University - this might be a really naive question
 

Ok, so I should go to university. Or something... :neutral:

I have attended some college courses, but that's about it. I haven't gone to university because I don't know what I want to do. I think it's nigh time I figure it out. So...I'm sure some of you will think this to be an awfully naive question out of an almost-30-year-old, but how do you figure out what courses to take, and what kind of jobs those courses set you up to do? Like what do you use a Bachelor of Science for? Or Political Sciences? Or Environmental Studies? Or everything else? I have been hunting the internet, and can't figure out what courses and bachelors and masters and all that jibba jabba I don't understand would do for me. How do I find this information?

Maybe you are putting the cart before the horse.
I would research what I wanted to do/be first and then take appropriate courses to get there.
Just a thought

there are certainly programs and questionnaires that are used to find out what you should be looking at according to your personality and likes/dislikes.
I am pretty sure if you contact any post secondary institutions, they can point you in the right direction of where you can get help figuring it out.
I am 36 and just getting back to university now and am starting a second career.
It is never too late to start afresh.
good luck
Neal

I've been considering going back to school and many friends have told me to go to a career counselor.

Best of luck.

Cheers,
Vic

I can't help with the U question at all, but if you're more of a technical person, you might also wish to investigate careers offered by institutions like NAIT or SAIT. They offer courses related directly to technical careers. Less philosophical/theoretical stuff and more hands on/practical, the goal being a specific technical or technological career. A level below an engineer perhaps, but sometimes the practical stuff can be very interesting, rewarding and depending on the field, quite well paying. Technologists are what turn an engineer's design into reality and keep it working....

Or you can try to become an engineer and dropout 2 years later and become a web developer.

Seriously though...anyone who is on the computer as much as we are should have an eye for design by now =) Take a stab at freelancing! SAIT has an ok program called New Media Production and Design if you're interested.

Hopefully you aren't in the position that i was in at the start of this year which is needing to upgrade your highschool courses. If your interested in the bachlor of science program most post secondary's start you out with the first year of deciding what you mant to major in (chem, bio, geology) and than your 2nd-4th you focus on courses in that major. As for a masters, thats another additional year after you get your degree which sometimes can be completed while your working. This is the route I am going and most post secondary's you need english 30-1, math pure, chem 30 (sometimes you need a second science as well).

One thing a career counselor will tell you is to take some courses if your unsure what you want to do and than go from there. One thing we have compared to most applicants is that we are in the mature student and sometimes its easier to get into the program you desire. as in, as long as your a the pre-rec's you get to be placed in the front of the line. I am actually booking an appointment at the career center to see what my chances are for getting into B of S for september and to get all the proper info.

this may help. http://www.students.usask.ca/support...t/careerguide/

Personally I don't think that everyone needs to go to University. In my opinion, what is most important is finding something that you really want to do. Once you've figured out what that is, then figure out how you're going to get there. You may be surprised to find that you don't in fact need to go to University at all.

I am in an industry surrounded by highfalutin science and engineering degrees, but I work with and am very good friends with one colleague who does not have a University degree. He does the exact same thing that I do and gets paid exactly what I get paid. I went through 4 years of University, he did not. In the end, the hiring manager deemed his experience was more important than his lack of a formal degree. As for him, well, he figured out some where along the way what he really wanted to do with this life, figured out how to get there (in his own way), stuck with it and it worked out for him.

On the other side of the fence, I know quite a few people who have degrees in various disciplines, worked at it for a few years only to discover that they hated it. Some of them changed careers into something completely different from their "formal" training/education/degree. They are MUCH happier now that they have found what it is that they want to do with their lives, degree or no degree. So then, what was the point in spending all that money and time to get a degree?

Now, I realize that it takes some time to figure out the whole what it is you want to be when you grow up bit, but in theory this should be an advantage that "mature" individuals have over less mature/experienced individuals.

edit: This isn't meant to dissuade anyone from going to University. If you find that this is the best path to achieving your goal, then great! Get to it! But do really spend the time to figure out if it is the right path. Talk to friends, councel, read & research, heck go on a walkabout if you have to. University is a HUGE investment in time and money, both of which could potentially be better spent elsewhere to help you get where you want to be.

</2cents>

Ideally you know what you want to do and then do the degree that will get you there. A Bachelor degree is just the begining..a ticket to the next step...from there you branch out into something that will hopefully get you employed. Some of the professional programs can be entered before you complete your degree..depends on the program, your GPA and for some programs your score on specific entrance examinations.
It is never too late to start but it can be a long, expensive journey if you don't know what your end goal is:)

Find something you are interested in doing for the rest of your life for one. It doesn't matter if you took up bachelors of something from this popular university if you don't like it chances are you will never use it. Also think about the viability of the course, at the end of the day a lot of those make me think what the heck are they gonna be doing once they graduate.

I always felt that the major point of a post secondary degree is more to show that you can handle just about anything thrown at you. As stated, sometimes experience counts for more than education and in fact even *with* the education, in 10 years it isn't relevant any longer anyhow: what is important is that the person has demonstrated a lifelong ability towards continual learning. The degree was the first step towards that; but there are other equally valid starting points.

Having said that there are disciplines/careers which require of you a certain degree (ie. engineering, medicine, whatever). So I agree with the statements that some amount of soul-searching need be done at this point first to determine what really is in your path forward and then deciding what steps be needed to get there.

As a mature student ("mature" is really anyone starting off at university that is outside that 18-22 age group), going back to university is a little different than it is for the average 18-22 year old. University programs are *designed* to let you flounder a bit (for lack of a better word, that's not really the right way to put it) for the first two years before you really get into what you were trying to specialize in, in the first place, because you have to take options that show you other things and in many cases, an option can lead to a minor degree or even a change in majors. As a mature student, the expectation is more that your chosen vocation is because you have a confirmed love already for the that topic. Ie., if you were to choose a degree in political science at this stage, it's because it's something you've always wanted to do. My mom went to university at a later stage in life and got a degree in linguistics and literature, which as a librarian for many years thereafter it served her well as a starting point into that career.

This is actually one of the best times of your life to consider a post secondary education because of that.

If it weren't for the fact that I have too much of an addiction to a steady income and a family to support, I honestly would consider going back myself. There are some degrees I would simply love to have because the topics interest me. Math, physics, marine biology (duh) .. But alas, the real world beckons. Perhaps in another life. :lol:

Spent far too long at UBC doing a double major (Aquaculture & AgriBusiness) then a Master's in Aquacultural engineering. Ended up working on a lake-based salmon farm raising 3.5 million smolts for 4 years (about half the time I spent at U), then totally switched careers to tutoring (something I did p/t for years).

I loved fish farming but pay sucked (half what I make now), had to live far from family & friends, and working with a bunch of red-necks (I became a pseudo-red-neck with a truck, boat, & swearing like a logger) eventually made me realize it was time for a change. That & I blew out my knee & was getting dumber by the day working there.

Now, my new career required no extra education, just a willingness to work long hours, absorb & teach new subjects, and accept tat there are months when I'm too busy & others where I'm off completely.

In other words, figure out what you really want to do first. Going to U is NOT the end-all, be-all you may think it is. In fact, I can barely name any of my University friends who are still working in their field of study, except ones who studied specialties like Pharmacy.

For many of my less academically inclined students, if they like working with their hands, I recommend that they look at going into the trades, since they will finish quicker & have a solid careeer that is always in demand.

If I had to do it all over again, I think I would have tried cutting off a couple of years at UBC if possible. BTW, in my tutoring, I use almost none of what I studied, other than basic skills like as how to do proper academic papers, presentations, and such.

Think outside the box when considering what new career you might want to go into. Then look forward & think whether or not you can see yourself doing the same thing 5 years, 10 years from now.

The days when most people work at the same career are long over. We will probably average 3 or 4 major career changes in during our working years.

Good luck,

Anthony

Thanks for all the advice and links. I wil have to go over this more thoroughly later today when I have some time.

but to answer the question, yes I will need to do and redo some highschool courses. Yeck! I didn't take highschool very seriously, and didn't show up for most of it. I very clearly remember being questioned about my 140 absences per semester. :o

Sounds familiar. I dropped out in grade 8 and worked construction until I was 30. I then went back to school, spent 5 years in post secondary, and never worked a day in my chosen field. My last sememster had me working for the department supervising a directed study in some computer topics, and that got me interested in IT. So I finished school, trained my self in IT and have been working in that field ever since. School was great, had a lot of fun and gained a broad range of knowledge, but it cost me 68k for something I've never officially used. It's good to have a plan, but remember, often the plan can change along the way. There are also a lot of jobs out there that aren't described in any school calendar.
Evaluate what you like to do, ie; do you like working with your hands, problem solving, like people, etc. Then narrow it down. Decide what is important, doing something you love, or doing something that earns you a killer income, thereby providing the ability to do things you love after hours. I know a dog trainer that makes less than 30k a year, she's really happy. I know a dental specialist that makes 400k a year, he's really happy too :) One does it for love, the other for money. Decide on life's priorities and pursue your goals, which need to include personal goals in addition to career goals.

Mindy you seem quite smart and intelligent. Have you thought about the Forces. I'm not trying to pull the army life on you its not for everyone, however i know of many ladies that have moved into job and love it there are over 1000 trades, and the money is quite good. They will pay for your schooling too if you go the degree route in. All trades you dont pay for you get yearly bonuses.
your leave with pay
yearly increase of 1.5 -2.5 %
you get a march Break
Summer leave.

But there is also a place where you can work for the reserves in Saskatoon too.

Don't waste your money. Find out what interests you first and what type of education you need before you get into it as well as job availability and ease of movement (how available jobs are between cities). My job is pretty specific, I can work here in Nanaimo, or I can work on the east coast. It is transferable to the medical industry (more scope) but I'd have to go back to school to get certified for it, and I'm not willing to invest another 40K into it. The last thing you need is to scrimp and save for an expensive educaton that you don't use anyways (currently I'm in the marine biology field, my degree was in microbiology). I have a BSc that for the past 5 years has had me on EI at least 4 of them. I wish I had gone to BCIT to do something more in the medical field or a trade. Biology is interesting and all but you certainly don't get any sort of steady job out of it.

Defintely think about this before you take the plunge. 4 years of Mr. Noodles and Kraft Dinner ain't fun :razz:

IMO the biggest mistake about univeristy - especially undergraduate work - is that people go into it with the sole purpose of coming out with a job on the other side (professional colleges aside). The thing with University (especially College of Arts & Sciences) is that the vast majority of your coursework to get your diploma has absolutely nothing to do with any job that you will pick up after your tenure at University. Take classes you're interested in and you'll eventually find the direction you want to take in your academic life.

Education is never a wasted investment and after you have your B.A. or B.Sc, the job you want will likely find you.

Very nicely said, TheMikey.

For what it's worth. there are some professions for which the starting degree is important. Education, Medicine/Healthcare/Nursing, Engineering, Law, and Pharmacy come to mind. Otherwise a degree is fairly generic and the true value of that piece of paper is that it demonstrates a certain tenacity of character, rather than any specific knowledge that came with it.

A degree is by no means a ticket to wealth. I know someone with a B.Sc in biology and she earns three times my salary because she is a professional recruiter (which has nothing to do with her degree). However for that one example, I can think of at least a dozen other friends with the same degree who are stuck in low paying dead end jobs with no hope of advancement. It is an interesting degree but it shows that to really do well with it, you actually need to go on and do post-graduate work as well. In fact, this is probably true of all the science disciplines with the *possible* exception of maybe computer science, geology, and geophysics (and even those last two are sort of dicey: in good times in a resource based economy there are positions available a-plenty; in dicier times there are not.) Also computer science isn't the degree it used to be, what I think of a comp. sci is nowadays more comp. engg.

An additional benefit to the forces career (essentially you're a public servant), is, if you stick with it long enough, there's a pension at the other end. Not sure what the pension deals look like right at the moment, but it's all tied to the Federal Public Servant model (and they've go some good stuff going on, your tax dollars at work). There are 3 different elements to chose from, sea, land, air, all with many career options. As mentioned by asmodeus, there is even the military college route, which essentially pays your way to a degree, although many of those will be in fields relevant to the military. I received excellent training as a technician in the air force. No idea where your interests lie specifically, but being from the air side of things, I'm a little biased in that direction. The army sends their soldiers to the front, the navy are all on the same boat, pun intended (officers and seamen are all in harms way if it comes to that), the air force generally sends their officers (pilots) into the line of fire.

If there's a down side, it's the fact that you're technically on duty 24/7 and you need to be prepared to move every 4 years or so, sometimes a major move. And you could end up in harms way, obviously, depending on your chosen career. Army can see you in the field, deployed for extended periods, same for the Navy, out to sea. Air Force too, but generally not as long and in many cases deployments involve hotel stays. Jammy trips and not so jammy trips.

Yeah, Engineering aside, none of those are direct entry programs. I was interested in international relations when I got out of high school and started political science at Uni. About three years in I realized that I'd prefer to practice the law than critique it. So now I'm first year law at the U of S. I never thought our of high school that I'd pick this, but hey - that's what education does, it opens doors. Take the classes that pique your interest and see where it takes you.

Whatever path you choose, never underestimate the power of hard work. If your willing to put in the effort and work hard you can succeed in life no mater what you choose to do, whether you choose to put that effort into a secondary education or not.

You seem like the kind of person who would really enjoy University so I say go for it. But dont do it because you want to get a particular job or because you think you'll make big bucks when you're done. A bachelors degree doesnt mean a lot in this day and age and most people seem to get into careers far different from the ones they had in mind when they first went to school. Do it because you want to have the experience and because you will ultimately be better off for it.

BTW I've got a BComm and now I'm apprenticing as a Carpenter.

There's nothing saying you can't just do a few smaller things (without a degree) and still make a good income and enjoy knowing if one ever slows down you can still run on a few cylinders.

Currently this is what I do:

1) Web/print design

2) Janitor at a church a few hours a week. My failsafe...will always have it if I want it and per hour pays me more than the rest - amazingly well. Done this since I took it as a part-time job when I was in post-secondary.

3) Shoot virtual tours for realtors

4) Hook myself.

I'm not rich. I won't ever be. But not having all your eggs in the same basket can be a good thing.

Absolutely! If you're willing to put in the time and effort you will be rewarded.

And of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with not being rich. Most of us are not rich, and many are even less rich than that!

One lesson my parents taught me is that you actually don't need that much money to live decently in this world. In 1979 my parents, with a 3 year old and 9 month old in tow, left their home country on a rickety boat with 200 other refugees. We lived in a refugee camp for 6 months before we were fortunate enough to be sponsored by a church in Calgary. We lived in that Church's hall for a while. My dad made money cleaning the church, my mom made sandwiches for 7-11. Fast forward 30 years, my parents are still doing the same thing they did 30 years ago. They have kept with those jobs because they actually enjoyed it. Probably because they appreciated the fact that it was worlds better than the alternative (misery) that they left behind. They were able to comfortably provide for their children, buy houses, cars, food, clothes and even helped put both kids through post secondary education.

Not that anyone really cares about all that.. but the moral of that story is, you don't need lots of money to be happy and successful.

I call this photo, "The Pursuit of Happiness" :biggrin:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3566/...8cbf8584_o.jpg

This kid (and his family) started out with nothing more than the shirts on their backs, literally.

Sniff... sniff.. that's so beautiful man. I'M NOT CRYING I HAVE SOMETHING IN MY EYE!

Actually I think it's sawdust come to think of it. Stupid renos.

Haha. What are you up to down there Tony?

Great story Kien.

Very nicely said and an amazing story.

My mom went through a very similar childhood with her parents, leaving her home country to come to Canada and struggle. They were not in a refugee camp though. I have learned a lot from her life.

My parents were only together until I was about 4, so I don't remember anything about them being together but they just grew apart and certainly went different directions in life. They are still friends to this day.

My mom ended up never going to school for anything but always found ways to get pretty cool jobs, stuff she loved. She teaches horseback riding now and does well. One of the happiest, easy going people you could ever meet. Just truly loves life.

My father on the other hand, went to school for god knows how long, has a crazy amount of degrees, makes more money as an executive of a huge bank in Asia than I would know what to do with and yet he broke down last time I saw him and told me how unhappy he was :sad: I think he would trade the millions in an instant to have what my mom has. He grew up in a very modest house, worked his way through school full time, struggled his way up the ladder in the banking world because he refused to sacrifice his morals and ethics (could have gotten to where he is now in half the time) but says his life has been consumed with being "successful" and being the best and making the most money and buying the nicest car, ect.

Money really doesn't make people happy...

Personally, make a list of things you like doing, your passions. Then, see what kind of career opportunities there are for you in those listed, then look into education.

Don't just pick a job cuz, I believe you have to enjoy things, otherwise were are you in a few years.... Very unhappy and looking again.

I am lucky, I do what I love, so it isn't work for me.

Good Luck!

Im like you :wink:

1. Animation--pays very well but not a steady job year after year. usually 1 year contracts.

2. Interior Design--pays even better but even less steady and I have just started in this industry, so its tough...although I have some amazing contacts (this is KEY, who you know). I never went to school for this, just begged an HGTV guy for a job.

3. Illustration/odd design jobs--doesn't pay as well considering the amount of work but its usually just ontop of the other jobs on weekends.

4. Construction with my stepfather--he owns a company and hires me when I really need the work.

Basically I take all the work I can get! Sometimes too much at once and I get myself into a bind...like this month lol. But you always find a way to get it done. My point is that with this kind of work and many other kinds, you sometimes have to just do whats available.

One thing about this kind of a "career" is that stuff like my mortgage was hard to get. Luckily, although my income is all over the place, it has steadily been over a certain year total for the past 5 years. The crazy thing is that some years there is a $40k difference!

Hope you end up being happy with whatever you decide. You will if you find something you love!

I'm in that bind right now. On top of taking all work offered me my wife is really not feeling well so I'm a mom at home here too. Just a little nutty.

I had decided in high school to be an engineer because they make good money. So I get into Uni and hated it. All math and I knew full-well as an engineer I'd do next to no math but I couldn't motivate myself to do anything and dropped out. I'm very good at math (or was) but the thing Is I chose a job because it paid well and I like mechanical things. Sometimes it pays to research a little more thoroughly. Being good at something and enjoying it (calculus) are very different.

Do you need some extra work then? I have a logo that needs some "updating" :lol:

No I wouldn't do that to you...the client is terrible! :neutral:

The other thing...

Sometimes loving something or having a passion for something does not translate into a career all that well. My older brother went to UBC, spent a lot of time and money getting a degree in Marine Biology, after 2 years of solid work, decided it wasn't for him. Luckily he had a kinesiology degree to fall back on and became a personal trainer. He loves his job but it's not his passion. Diving is his passion but it just didn't work out as a career.

I loved animation/drawing before I got into it as a career but the first few years on the job really ruined it for me. Needed to take a break and now I seem to be finding a passion for it again. But I'm the kind of person who loves change. I could never do just one thing for the rest of my life.

This one's for you Justin.

http://www.makemylogobiggercream.com/newsletter.html

LOL...Just what we need, more people making logos bigger :frusty:

What we really need is "make my logo smaller cause it doesn't look good filling up a whole t-shirt" cream :mmph: There are more than a few clothing companies that could benefit from such a cream.

I am looking for makemypaychequebiggercream

This is makemypaycheckbiggerthread.

Creams are in the next aisle sir.

Wow, thanks for all the response everyone!!

I'm kinda in same boat as Christy. I really love anything to do with biology, but what kind of career is at the end? I have definitely taken into consideration that I want a career that I can do in various locations. I have also thought it would be cool if my job would take me overseas if I chose to.

The military life is not for me. Well, it would be (I thrive in camp jobs) except now I've settled down a bit. I have an older dog that I would never part with, and she has to be able to be wherever I am. I am also in a "serious" relationship.

I have taken a few different career aptitude tests, and veterinarian always comes up. No way. LOL I think those aptitude tests are bogus. Oh well, I will go try another one. =]

Maybe I should just pick a semester worth of courses that sound interesting and see where that takes me...?

That Chaeto I sent came in the mail huh?

Mindy:

I was actually going to post something related to your question. As you have already discovered you need to find something you enjoy. Every job/career has its good days and bad days (maybe years).

Even after technical or professional training you could very well head off in a totally different direction. Was the education wasted? Probably not. You gained a lot of valuable experiences (beer drinking etc) maybe made a friend or two and proved you can tough it out (something Delphinius touched on). For example the NHL is not made up of necessarily the best players but those that put up with the crap to get to the big league.

I put up with crap at 4 years of university. Then almost 30 years of a range of jobs related to my field, most of which were positive experiences. Now I am in to the "fun zone" where I am driving the organization and having some fun doing so.

Yeah most days I come home bagged and we all put up with a lot of crap and the money may not be great but if there is a sense of job satisfaction and you can get going in the morning sort of looking forward to most days then you could be way ahead of most of the population.

End of rant, and one horrible run on sentance.

BTW: go Roughies