1. Work With Impact: The Queen’s Career Guide To The UN Sustainable Development Goals
  2. UN SDGs Career Guide: Your Next Steps

UN SDGs Career Guide: Your Next Steps

Now that you’ve explored some ideas it’s time to make them a reality.

Reflect

Be clearer about what matters to you.

Research

 Dive deeper with the provided resources.

Learn More

Take your career exploration to the next level with workshops and in-class activities.

Reflection Questions

  • What are ways you have already been involved in this SDG (work, school, or clubs)? Look to your past for clues of what matters to you! 

  • Are there new career possibilities you want to explore? Read more in the career information links below. Check out our Career Exploration Module for more ideas or book an appointment with a Career Coach in MyCareer. 

  • Are there people in this field who inspire you? Talking to professionals in your field of interest can be a great way to learn and find opportunities. Check out our Networking Module to learn more.  

  • Are there specific organizations you’d like to work with? Check out the job boards and company info below to learn more. 

  • What are small ways you could get involved in this SDG? Look for more volunteering, clubs, and other opportunities in the Community Engagement section below. 

  • Are there ways you can impact this SDG within work you are already doing? In school projects or coursework? 

  • Check with your department for course-based opportunities for community engagement.

  • Consider using our Skills Cards to do a cart sort to pull out skills that are relevant to a key SDG for you, and then sort them by competence to come up with targeted growth areas for future professional development.  

  • What impact do you most want to see as a result of your work related to this SDG? Get creative with envisioning a possible future. 

  • Are there new skills, experiences, or education you want to pursue? Check out the Skills section below for even more ideas about skills employers value for impact work. 

  • Are there specific organizations, professional association chapters, or people working in your field that are contributing to this SDG already? Check out the company directories below, or do an alumni search on LinkedIn.  

  • Check out the Job Function Action Guides | Project Drawdown for ideas, actions, and resources mapped out to different industry sectors. 

Research

Queen's Program and Courses Directory

Queen's Programs and Resources Contributing to SDGs

Resources across Ontario and Canada

Check with your department for course-based opportunities for community engagement.

Volunteering in Kingston

AMS (Alma Mater Society Student Government)

Past Internships

Entrepreneurship Programs

Patty Fellowships

Career Exploration Resources

Salary Information

Skills for Social Impact Work

Beyond the specific skills in the sections above, the following skills and attributes were identified by the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Impact at the Smith School of Business as highly desirable by corporate employers:

  • An understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) / Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concepts, research and risk management methodologies and approaches
  • A passion for social impact, social entrepreneurship/innovation, impact investing, and sustainability gained through academic, extracurricular, or experiential learning work
  • Knowledge of social entrepreneurship/intrapreneurial principles and the ability to innovate and create sustainable business models that address social or environmental challenges.
  • A combination of strong project management, research and analytical skills
  • Familiarity with the concept of impact financing and triple bottom line thinking – a focus on people, planet, and profit
  • Knowledge of software tools that captures, analyzes, measures, and reports data on social and environmental impact of the business, using metrics such as the Social Return on Investment (SROI)

Visit Windō - CSR Beautifully Simplified to learn more about corporation's CSR and to see if they match your values.

Job Boards

Companies, NGOs, and Government Agency Directories

NGOs Advancing Multiple SDGs

Learn More

Attend a Workshop:
Exploring Careers with Impact

In this workshop we will apply Design Thinking to planning the next steps in your career, paying particular attention to ways you can have social impact in your work through the UN SDG framework. Come prepared to brainstorm, experiment with ideas, and envision possibilities!

At the end of the workshop you will be better able to:

  • Describe important personal qualities like your skills, values, interests to help inform your decisions about future career goals.
  • Consider future possibilities for your career path by using effective strategies, tools, and information.
  • Plan next steps to move you closer to your career goals.

Check the MyCareer Calendar of Events for the next offering or request a workshop for your class/group.

In-class Learning Activities

Are you a faculty member looking to use the SDG with your students? Cconsider the following activities:

SDG Reflection/Discussion: After browsing this Guide, consider the reflection questions above for the SDGs that are most relevant to you. Discuss your ideas with a partner or small group in class and/or write a one-page journal entry about your reflections.

Skills Cards X SDGs: Use Queen’s Skills Cards to assess which skills you have already, and which skills you want to develop in relation to your favourite SDG. When you sort the cards, use the vertical axis to consider your level of competence with the skill, and the horizontal axis to consider how important the skill is to make an impact in the SDG area.

Designing Your Life activities: The career planning book Designing Your Life is packed with interesting ideas and activities to help you find your path. Check out the book and its companion worksheets and discussion questions.

Support for students

Do you have more questions? Do you want support to explore career and educational options?

Book an appointment with a Career Coach

Support for faculty

For support, including recommended in-class activities or career workshops, email mycareer@queensu.ca.

Request a Workshop.

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