Despite the terrible weather last week, the Brandon Career Symposium (BCS) went off quite well! Students came in from Brandon and the surrounding areas to soak up the information that was waiting for them.

Campus Manitoba was there to promote Set Your Course and to learn. We learned about the program options at Manitoba universities and colleges. While talking with students we got to learn about their dreams for their futures. When we go to events like this we give students a short questionnaire so we can learn more about them. Even with the poor weather, we had 105 students visit our booth and answer some simple questions for us. The results are fantastic!

Tell Us What You Like

Of the students who stopped by, 79 of them have plans to attend either college or university, while 18 of them aren’t sure which path is right for them. While the majority of attendees were students ranging from grades 9-12, it’s no surprise that some are undecided. Our youngest visitor to the booth was a young man in grade 5. He plans to go to post-secondary and even has a career goal in mind! That’s one kid who is really looking towards the future!

We also like to ask students what their favourite subjects are in high school. This lets us know what kinds of careers they might be interested in. The results are as follows:

Top Contenders

Math – 33 students listed math as one of their favourite subjects putting this class at number 1!

Science – 31 students have science as their favourite, bringing this subject to a close second place.

English – 22 students just love the written word, bringing this subject to third place.

Art – 14 students are all over art. This completes the list at fourth place.

Honourable Mentions

Gym – 11 students prefer being active to sitting in a class.

Biology – 9 students enjoy dissecting frogs.

History – 6 students have this subject as their favourite

Lunch – 2 students listed our favourite break as their fave.

Planning for the Future

Of all the questions we ask, our favourite to learn about is whether or not students have career goals in mind. It’s interesting to see which careers students are planning to work towards. We’ve heard some creative goals, like Superman’s Girlfriend or The One with Money, but here are the top overall careers students are noting in our last two years of surveys:

Teaching

• Elementary and Secondary School Teacher Assistants
• Elementary School and Kindergarten Teacher
• Secondary School Teacher
• School Principals and Administrators

Nursing

• Licensed Practical Nurse
• Registered Nurse
• Registered Psychiatric Nurse

These careers were also the top goals when we attended the Brandon Career Symposium in 2017. It’s nice to see that these essential occupations are still desired by students.

The Future is in Their Hands

It’s comforting to see so many students genuinely interested in their futures. Even those who aren’t sure if they will go on to post-secondary school have other ideas in mind, such as working immediately after school or taking over a family business. We were happy to be able to answer some burning questions for these kids, such as where exactly they can go to school in Manitoba to get the training to do the job they want, and how much money they’ll make. One day these students are the ones who are going to take over our jobs. If they continue on the course they’re on, we’re definitely okay with that.

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Campus Manitoba is a consortium of Manitoba’s public post-secondary institutions. Through collaborative projects and shared services, we facilitate student mobility and expand access to post-secondary programs for students in Manitoba. In addition to campusmanitoba.ca, our websites include ecoursesmb.ca, setyourcourse.ca, and openedmb.ca.