University - this might be a really naive question

[michika]

As a recent grad, I honestly feel that my B.A. is useless. I like school from a personal perspective, but as a jumping stone for a job, not so much. I specialized in Human Anatomy, Political Science, and Psychology.

I work in Oil & Gas, I have required professional certificates for my field, and I have experience. I also get paid what equates to a below poverty level income in Calgary. I barely, if ever, use anything I learned in University in my job. Ultimately it comes down to companies no longer seem to want to pay/compensate for degrees, because as per my HR advisor last week "degrees are a dime a dozen".

Amazingly though I went back to school after I graduated for two other degrees, and not because I have delusions about a better paying job, but because I like school. I like to learn.

When I was in high school all I ever heard was if you don't go to University you won't get a good paying job. I believed it, and I completely regret it. Like mentioned previously, going to post-secondary does not automatically equate to a job that pays a living wage, or a job that you adore.

If I could go back to give myself advise I'd tell myself to pick an applicable degree, something with skills that can be used within the workplace, and not something that is so abstract; Accounting, Finance, Computer Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Geology, etc. Fill in your options with things that appeal to you, things you're curious about, etc.

[Myka]

Thanks for your reply Catherine! With so many responses like yours I am starting to re-think this university idea. I do enjoy learning...I think that is half my motivation to go to university with the other half being (possibly delusional) increased pay.

Something I keep coming back to is environmentalist. As a vacuum trucker operator on the oil rigs I worked closely with the environmentalist doing land sprays of the drilling fluid. I know the different enviro dudes I worked with made big bucks. Most of them were making $250-400 per rig per day, and they had 1-4 rigs going. They were always under slept though, and I know I called them more than once at 2 am with a dire situation. I asked two of them how they got into the work. One said he took a 2 year course at university, the other said he worked his way into it.

I think with as an environmentalist there would be a lot of open doors this day and age. Not sure where to start though. I'm not sure if they were officially called environmentalists or something more flashy sounding.

[staceyd72]

Hi Myka,

There are some very interesting comments on here, and I agree with most. Personally, I think you should do something that you enjoy doing, but that is easier said than done.
Why not try taking some courses at a local college to get a feel for learning new material as a mature student, and then go from there? I have some friends who have taken this path later in life and found it was too difficult, while others I know enjoyed it and went on to further learning and now have very rewarding careers.

As others have noted, a BA will not necessarily get you that dream job, it’s just a stepping stone to further your career. I felt that mine was just proof that I was able to make a commitment to learning, and then the hard part started.

I was fortunate enough to go to university after high school and earn a BA in economics, but it was not my calling. I enjoyed finance and even went on to complete my MBA and finally received my CFA. But I was always fascinated with personal finance, and five years ago I received my CFP designation. I truly love helping my clients plan for their retirement, for their child's education, or for the purchase of a new home.

My education has never stopped, I’ve been attending post secondary institutions since leaving high school in 1989 and love every minute of it(the tax benefits are great also).

Just my $0.02.