University - this might be a really naive question

Myka · #1 11-24-2009, 02:53 AM

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

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?

hillegom · #2 11-24-2009, 03:04 AM

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

howdy20012002 · #3 11-24-2009, 03:05 AM

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

Veng68 · #4 11-24-2009, 03:06 AM

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

mike31154 · #5 11-24-2009, 03:15 AM

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....

lastlight · #6 11-24-2009, 03:19 AM

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.

lorenz0 · #7 11-24-2009, 03:24 AM

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.

workn2hard2day · #8 11-24-2009, 04:42 AM

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

kien · #9 11-24-2009, 05:47 AM

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>

JPotter · #10 11-24-2009, 06:06 AM

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