What career would you suggest?

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by cracher

8 years out from a science degree puts him at sub-30 years old? That is a spring chicken with a tough degree under his belt.

Take your pick.

And, NuclearFart: repping sonographers, huh? I'm going to guess that you're with CDC and their expanding menu of U/S treats.

Funny you mention them specifically. I'm really not a huge fan of CDC and their excessively verbose, obviously cookie cutter reports with a useless list of >5 diff dx. Much better quality from the other guys, and in-hospital where I get to interact with the DI staff.

[Hack&Lube]

I would suggest doing something you enjoy, if not something you love. Incidentally, I have a small business and I have had resumes from engineers, doctors, and other professionals wanting to work here for minimum wage "just for fun".

[WilsonFourTwo]

Honestly, I think it's a terrible time to get into teaching. There is such a huge glut of teachers right now. Ontario, for example, has been churning out ~10,000 new teachers a year but only free up 5-6000 jobs through growth and retirements. Since this has been going on for a decade, the glut is massive. It appears that most province are in a similar situation.

As for Engineering or Health Care....

I think engineering (diploma or degree) is still a great career option if you enjoy the work. My only suggestion is that it not be geared specifically to oil and gas. It can be a very rewarding career and the pay (even outside the O&G sector) is excellent.

Overall, I would definitely lean more towards Health Care. The population is aging rapidly and the next 30-40 years will see a major boom in delivery. The major downside is if you'll doing the same scan/test procedure 8 times per day for 30 years. Of course, options to grow a career will appear over time....

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Sliver

If the thought of teaching appeals to him, go back to school for two years to get his masters of teaching. Only work 3/4 of a year, barely a full day, get amazing benefits, be fire proof, recession proof, and retire after a short career with full benefits and an amazing pension people in the private sector could only dream of.

Originally Posted by Amethyst

Anyone who goes into teaching for those reasons will spend his/her career being miserable or get out of the field within a couple years.

? I started my post with "If the thought of teaching appeals to him..." Isn't that exactly why a teacher should get into teaching - because they think they'd enjoy teaching? If you enjoy teaching, the perks make it the grand slam of careers.

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

In general I agree with your assessment on teaching as a career but your posts are over the top. The stress of working with beady eyed little snot nosed pukes who tell you to F off while they're surfing the web on their iphones as you deliver a class lecture you've worked on at for hours at home during those luxurious hours off the job would be enough for me to say they deserve some of the perks.

The pension though is out of control, no debate here on that.

There isn't a teacher in the world that puts "hours" of prep into every lecture. That's ridiculous. Also, I'm not talking about being a teacher in Compton. I'm pretty sure no teacher is being f-bombed in my kid's grade four class. She came home last year and told me some kid in her class said the f-word: fart. Plus, there's only one kid in her class with a cell phone and I make her leave it at home.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by WilsonFourTwo

Honestly, I think it's a terrible time to get into teaching. There is such a huge glut of teachers right now. Ontario, for example, has been churning out ~10,000 new teachers a year but only free up 5-6000 jobs through growth and retirements. Since this has been going on for a decade, the glut is massive. It appears that most province are in a similar situation.

As for Engineering or Health Care....

I think engineering (diploma or degree) is still a great career option if you enjoy the work. My only suggestion is that it not be geared specifically to oil and gas. It can be a very rewarding career and the pay (even outside the O&G sector) is excellent.

Overall, I would definitely lean more towards Health Care. The population is aging rapidly and the next 30-40 years will see a major boom in delivery. The major downside is if you'll doing the same scan/test procedure 8 times per day for 30 years. Of course, options to grow a career will appear over time....

Just a second here. A 50-60% chance of job placement is a bad thing? We should be weeding out half of the people that get their masters of teaching. They can't all be good. Plus, that hire ratio is amazing. I'd love those odds as I'd be 1000% confident I'd be better than half my classmates. That ratio shouldn't cause a competent person even a moment to pause for thought. I can tell you it's a lot better hire ratio than my English degree gave me, but I did fine.

[Titan]

Likes working with his hands? Fields like heavy duty mechanic and/or refrigeration mechanic would be quite rewarding in my opinion. Stuff always breaks and the guy that fixes it is a hero. Plus I understand the compensation is very good. Cue "Community" references.

[mrkajz44]

My only advice is to go back to university only if there is a positive pay off down the road. Consider:

1) x = Lost wages for 4 or so years
2) y = Cost of tuition, books, etc.
3) z = Increased salary with degree

"z" must be high enough to offset "x + y" within a reasonable time period. Most people never consider this when starting post-secondary education. Many people have great careers without post-secondary, and as some posters have alluded to, you can move around jobs and industries based on skill sets and experience; degrees are not as important as you move away from your early twenties.

[Imported_Aussie]

I have a friend in a similar situation to your bro, just less years out of school. She is half way through a Lab technician program, and that is the kind of job that is portable and you can work contracts. Could be a good option if he wants to/is prepared to be mobile?

I echo what everyone says about finding what you love, rather than what has jobs. The reality is that the job market is constantly evolving, and it is not the norm to pick one thing and just do it anymore. New careers emerge, old ones wind up.

Maybe what he needs to be better at is marketing his Science degree - what skills does he have that he has developed through Science curriculum that he can repurpose towards other tasks?

I work with a lot of university students going through this sort of stuff, and sometimes the best thing is to just keep active - make connections, learn more about careers that are out there, etc.

IMHO (even as someone employed at a post-secondary institution) coming back for a second undergraduate degree is only useful if
a) it is required for a professional field that you REALLY want to work in (e.g. Engineering, Nursing)
b) it allows you to boost your GPA for a professional degree not at undergraduate level (e.g. Law, Medicine)
c) you are going into a drastically different field and need that knowledge (e.g. an English grad who wants to be a programmer - go into Computer Science)

For many professions, rather than another undergrad, you can do certificates/diplomas, which are faster and much more industry-related.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

My only advice is to go back to university only if there is a positive pay off down the road. Consider:

1) x = Lost wages for 4 or so years
2) y = Cost of tuition, books, etc.
3) z = Increased salary with degree

"z" must be high enough to offset "x + y" within a reasonable time period. Most people never consider this when starting post-secondary education. Many people have great careers without post-secondary, and as some posters have alluded to, you can move around jobs and industries based on skill sets and experience; degrees are not as important as you move away from your early twenties.

Yeah, that's a key piece of advice for him to consider. The only exception would be if you guys have rich parents that will pay his way and give him a turbo boost to catch up to his peers (down payment on a house, car, pay for some vacations, etc.). I know people with rich parents that dicked around for 15 years while the rest of the group was working our 40-hours per week and they're exactly where we are or better. Nothing wrong with taking a leg up when you can get it.

[Tron_fdc]

Yeah, if you like working with your hands and fixing all kinds of "stuff" I would look at a millwright. They're always in high demand because the certification is so broad. Good potential to parlay into management as well.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Weird quote based on all the things I've seen you post about. Bottom line is that if a person chooses to switch careers and needs an undergrad to get it done, and can pay the bills, etc. while going to school to get that into that career, I'd say do it.

4 years ain't that big of a deal. I look at some people who skipped on the 4 yr degree who've been run around a bit by their companies because they are techs vs. full degrees, but are doing all of the work a degree person would do.

Yeah, if he is upgrading to go from tech to full, then, I agree. The pay-offs are measurable and undeniable. I am talking about an additional, non-advanced degree. Not sure it would pay off as the opportunity costs in wages lost would be very significant.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Just a second here. A 50-60% chance of job placement is a bad thing? We should be weeding out half of the people that get their masters of teaching. They can't all be good. Plus, that hire ratio is amazing. I'd love those odds as I'd be 1000% confident I'd be better than half my classmates. That ratio shouldn't cause a competent person even a moment to pause for thought. I can tell you it's a lot better hire ratio than my English degree gave me, but I did fine.

Many good young teachers spend years on substitute lists before they have the chance to get a permanent position. Calgary is supposedly not so bad, but in places like BC I have known numerous teachers who have spent over five years as a sub before getting a chance as a full time teacher. One very capable science teacher spent seven years as a sub before moving overseas to get work. Many have to go to the back of beyond just to get a position. How the teachers' union works is also a significant consideration as it may strongly affect hiring opportunities regardless of teacher quality.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Many good young teachers spend years on substitute lists before they have the chance to get a permanent position. Calgary is supposedly not so bad, but in places like BC I have known numerous teachers who have spent over five years as a sub before getting a chance as a full time teacher. One very capable science teacher spent seven years as a sub before moving overseas to get work. Many have to go to the back of beyond just to get a position. How the teachers' union works is also a significant consideration as it may strongly affect hiring opportunities regardless of teacher quality.

That does sound like a PITA. I'm just going by what I've seen with friends and family in Calgary, where they have all done well without jumping through any hoops.

In Ontario, though, a 50-60% job placement ratio still sounds outstanding to me, but I guess it depends on your frame of reference. With many degrees, there is no promise of a job at all. If my English degree friends had graduated with a 50%+ chance of a job in our field we would have been over the moon.

[wwkayaker]

I am a teacher/principal. Those of you speaking about the pension teachers enjoy sound misinformed. I am impressed if you do know the facts about the teacher pension, because I have no information about pensions in other fields. And the workload of teachers, that is another bee's nest I won't touch.

That being said, I am interested in engineering. One poster mentioned engineering being the worst decision of his/her life. I am looking into going back to school for engineering. I have done research into the different areas of engineering and I am leaning towards materials engineering. I am interested to hear from engineers on here about what the typical engineer's day looks like. (I don't mean to hijack this thread but, this question may serve the OP as well.)

[troutman]

My Dad always said don't make your hobby your job. You will end up hating your hobby.

I'm not sure he is right. I think being a fly-fishing guide, professional musician or astronaut would be kind of awesome.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by wwkayaker

I am a teacher/principal. Those of you speaking about the pension teachers enjoy sound misinformed. I am impressed if you do know the facts about the teacher pension, because I have no information about pensions in other fields. And the workload of teachers, that is another bee's nest I won't touch.

That being said, I am interested in engineering. One poster mentioned engineering being the worst decision of his/her life. I am looking into going back to school for engineering. I have done research into the different areas of engineering and I am leaning towards materials engineering. I am interested to hear from engineers on here about what the typical engineer's day looks like. (I don't mean to hijack this thread but, this question may serve the OP as well.)

Here are some rough numbers on my understanding of pensions. Will you please correct me if I'm wrong?

I've understood you will receive 70% (or is it 80%) of the average of your last five years in your job. Principals make around $125K in Calgary (I think, although maybe it's more like $140k). That means when you retire after 30 years (assume you started teaching at 23, so at 53 you work your last day), you would make $87,500 per year (adjusted for inflation, too) from 53 to around 90 (assuming that's when you die). That's a value of $3.2 million in today's dollars. On top of that, it's also my understanding that you will have full medical and dental benefits during that time, which also has a high monetary value. Finally, this pension is bulletproof since it's backed by the taxpayers. If it's underfunded, the taxpayers will top it off.

That, to me, sounds like a guaranteed stress-free retirement. You will never have to worry about money. Never have to worry about medical or dental care. Never have to watch the stock market. Never have to meet with your financial advisor and discuss going back to work. It's amazing. Am I wrong on any of that?

[blankall]

I feel your brother's pain. I graduated with a science degree and quickly found out that all the science orientated jobs involved academic bosses who wanted you to work for free.

I could see the writing on the wall at about age 25 and switched into law. My advice would be to try and find a field of work that allows him to put his science degree to more practical use.

If he can, I'd suggest getting into a good MBA program. That will open a ton of doors and provide him with connections he needs to market himself.

Beyond that I'd suggest going the technical school route. As others have said, jobs like respiratory therapists and various other technicians can be steady. It really depends on what he wants to do with his life. If he's happy with a 9-5 that tops out at 80k or so plus pension, then the technical school is the way to go. If he wants something more entrepreneurial than a MBA or professional type route would be better.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by wwkayaker

I am a teacher/principal. Those of you speaking about the pension teachers enjoy sound misinformed. I am impressed if you do know the facts about the teacher pension, because I have no information about pensions in other fields. And the workload of teachers, that is another bee's nest I won't touch.

That being said, I am interested in engineering. One poster mentioned engineering being the worst decision of his/her life. I am looking into going back to school for engineering. I have done research into the different areas of engineering and I am leaning towards materials engineering. I am interested to hear from engineers on here about what the typical engineer's day looks like. (I don't mean to hijack this thread but, this question may serve the OP as well.)

Engineering is a pretty wide ranging field allowing you to go from highly technical pure science stuff to being a manager and all the way in between.

I would say a fairly typical office job day would be an hour of meetings then work on your various tasks you have to accomplish. What those tasks are is where the variance comes in.

I think one problem with engineering when you start discussing career paths is that many engineers would like to sit and think about solutions to problems, figure out if they will work, then let someone else actually implement them. The problem is that implementing the solutions is 80% of the effort. So most people end up being people managers regardless of their actual skills or role and pulled away from the from technical part.

The key becomes finding the right job with the right boss and the right work.

[bomber317]

DraftKings/FanDual specialist

you can diversify between sports, you are your own boss, and your pay is incentive based.
/s

[peter12]

Take an Arts degree. Read tough books. Learn a new language. Maybe some business courses. Find yourself pretty much qualified for every marketing and comms job out there. Enjoy reading fine things at home, and generally, having a delightful level of engagement with the world you live in.

Forget engineering. Look at the way engineers talk. It is deplorable.