Best Fields of Study for Young Canadians Choosing Career Path: Career Experts Weigh In

Some industries offer more career opportunities to youth than others, including technology, health care, and the trades, some career professionals say.
Miriam Groom, CEO of counselling service Mindful Career, says some of the highest-paying jobs young workers could consider are cyber security, psychology and mental health, data scientist, and pharmacist.
However, she cautions young people not to make a career decision solely on in-demand jobs.
“If you’re basing your decision on the most in-demand jobs, that’s a recipe for disaster,” she told The Epoch Times. “You will be successful in a job that you’re really good at, and you could find an angle at any job that has demand.”
She recommends that a young person first discover what they are good at and then explore career opportunities that allow them to use their skill set.
“You should have a good, solid foundation first of who the heck you are and what your skill set is before going down that rabbit hole.”
Laura Hambley, founder of Canada Career Counselling, agreed that Canada’s tech industry is booming, offering good careers in AI, data management, programming, data engineering, and virtual reality.
She also said jobs in the sustainability market are flourishing, as well as jobs in health care.
“Things are changing and shifting, but something that’s not going to shift is the human connection, empathy, human creativity. Those sorts of things are always going to be needed. Technology is not going to replace those things,” she told The Epoch Times.
Hambley said youth should also not overlook the trades.
“My biggest advice to people is that you need to analyze your brain chemistry, analyze your skill set and your strengths, and align your education and your job to that,” Groom says.
“It avoids a lot of people in their 30s and 40s, saying, ‘How did I get here? I’m miserable.’”
Groom said she uses a psychological approach to match people to work they will enjoy, including youth.
“We’ve partnered up with tons of high schools and universities in order to help the students with this,” she said. “The main issue isn’t applying for or getting a job, it’s knowing—and especially when you’re in school—what program should I go into so I could get a job that I actually like.”
She said young Canadians should be asking what they are interested in, what their skill sets are, and what jobs could they excel in.
Hambley says many young people don’t explore the range of jobs available to them.
“Sometimes they just don’t have the experiences. So I’m always encouraging them to get volunteer experience, take on different jobs, take on different opportunities in the community, travel, be part of society in any way you can, so you can experience different things, so you know what you like and don’t like,” she said.
“Career planning is not about making one choice and finding the perfect fit. It’s about learning how to make an informed career decision and heading in the right direction and then learning how to make choices and pivots as time goes on.”
For university and college students looking for summer jobs, the employment rate was 46.8 percent, StatCan said. It’s the lowest it has been since June 1998. Unemployment for this age group was 15.9 percent in June, up 3.8 percentage points from the same time last year.
“This indicates that students are facing more difficulties finding work as they enter the summer job market,” StatCan said.
However, Hambley said the job market ebbs and flows.
“I do think it is a tricky time, but I would also say it’s an exciting time because there’s more choices than ever for these young people.”