Second Career opens doors and possibilities
Walk through the halls of Fanshawe College and they are not hard to spot: middle-aged men and women toting backpacks or book bags, looking just a little out of place among the usual young crowd.
They're old enough to be the parents of most of the just-out-of-high-school first-year learners, but they're not there because of a student take-your-parent to-school day.
Instead, they are mature students and they're now a visible minority in what is usually a very youth-oriented educational institution. At Fanshawe, about 700 of them are in the Second Career program, through which the Ontario government assists in paying fees for laid off adults to learn a new career after their jobs in sunset industries disappeared in last year's economic meltdown.
I'm one of those Second Career students and let me explain the road I took to college. My life changed on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008 when seven others and I were told our services were no longer needed.
It wasn't totally unexpected, but still it was a shock to be jobless after 28 years of working full-time as a journalist at newspapers in Thunder Bay and Sarnia. We were among 600 Sun Media employees across Canada who got pink slipped on what became to be known as Black Tuesday.
As I found out later in an outplacement seminar, Tuesday and Wednesdays tend to be the favourite days to get rid of people. Apparently, it has something to do with the fact most employees tend to be on the job those days.
Unlike many of the thousands who lost their jobs last December, I was fortunate: my severance consisted of salary continuance, which means I'll continue to draw a paycheque plus benefits until May 15, 2010. At least, I didn't have to worry about how to pay the bills for a while.
Life, however, is about having a purpose. Work helps define that purpose and when that changes, so does one's outlook on life. After trying unsuccessfully to find work in the media for a few months, I decided to see what else I could do for a living.
Through an Employment Ontario office in Petrolia, I took the Choices program, which helped define my talents and aptitudes and narrow it down to a list of alternative career possibilities. One of those careers was one in public relations, a career path that some in journalism follow. There are similarities, but also some differences.
As part of the application process for the Second Career program, I was required to do research and that took me to the office of Lambton County's marketing and communication co-ordinator.
After explaining her work, Darlene Coke, printed out the curriculum of Fanshawe's Corporate Communication and Public Relations program. She's a graduate of the program and said that maybe I could check it out. That prompted me to look into the various programs offered across Ontario and finally I settled on Fanshawe, which is within commuting distance from Petrolia.
I visited an open house in March, applied for the program and was accepted for funding by Second Career and the college. It was a long road, but only the start of what I hope to be the path to a new career.
Next week, I'll talk about the various challenges, which mature students face after being out of the education loop for a long time.
Bruce Langer is a student in the Corporate Communication and Public Relations program at Fanshawe College. He can be reached at b_langer@fanshaweonline.ca.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
They're old enough to be the parents of most of the just-out-of-high-school first-year learners, but they're not there because of a student take-your-parent to-school day.
Instead, they are mature students and they're now a visible minority in what is usually a very youth-oriented educational institution. At Fanshawe, about 700 of them are in the Second Career program, through which the Ontario government assists in paying fees for laid off adults to learn a new career after their jobs in sunset industries disappeared in last year's economic meltdown.
I'm one of those Second Career students and let me explain the road I took to college. My life changed on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008 when seven others and I were told our services were no longer needed.
It wasn't totally unexpected, but still it was a shock to be jobless after 28 years of working full-time as a journalist at newspapers in Thunder Bay and Sarnia. We were among 600 Sun Media employees across Canada who got pink slipped on what became to be known as Black Tuesday.
As I found out later in an outplacement seminar, Tuesday and Wednesdays tend to be the favourite days to get rid of people. Apparently, it has something to do with the fact most employees tend to be on the job those days.
Unlike many of the thousands who lost their jobs last December, I was fortunate: my severance consisted of salary continuance, which means I'll continue to draw a paycheque plus benefits until May 15, 2010. At least, I didn't have to worry about how to pay the bills for a while.
Life, however, is about having a purpose. Work helps define that purpose and when that changes, so does one's outlook on life. After trying unsuccessfully to find work in the media for a few months, I decided to see what else I could do for a living.
Through an Employment Ontario office in Petrolia, I took the Choices program, which helped define my talents and aptitudes and narrow it down to a list of alternative career possibilities. One of those careers was one in public relations, a career path that some in journalism follow. There are similarities, but also some differences.
As part of the application process for the Second Career program, I was required to do research and that took me to the office of Lambton County's marketing and communication co-ordinator.
After explaining her work, Darlene Coke, printed out the curriculum of Fanshawe's Corporate Communication and Public Relations program. She's a graduate of the program and said that maybe I could check it out. That prompted me to look into the various programs offered across Ontario and finally I settled on Fanshawe, which is within commuting distance from Petrolia.
I visited an open house in March, applied for the program and was accepted for funding by Second Career and the college. It was a long road, but only the start of what I hope to be the path to a new career.
Next week, I'll talk about the various challenges, which mature students face after being out of the education loop for a long time.
Bruce Langer is a student in the Corporate Communication and Public Relations program at Fanshawe College. He can be reached at b_langer@fanshaweonline.ca.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
