A Day in the Life of a Baker: Helping your kids pick a career
Talking to your kids about different jobs is easy when you know what that job is all about, but what about other career paths? I don’t know what a paralegal, a baker, or a vet technician does all day. On WorkBC, there’s a great library of videos about different jobs in BC called Career Trek.
I particularly like that each person explains all the slightly unusual paths you can take – the vet technician explains you can work in a zoo hospital or a feedlot and work with herds of cows, not just at a veterinary office. They also talk through some of the best ways to get a feel for the job, like shadowing someone already working there, or asking for tours. I picked two interesting videos to share here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uouH33iYB3Y
Career idea: Baker
A baker from Cowichan Bay explains that she first knew she wanted to work with food in high school, when she won a culinary arts award. Days start very early – like at 3am or 5am, and there are all sorts of options. Work in a hotel kitchen, a small bakery of your very own, part of a large grocery store, or even in a factory – it’s up to you. You can apprentice, or go to a program at a culinary school or college. The WorkBC site notes that employment for bakers is up, and that the jobs are concentrated in the Lower Mainland, Okanagan, and Vancouver Island.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT–WaaDgTA
Career idea: Landscape Horticulturalist
A horticulturalist walks us through her day, including weeding, seeding, and general landscape maintenance. There are quite a few types of careers in horticulture: greenhouses, arborists, landscaping, horticultural therapy, designing living roofs, vertical gardening, and more. The work is nearly always outside, and physically demanding, but so rewarding to watch plants grow and bloom. There’s lots of scope to start your own company.
It’s fascinating to get a glimpse into completely different industries. You might even turn your kids onto a new passion entirely.
This post is sponsored by the Government of BC. Map your career plan with Blueprint Builder. Visit this easy-to-use tool to explore career paths, find the right education and funding, and search for jobs in your field. Visit workbc.ca to find out more.
