Continuing Education + Job Training // Publishing since 1999
Career Focus

Aiming For Success

By ADMIN - September 10 2018
Aiming For Success

By Elizabeth Merchant

As a person who firmly believes that one should always be striving for personal growth, I share my “aiming for success” story, in the hopes that I can inspire other older adults to keep reaching for their educational goals.

What started me on my educational journey and the pursuit to better myself, was taking an assessment of where I am currently (in an unfulfilling job that just pays the bills) and where I could see myself in the future. Because I loved school and often desired to learn something new, I took classes here and there, but it wasn’t until the last few years that I started to consider what might click for me in terms of a career. Sometimes, it takes trial and error, or experimenting to figure out what to do with one’s life direction, and it took me a long time. 

Then in 2015, something finally clicked; from the first class I took in the part-time Certificate Counselling Program at George Brown College, I was hooked. Fast forward to now and I have just completed the second last class of the program.

What led me to counselling/social work studies? My love of people, combined with my helping nature. I began exploring careers where I could be of assistance in some way, and where I could use my ability to instantly build rapport with others, while making a difference at the same time. I longed for meaningful work. But studying at a later time in life is not without its challenges. In between time for family and the full time job, there were many late nights of research for assignments and the race to finish by due dates. Of course, there were times that I didn’t feel like making it to class after a long day at work, but I pushed on because I knew what I needed to do. Fortunately, my family is supportive, especially my teen-aged kids; my son even urged me not to stop there, but to even strive for a Masters in Social work- Now that’s encouragement to aim high!

In addition, on top of an already busy schedule, I somehow even manage to squeeze time in for volunteering, which I absolutely love to do. As a Tutor and Mentor, I lent some time to both The Toronto Public Library Tutoring program and St. Alban’s Boys’ and Girls’ Club, and to further develop my skills, I recently joined the mentoring program with the Toronto Children’s Aid Society. I truly love the mentor/helper role. My work is worth it if I can shine a light of encouragement on someone’s doubts, or bring a smile to a face, young or old, and this is what I want to be able to do in my career. With my sights set on eventually earning the Social Service Worker Diploma through Seneca College, after completing the certificate program, I know I have quite a long road ahead of me, but with perseverance, continued belief in myself and the refusal to let age stop me, anything is possible.

Elizabeth, who strongly believes in the power of a positive mind-set, lives with her family and two cats in Toronto. When she is not in the classroom, her other interests are teaching herself French, watching documentaries, story-writing, and setting ambitious goals for herself. She is working on her first young adult novel.


Career Focus
Learning Curves

Career fairs: What they are and why they matter

By LISA TRUDEL -
March 16 2023

Career Fairs are multi-sector recruiting events that are very common in Canada.

Read more...

Learning in the Community
Learning Curves

What a Night!

By JOANNE MACKAY-BENNETT -
March 16 2023

On December 7th, the students of University in the Community (UitC) hosted an evening with the co-authors of the recently-published book, Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, A White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation.

Read more...

Career Focus

Mini MBA’s, micro-credential new ways to get up to speed

By WENDY TERRY -
March 16 2023

The front page article of the Winter 2022 issue of Learning Curves titled “Micro Credentials  The Next “Big Thing” in Adult Learning”

Read more...

Love of Learning

How Paul Chin examined tradition and privilege to re-shape identity and family

By MINA WONG -
March 16 2023

Born in 1970 to Macao businessman Man-Yun Chin and his third wife Emma, Paul grew up studying Chinese, English and Portuguese in excellent schools.

Read more...