Career Success in Canada

我和黃正心合著的"加拿大就業致勝策略" 出版了, 卑詩大學的Norm Amundson 教授給我們寫了序文, 很謝謝他।

Preface – Career Success in Canada

This is an exciting time in Canada, especially with regard to emerging employment opportunities for skilled workers. Economic and demographic factors have created a situation where companies are desperate to maintain and enhance their productivity through an infusion of new workers. Many skilled immigrants will be recruited from countries like China to fill the growing need.

As people consider the opportunities that are emerging they will need help to cross the cultural gap. They will need economic and cultural guides, people who understand the system and can explain how it works and how to best make their way in Canada. Ronald Ma and Louis Wong are two, well qualified career management experts and guides who can be trusted to explain the Canadian system and to show the way forward.

Mr. Ma and Mr. Wong have been working in the employment field in Canada for well over a decade. They have worked with SUCCESS on employment transition issues and have directed their efforts at both workers and employers. In the training that I have offered, they have consistently stood out as the “top of the class”. They understand issues of culture, of economics and of transition.

For a number of years we have discussed the need for a transition manual that would help immigrants from China understand the many complexities of the Canadian system. This manual would need to focus on both finding work (job search) and facilitating development within work (job maintenance and growth). The manual would also need to be more than just a list of “tips” about what to do next. It would need to be grounded in career theory and also focus on the establishment of a quality working life. Creating such a comprehensive manual for employment success in Canada would be a challenging task.

I am so pleased by the scope of the book “Career Success in Canada” that Mr. Ma and Mr. Wong have created. They have touched on all the critical areas. In Chapter One they start with a general introduction to the Canadian employment system. The topics they cover provide a good overview of the many different aspects of the system. Building on this foundation they go on to address employment services and job seeking strategies in Canada (Chapters Two and Three). These chapters are comprehensive and provide some very important information. In Chapter Four the focus shifts more to making the most of workplace opportunities. The question here is how to make the best career decisions within the workplace. At this point, the authors turn to some current career theory and describe how some of this theory can be used to understand and overcome career obstacles. As a conclusion, Mr. Ma and Mr. Wong turn their attention to issues of quality of life. It is not only a matter of finding work, there is also the challenge of creating a healthy working life filled with meaning, purpose and balance.

I am convinced that this career workbook will soon become a necessary part of the transition experience for every new immigrant from China. Mr. Ma and Mr. Wong are acknowledged experts in the career transition process and they have created a comprehensive guide that will be a valuable asset for anyone contemplating a move from China to Canada.

Norman Amundson, Ph.D.
Professor
Dept. of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education
Faculty of Education
University of British Columbia, Canada