About
"I have a degree - what now?"
The OPTIONS Program supports engineering graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in exploring diverse career options. It consists of the Cohort Program, Launch Your Career Plan and monthly workshops.
Launch Your Career Plan
This event should be completed prior to the OPTIONS Cohort Program or Prospective Professors in Training (PPIT).
Launch Your Career Plan supports graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to launch their career planning early in their studies.
This event guides you to critically reflect on career opportunities including further graduate studies, academia, and industry, and equip you with strategies and tools to explore your unique career aspirations. You will leave this event with tailored resources to dive deeper into the specific career pathways that interest you.
At this event, you will:
- Learn about parallel planning for further graduate studies, academia, and industry careers
- Use labour market data and networking tools to discover diverse academic and industry opportunities
- Apply networking strategies to connect with alumni to learn from their time at U of T Engineering and their work experience
- Create a plan to explore your specific career aspirations
This event is open to all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. We welcome participants who have a clear idea of their career trajectory as well as those who are deciding between continuing in academia or finding an industry position. It is highly recommended that all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows attend this event near the beginning of their studies.
We offer a Launch Your Career Plan for: 1) MEng students; and 2) research graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Cohort Program
The Cohort Program is an opportunity to take a deep dive into career management with a supportive community of like-minded graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Facilitated by faculty and professional development experts, the program provides an opportunity to clarify your interests and aspirations, develop job application materials, and explore career pathways. We offer three different Cohort Programs to address the specific needs of the U of T Engineering community.
Launch Your Career Plan is recommended prior to applying to the cohort programs. However, applicants are welcome to still apply if they haven't completed Launch Your Career Plan.
Monthly Workshops
Monthly Workshops are open to all U of T engineering graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. These events provide an introduction to the school-to-work transition, tools to develop skills critical to the success of a professional, and a venue to network with engineering alumni and peers.
| Event | Date | Time (EDT) | Location | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Résumé and Cover Letter for Industry | Fri, Oct 31 | 12:00 – 2:00 PM | GB202 (Galbraith Building) | uofteng.ca/rcl |
| Semiconductor Industry Night | Tues, Dec 2 | 6:00 – 7:30 PM | GB202 | See link below |
| Winter Welcome: Postdoc Coffee Hour | January TBD | TBD | Myhal Terrace | Link forthcoming |
Semiconductor Industry Night
Tues, Dec 2 I 6:00 – 7:30 PM I GB202
Explore the cutting edge of semiconductor innovation and the need for talent in this rapidly evolving field. This special evening brings together industry leaders and academic voices to spotlight opportunities, challenges, and the future of semiconductor workforce development.
Featured Speakers:
- Chris Ouslis, Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA) , Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP), National Research Council's (NRC)
- Richard Fung, Founder, Six Semiconductor
- Karen Bozynski, Director of Partnerships, Canada's Semiconductor Council
- Danny Christidis, Senior Director of SoC Architecture, Solutions Engineering, and Toronto Site Director, Arm Canada Inc.
Moderated by: Professor Wai Tung Ng, The Edward S. Rogers. Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Winter Welcome: Postdoc Coffee Hour
January TBD I Myhal Terrace
- Celebrate National Postdoc Appreciation Week!
- Meet fellow PDF peers and learn more about how the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice supports you!
Come to the 8th Floor Myhal Terrace. We’ll have coffee, tea, and treats available for you to enjoy while meeting fellow PDF peers. This is a drop-in-style event, so feel free to come when you’re free and stay as long as you’d like.
Registration forthcoming
Résumé and Cover Letter for Industry
Fri, Oct 31 I 12:00 – 2:00 PM I GB202
Looking to tune up your résumé and cover letter for industry roles? Join us for a session with Career Exploration & Education to learn strategies and tips to build and refresh your industry job application material.
We will discuss:
- Creating application materials targeted to industry roles
- How to analyze industry job descriptions so you can successfully tailor your résumé
- Strategies to create a more effective and captivating résumé including writing strong accomplishment statements and organizing résumé sections effectively
- Approaches to drafting tailored cover letters in an efficient and compelling manner
Bonus Activity: Participate in a résumé review for personalized feedback! You will need to bring a digital copy of your working résumé (does not need to be finalized) and be ready to share it with your peers.