Don't fit in. Stand out.

Rebecca Dunphy's "aha" career moment happened in her third year of costume studies at university in Halifax. "Everyone around me was arguing about the width that a buttonhole should be," says Ms. Dunphy. "I didn't see the value I was adding to this program so I abruptly left and switched to business administration at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC).

Nova Scotia Community College will host its annual open house on Thursday for prospective students and the local community.

With our proximity to the ocean, it seems natural for research to centre around its power, its resources, its fury, its potential and, ultimately, its protection. Nova Scotia Community College researchers are focused on several areas of study on this vast resource which is important to so many in the province.

Students are now faced with having to research, plan and know the outlook for their chosen field before they begin to study, says an industry expert. “Twelve years ago, we could tell young people to look at structured programs with pathways into the working world,” said Laurie Edwards, Nova Scotia Community College's manager of advising.

For many young Nova Scotians, the glorious moment of graduating from university or college is swiftly followed by a disheartening realization of how hard it’s going to be to turn that education into a job. Many go down the road to the rest of Canada, leaving an aging population with a shrinking workforce. Experts say smart interventions at this crucial moment can unlock a brighter future for the province.

Melina Coolen grew up in East River Point, but it is her love of music that eventually led her to Ryerson University in Toronto. The impassioned songwriter has just finished a Masters in Media Production to top off her Bachelor of Music Composition from Acadia University and the Music Arts diploma she received from Nova Scotia Community College.