Extracurricular Programs To Inspire Your Child's Future Career

There's hardly been any job growth in Canada in the last little while -- in fact, a recent Statistics Canada report shows that employment growth has stagnated. Meanwhile, nobody seems quite sure where the economy's heading. As a parent of two young boys I find myself worrying about what opportunities will exist for them when they're ready to embark on their own career paths.

What I'm realizing is that when it comes to kids and their future, there's no time like the present to start teaching them skills that could eventually turn into employment. There are many classes and camps for kids offered as after school programs or on weekends that could be fun ways to learn skills or spark an interest that will help them find their way to a career later in life.Nature and the Environment
There's been such a focus on climate change and the environment in recent years, if you enroll your kid in a nature-focused class, you may find you have a budding climatologist or zoologist on your hands. Check out your local zoo for programs as well as your science center or natural history museum. The Toronto Zoo has a "Zoo Crew" program for kids on weekends that introduces them to different animals and nature oriented crafts. Alternatively, many equestrian centres and riding stables offer after-school horse back riding lessons (usually around $40 an hour for a group lesson) to allow your child to bond with an animal and try something a bit adventurous.

Math and Chess
Has your child shown she's good with numbers? Maybe it's too early to tell but there's nothing wrong with encouraging life long skills that could help her at medical or engineering school. Even if she doesn't end up curing some rare tropical disease, she'll be learning problem solving and analytical thinking.
The UCMAS Mental Math Program, for children ages 4-13, is based on mental math and the abacus. Offered on weekends, it's supposed to help improve multitasking skills, memory, concentration and time management and is offered across Canada. But, the commitment does cost money. For something cheaper, learning to play chess improves spatial awareness and math skills. Try the Chess n' Math Association to find out about clubs and classes in your area.

Computers
Let's face it, computers will figure prominently in whatever career your child chooses, so there will always be an opening for people who are particularly tech-savvy. Help your kids get a jump start and enroll them in a computer class. Real Programming for Kids (RP4K) offers after school computer lessons for ages 7-18 in the Ottawa and Toronto area, teaching "computer science fundamentals" through fun video games and programming puzzles. Try learning centres as well as libraries for workshops.
Also, check any local universities for summer courses - the University of British Columbia, for example, offers day camps for teenagers in such subjects as Programming, Digital Photography & Graphic Design and 2D & 3D Game Creation.

Reading and Writing
In today's text-frenzied world, many kids are learning how to write and spell in shortform, which certainly won't help their reading and writing skills. It never hurts to be articulate, especially if one ends up in a leadership position or in a job that requires speaking, sales and schmoozing. There are many tutoring centres in cities across Canada. You could try Sylvan learning centres, offering help with reading progress at most ages and writing from grades 4-12. Or, get a referral from your child's school.