Level Up your Education

As you transition to adulthood, you’ll be asked to do a lot of thinking about the future. Keeping your goals realistic increases your chance of success. Karisa Mackey is a Program Coordinator for Children’s Services Advancing Futures Bursary. She says that the best plans often include small steps for big goals.

“It's just about how to level up sometimes”, says Karisa, “An example is, we often have young people that say they want to be a registered nurse. Nursing is very competitive. It's very hard to get into. So maybe start by taking a Medical Office Assistant course. You're still in the medical field, you're still wearing scrubs.”

Small steps work

By starting small and working your way up, you get to learn more about the field you are interested in – and have more information for any next steps you might take.

“Keeping with the nursing example, if you decide you really like being in a medical environment, maybe you can level up and apply to become an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) or Health Care Aide. Eventually, if you are academic, you can move into registered nursing.”

You are not alone

Program Coordinators like Karisa can help you through these decisions and take these steps. They can also help when school is out and you might be looking for a job.

“We can also help with employment in between semesters. You might want to have a job that is along the lines of what you want to get into to boost up your resume. We can help find you some internships and different things so that you’re employment ready coming out of your program.”

Stay in contact during tough times

The key is to always stay in contact with your Advancing Futures Program Coordinator. They are there to help and want you to have success in whatever you choose. No matter the situation, don’t be afraid to contact them to talk about options.

“The more you share with us, the more helpful we can be” says Karisa, “And the sooner you share with us, the more helpful we can be. Just know that there's someone on your side.”