The road toward a career can be daunting for many students. To ease that navigation, Career Services, with the support of several campus partners, has developed “major maps” for all 44 undergraduate programs.

The maps, tailored specifically for each program, provide advice on academics, extracurricular activities, networking, international opportunities and career development all in one place.

“Through this project, we wanted to engage students and get them thinking about their future plans earlier than third or fourth year,” says Cathy Keates, Director, Queen’s Career Services. “The major maps really provide a holistic view of all four years at university and beyond.”

The maps support students before, during and after their degree. They can help prospective students choose a program of study, assist current students with identifying career options and potential learning opportunities during their degree(s), and guide graduating students as they think about ways the skills they developed at university can be transferred to the workplace.

Miguel Hahn, a career counsellor at Queen’s and the project lead, says that like any directional device, the maps offer multiple routes to reaching the desired destination of a meaningful and rewarding career.

“The maps are not prescriptive; rather, they offer suggestions and ideas, recognizing that the student body is not a homogeneous group,” he says. “Furthermore, students will experience any number of things that will impact their lives. The maps will hopefully assist them as they make adjustments along the way.”

Mr. Hahn says reaction from students during focus groups was overwhelmingly positive. Jennifer Williams (Artsci’16) is excited that the major maps highlight international opportunities both on campus and abroad.​

“I believe that the major maps project will not only help students with deciding on which academic plan to pursue, but also connect those academic plans to potential career, extracurricular and volunteer opportunities,” she says. “Using the maps will help add value to a student’s degree and overall experience here at Queen’s.”

Career Services developed the maps in consultation with a variety of stakeholders, including Student Affairs, the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, the Faculty of Education, the School of Computing, School of Nursing and Queen’s School of Business.

The maps are available online at careers.queensu.ca/majormaps.html in web and accessible formats and in print while supplies last at Career Services (Gordon Hall, 3rd floor), Arts and Science advising (Dunning Hall, 1st floor), and each department office.

For more information, contact Career Services at majormap@queensu.ca or Career Services Reception at 613-533-2992.