Google Maps Can’t Help You

Setting Goals and Planning Your Education and Career Path

There are three ways that first-years tend to enter university:

1. You know what you want to be when you grow up. You have a pretty clear idea of the steps you need to take to be a lawyer, doctor, dentist, teacher, nurse, professor, social worker, or acrobat. You know where you’re going, what you’re going to be, and how long it will take for you to get there.

1. You’re pretty sure that having a university degree is a good idea — your family expected it, you’ve been working for a few years and you think it’s time to do something new, a teacher or mentor said you had a lot of potential and shouldn’t waste it. You’re taking a few classes—English, because you’ll need it for just about any degree, Biology, because it seems less scary than Physics, and Psychology, because you hear that social sciences are a thing but you don’t understand what Sociology is. You don’t really know what you’re doing yet, and that’s stressful, because this ish is expensive.

1. You’ve been working for a while, and you realize that you need some schooling to move forward in your career.

Now, one of these might describe you perfectly, or you might fall in between two categories. That’s just fine. There are a lot of different ways to enter university, and a lot of different paths to success. You will find your way through. It will be easier, though, and much less stressful if you take time to think about what you’re doing, and why.

Understanding Vocation

Theologian Frederick Buechner wrote: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” This place — the spot you find where you have a fulfilling life that meets important needs — is called your vocation.

In Catholic terms, we sometimes limit vocation to its historical meaning: becoming a priest, monk, or nun, getting married, or remaining single throughout your life. That’s certainly a part of your vocation, but it doesn’t communicate its fullness. Vocation is about the life you choose in its many facets: job (or not), spouse (or not), kids (or not), volunteer work (or not).

At STM, we’re not just interested in helping you build a career. We’re interested in helping you build a life. We’re interested in helping you find your vocation.

Discerning Your Vocation

For those of you who fit into the first or third category above, you may be thinking “great, I’m done. I know what I want to do.” For those of you who fit into the second category, you may be panicking slightly. But hold up. Vocation is something you discern over time, and it’s broader than simply which professional college you’re planning on attending. It’s about asking yourself some questions, even if you don’t have the answers to them yet:

Where do I want to live when I’m done university?

Do you want to stay in Saskatoon? If you’re not from Saskatoon, do you want to move back home? Do you want to travel? Do you want to move away for a while? Do you want to move away permanently? Would you be okay moving a lot to follow your job? Do you want to live in a small town? In the country? In a big city? In a house? In an apartment?

What kind of lifestyle do I want my job to give me?

Do you want to work long hours at an intense job that you love? Do you want to have lots of time for a life outside of your work? Do you want to make your own schedule? Do you want to make a lot of money?

What kind of lifestyle do I want my job to give me?

Do you want to work long hours at an intense job that you love? Do you want to have lots of time for a life outside of your work? Do you want to make your own schedule? Do you want to make a lot of money?

What kind of family do I want to have?

Do you want to get married? Do you want to enter holy orders? Do you want to have kids? Do you want to have a lot of kids?

What kind of person am I?

Are you an introvert? Are you an extrovert? Are you high strung? Are you laid back? Are you organized? Are you disorganized?

What kind of good do I want to do in the world?

It wouldn’t be STM if we didn’t stick this one in, too. But it’s an important thing to consider! Do you want to work for an organization that actively does outreach, justice, or charity work? Do you want to be able to donate to worthy causes as you move into your career? Do you want to form young minds? Do you want to be able to take time to do volunteer work outside of your job?

If I have an idea of what I’d like to do: Why do I want to do this work?

What draws you to the career you’re considering? Are you the one who is interested in this career, or are you feeling pressured by someone else? What do you hope to get out of that career? Is that a reasonable expectation?

How these questions can help

You don’t need to know the answer to all or even any of these questions at this exact moment. They’re designed to help you think critically about the life and career that you want, so that you can make the most of your time at STM.

The fact of the matter is that sometimes what we think we want and what will actually give us joy are not the same thing. For example, you may really love physiology, have an incredible mind for memorization, and be absolutely positive that you want to be a surgeon. But you may not want to be in a hyper-competitive high-stress environment for the next ten years, move across the country for a residency, and spend your career cutting short vacations so that you can perform emergency surgeries in the middle of the night. Maybe, then, you don’t want to be a surgeon. In which case, what other careers might use your talents and fulfill your interests?