Pros & Cons
What’s Good About Career Prep?
-
The work experiences give you a chance to learn about specific jobs and their related career opportunities, first hand. You are better informed, and therefore, can make wiser career choices.
-
The 90 hours of work experience satisfies the 30-hour requirement for graduation and also gives you a 4 credit, grade 12 course.
- You may make valuable career contacts that could assist you with planning your career or gaining entry into your chosen field of employment in the future.
-
Your supervisors provide you with an evaluation/reference that you can add to your résumé.
-
Most employers prefer to hire someone with some sort of experience. Your work experience may make you more employable when you apply for a paying job.
-
There is a chance that the company where you do your work experience may offer you paid part time or summer work. If you make a favourable impression, and the company is looking for part time help, they are much more likely to consider you first for any openings they may have.
-
This course can count as one of the 16 courses that you are allowed to take in Grade 11 & 12. Thus if you choose WE12A you can have a free block (usually in your Grade 12 year). This may be considered an advantage depending on your perspective. A free block will give you more free time to study and as a result, attain higher marks in your other courses. If you want to be enrolled in 16 courses plus WE12A, it can be a 9th class in your grade 12 year.
-
If you are submitting any type of application (post-secondary institutions, scholarships, etc.,) the more “well rounded and experienced” you are, the better your application looks to a screening committee.
-
Approximately 70% of students in Burnaby do choose a Career Preparation Program so there must be something good happening here!
What’s Bad About Career Prep?
-
You do have to miss some school (depending on the employers’ willingness to take students outside of school time). It could be as much as 10 days of school over your grade 11 and 12 year. You are responsible for all work missed during your absence and it may be difficult to complete all of your missed assignments if you have a heavy academic load. Most teachers are understanding and will give you a reasonable amount of time to catch up, but you must be aware of this responsibility before you choose Career Preparation.
to top