What careers would you steer young people into?

[BobM]

Prime Minister, it seems you don't need any practical knowledge or skills just nice hair

[Bushrat]

Originally Posted by SamSteele

I'm sure many will disagree with me, but working a job that you are passionate about and love is a luxury that is rarely found in other parts of the world.

Rarely found anywhere....

I would say get into any job field that will provide medical, dental, sick days, and a pension. A solid Gov't job or company large enough, somewhere that has a ladder to climb and chances of advancement.

Give kids good guidance and encouragement. Set a good example. Way too many kids grow up without it or worse have bad examples, bad guidance and are left spinning their wheels totally unprepared when it's time to leave the nest for school or career.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Just like in the movie Graduate, son I have only one word of advice for you. "Diesel" Our entire Canadian economy runs on resource extraction. Every Kennworth truck, D8 cat, backhoe, skidder, fellar buncher, mining rock truck etc etc has to be repaired and costs alot when not working. Diesel heavy duty mechanic. High wages and lots of work!

[purgatory.sv]

As some have alluded to a complete high school education is a good start,after that it's separating peer pressure and staying true to gaining knowledge.

For now we still need people for service,how service is defined is open for interpretation.

[260 Rem]

My initial recommendations were all based on making a decision based on getting into fields where technology is expanding. A few thoughts/comments to add.

First, it used to be...perhaps still is?...that when asked about who most influences their career decisions...will report "my parents". So good advice is for parents to start doing the research long before their kids are in high school. Don't kid yourself, they are listening!

Focus more on getting them started in a "first" career as at least half will need to move to a "second" within their working lifetime. Try to anticipate, what jobs may not be around for a long time...and what related career might be a logical fall back. (The Aircraft Controller (and even Pilot) suggestion could be a good example of a career that is one that may fade given that some airports/aircraft are already set up for "self landing" ...with equipment effectively communicating with other equipment.

Instill in kids the acceptance of "you need to go where the work is". Maybe, they are already ahead of their parents in that regard, connected "by device" to friends and family?

Talk to kids about life after work, about pensions... Again, They may not appear to be, but they are listening.

[Okotokian]

I would preface this by saying that the first priority is that the young person is interested in the field. It takes a heck of a lot of money to make you satisfied with a job you hate. Not sure there is ever enough $ for that.

But for someone math and technical oriented, I'd say engineering. Good salary, always needed, always will be needed, can work in a lot of different industries.

Environmental careers. Obviously that is growing.

[aulrich]

Working your “passion” is the way universities suck you in to buy a degree with a name that ends in “studies.” And the kid ends up with 40k of loans and a job where they ask folks if they need room for cream in their coffee.

Further up a post mentioned that doing a personality test was for the high performers, I disagree with that, since understanding yourself is useful for everyone and when you go through the list of jobs that could fit you something might trigger in your kid. There are thousands of types of jobs out there.

I am in the middle of launching my three boys and this is what I learned up to now

I wish they changed their socks and much as they changed their mind about “what they want to be”. Related to that don’t let your kid back off in high school keep the options open . More than once i have seen kids dinged with I going to be this so I don’t need to take this 30 level class. Then the plan changes and they find out they are missing a prerequisite and either abandon the plan or delay it a year for upgrading.

Debt like everywhere else in life debt is a dangerous thing, you need some but you can screw yourself. Working a year, and other things can be done to keep the student load down.

The trades are a valid options, but really only the ticketed ones. For the guys I grew up with it took a long time for the university guys to catch up with the guys who went to the trades the big down side is that now that we are in our 50’s half of the trades guys are physically busted down so if you do the trades thing you need to be both lucky and careful

If your kid does a general degree science, business look into doing a certificate to add on to that to use as a wedge to break into the work world. General degrees just don’t give you any salable job skills that certificate is what you use to get some saleable job skills and you build from there.

[wags]

Originally Posted by sns2

This likely comes as no surprise, but times are changing so darn fast, that educators openly admit that we do not know what jobs we are preparing our kids in kindergarten for.

With that in mind, I think it would be interesting to hear what fields you folks are encouraging your kids, or young people in your circle, to consider as viable, well paying, and stable careers.

I have a daughter entering grade 12 who I am urging to consider a career in the medical field, likely nursing, as with the aging population, job prospects will likely continue to be good, it pays fairly well, and offers the opportunity for changing directions within the field.

What are you guys encouraging your young people to consider?

- healthcare
- IT
- Robotics
- renewable energy

Cheers

[CMichaud]

Enable them for success.

Have them learn Mandarin and they will have many many options going forward.

[bessiedog]

Bio mechanical interfacing.

Genetic design

Nanotechnology

Remote 3D manufacturing

Fintech IT services

Big data analyst

These are some of the up and coming fields I've been looking at.

Has anyone heard of theses jobs?:

Front end audience experience engineer

Entry level full stack engineer

People-culture coordinator

Audience data analyst

Creative strategist


Engagement editor


All these jobs are currently being posted on a new media site

...... not sure we train for that in Highschool.



Our kids need to be flexible, adaptable learners.....

[raab]

Kids should try lots of jobs while theyre young to find something they like. Once they find something they like they should ask if they see themselves doing the job at 55-65 years old depending when they plan to retire? If they cant see themselves working the job until that age then they shouldnt plan on it as a career. Also talk to people in the careers they have interest in. You can usually job shadow someone for a day if your thinking about going to school for something. It amazes me that people will go drop 20k on a course and not even know if theyll like the job theyre being trained for.

As for recommendations Id say entrepreneur. You have control of how much you make, how much you work, dont have to worry about lay offs, and if your good you provide jobs to other people. If thats the route they want to take then dont go to college. Take the college money and invest in a business and find someone to learn from.

[David Henry]

My wife says there's going to be a real shortage of Tattoo Removal technicians in the future. Think about all that saggy flesh in the years ahead and the vanity of those that adorn themselves. As for me, I'm going to sell buckets at the seniors lodge for folks with weak stomachs. D.H.

[elkhunter11]

The Mes is a nurse, and she does not recommend nursing as a career. Nurses are understaffed, overworked, and the compensation is not great for the work, and for the investment in your education. I would recommend trades like millwright or instrument tech, as there always seems to be a shortage of good tradesmen. As well, you can work most of the year earning money, and some companies even pay their employees while they are in school. The industrial safety field is also a good career to consider.

[SamSteele]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

Environmental careers. Obviously that is growing.

Environmental jobs have one of the worst education debt:salary ratios around. Need a $40k degree to work in it but you get paid under $20 per hour to start. Takes a lot of years to pay the debt off at that rate.



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[Immigrant]

My career councillor told me to go "explore" for a few years. He had no idea what to tell me to do. I worked various jobs, not your average waiter jobs, stuff like tobacco farming, wildlife capture, transport, construction etc. one job opened a door to another job.Then I thought I was ready to go back to school. I churned out two masters degrees, and to this day have not used my degrees to find a job or to do my job. I don't feel that I wasted my time or money getting the degrees. It was an experience that taught me to prioritize and persist in order to achieve something
I strongly believe "life experience" is very important. It helps you to see things in a different perspective that book smart people cannot see. It is something you cannot read in books and it cannot be taught in class.
My point is this. You cannot keep a good man down. I am sure your daughter will be good in anything she does, no matter what she chooses. There is no magic formula that will guarantee success and happiness. As long as she keeps an open mind and know when to recognize opportunity, doors will keep on opening till she reaches a point in her life where she will be content.

[CDNPiper]

I've thought about this a lot for my kids who are still in Junior High. I'm combining my own experience and my wife's experience and that of many friends to steer my kids. I don't want them defaulting to a university education just for the sake of having a degree. If they are targeting a specific career like lawyer, doctor, engineer, nurse etc I'm good with university but I don't want them to blow 8 years getting a masters in a non-employable field.

If they were to go to NAIT or an equivalent for a Lab technician or Radiologic type career I don't think there will be a shortage of well paying jobs. With the aging population medical tests will be in high demand and these jobs usually come with a pension and good benefits along with some great vacation.

My wife unfortunately chose a career in a field that is dominated by small businesses. No pension, poor benefits and some sketchy practices... I however work at a big company and have full pension, great benefits and good vacation time etc. I'd not only look at the "job" but also look at the potential employers in the field... What do they offer? An example would be that my wife didn't get a day in Lieu for Canada Day this year because according to Provincial Labour Law it is not required if it falls on a Saturday. I however did and she had to take a vacation day. Also, she maxes out at 3 weeks vacation. I'm about to hit 5 weeks.

If she was to do it again she'd have gone into something related to Radiology but some guidance counsellor steered her into her current job.

At the end of the day my kids will decide for themselves if I raise them right but hopefully they don't ignore my advise. I didn't ignore my parents and am glad I didn't.

[duck duck goose]

Math, Science, Art, or Music.

These fields are constantly expanding and offer limitless opportunities to the creative mind. Encourage her to pursue one of the fields that most interests her as things will change so much in the next 5 years that she in in school there will be opportunities in these fields opening that people haven't even thought of yet.

Is she more analytical and calculating, or abstract and creative? Analytical = math/science. Abstract = art/music.

Pursue the passion, not the position. If she chases what interests her, she will find a way to make a living at it.

[jaylow?]

Instrumentation , electrical work. Im a long time union metal worker / fabrication and its been busy but its hard not to notice the impacts of automation and cheap foreign labor. the little bites it takes year over year starts to add up.

[jstubbs]

I'm currently working towards a Bachelors of Commerce degree at the U of A. If anyone has any questions about the program for their kids, let me know. Personally, I think it's a fantastic program for anyone who isn't sure what they want to pursue for the future. First semester they pair you up with three other random first year business students, and then instruct you to put together an entire business plan document (25+ pages) of a business idea you thought of, and make you write every little detail of how it will operate, etc. Then you have to do a 15 minute presentation on it infront of two judges. From that project alone I learned an immense amount.

[Dewey Cox]

Pharmacy technician.
2 year course, and you can work in the hospitals, and make that fat public sector money.
(My wife is one, and so is her sister.)

[recce43]

geology environmental sciences what my oldest took
my other daughter wants to go to culinary school
the boy wants to join the military

[Unregistered user]

51 posts before someone mentioned the military. Interesting.

[2011laramie]

Originally Posted by Unregistered user

51 posts before someone mentioned the military. Interesting.

What kinda wages are paid for a military career?

Googled it looks like 50-110 depending on ears of service and rank

[liar]

politics . you cant get fired no matter how badly you screw up

[79ford]

I hard to say here is any correct way to steer younger people...... i use to work seasonally and run my own little business and loved it. Now hat i am older i dont mind what ive been at for the last 6 or 7 years working for the man all year round getting steady pay etc. Through the work i do now i found out I get a rush out of firefighting and had i known that 14 years ago i may have been all over it..... but at that age never ever even thought about it.

I dont even think some one can truly predict with certainty what they themselves would enjoy for a career even as an adult.

Probably directing your kid towards stability or something lucrative is a good idea....if you got money and something stable you can always try something else, if you are broke and have unstable work you get trapped in places.

[recce43]

Originally Posted by Unregistered user

51 posts before someone mentioned the military. Interesting.

for every job in civil world there is pretty much a military equivalent.
pension after 20 yrs .
best friends you can have they have your back
it's not a career it's a life style

[Erik]

Originally Posted by jstubbs

I'm currently working towards a Bachelors of Commerce degree at the U of A. If anyone has any questions about the program for their kids, let me know. Personally, I think it's a fantastic program for anyone who isn't sure what they want to pursue for the future. First semester they pair you up with three other random first year business students, and then instruct you to put together an entire business plan document (25+ pages) of a business idea you thought of, and make you write every little detail of how it will operate, etc. Then you have to do a 15 minute presentation on it infront of two judges. From that project alone I learned an immense amount.

Not that I want to soak your budding optimism (that alone can pave a lot of roads for you and I'm being sincere) but wait til you get to the job market and learn the real lessons. Best of luck to you.

[Erik]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

Has anyone heard of theses jobs?:

Front end audience experience engineer
Entry level full stack engineer
People-culture coordinator
Audience data analyst
Creative strategist
Engagement editor


All these jobs are currently being posted on a new media site

...... not sure we train for that in Highschool.
Our kids need to be flexible, adaptable learners.....

Many of these sound like nonsense corporate political titles that are designed to keep a younger generation from rating poorly on an engagement survey. Frankly I see more an more of this and that's why I think a degree in Law or communications/marketing backed by a solid understanding of game theory and stats would elevate people.

[bessiedog]

Well.....

Upon researching...

These nonsense titles pay pretty damn good


40-70k US
Plus benifits

[Erik]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

Well.....

Upon researching...

These nonsense titles pay pretty damn good


40-70k US
Plus benifits

I'm not saying they don't come with decent pay or benefits. The top half of your list is where real money and real work with longevity is IMO.

The bottom half of your list, sound like jobs in which you are being manipulated or you are manipulating someone. They may be paid well, but they sound like places where you get the short end of the stick and are ever so replaceable. Just my perspective from work alongside a bunch of similar job titles and gazing into the future. That said it never ceases to surprise me about the sheer inflation of job titles that goes on so there's probably ongoing opportunity but you'd definitely need to be nimble in some of those areas.