Career Mentor – Glen Gosling

Glen Gosling [BA(Adv)/97] is one of 700+ Career Mentor volunteers who devote time to meeting and supporting University of Manitoba students. Each year, career mentors share their knowledge and advice to guide the career plans and contribute to the success of students. In celebration of 25 successful years, 25 career mentors have agreed to share their career stories and advice…

Briefly, tell us about your job. What do you find most rewarding? What are your greatest challenges within this profession?

I’m a financial planner/investment advisor. I help people make informed financial decisions in order to reach their goals. Much of my time is doing retirement planning which will show a client what income level they can expect and what they can do to ensure they will have enough to have a happy retirement.

I find it very rewarding when I can provide advice to clients that help them make better financial decisions. Most people don’t enjoy this area as they find it quite complicated and confusing – so I like it when I can make things much simpler in their lives.

As for a challenge, there is a large amount of pressure from the industry in order to grow your book of business.

While you were completing your degree, what experiences and activities helped bring you to your career decision or helped you succeed in your occupation?

I went through university not knowing exactly what I wanted to do in the end. I had a number of jobs throughout my schooling and I found that each one offered experiences that helped shape who I am today. If someone has an idea of what they might want to do upon graduation, I urge them to try and find employment or volunteer work in that area to help them learn about the industry and see if it is truly something they would like to do for a living.

Describe your career planning journey. Please include any highlights, bumps or roadblocks.

I was an employment counsellor for a number of years before getting into the financial planning world. When I made the switch I did find it more difficult than I thought to obtain employment doing exactly what I wanted to do. I took a role that wasn’t exactly my calling – but it helped me get to where I am today and sometimes these types of moves have to be made in order to reach your goal.

What inspired you to be a Career Mentor?

When I was going through university I utilized the program myself. I found it extremely beneficial and now I enjoy meeting students who were in my same position many years ago and helping them know more about what I do so they can make the best decision for their own career paths.

What advice do you have for students who are interested in following in your footsteps?

Meet with as many people as possible who do what you want to do. There usually isn’t one path to get to where you want to go. You can learn from many different people as we all have our own experiences, preferences and views that make us who we are today.

What career advice do you have for university students?

Constantly be learning… Taking courses in your area, volunteering, meeting people… everything helps you know more about your chosen career path and more about yourself so that you can make the best choice for you.

Stay tuned for more career mentor profiles! From September 25 to November 2 the Career Mentor Program will be profiling 25 dedicated and wonderful mentors from across several sectors. To view more career mentor profiles and learn about the anniversary event on November 2, 2015, please visit the CMP 25th Anniversary website.

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