General

[BLINDMAN Pb]

Originally Posted by Bang*Bang**

Hello fellow Canadian and Walzmas Warrior.



Best advice (to me) so far:



They're right.



The reality is that only you will know what fits you best and you'll only learn that through experience. Experience usually means working or schooling. Schooling gives wider breadth in shorter time costing $. Working gives smaller breadth and costs you time but makes you $.



But if you want a suggestion; internet security.



May I submit the Career-Bingo-Venn diagram. I made a stupid long post then deleted it and made this instead.



Aim for the Unicorn.

Thanks, I really appreciate the graphic, helped me understand the moral so much easier.

[iKNOWaFATman]

So i started out in the trades(electrician) and when 2008 happened no one was building new houses so i had to make a carrer switch. I searched for something i could go anywhere with. found out about welding inspection and ndt.(non destructive testing.) Best decision ever. Perfect balance of smarts and labor. I went to a trade school for most of my NDT, and with exp in the field i was able to take my cwi( certified weldong inspector) license.

These certs are recognized world wide and i can go anywhwrr making up to 100's and hr depending on the gig. Sometimes you have to branch out from your comfort zone to really find your true potential.

[CrowsFeast]

A lot of people will tell you to take your passion and turn it into a career (like modifying cars? Be a mechanic at a performance shop. Like robots? Go into automation). While you could do that and it might even end up well, I wouldn't suggest it because it might wind up ruining that thing you were passionate about.

I know very little of CSIS and the other Canadian intelligence agencies (whatever they may be) but I expect most people who are interested in it don't realize how much of the job is likely to just be reports and data entry. People have already suggested the need for trade workers, and you've indicated that's not what you want to do (fine). Someone mentioned Engineering. I like my job and there is certainly almost always a need for decent engineers, but I don't think it pays as well as many people think it will (plus the education costs are higher).

An interesting thing to consider might also be whether you want to live in the countryside, a small town, or a city. Some jobs will certainly cross over but there are others that will lend themselves more to one place or another. Try browsing some tech papers/magazines to find new and emerging technologies. They're going to need professionals to support them and perhaps you can get in on the leading edge. It's likely to be a bit more of a high stress environment but also exciting; maybe that interests you.

The possibilities are endless, and I think that's what makes it intimidating and difficult to decide for a lot of people. Try to narrow it down in whatever ways you can to give yourself a few ideas, then re-evaluate those selections and see if there's a different path with a more interesting end for you.

Conversely you might start towards a given goal and tangentially find something else to head for. I started out looking to design aftermarket car parts to improve performance (Once I realized I was too old to become a Formula 1 driver ). That's a very narrow end goal and difficult to break into if you don't already know someone. Through my studies and coop I found that really as long as there's interesting mechanical design problems I'm pretty satisfied with my work.

[bellicose]

Originally Posted by iKNOWaFATman

So i started out in the trades(electrician) and when 2008 happened no one was building new houses so i had to make a carrer switch. I searched for something i could go anywhere with. found out about welding inspection and ndt.(non destructive testing.) Best decision ever. Perfect balance of smarts and labor. I went to a trade school for most of my NDT, and with exp in the field i was able to take my cwi( certified weldong inspector) license.

These certs are recognized world wide and i can go anywhwrr making up to 100's and hr depending on the gig. Sometimes you have to branch out from your comfort zone to really find your true potential.

If I had to change careers, I would seriously consider NDT. Where did you go to school?

[iKNOWaFATman]

Originally Posted by bellicose

If I had to change careers, I would seriously consider NDT. Where did you go to school?

I went to spartan in tulsa OK. 1 year vocational school. Qnd lifetime carreer assistance. They really are great. While over priced and knowing now i could have prob done it cheaper at different places, i regret nothing. Ndt is in such high demand i dont think ill ever be out of work, no matter where i decide to live.