For a very long time, Ashley Short had her sights set on spending a career as a primary school teacher.
But that changed a few years ago as Ashley completed her MA in Child and Youth Studies at Brock. Ashley, who also holds two undergraduate degrees from Brock, went from grad school to successfully lead a non-profit organization in Niagara that is committed to helping children with learning disabilities.
She will be among a panel of speakers discussing career paths as part of a Research Café called Mapping Your Future, to be held Tuesday, Nov. 20, 4:30 to 6:45 p.m. at Pond Inlet.
Ashley Short will be speaking at the first Research Café of the season.
This event kicks off this year’s series of activities leading up to the annual Mapping The New Knowledges Graduate Student Research Conference in the spring.
Mike Plyley, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, hopes the panel discussion will give graduate students a sense of how to think about their future careers as broadly as possible.
“Students of today can expect to have anywhere from three to seven different jobs in their career. Some changes will be decisions made by our graduates while other changes will be thrust upon them due to circumstances,” Plyley said.
Other panel participants to share their career stories include Don Cyr, Interim Dean of the Goodman School of Business, Philip Wright, Associate Vice-President, Information Technology and chief information officer, and Alan Rigby, a certified prosthetist and orthotist, who recently began his doctoral studies in Applied Health Sciences.
Another segment of the panel program will focus on stress involved in life changes with a presentation by psychology Prof. Cameron Muir.
“I remember my own experience in facing a career decision and it was both exciting and stressful at the same time,” Plyley said. “It will be helpful for our students to recognize the emotional impact of setting out on a new career course and knowing now how to utilize mechanisms and coping strategies. It can make all the difference in their future career success.”
Research Café is free and all are welcome. Refreshments will be provided.
