Recommend Alberta career ideas to upcoming high school kids - what'll it be ??

[mattthegorby]

My 2 cents...

- If they have a dream, encourage them to follow it. Some folks do get to support themselves as hunting guides, actors, race car drivers, and playing video games. If they don't try they will always wonder.

- I have a daughter who is a nurse and one who is an aspiring nurse - I used to be a paramedic. If he is a gentle soul (can be rough on the outside) that likes taking care of people then health care is great. You need the right attitude. Also, if he wants to be a paramedic he should consider becoming a nurse and then challenge the paramedic exams. EMS is fun, but the burnout rate is really high and nursing has so many more career options and a university degree.

- If he pursues the trades, encourage him to pursue a formal apprenticeship. Lots of guys in their 40's looking to get off the tools wish they had their ticket as a whole world of instructional, health and safety, maintenance, supervisory, govt., etc... jobs exist that you need a ticket for. You can also apply into some post-grad stuff with a 4 year red seal.

- If his interests take him into College/University general studies or something like philosophy, don't sweat it. A university degree is the new grade 12. Lots of folks working at Starbucks with university degrees, true, but nobody is working in the office I do without a degree of some sort and most of our degrees have nothing to with our field. That being said, the degree is required to ensure a minimum standard of writing skills, research skills, and ability to stick with and commit to something. A University degree is something you leverage with real world experience to get the job you want. Get a degree in english, volunteer at the SPCA, apply for a job coordinating volunteers at the humane society.

One last point, the future is about flexibility. Unless he goes the nurse route or gets into a fire dept., he is looking at a lifetime of reinventing himself. This is why getting a degree or trade ticket under his belt early on is good insurance for the future. Having a skillset that is not easily transferable is were the biggest risk is as the economy can shift or you hurt your back and all of a sudden you are desperate for anything.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by pitw

Great statement.

My parents tried planning my future and I fooled them by doing what I wanted instead.

Exactly....make your own way....parents give guidance, suggestions, pat on back when needed and kick in azz too.....

[RandyBoBandy]

Get a CUPE or AUPE job...not sexy but seriously you're SET FOR LIFE!! Not jealous, just sayin'

[HunterDave]

In grade 9 my Daughter did an aptitude test with a guidance counsellor at school. From there she chose courses that would enable her to pursue various different careers in university. Initially she thought about a career in healthcare but later decided on a business degree specializing in Human Resources. She’s been employed in an HR position for several years, loves her job and makes pretty good money.

Every kid is different......some want to work with their hands and others would rather work with their brains. One might want to have a lot of interaction with people and others not. IMO, the best place to start is with an aptitude test to see where their interests lie and explore the different careers that fit them.

[AndrewM]

Agree with aptitude testing as a great way to start. Just remember what company creates them. I had a pile of military options when I was in high school no matter how I modified my answers. Recommend they do what they love as long as they can make a career out of it to pay the bills. Hobbies and activities aren’t careers. Plenty of time to do hobbies on the side. If any interest in engineering in the oilfield, feel free to shoot me a PM and ask any questions you would like and I will do my best to help.

[mindoutside]

Robotics!

[MyAlberta]

Business, marketing, and sales. Be mobile.

[Jack fish hunter]

Hd mechanic pays well and **** always breaks.

[Digger1]

We just try to give our kids exposure to a wide variety of experiences, and let them take online tech courses etc to explore what they may want to persue. (Oldest is 14, planning on starting university level computer sciences online at 16). I don’t care what they do, as long as the skill is marketable in other countries in case the Trudeaus keep coming back to destroy us.

[MrPants]

If they are considering the construction field, the Construction Engineering Technology program at NAIT is great. Two years gets a good start on the management side and they could choose almost any path. Most get project coordinator or estimator jobs, but if they had a trade first or do one after they could get higher end jobs. Right out of the program you could expect 55-70k.

[Fish along]

Originally Posted by mattthegorby

My 2 cents...

- If they have a dream, encourage them to follow it. Some folks do get to support themselves as hunting guides, actors, race car drivers, and playing video games. If they don't try they will always wonder.

- I have a daughter who is a nurse and one who is an aspiring nurse - I used to be a paramedic. If he is a gentle soul (can be rough on the outside) that likes taking care of people then health care is great. You need the right attitude. Also, if he wants to be a paramedic he should consider becoming a nurse and then challenge the paramedic exams. EMS is fun, but the burnout rate is really high and nursing has so many more career options and a university degree.

- If he pursues the trades, encourage him to pursue a formal apprenticeship. Lots of guys in their 40's looking to get off the tools wish they had their ticket as a whole world of instructional, health and safety, maintenance, supervisory, govt., etc... jobs exist that you need a ticket for. You can also apply into some post-grad stuff with a 4 year red seal.

- If his interests take him into College/University general studies or something like philosophy, don't sweat it. A university degree is the new grade 12. Lots of folks working at Starbucks with university degrees, true, but nobody is working in the office I do without a degree of some sort and most of our degrees have nothing to with our field. That being said, the degree is required to ensure a minimum standard of writing skills, research skills, and ability to stick with and commit to something. A University degree is something you leverage with real world experience to get the job you want. Get a degree in english, volunteer at the SPCA, apply for a job coordinating volunteers at the humane society.

One last point, the future is about flexibility. Unless he goes the nurse route or gets into a fire dept., he is looking at a lifetime of reinventing himself. This is why getting a degree or trade ticket under his belt early on is good insurance for the future. Having a skillset that is not easily transferable is were the biggest risk is as the economy can shift or you hurt your back and all of a sudden you are desperate for anything.

Very inspiring thanks.

[operator john]

I am a Certified Millwright, but a 1985 downturn of the oil patch caused me to rethink employment.
I enrolled in a Water / Wastewater course, 32 years later I've never looked back.
Yes, having a trade ticket may have been a benefit.
Everyone needs clean drinking water and someone has to look after the waste.
Water Treatment requires chemistry and Wastewater requires biology.
Vocations to ponder. Cities don't lay-off Water and Wastewater Operators.

[Red Bullets]

Not mentioned... horticulturist or agricultural trades. Keeps the young connected to the dirt/land.

Growing foods, spices, ornamentals and smokables will always have opportunities.
Certified horticulturists are in demand and are making 100K+ in the new cannabis industry. I know of two female horticulturists that produce 250K a year growing herbs and spices for the food industry on 16 acres.

Growing veggies, fruits or flowers would be a nice stress free place to work every day. Lot's of the newer immigrants and millennials have plant based diets so the need will be there in the future.

[theycallmeNoah]

Originally Posted by operator john

I am a Certified Millwright, but a 1985 downturn of the oil patch caused me to rethink employment.
I enrolled in a Water / Wastewater course, 32 years later I've never looked back.
Yes, having a trade ticket may have been a benefit.
Everyone needs clean drinking water and someone has to look after the waste.
Water Treatment requires chemistry and Wastewater requires biology.
Vocations to ponder. Cities don't lay-off Water and Wastewater Operators.

I'm a chemical technologist thinking of going back to school to do this for the very reasons you listed.

[HeavyD111]

Might as well ask if you guys think the dope..er, Cannabis industry is here to stay? Med Hat is supposed to be getting a massive grow operation there, might be potential for career shift?

Seriously asking if people think this is a permanent industry or borderline fad?

[ESOXangler]

Originally Posted by HeavyD111

Might as well ask if you guys think the dope..er, Cannabis industry is here to stay? Med Hat is supposed to be getting a massive grow operation there, might be potential for career shift?

Seriously asking if people think this is a permanent industry or borderline fad?

Think about it this way.

It's been impossible to stamp out. The most powerful nation in the history of the world wasnt able to eliminate the industry. Millions of otherwise exemplary citizens chanced criminal charges for years to secure it. And now it's legal and available for purchase. Shes not going anywhere!

[jbrow397]

Coding, programming, scripting etc.

Electrical engineers

Computer engineers

Robotics engineers

[Sundog57]

Controls and Automation - either as a tech or as an engineer.
They are everywhere
As we move to autonomous transportation they are going to become more and more prevalent, more than they are already
Somebody's gotta keep all that sh*t running

[aulrich]

The key for high school is to have more than enough "-1's" to keep your options open. Too many time I have seen kids get through High School thinking I want to do X so I don't need Math or English or what ever and invariably they change there mind and end up screwing themselves because they don't have the prerequisites. Even if you think your doing trades the work ethic that you can start to develop by pushing yourself is a valuable life skill

The system makes it too easy to dance through and it just does not help the kids.

But do keep them away from "grievance" studies and English those are generally the hardest to turn into an actual job.

[bucksnbears]

Building trades.
With the vast majority of kids now fat and lazy, there WILL be a big demand in the future.

[Echo-Gecko]

Originally Posted by jbrow397

Coding, programming, scripting etc.

Electrical engineers

Computer engineers

Robotics engineers

x2

[leo]

Sprinkler fitter/ Elevator mechanic are both specialty trades that will always be around. Sprinklers more so because of them becoming code in new residential builds.

[mattthegorby]

Originally Posted by HeavyD111

Might as well ask if you guys think the dope..er, Cannabis industry is here to stay? Med Hat is supposed to be getting a massive grow operation there, might be potential for career shift?

Seriously asking if people think this is a permanent industry or borderline fad?

I do not think it is a fad... but I feel it is just another widget.

Growing produce in a high production environment is definitely a valuable and specialized skill-set, but those skills can likely adapt to different products and is really not a specific cannabis industry skill-set. That is not to say that a great deal of crop specific knowledge isn't needed, but I imagine this is very learnable by someone with experience running commercial greenhouses. Just like an experienced stick framer can learn steel framing and concrete forming in quick order.

Same thing working in sales... understanding the product is not that complex - definitely simpler than working at a gun counter and I know lots of experts in cannabis strains.

It is a bit of a fad though in that tons of pot smokers want to work in the industry and tons of new stores will continue to open as this rolls out. Though usage may not be a fad, I imagine that after the initial hurrah that there will be winners and loser for sure and things will need to stabilize.

(ps... I don't even smoke the stuff so take me views as uninformed opinion)

[Flatlandliver]

The list is endless.
Help them figure out what they want to do.
The sooner they can get on a career path rather then the “one job to the next” train the better.

That, or marry money.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by mattthegorby

I do not think it is a fad... but I feel it is just another widget.

Growing produce in a high production environment is definitely a valuable and specialized skill-set, but those skills can likely adapt to different products and is really not a specific cannabis industry skill-set. That is not to say that a great deal of crop specific knowledge isn't needed, but I imagine this is very learnable by someone with experience running commercial greenhouses. Just like an experienced stick framer can learn steel framing and concrete forming in quick order.

Same thing working in sales... understanding the product is not that complex - definitely simpler than working at a gun counter and I know lots of experts in cannabis strains.

It is a bit of a fad though in that tons of pot smokers want to work in the industry and tons of new stores will continue to open as this rolls out. Though usage may not be a fad, I imagine that after the initial hurrah that there will be winners and loser for sure and things will need to stabilize.

(ps... I don't even smoke the stuff so take me views as uninformed opinion)

In Alberta "SellSafe" is an online certification program you are required to have if you work full-time or part-time in a licensed retail cannabis store. I think it is a pretty basic application that is more concerned with people's criminal records.

To be a certified grower I would think you would need some credentials in horticulture or agriculture. Canada is even bringing in some educated temporary foreign workers to grow and improve production. Probably growers from places like Amsterdam. Instead of TFW's for the oil patch now it's the pot patch.

Medical marijuana will always be here aside from the retail pot industry.

Just for fun... Tell kids to get education in the sciences.. then they can get research grants to study elusive species like Alberta's bigfoot or the hairy parrot. They would get paid just to wander around looking.

[fed]

I’d say trades for the fact that who’s gonna build your new house or maintain your vehicle? Building a house has quite a few trades involved and the vehicle and heavy duty side of mechanics will never go away. Problem is though the oil and gas industry has a trickle down effect on both of them. No ones building much for housing in a downturn and they keep their vehicles longer. The older vehicles are always their but peaple have to have money to bring them to you. It’s a crappy situation all around. I’m in a shop that has a towing company out the other part. With the downturn he says it’s only gonna get worse for repos. I even jumped in a truck and went and did on for him when they where all out. I see Vehicles leaving the yard for auction every week pretty much.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by HeavyD111

Might as well ask if you guys think the dope..er, Cannabis industry is here to stay? Med Hat is supposed to be getting a massive grow operation there, might be potential for career shift?

Seriously asking if people think this is a permanent industry or borderline fad?

100% permanent

[Supermag]

Laser tattoo removal! It's going to be huge.