NIC is launching a new online speaker series for interested students to learn more about the wide range of careers and opportunities in various fields.
The ‘Start Here, Go There’ series features interactive career chats with NIC faculty and offers students a chance to hear firsthand about someone else’s professional path while being able to ask questions in a casual and informal basis about the faculty’s area of expertise, work experience or anything else students would like to discuss.
“The world of work is changing rapidly and this transitional period we are experiencing today could feel quite overwhelming for many students faced with making important post-secondary decisions,” said Anita Budisa-Bonneau, NIC’s coordinator of work-integrated learning.
“We wanted to provide this opportunity for connection and also to offer students a chance to ask questions about the various fields our instructors work in.”
Each session will be 30 minutes, with a 10-12 minute intro to an industry or area of studies, followed with a 10-12 minute Q & A opportunity for student questions.
Budisa-Bonneau says the sessions give students the chance to figure out what options are out there.
“Some students head into post-secondary knowing exactly what they want to do as a career, some have no idea and a lot are in the middle where they know what subjects they like to study but not what kind of work that could lead to in the future,” said Budisa-Bonneau.
“Being able to ask questions about the work professionals in the field do, how they got there and hearing details about their career journey can be very inspiring and help students narrow down what they want to do.”
She adds that one of the biggest advantages NIC has over other, larger institutions, is the one-on-one connections with faculty, which is what draws expert faculty to the College.
“Faculty choose to come and teach at NIC because of that student connection,” she said. “They want to be in the classroom and engaging with students.”
NIC’s expert faculty included in the virtual series range from astrophysicists, criminologists, psychologists, digital designers and developers, to English and language instructors, artists and creators, business professionals, as well as health and human services experts and Red Seal trades.
A full list of all sessions is available at www.nic.bc.ca.
Students are encouraged to check back often, as more sessions are scheduled.
