I need to do something, but I don't know what

Finding out what you want to do is one of the hardest parts of this whole process. And, let's face it, most of the time it's not just finding out what you want to do, it's finding out what you want to do which also pays you a decent wage. What you are trying to do is match up your skills and desires with the demands of the labour market. So, you need to know about yourself and about the labour market.

This is a task that could easily overwhelm the most avid shopper. Fortunately, many places offer courses and/or counselling to help you figure this out. The generic name for this type of information is career exploration.

Almost every place that offers courses offers some type of career exploration course — school boards, colleges, private schools, the Open Learning Agency, YM & YWCAs. Employment and Immigration Canada (EIC) project-based training often includes some career exploration. Women's resource centres, immigrant services societies, Native friendship centres and disabled people's organizations sometimes run career exploration courses, or they will know where in your community you will find such a course. Private counsellors and non-profit groups that specialize in career counselling are listed in the yellow pages under Career and Vocational Counselling.

Often these programs are a combination of individual and group counselling. If you call up student services at a college for career counselling, you may be told to come to an information group. At the group you'll be told how to make an appointment to see a counsellor privately. Or, you may have to have a private interview with a counselor before signing up for a course. Every program runs a little bit differently.

The kinds of things that are usually covered in these courses are: self-esteem and confidence building, interest and aptitude testing, information about training and education and about the job market, strategies for finding what you want and presenting yourself.

One thing to look for is a course or counsellor who will help you realize the many skills and marketable talents that you may have already acquired by doing the unpaid labour of being a homemaker, a mother, and/or a community organizer.

The courses can run in length anywhere from a one-day workshop to a 15-week full-time course. There is usually a fee for these courses. The shorter courses range from about $25 to $125. If you are interested in taking one of the longer courses you may qualify for EIC sponsorship.