Personal Experience?

[bubba]

All these college guys are enough to give an uneducated old truck driver an inferiority complex. My advice is take a year or two off and try a few different things even if they don't pay well at the entry level. If nothing else it give you a sense of what you don't like to do. My observation is by high school graduation most kids are overloaded with studying and can use the time away from the classroom to get a little balance. That said, a year or two is about the limit if you want to continue your education because much more than that and you tend to lose your study habits. Use that time off from school to find your passion. If you really love to do something chances are you can find someone to pay you for what you know and do. You have a whole lifetime ahead of you and you can count on changing your career at least a few times so stay open to possibilities. Pick up a bit of as many skills as you can, it's never wasted. As an example, I spent most of my life driving a truck, but I know how to wire a house, plumb it, do rough and finish carpentry, raise a garden, and many other practical things, even make clothes. I've used all those skills at one time or another even if for my own satisfaction rather than as a job. The guys have given you alot of more specific advice, I'm just giving you a general view from my observations and experience. Best of luck, take your time and enjoy the ride.

[Colin]

All these college guys are enough to give an uneducated old truck driver an inferiority complex. My advice is take a year or two off and try a few different things even if they don't pay well at the entry level. If nothing else it give you a sense of what you don't like to do. My observation is by high school graduation most kids are overloaded with studying and can use the time away from the classroom to get a little balance. That said, a year or two is about the limit if you want to continue your education because much more than that and you tend to lose your study habits. Use that time off from school to find your passion. If you really love to do something chances are you can find someone to pay you for what you know and do. You have a whole lifetime ahead of you and you can count on changing your career at least a few times so stay open to possibilities. Pick up a bit of as many skills as you can, it's never wasted. As an example, I spent most of my life driving a truck, but I know how to wire a house, plumb it, do rough and finish carpentry, raise a garden, and many other practical things, even make clothes. I've used all those skills at one time or another even if for my own satisfaction rather than as a job. The guys have given you alot of more specific advice, I'm just giving you a general view from my observations and experience. Best of luck, take your time and enjoy the ride.

Sounds like a good idea, but unfortuantely it is an outdated one these days Bubba. I know, I did just that. The rate of university students in BC is huge nowadays. BC has also become a climate where you need a degree or trade to get any good job these days. The provincial governement has not made it very appealing to just enter the job market. I worked crappy manual labor jobs for 10 years before I started taking classes again. Learning a trade (a very short amount of time) will give you something to hold onto while you are learning what you enjoy doing and the means to pursue that dream.

What is the rule of thumb now? People will change their careers at least 3 times in their working life"? If that is the case it is better to have a safety net.

[GlassMan]

Well, I guess I'll throw in my two cents here.

I went to University straight out of High School because the only things I had ever considered wanting to do at that time required degrees. When I first showed up at Yale I thought I'd go into economics, but that quickly changed to History. I would up doing Medieval European Economic History with a secondary focus on Art History. I was extremely satisfied with my time at school and wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Following my bachelors I went straight on for doctoral study. And in regards to the comments people have made about PhD candidates often loosing sight of the rest of the world, I resembled that remark!

However I totally lost the desire to become an academic after seeing the lives of my faculty adviser and his fellow department members at Harvard. They were the biggest bunch of stuck-up snobs with bad attitudes that I'd ever met. I hated it. :x

So I left and went into what I guess qualifies as a trade - firefighting. However, even in that profession my good solid liberal arts education (with lots of other disciplines studies besides my major including sciences, mathematics, foreign languages, etc.) served me very well and I rapidly became one of the most relied upon members of the department.

And now I make stained glass, another profession that required an apprenticeship. But all my studies continue to help me because I am much better able to communicate with my customers and guide them through the design process than many of my competitors. I also understand the basic science behind what we do much better which helps me make improvements others have not even considered.

If you have even the slightest inkling of taking up a profession that requires University, I say go for it. Even if you wind up in a trade later, that education will still be helpful for you in the long run.

BTW, I have a friend who graduated with me from Yale and he now works as a carpenter! He's extremely satisfied with his life and doesn't regret having gotten a degree.

[Jerry]

Hey Jewddha *sounds sorta like a Beatles song). Here is another suggestion for a trade if you choose not to go to college. "Air conditioning and refridgeration mechanic" With the latest requirements of certification to handle refridgerants, those guys can nearly name their own salary. The downside to that trade is that they are often up in an attic during the hottest times of the year.

[bubba]

Sounds like a good idea, but unfortuantely it is an outdated one these days Bubba. I know, I did just that.

Colin, it's a case of what goes around comes around. Doing that was considered obsolete in the US too, but what with the economic situation it's back in favor again.When I was growing up the rule was a rich man goes to college and a poor man goes to work. I left high school in my junior year to go to work.

[Colin]

Colin, it's a case of what goes around comes around. Doing that was considered obsolete in the US too, but what with the economic situation it's back in favor again.When I was growing up the rule was a rich man goes to college and a poor man goes to work. I left high school in my junior year to go to work.

The main difference there, is that here in BC we are in the middle of an economic boom. You almost need a degree before you apply working at Subway these days. One of the other issues in BC is that a large group of the population has gone on to post secondary education and upped the standard. I met with numerous roadblocks due to my lack of formal education when I first tried to get out of the shipping/receiving business. With the increase in university students and degrees hitting the workforce, the major cities in BC have really taking a nose down approach at blue collar workers in the past decade. We are just now starting to see that these people will soon be in short supply, and now the government and industry is putting alot of effort into training tradespeople. As it stands right now (especially with the Olympics coming in 4+ years) if you have a trade ticket you can almost name your price.

Canada also differs from the US in that our post secondary education may be funded differently. BC has some of the higher tuition fees right now, but they have not been raised in some time. With the number of post secondary facilities in BC (universities, trade schools, colleges) it is within almost everyone's grasp to obtain further education. I was one of the few people I know that did not go back to school right away. However I have taken several business courses since and may actually go back to school part time in the near future. In my mind education is not a human right (after all how many people don't have the opportunity to get a basic education), but it is a privelige I hope to take further advantage off in my life.

Slightly off topic, but my oldest nephew (on my wife's side) is a US citizen. When he applied to go to University in the US instead of Canada, one of the things that suprised us all was that when he signed for a student loan, part of the deal was that he was consenting to a draft should there every be one. Whether this is an isolated example or not, I am not sure.

[Jerry]

Hey, Mike, your description of your son as an Instrument Tech (Musical instruments) makes me laugh. Not at your son, but because when my youngest daughter had to tell her class what her father did and she told them I was an instrument tech, they wanted me to come by and tell them about working on guitars and such. I had to send a note explaing that I worked on industrial instrumentation, not musical instruments. The guys in the shop i retired from would get a kick out of this because they have all been asked about musical instruments at one time or another

[Riverkilt]

Hey Jewddha,

Congrats on the impending graduation.

My suggestion is go take some of those free career tests, or read What Color is Your Parachute? to see what you're interested in.

Tests are easy, "do you like dirt?" "Do you like to fly?"

I'm supposed to be a jeep tour driver, but work as a therapist. There are a lot of similarities in that I show my clients things they might benefit from.

So its a general answer from the tests, but might help you narrow your choices. It can be overwhelming when the whole world is available to you.

Ron