Related to Major
Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
For more information, visit the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies website.
Explore Your Possibilities
According to Workopolis, almost one third of Canadians have 5 to 10 different jobs in one career, and one in every four has more than 10 different jobs in one career (Workopolis, 2015).
Explore the list of job titles below for ideas about what you could do with your major. Remember your choice of major is not all there is to you, and organizations hire people, not majors.
Some of the occupational titles reflect jobs of SFU Alumni, and others are occupations commonly associated with each major. Jobs that typically require further education are also listed.
Make a list of options you are most curious about, then start exploring the possibilities.
Options commonly associated with the major
- Social Policy Researcher
- Victims Advocate
- Equity Officer
- Residential Care Worker
- NGO Director
- Crisis Worker
- Community Worker
- Social Activist
Other Possibilities
Job titles beyond the typical options
- Student Services Assistant
- Writer
- Entrepreneur
- Media Information Coordinator
- Political Field Organizer
- Youth Worker
- Human Rights Advocate
- Labour Relations Specialist
Further Education
Possibilities with additional education or training
- Counsellor/Therapist
- Lawyer
- Sociologist
- Policy Analyst
- Operations Assistant
- Psychologist
- Corrections Officer
- Adult Education Facilitator
Fields of Work
There are myriad fields where you could find yourself following your undergraduate degree. For example:
- Arts and Culture
- Environment
- Health
- Manufacturing
- Scientific and Technical
- Telecommunications
What fields interest you? If you are uncertain, take the initiative and start exploring different fields. If your preferred fields turn out to not be what you expected, pause. Technology, climate change, automation, globalization and other factors may impact these fields and offer new or different opportunities.
The North American Industry Classification System gives you an overview of all industries and their subsectors.
WorkBC lets you browse careers, the education expectation, salary ranges, descriptions, and specific information about each job.
Core Skills (Major-Specific)
In the course of your undergraduate degree you’ll develop a wide array of skills. While many of these skills encompass essential skills and 21st-Century skills, you’ll also develop job specific skills. These are the specialized knowledge and skills you’ll gain through your courses and are unique to your discipline.
Content knowledge and technical skills vary widely between occupations and are generally only used in one line of work. The type of skills that you’ll need depend on the scope of the work.
You want to understand what skills you developed and the one’s you want to use, so when someone asks you about your discipline content knowledge and skills you can speak clearly and confidently about them.
+ MAJOR Specific Skills
- Develop an understanding of the social and cultural construction of gender, and how ideas about masculinity and femininity shape current issues, knowledge, popular culture, and social policy.
- Critical thinking skills from examining and evaluating course material to discover trends and problems to generate solutions.
- Communication skills from delivering written statements and well-rounded opinion pieces and papers with a thorough understanding of the field.
- Information management skills from performing comparative surveys and critical examinations on course topics as well as gathering and interpreting information.
- Interpersonal skills from assessing the different needs of people in society based on an understanding of the intersections between racism, homophobia, sexism, and other forms of oppression.
- Analytical skills developed from conducting literature reviews from different media sources to evaluate ideas and research theories.
- Comprehensive research skills from employing appropriate research methods to solve problems critically, ethically, and accurately.
- Applied skills in project design, field work, and data analysis from experiential and project-based learning opportunities.
Foundational Skills
You’ll need these skills to perform different tasks and at varying levels of complexity in education and work environments depending on the what further education you pursue and on the nature of the work. The Government of Canada and other organizations such as the World Economic Forum report that these skills are increasing in importance and are highly valued and sought after by employers.
Through each of the different events and experiences in your life (education, work, travel, hobbies and extra-curricular activities) you have developed a diverse range of these skills, probably more than you realize.
Useful Sites
Through extensive research, the Government of Canada along with other agencies have identified and validated key literacy, essential and employability skills. These skills are used in nearly every career and throughout daily life and are instrumental in helping you enter, stay in, and progress in the world of work.
Get involved
There are plenty of opportunities and different ways to get involved in activities, programs and services outside of the classroom to learn and grow. By engaging in student leadership programs, volunteering, paid work, and student clubs and groups, you’ll develop new skills, make connections, and gain experience.
Explore a diverse range of inclusive events, services, and community outreach opportunities for students, staff, alumni and friends of SFU.
Explore on-campus opportunities like workshops and events, as well as volunteer and paid positions.
Want to gain experience and earn money while studying? Consider applying to the co-op program
Apply for on-campus volunteer and paid positions, participate in career and leadership development programs and workshops, and access your Co-Curricular Record.
Not-for-profit network by students for students. Find student unions, clubs and other resources and services.
Related Professional Associations
Professional associations are a valuable resource for occupational research, work search and building connections. They may offer career information, job boards, networking, mentorship, volunteer opportunities and additional resources.
Resources
Take your career exploration one step further by doing your own research. Here are some organizations and resources to get started.