Volunteer. It's not a dirty word.

Do any of the following situations apply to you? You're a high school student and when it's time to choose your courses, you don't know what you want or need to take. Your current job leaves you unsatisfied. You're not sure where or how to begin to apply for the jobs you really want. You don't know what you're going to do when you finish high school. You don't know what skills you have.

If you can relate to one or more of the above statements, you may be suffering from career confusion. Don't be ashamed: Over 80% of Canada's population (youth and adult) are also suffering. There is a cure. To figure out what you want to do with your life, get some real-life, on-the-job experience by volunteering.

Call up a business, organization or group that you're interested in. Ask them if they would like a volunteer or an intern. Offer to send in a resume. Ask to set up an interview. It's that easy. You can volunteer before and after school, during lunch, on the weekends. Volunteering can even be tied into earning school credits through a co-operative learning program.

It's easy to see how an employer who hires volunteers benefits: free labour. (Let's not also forget the valuable youth perspective they're gaining.) But did you know you benefit too? You will:
- Explore your interests. Learn new skills. Build your resume.
- Learn about new job positions you didn't even know existed.
- Decide whether you like the job before making a commitment to further training or applying for the job.
- Learn what you like and don't like about the job and about work in general.
- Turn a volunteer position into a paid position. Learn about unadvertised positions.