On this month's episode, we’re digging into a question that can seem a bit scary—what happens if you want to change your career path?

Luckily, we’re joined by Kerry Vaughan, who is UVic’s career educator for alumni. She speaks to us about:

• what happens if your career looks and feels different than you were hoping
• how common it is to make a major change
• how UVic Career Services can help you plan your next steps

Plus, Emma shares her own career journey and how her goals have changed.

Resources from this episode

• Meet with your career educator
• Career options for your program area

Connect with us

• Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter
• Follow UVic Co-op and Career on social media

• (02:00) - How common is it to want to change your career path?
• (03:00) - Examples of students and grads who have made a career transition: tips and tricks
• (07:02) - What can you do if you’re feeling stuck? How your career educator can help you figure it out.
• (11:10) - Emma shares her experience of shifting careers what she learned and how she found her passion.
• (15:10) - How to navigate a big change
• (17:02) - What if your career looks and feels different than you were hoping?
• (20:12) - How to decide that you’re ready for a career change AND how we can help
• (21:30) - Why you don’t have to have it all figured out

On this month's episode, we're speaking with mechanical engineering alumni Graeme Gordon, who ditched the oil and gas industry to transform his passion for Magic: The Gathering trading cards into a thriving business.

He is the founder of TCG Machines, which produces automatic trading card sorting machines for commercial use. In the past four years, Graeme’s business has grown into a multi-million-dollar business with 27 full-time employees and machines operating in ten countries (at the time of recording, there were 20 employees, proof that it's growing fast!).

We chat with Graeme about how he pivoted to become a business owner, the path to launching his own business, and what he's learned along the way.

Resources from this episode

• TCG Machines
• The UVic Co-op Program
• Accessing career support

Connect with us

• Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter
• Follow UVic Co-op and Career on social media

• (02:10) - How did changes to the oil and gas industry impact Graeme's career path?
• (04:15) - Where did Graeme's passion for tabletop card games like Magic The Gathering come from?
• (06:55) - How did playing Magic The Gathering lead Graeme to launch a card sorting business?
• (08:41) - How did Graeme go from sorting business idea to the reality of launching a company?
• (09:48) - The importance of validating that there’s a market for your idea
• (10:22) - All about TCG Machines - growing pains, and the reality of building a business
• (14:16) - Using Reddit as a marketing tool
• (14:50) - How UVic shaped Graeme’s career path
• (16:25) - What is next for Graeme and TCG?
• (17:25) - Graeme’s advice for students interested in launching their own business
• (19:37) - What has surprised Graeme about being involved in the gaming card industry? Psst…it may involve Post Malone!
• (20:54) - Rapid fire questions
• (21:05) - Favourite snack while on campus
• (21:10) - If you could be a student again for one day, what would you do?
• (21:43) - What was the hardest engineering project that you worked on?

On today’s episode, we're tackling a pretty common question—what the heck can you do with your degree?

Whether you’re considering what program to pursue or are about to graduate with a degree, it can be hard to know what’s next. We’re joined by Joy Andrews, one of UVic’s amazing career educators, who will walk us through:

• how to identify your passion and your strengths
• how to find the right employer
• putting together an elevator pitch
• the perks of meeting with your career educator

Students and alumni can book one-on-one appointments with Joy and her team.

Resources from this episode

• Meet with your career educator

Connect with us

• Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter
• Follow UVic Co-op and Career on social media

• (02:10) - - What does it look like to meet with your career educator?
• (02:45) - - Step 1 - Identify your passion - what made you want to do your degree?
• (03:55) - - Step 2 - Figure out your strengths - what are you proud of?
• (06:00) - - Step 3 - Digging deeper - understanding your strengths, passions and career fits.
• (07:05) - - Step 4 - Exploring possible career paths
• (08:06) - - Step 5 - Planning your next steps
• (09:05) - - Step 6 - Sharing resources and contacts so you can learn more
• (09:55) - - What if you don’t have any idea of what you want to do?
• (10:56) - - How do you find the right employer?
• (11:55) - - How to put together an elevator pitch
• (14:15) - - How to prepare for a job interview
• (14:40) - - How to navigate today’s labour market
• (16:03) - - What are the perks of an appointment with your career educator?