Free resources to get you started towards the life you want to live

If you or someone you know needs support to improve their employability and general wellbeing explore some of these: 

988 - Text, call or visit the website to talk to someone about how to stay alive

Good 2 Talk - for post-secondary students in Ontario and Nova Scotia

Here24/7 - Text, call or visit the website to talk to someone about how to stay alive, how to support someone you care about and how to access crisis resources

Psychology Today - Find a therapist

SASC - Sexual Assault related trauma. This link is Waterloo Region based, but there's other regional locations. 

Trauma Reboot Recovery - a 12 week online program with practical teaching and a supportive community, to help you break free from the pain of your past and find renewed purpose and strength. 

RAISEC - Holland Code 

16 Personalities - Mimics MBTI results. Available in multiple languages

VIA Strengths Indicator - Be sure to complete all the stages of the process on this one.  Sometimes the gold is revealed in the last part!

Queen's Skill Cards -  A vocational card sort activity

Volunteer WR - Volunteer Opportunities in Waterloo Wellington

FindYourJob.ca - Consolidated job posting site for Waterloo Wellington

Work with me to access additional career assessments and for certified interpretation results to help you understand what these assessments are actually saying about what path for you to take. Take note, sometimes things that are high on the assessment results, are best left as refueling hobbies.  Check out local volunteer opportunities to explore the industries that come from the assessments. 

Backwards Action Planning Template

Career Exploration & Research By Occupational/ Job Titles 

Informational Interview Questions

Apprenticeship Ontario

Skilled Trades Ontario

Pathways to Apprenticeships

Construction Training and Apprenticeship

Ontario’s private postsecondary schools 

Choose a College (in Ontario)

UniversityStudy.ca

As you explore post secondary education options, keep your options as open as possible.  If there's an option for a broader discovery version to enter a field that you are new to, I'd highly recommend that.  You don't know what you do not know yet, once you get to the school your exposure and understanding of options will increase.  A program that is likely to introduce you to as many options as possible before forcing you to choose a specialty is likely to improve your career satisfaction and increase your ability to transition between similar fields of work a the labour market fluctuates, or your interests and needs evolve.  This is not applicable in all situations, but to those where it can be applied, make use of it! It is only one extra year and can make a significant difference on the following decades of your life. 

IE The Construction Foundations at Conestoga College Program:

Do you love working with your hands, building, fixing and solving problems? If so, the Construction Foundations program is for you. You'll be introduced to a variety of skills in the construction field and will have the opportunity to study and practice carpentry, plumbing and electrical trades. You'll also develop core skills in a number of construction areas, in addition to strengthening your math and communication skills to prepare you for employment in the construction industry, or entry into other post-secondary skilled trade programs of your choice.

Or the Foundations of Nursing program at University of Regina:

This certificate is intended for individuals who may be interested in applying to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN) program who want to lighten their course load in their first year, develop a solid foundation for the SCBScN program, demonstrate success in courses specific to the SCBScN program and/or satisfy their curiosity about Nursing. All courses within this certificate would be credited to the SCBScN program for those applicants who are successfully admitted to the SCBScN.  All courses within this certificate can be used toward the SCBScN program.

Note: I have no opinions or associations with either of these programs.  The descriptions are effective March 2025 and provided only as an example. 

GetMyHighschoolDiploma.ca - Get your High School Diploma through your local school board in Ontario. Free for people over 18 to get their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. 

Breaking it Down Web Portal: Your Portal to Inclusive and Accessible Employment Opportunities  

Little Ripples - Embracing inclusive career pathways. From finance to filmmaking, 6 people with disability challenge stereotypes about the type of work people with disability can do.  

Elizabeth Mohler - Educator, public speaker, mentor, and co-author of the book Creating a Culture of Accessibility in the Sciences. 

Jobbank.gc.ca - For information that is national or for your specific region. 

Explore careers in Ontario - 516 Ontario-based occupations to explore. 

Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington and Dufferin - Reports for job seekers by an organization leading local workforce development.  New projects are always popping up with them, check back regularly! 

Immigration Partnership Waterloo Region - Labour market and industry information focused on immigration

Waterloo EDC - Technology and manufacturing labour market information

Settlement.org - Information for newcomers to Ontario

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights