continuing ed

Bill Chan, now a Junior Designer with strategic design company Perennial Inc., changed careers from IT to interior design by enrolling in the Certificate in Fundamentals of Interior Design at The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University.

Like many recent grads now removed from the place they attended school, my social network had become scattered across many cities. I decided that taking fun and active continuing education classes would help me to meet new people.

It’s been two, three, or five years since you’ve finished school, and you’ve landed that position you have been yearning for. You’ve become aware that the next steps in the job may require you to have a designation or certification to move up in the company. It’s time to go back to school, to go even further in your education.

Ken Yan, a freelance photographer and photography student at The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University, enrolled in continuing education classes to change career directions after a few years in other fields.

If grad school doesn’t work for you and you don’t feel prepared to start job hunting, consider acquiring a certificate from a continuing education program.

Tracey Lloyd, Director of the Alternative Youth Centre for Employment (AYCE), a non-profit employment centre in Toronto, says students need to be more proactive and start their career planning while they’re still in school.

Karen Cleveland, marketing and communications manager at St. Joseph Media in Toronto, says there are a few things students and new grads can do to ensure that transition goes as smoothly as possible.