There are many career myths masquerading as fact. These myths come from many places and different people including people we trust who are trying to be helpful but who may not know the facts. Below are some career myths commonly portrayed as fact:

• “You need to have a specific career goal identified before you start university studies.”
• “An Arts degree is useless.” or “a Science degree is better than an Arts degree.”
• “The best way to pick your career or job is to look at salary and job availability information.”
• “I should take accounting because I did well in math in High School.”
• “The best way to guarantee employment upon graduation is to focus exclusively on getting high grades.”
• “The best way to find jobs is to check job postings on the internet or in the newspaper.”
• Occupation specific myths such as:
  • “Social Workers only work with child custody issues.” or
  • “You can’t get into the police force if you’re Caucasian.”

The Facts:

• You can start university studies without being sure about your career direction.
  • Many of the courses you’ll take in first year allow you to pursue lots of different options
  • You don’t have to take a full course load
• Degrees from the Faculty of Arts are not useless and degrees from the Faculties of Arts and Science are equally good.
  • Research and experience confirms that you can find meaningful work with an Faculty of Arts Degree
  • There may be people you know who have not found work with their degree but this may be due to a number of factors including skill development, quality of application materials and job interview performance.
• You need to consider more than must salary and job market when picking your career to facilitate success and happiness.
  • Salary and job market are important but almost always do not create job satisfaction without additional rewards.
  • Consider what will make your work meaningful – what are your career values?
• Because you did well in a school subject doesn’t mean that you must study in that area.
  • Sometimes we do well in something but don’t like it.
  • There may be other options related to what you like that you haven’t thought of.
• Employers want more than good grades!
  • Employers want “well-rounded” employees who communicate and interact well with others.
  • Related experiences is highly valued.
• Networking remains the best strategy for finding employment.
  • Only between 10 and 20% of jobs are ever advertised.
  • Approximately 80% of job-seekers only check advertised postings
• Social Workers work in a wide variety of fields with diverse client populations presenting with a wide range of difficulties; you can get into the police force if you’re Caucasian.

Separating Myth from Fact

• Start by asking yourself, “How do I know what I think I know?”
  • If a family member with no experience with the career under discussion asserts a “fact”, it may be a belief.
  • If you’ve volunteered in a related activity and interacted with people in the career, then you likely have accurate information.
• Be careful to not assume that because someone is expert in something (e.g., a Professor) that they therefore are expert in topics unrelated to their field of work.
• Be careful to not assume that you have complete knowledge of a career because you’ve received service from people in the career.
  • Many people think they know what being a teacher is like because they were a student.
  • Being a student does not mean you understand the work demands, realities and rewards of being a teacher.
• Consider checking the information, especially if it is information that has a great impact on you.
  • Career Services staff can help you separate career myth from fact
  • Check the websites on our website for information on occupations.