Just Starting Your Career Life? Your Experiences Provide Valuable Insights
- Brainz Magazine
- Oct 9
- 5 min read
Written by Britt-Mari Sykes, Career Counsellor
Britt-Mari Sykes, Ph.D., CDP, is a career counsellor and founder of CANVAS Career Counselling, working remotely with clients across Canada.
If you are starting your career, you know you are entering a rapidly changing world. This includes a constantly shifting job market, adjustments in education, training, and skill development needed to keep up with this evolving job landscape, changes in how we work and how we define job security, and how we perceive and find meaning in work and careers.
Amidst all this change, how can you be more proactive in “building out” your career life?
When you reflect on your experiences, you gain valuable insights about yourself, your abilities, the development of your unique skills, the growth of your interests, your aspirations and career expectations, ideas that inspire you, and/or issues that attract your attention in your community or the world around you.
Develop reflective practice
Developing and continuously refining reflective practice throughout your career life is key.
This is more than just personal reflection on how you experience your life, it also involves reflecting on the world around you and the dynamic relationship between self and world.
Expanded reflective practice enhances your ability to respond to, navigate, and integrate the changes occurring in the world and job market that impact your career development.
Personal experiences
Let’s start with the personal and consider the following statements.
“That one summer job I had was the best work experience to date. But that is not a career."
"I love this one hobby I have, I get to express my creative side. But that is not a career."
"I really connect with the volunteer work I do. It encompasses everything I value. But you can't make a career out of that."
These experiences, on the surface, might not directly lead to a specific job or career. However, they do provide valuable information to help you start “building out” your career life.
Deeper reflection begins with questions
Let’s look more closely at the three statements above.
What made that summer job so fulfilling? What stood out to you? Was it certain responsibilities, the teamwork, or personal growth? Or was it a combination of these? Did you notice your natural or innate skills, or how you approached the tasks and responsibilities you were given?
How does it feel to express your creative side? Is your creativity connected to specific interests and activities, or is it how you approach everything in your life? What does creativity mean to you? What other innate skills do you notice alongside your creativity? How does being creative affect your motivation, engagement, or focus?
In what ways does that volunteer position align with your values? Can you identify a value or values you hold? What do you notice about your commitment and contribution when you engage in a job, task, or activity that reflects your values? What issues in your community or the world resonate with your values? What kinds of work, jobs, or roles are related to those issues?
Re-examining that “one summer job”
With even deeper reflection:
You realize that the job was fulfilling because of the relationships you built with team members or colleagues. That prompts you to consider your interpersonal skills, the roles you naturally take on in a team, and the types of work environments that would suit you.
Perhaps you realize how well-suited you are for working outdoors, and this inspires you to consider specific environmental issues that interest you, the current state of these areas, and the types of work these issues are generating.
Maybe you realize how energized you feel when working with your hands, and this motivates you to research career growth in the trades, explore options for apprenticeships, speak to an academic advisor about relevant educational programs, or organize some informational meetings.
Perhaps you realize that you felt engaged because the work served a need or purpose in the community, was personally inspiring, and reflected one of your values. This leads you to initiate research on how specific community issues are addressed more broadly by the private sector, not-for-profit organizations, or government, as well as the different roles, jobs, or projects in these areas.
Maybe you realize that you excel at and enjoy the specific tasks or responsibilities you were given. This encourages you to look for work or volunteer opportunities that involve similar tasks and responsibilities.
Perhaps you realize that the role you had gave you autonomy and space to be creative, both of which enriched your experience. This leads you to organize several informational meetings with people who work independently or have created their own businesses.
Maybe you realize that you approached that job with an openness to learn, a willingness to jump in, and a strong work ethic. Because of this attitude, you received positive feedback and encouragement. This makes you more aware of the value this attitude brings to a work environment, and you want to learn how to communicate this value to a potential employer.
These are just examples, but your personal experiences, reflections, and the information you gather will inspire ideas you can act on.
Regularly reflecting on your experiences can help you recognize, define, and redefine what motivates and energizes you, what engages you, what deepens your sense of commitment, and what might be possible.
Reflection and gathering information can help you develop better questions, organize further research or informational meetings, identify specific areas where you may want more education, training, or work experience, and determine the kind of support, guidance, and/or advice you need.
Don't forget the bigger picture for your career
Regular reflective practice encourages you to be attuned to the world and your experiences within it.
Each experience you have offers insights and perspectives on the pressing questions, issues, priorities, trends, and changes affecting your community, city, or the world.
Each experience provides information about various services, jobs, and projects that have been developed or are in progress to address current community needs. It also helps you understand how workplaces or organizations are structured and operate, including the various roles within them.
As you engage with the world, you meet people, expand your network, and collaborate with and learn from others' experiences and perspectives.
Start regularly reflecting on your unique experiences. Make reflective practice an integral part of career maintenance as you begin “building out” your career life.
Career Counselling can help at any stage of your career life. Start a conversation. Contact here for more information or to book a consultation.
Britt-Mari Sykes, Career Counsellor
Britt-Mari Sykes, Ph.D., is a Career Counsellor and founder of CANVAS Career Counselling, working remotely with clients across Canada. Britt-Mari offers a reflective and strategic process to clients, one that integrates their lived experiences, values, and aspirations. This experiential approach to career counselling helps clients gain greater clarity and perspective and design practical steps towards a more meaningful relationship with work and career.
