Dana Bourgeois-Balch, CCDP's Linkedin Analytics

Are you a student or do you work in Applied Sciences, or Construction? If so, I'd love to connect with you. I have been a Co-operative Education Advisor at Conestoga since November 2022 and with Conestoga since 2002! I coach educated and experienced Applied Sciences and Construction Management Co-op (mostly international) students on career development topics. For over twenty years, I have been providing career development coaching to thousands of people. I feel so lucky to have provided clarity and direction for people in their career paths. Community work added depth to my career path. In 2006, I graduated from Leadership Waterloo Region (LWR) which was an amazing experience. LWR (was) a non-profit organization that delivered educational leadership experiences with organizations in Waterloo Region. I traveled to Sunnydale Community Centre to provide career planning and job search assistance to this neighbourhood association for over ten years. I also traveled to Wilmot Community Centre in Elmira. I believe that volunteer work is so valuable to grow professionally. I had the opportunity to work as a Board of Director with two organizations. I supported these organizations providing human resource related support. I pursued the Career Development Practitioner designation in 2018 which has helped me to keep growing professionally in the industry. I also believe professional development is essential to career development. When I graduated university with a major in Sociology, I struggled to find a career path. I tried working in a non-profit as well as in a corporate role. I was unclear about my career goals and went to see a Career Counsellor. After looking at my skills, interests, needs, personality type and after doing over ten informational interviews, I decided to pursue the Career Development Practitioner Post Graduate Certificate at Conestoga College. I can tell you from experience, it really paid off to take the time to figure out what was important to me and what my strengths were because I am now doing work that I love! I am proud to be from Newfoundland; it is so beautiful in many ways. I also moved across Canada while growing up. As an adult, I traveled on my own to Central America and had the opportunity to attend a school in Guatemala where I was taught Spanish while I stayed with a Guatemalan family. I also traveled to Europe several times. I have learned that education can take many forms and travel is an excellent form of education that has provided me with a deeper understanding of the world and my place in it.