University - this might be a really naive question

[TheMikey]

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.

[Delphinus]

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.

[TheMikey]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

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. O

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.

[Parker]

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.

[lastlight]

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.

[kien]

Originally Posted by lastlight

I'm not rich. I won't ever be.

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"



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

[Delphinus]

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.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by kien

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"



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

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 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...

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by lastlight

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.

Im like you

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!

[lastlight]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

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.

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.