The Five Building Blocks of a Mission Map

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Education and Learning

Refers to traditional forms of education (like university or college) and other forms of lifelong learning ranging from professional development courses to awesome podcasts and books. 

Questions to explore:

  1. What should I study at school? 

  2. What specific courses should I take? 

  3. Do I need to go to graduate school? 

  4. What certifications will I need? 

  5. What podcasts should I listen to? 

  6. What books should I read?

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Employment Experience

Means every job you’ll ever have—full-time and part-time alike—that contributes to your skill development. While in school, this could include co-op terms, internships, and part-time and summer employment. 

Questions to explore:

  1. What type of internships or co-op positions should I take while in school? 

  2. What could be my first job when I graduate? 

  3. How can I get employment experience so I can become  able across all four career clusters? 

  4. How much time should I spend in various jobs? 

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Community Experience

Includes all those volunteer and extracurricular activities that contribute to your competency development. This might include involvement in clubs, teams, or community organizations. 

Questions to explore:

  1. How can volunteer roles support the development of my key competencies?

  2. How can volunteering support my networking? 

  3. What types of organizations align with my values? 

  4. Do I want to assume a leadership position in an organization? 

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Contextual Experience

 includes international experiences, industry experiences, organization size and scope, and travelling experiences. 


International experiences: Paid or unpaid international work experience. 

Questions to explore:

  1. What are the benefits to doing a semester abroad? 

  2. How can working internationally contribute to my job-specific competencies? 

  3. How is working internationally different than working in Canada? 

Industry experiences: Specific industry sector experiences throughout your career.

Questions to explore:

  1. How could my choice of industry sector change my job?

  2. Are there many jobs in this industry in the place I want to live? 

  3. I’m not very technical; does this mean I’m at a disadvantage if I want to work for a technology company? 

Organization size and scope: The size of an organization can have a significant impact on the scope and depth of a role.

Questions to explore:

  1. How does working for a startup help me? 

  2. What are the benefits and risks of me building an entire career in a single large company? 

  3. Should I take a job at a large global multinational organization to meet my goal of working internationally? 

Travelling experience: International experience and exposure to diverse cultures can contribute to your personal and professional development.

Questions to explore:

  1. How can travelling internationally contribute to my competency development? 

  2. If I take time out of my career to travel, am I risking being passed by people who don’t? 

  3. Can I blend my desire to backpack around the world with a desire to work internationally? 

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Relationships

Capture three major categories—mentors, networking, and personal relationships.

Questions to explore:

  1. How can mentors help me get ahead? 

  2. How can my professional network contribute to competency development? 

  3. How can I ensure I maintain successful and fulfilling personal relationships while still pursuing my professional mission?