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

Political Science

As one of the largest political science departments in Canada offering programs leading to a BA, DPA (Diploma in Public Administration), MA, MPA (Masters in Public Administration) and Ph.D., our faculty, graduate and undergraduate students examine and explore issues that have had or could have a profound impact on shaping the nature of domestic and international society.

In order to explain the behaviour of policy-makers within different institutional settings, our students are trained to think critically and methodically about the many internal and external factors that may influence governmental decisions. In the process, they develop the skills necessary to undertake challenging work in the public and private sector. Many of our graduate and undergraduate students take advantage of the resources made available through the Centre for American Studies, an interdisciplinary research centre that seeks to promote a greater understanding of the social, historical, political and cultural life of the United States.

They also participate in many other programs offered jointly with the departments of History and Philosophy. Our faculty have wide-ranging interests which they draw on in lectures and seminars. The result is that they are able to provide a stimulating environment in which to discuss the most critical issues of our time.

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

  • The ability to comprehend the thoughts and ideas of people from other times and places and give expression to these ideas in modern terms with relevant historical context

Communication Skills

  • The ability to compile and organize facts and information and to comprehend and apply new and/or unfamiliar information to different situations and settings

Organization Skills

  • The ability to learn, understand and interpret information and apply knowledge to new situations

Management Skills

  • Skills enabling you to work effectively as part of a team by identifying your role and contributing, through leading, teaching, motivating and/or encouraging others, to the success of the team


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

Government & Law

Further Education Might be Required.

This sector comprises establishments primarily engaged in activities of a governmentalnature, that is, the enactment and judicial interpretation of laws and their pursuant regulations, and the administration of programs based on them. Legislative activities, taxation, national defence, public order and safety, immigration services, foreign affairs and international assistance, and the administration of government programs are activities that are purely governmental in nature.

The legal services industry incorporates a range of services for clients requiring legal assistance. Opportunities are available in private practice, the public sector and in-house in industry and commerce.

Sample Job Titles:

Correctional Officer

Criminologist

Foreign Service Officer

Lawyer

Legal Advisor

Paralegal

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

Publishing

Publishing is made up of a diverse group of industries including: Books, Directories and Mailing Lists, Journals, Magazines and Business Media, Newspapers, News Agencies and other Information Services.

From the printed word to online, the occupations and roles involved are many and varied. Whether a journalist, commissioning editor, designer or an advertising executive, multimedia formats mean the industry is at an exciting time and subject to rapid change.

Sample Job Titles:

Associate Editor

Broadcast News Analyst

Columnist

Commentator

Correspondent

Editor

Journal Editor

Journalist

Reporter

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

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