing and public speaking abilities.

Management Skills

  • The ability to oversee, supervise and/or contribute to a project from beginning to end including determining outcomes, planning details, making decisions, assigning roles and completing task

Critical Thinking Skills

  • Synthesis and integration of information and lateral thinking that support creative problem solving.

    Numeracy – the ability to handle, display and interpret data accurately, and effectively display these on a map or diagram.

    Spatial thinking – the ability to distinguish patterns on a map and diagram, and consider the implications of these patterns on people and the environment.

    The ability to interpret and apply scientific principles, relevant legislation, policies and guidelines to environmental, urban, development, health, economic and social contexts.


For a more complete list of transferable skills click here.


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:

Archivist

Career and Technical Education Teacher

High School Teacher

Instructional Coordinator

Instructor

Librarian

Postsecondary Teacher

Preschool Teacher

Supply Teacher

Geographer

Geography is the science of place and space on earth. Geographers study both the spatial aspects of human existence and the physical phenomena and processes that form our environment. Geographers make critical contributions to knowledge and human society through study of the linkages between human activity and natural systems.

Geographers use many tools and techniques in their work, and geographic technologies are increasingly among the most important emerging fields for understanding our complex world. They include Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and online mapping such as Google Earth. Geographers are also familiar with statistics, qualitative methods, social surveys, field and lab-based studies.

Profiles of jobs in the Business/Private, Government, Non-Government and Education Sectors are found here, and some “Career News’ from Geographers is found here. The US Department of Labor has developed an Occupational Outlook Profile for a number of job titles that are frequently filled by geographers. Job postings for some thematic geography employment areas are available here.

Sample Job Titles:

Cartographers

Geographer

GIS Technician

Landscape Architects

Photogrammetrists

Physical Geographer

Survey & Map Technicians

Urban & Regional Planners

Urban Geographer or Planner

Marketing

Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers. Marketing might sometimes be interpreted as the art of selling products, but sales is only one part of marketing. As the term "Marketing" may replace "Advertising" it is the overall strategy and function of promoting a product or service to the customer.

From a societal point of view, marketing is the link between a society’s material requirements and its economic patterns of response. Marketing satisfies these needs and wants through exchange processes and building long term relationships. The process of communicating the value of a product or service through positioning to customers. Marketing can be looked at as an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, delivering and communicating value to customers, and managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its shareholders.

Sample Job Titles:

Advertising Analyst

Advertising Manager

Commerce Officer

E-commerce Manager

Market Research Analysts

Marketing Manager

Media & Communication

Media and communications is a collection of companies involved in telecommunications equipment and services, television and radio broadcasting, motion picture/video production, and publishing. The media and communications industry makes the world a smaller place by entertaining, informing, and connecting people around the world.

The Media and Communications industry is Highly Concentrated. The production in this industry is dominated by a small amount of large firms that are able to shape the industry’s direction and price levels.

Sample Job Titles:

Announcer

Broadcast News Analyst

Copywriter

Correspondent

Interpreter

Novelist

Reporter

Technical Writer

Translator

Public Relations

Public relations is the practice of getting attention and shaping public opinion. Its tools include publicity, advertising, public affairs forums, lobbying public officials, and any and every other means that gets a message out to the public. Mostly however it is about placing stories in the media, getting newspapers, radio and television to accept stories or messages sourced from PR agencies.

Every organisation that interacts with other agencies may be said to engage in public relations. Organisations by and large wish to project as good an image as they can, and often wish to communicate a particular message.

Sample Job Titles:

Information Officer

Media Relations Co-ordinator

Public Relations Specialists

Publicist

Travel Agents

Travel Consultant

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.

Featured Employers

Featured Alumni