Career/school ideas?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by First Lady

I bet to those 33.33% of teachers it's not such a meaningless number.

You make is sound like everyone is a miserable as you seem to be.

Oh First Lady, CP's own Sarah Palin.

It's meaningless without comparing it to other fields as well as an average of workers in general. Maybe 33.33% is an awesome number and other employers aspire for such a low figure.

And how did it go from "nearly 30%" (which is actually 29% or less) to 33% in two posts?

And "thinking about quitting" and quitting are two different things. It's a vague concept you've introduced here. I think about quitting and moving to Lake Louise to snowboard for my life all the time. Will I actually? No. Does it mean I'm dissatisfied with my job? Yeah, sometimes I'd trade it all for a snowboard and a lift ticket. But by and large I'm content with where I am, which is why I stay. I imagine it's much the same for teachers.

Plus, it'd be interesting to ask your question every week for 52 weeks. I have a feeling there would be about 12 weeks per year where teachers are very happy to be teachers. That's anywhere from eight to 10 weeks of pure happiness more than most other careers.

Originally Posted by First Lady

The vast majority of people I know, quite like the work they do. And the ones who aren't happy tend to move on and find something they do enjoy.

So? If teachers are so dissatisfied they can leave, too. They aren't slaves.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I guess we can add teachers to the list of things Sliver hates. Dog teachers must scare the living #### out of you.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Oh First Lady, CP's own Sarah Palin.

Where did this come from??

It's meaningless without comparing it to other fields as well as an average of workers in general. Maybe 33.33% is an awesome number and other employers aspire for such a low figure.

Findings from a study can still be of value and discussed without doing comparisons to other similar studies.

And how did it go from "nearly 30%" (which is actually 29% or less) to 33% in two posts?

Yeah, my bad. I was reading several articles on it. One used phrase of "nearly one third".

And "thinking about quitting" and quitting are two different things. It's a vague concept you've introduced here. I think about quitting and moving to Lake Louise to snowboard for my life all the time. Will I actually? No. Does it mean I'm dissatisfied with my job? Yeah, sometimes I'd trade it all for a snowboard and a lift ticket. But by and large I'm content with where I am, which is why I stay. I imagine it's much the same for teachers.

Plus, it'd be interesting to ask your question every week for 52 weeks. I have a feeling there would be about 12 weeks per year where teachers are very happy to be teachers. That's anywhere from eight to 10 weeks of pure happiness more than most other careers.

So? If teachers are so dissatisfied they can leave, too. They aren't slaves.

I'm not disagreeing with you. Was merely point out a recent study that teaching may not be as rosy as you make it out to be.

[Flash Walken]

I laughed at the Sarah Palin line.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I laughed at the Sarah Palin line.

So did I actually.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I guess we can add teachers to the list of things Sliver hates. Dog teachers must scare the living #### out of you.

I don't think he hates teachers, he's just pointing out that it's a pretty great gig, and he's right. I don't know if it would be my cup of tea personally, but it certainly has perks that no other job can offer.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by vmack

Hey, I'm looking to move to Calgary from Winnipeg to get some change and start up my life. I'm 22, single no kids. I currently have a Kinesiology degree (which is pretty much useless I'm finding). Took it since I was a university athlete and I needed to take something.

I'd rather go to a school like SAIT and not U of C (don't even think I have the grades to get in). Don't know if I'd be cut out for engineering, but I am interested in business (accounting and finance) or even the medical programs (which are crazy competitive apparently).

Any suggestions or ideas on what I should look at? Obviously I'd want something that has a decent starting salary that I could get by on

See what you started.............

Salary is subjective. What I can get by on is different than you.

What do you enjoy, can what you enjoy be turned into a job/career?

[Ozy_Flame]

Back on topic, I recommend coming into the IT field. You're young, single, probably willing to travel a bit and motivated to take on projects.

Go get some two-year IT degree at SAIT and come into the IT consulting world. Get some junior experience with a consulting firm for the oil companies, and then go out on your own independent contracting. Great money, never really have to work past 5, and you can call your own shots.

Plus, you're probably male and from Generation Y/Z, which makes you an ideal candidate for getting a head-start on looking at a screen for 8-10 hours per day

[opendoor]

I could definitely see a large number of teachers being dissatisfied for various reasons. Some because they're simply not cut out for it, but even the good ones have likely seen their work conditions deteriorate over the years. More kids with special needs or behavioral issues are just being thrown into classes and being disruptive and some parents that increasingly view teachers as babysitters and absolve their children of any blame for pretty much anything.

Sure if you have great students who are willing to learn and involved parents it can be an easy job, but if you're an elementary teacher that gets stuck with a nightmare class and parents that blame you for everything their kid does wrong for an entire year, it can be hell. Imagine the dumbest and most ignorant parents (or children) you can think of, and somewhere some teacher has to deal with those people in a respectful and tactful manner regardless of how they're treated. There's a reason many choose to forgo the higher pay of the public system to work in private schools and that's because many of those issues don't come up.

There's also little room for career advancement unless you want to get into administration or perhaps curriculum design stuff. You could be in the top 1% of all teachers in the province but you're still getting paid the same as the bottom 1% assuming they have the same level of experience and education.

The trade offs are worth it for most teachers, but it's not always as rosy as some people like to suggest.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by valo403

I don't think he hates teachers, he's just pointing out that it's a pretty great gig, and he's right. I don't know if it would be my cup of tea personally, but it certainly has perks that no other job can offer.

True, and I'm just kinda poking fun at him a bit. At the same time, do you remember what we were like between the ages of 6-18? Teachers don't have it as easy as is suggested, they deal with a lot of crap too. And only the bad teachers jobs go 8-4, most good teachers do spend a decent amount of their own time marking papers, prepping lessons etc.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by opendoor

I could definitely see a large number of teachers being dissatisfied for various reasons. Some because they're simply not cut out for it, but even the good ones have likely seen their work conditions deteriorate over the years. More kids with special needs or behavioral issues are just being thrown into classes and being disruptive and some parents that increasingly view teachers as babysitters and absolve their children of any blame for pretty much anything.

Sure if you have great students who are willing to learn and involved parents it can be an easy job, but if you're an elementary teacher that gets stuck with a nightmare class and parents that blame you for everything their kid does wrong for an entire year, it can be hell. Imagine the dumbest and most ignorant parents (or children) you can think of, and somewhere some teacher has to deal with those people in a respectful and tactful manner regardless of how they're treated. There's a reason many choose to forgo the higher pay of the public system to work in private schools and that's because many of those issues don't come up.

There's also little room for career advancement unless you want to get into administration or perhaps curriculum design stuff. You could be in the top 1% of all teachers in the province but you're still getting paid the same as the bottom 1% assuming they have the same level of experience and education.

The trade offs are worth it for most teachers, but it's not always as rosy as some people like to suggest.

What you described is pretty much the reason I got out.

[vmack]

Thanks guys. Teaching is something I've always considered, and since I'd be a gym teacher it would probably be a bit more enjoyable.

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

See what you started.............

Salary is subjective. What I can get by on is different than you.

What do you enjoy, can what you enjoy be turned into a job/career?

Salary is subjective yes. I'd love to be getting in around 50k out of school (may be a stretch). I enjoy sports. Not easy to make a career there, I also enjoy training and working out (hence the kinesiology degree). I don't mind Personal Training but the hours blow, I have looked into a few places for Facility manager positions though. I'm willing to go outside of my hobbies realm for work and keep my hobbies as hobbies.

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Back on topic, I recommend coming into the IT field. You're young, single, probably willing to travel a bit and motivated to take on projects.

Go get some two-year IT degree at SAIT and come into the IT consulting world. Get some junior experience with a consulting firm for the oil companies, and then go out on your own independent contracting. Great money, never really have to work past 5, and you can call your own shots.

Plus, you're probably male and from Generation Y/Z, which makes you an ideal candidate for getting a head-start on looking at a screen for 8-10 hours per day

lol well I am good at staring at a computer. I'll check out what they have for programs and see if its something I may be interested in

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Brewmaster

Being a teacher is like winning the lottery? Not sure if you're serious or just trolling here. Either way, I'll take the bait. Teaching is a good profession but they are not working 3/4 of a typical work day. The hours teachers put in are long and don't end when the students leave.

As the son of a teacher, ex-boyfriend of two teachers, and brother in law of another teacher, what Brewmaster is saying is correct. They arrive before students, leave after students and work at home during some evenings and some weekends. The summers are great, especially when you have kids, but I would estimate that all four of the teachers I mentioned work more hours in a given week than I do as a Chartered Accountant. Plus, they have to work with children, which is about the worst thing in the world, and get paid substantially less than I do. There is not one day where I would ever want to trade places with them. I have a ton of respect for good teachers, and I think it's a crappy job. I'm thankful there are people in the world who want to teach.

[peter12]

Find a decent 2-year program at SAIT (OxyFlame suggested IT) and get on with your life. There is no excuse to parlay your inexperience into a wasted two years of grad school. Tech schools will basically guarantee you results.

[vmack]

Originally Posted by peter12

Find a decent 2-year program at SAIT (OxyFlame suggested IT) and get on with your life. There is no excuse to parlay your inexperience into a wasted two years of grad school. Tech schools will basically guarantee you results.

exactly my thoughts.
Just not sure what to go after. IT definitely can be interesting.
Would someting like the SAIT Business Admin (Accounting) program be worth while? I could always go back to finish up the Bachelors at SAIT as well later on. Do you think I could get a job with just the diploma? Otherwise IT has high job prospects right? What would be the best major to take in it?

[SHOGUN]

Originally Posted by vmack

exactly my thoughts.
Just not sure what to go after. IT definitely can be interesting.
Would someting like the SAIT Business Admin (Accounting) program be worth while? I could always go back to finish up the Bachelors at SAIT as well later on. Do you think I could get a job with just the diploma? Otherwise IT has high job prospects right? What would be the best major to take in it?

If I were you I would strongly consider Nursing,there's an after degree program at U of C... in my class there's a lot of Science and Kines majors. The program is 24 months straight, there's no spring or summer breaks in between semesters, therefore you're completing the degree as fast as possible in the shortest amount of time. The GPA requirement is around a 3.00-3.30... depends how many applicants are there in that cohort.

I don't know you personally, but from reading your opening post about being interested in the medical field.. it sounds like a perfect fit. Also, the perks of being one of few males in the class is awesome. Plus most of instructors I spoke to consider male nurses highly touted after graduation.

I strongly recommend you check into it. I just started my first semester this January as a transfer student and have been enjoying it.

[vmack]

Originally Posted by SHOGUN

If I were you I would strongly consider Nursing,there's an after degree program at U of C... in my class there's a lot of Science and Kines majors. The program is 24 months straight, there's no spring or summer breaks in between semesters, therefore you're completing the degree as fast as possible in the shortest amount of time. The GPA requirement is around a 3.00-3.30... depends how many applicants are there in that cohort.

I don't know you personally, but from reading your opening post about being interested in the medical field.. it sounds like a perfect fit. Also, the perks of being one of few males in the class is awesome. Plus most of instructors I spoke to consider male nurses highly touted after graduation.

I strongly recommend you check into it. I just started my first semester this January as a transfer student and have been enjoying it.

thanks man I'll check it out

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

I am a million years out of school so what do I know about starting out anymore, but I would not rush to jump back into school if you don't know what you want to do. You are going to have half a dozen 'careers' in all likelihood so I would worry less about ms right and find ms right now.

You already have a degree so a corporate gig should not be out of reach. Think about a job in sales or somewhere you can meet different folks from different business and get to know what they do. Get paid while you figure all this out. And make tonnes of contacts. Then when you go get specific training you'll be halfway to the next career already.

Just a thought.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

I am a million years out of school so what do I know about starting out anymore, but I would not rush to jump back into school if you don't know what you want to do. You are going to have half a dozen 'careers' in all likelihood so I would worry less about ms right and find ms right now.

You already have a degree so a corporate gig should not be out of reach. Think about a job in sales or somewhere you can meet different folks from different business and get to know what they do. Get paid while you figure all this out. And make tonnes of contacts. Then when you go get specific training you'll be halfway to the next career already.

Just a thought.

eeeehhh I'm not so sure it'll be so easy, but depending on personality, network and who-ya-know, grades, the degree could work. Likely not just that easy though if you're working with a Kinesiology degree (sorry... but... honest in my opinion). I can see why the OP would want to upgrade slightly.

If you like money... there are lots of jobs. Consider:

Photography (seriously)
Plumbing
Electrician
Welder
Rigs..
SAIT 2 yr technical programs...
Nursing is better for men than people think

there's lots of jobs! Also as for personal trainer thing... that also might not be too shabby if you're interested in that stuff and know what you're doing.

[TSXCman]

Join Date: Mar 2013

Sure did score a lot of info about being a teacher for just joining