Need some advice

[MCTFisher9120]

I know this is a long way off but my game plan is going to college. This year i am starting my final year in hi-school. Here is what i am not sure about: as money is going to be hard to get to i am considering taking a year off after hi-school to work and save up some money. I am also considering just jumping into college right after hi-school or taking a extra semester and gather up a few more credits.....not to sure. Also if any body on this board took out a student loan to pay for college, how does that work. I know that when you borrow money you will always need to pay it back....and them some. I am sure I will figure it out i would just like to hear some stories of how some of you "went their way" after hi-school. I just wish i could win millions on my 18th B-Day and fish for the rest of my life with noooo work......

 

 

Thanks,

Mike

Edited July 18, 2008 by Mike The Bass Fisher

[MoriaRiverMan]

Move to china and get a job............

 

 

First party till your eye's are bloodshot and red steady and liver twitches in pain.......... Get as many notches on your bed post while your young

 

Then move to china

[danbo]

Naw I tried that..you just end up full of remorse & bitter.

My free advice is: choose a trade , something you are really interested in. Then try to get real good at it.

All the other stuff can be dealt with on a priority basis.

[holdfast]

If I were you I would go to Tech school, Here's the Pros

 

Less Money

Less School Time

You only Learn What you Need to Learn

Canada Is Crying for Techs because the Baby Boomers are retiring, so Guaranteed Job

 

Out West there are not enough Carpenters, Welders, Nurses, Lab Techs, Mining Engineers, Surveyors, Pipe Fitters, Truck Drivers, Fast food survers, Roofers So on and So on.

 

As far as Student Loan is concerned, In Alberta you have to go to school there, You still have to be a dependant to your Parents, Also it aalso depends on what your Parents make. You have to pay the Loan off with interest once your COMPLETED SCHOOL.

Move Out WEST Young Man

[Greencoachdog]

Join the military first.

[MoriaRiverMan]

Dont move out west young man.......

 

Been there done that........

 

Not what its cracked up to be.........

 

Take a few years and see the world......... Travelling is great.

 

Might not have the time later in life.

 

Having a machinist ticket for me made finding work easy with good pay.

 

Down side being skilled jobs like trades carry more stress IMO.

 

 

Student loans are a great last resort. Make sure you pick a course that your 99.9% positive you are going to enjoy

Since you do have to pay the loot back.!!!

Edited July 18, 2008 by MoiraRiverMan

[modny]

a friend of mine is out west now. he hates it. he's beein out a couple times too..

[danbo]

He could get his A-Z License & drive Trucks.

[Greencoachdog]

... or you could go for a Liberal Arts degree!

 

 

... can you say "would you like fries with that?"

Edited July 18, 2008 by Greencoachdog

[muskymike]

I'd personally wait for John F. to respond. I swear I dont think I have read any better advice then he has given in a few posts.

 

I went to college for architecture. I found it very very simple and as long as I paid attention in class, well there was pretty much no after hours work. even with reports, just did everything on spare time between classes.

 

Trades are a great route, but working in the industry from a construction management point of view, they are always in need but they are always being laid off as well.

 

If you choose the university route, then so be it. you will make more money out of school and you are essentially training with more theory then anything with very little hands on experience.

 

Either way, even if you are not sure, after you complete whateer you take, you can always change your mind.

 

Good luck with whatever road you choose tho. as for the loan, i didnt have to worry about that as i worked pretty much from when school was done until midnight 6 days a week. 3 years of hell but it was worth coming out with no money being owed.

[danbo]

Funeral homes should be gettin' a steady flow! Dang..that ain't even funny!

 

How about Worker's Re-habilitation therapist? Or a Probation Officer?

[danc]

Move Out WEST Young Man

 

There's no need to move out west at all. Ontario's skilled workforce is mostly staffed by baby boomers. They've already started to retire. There's going to be so many job opportunities in Ontario soon that you can pretty much pick the job of your choice. Take tradesmen for example. Forecasts predict that Ontario will be short over 100,000 tradesmen by 2016. 80,000 short by 2012. Sure, there's jobs out west. But there's no fish there either. Stay home "Young Man". Ontario will be the province that everyone will be flocking to in less that a decade. Did I mention that we have fish in Ontario too?

 

Stick around Bud. You'll be just fine right at home.

[danc]

Trades are a great route, but working in the industry from a construction management point of view, they are always in need but they are always being laid off as well.

 

Probably about 10 months in layoffs for me in 30 years. We call that holidays.

[Master of Bait]

Hey Mike,

 

Good on ya for thinking about this stuff now - some foresight and planning is aways a good thing. I'd strongly recommend you go straight to school. Whether it's community college, university, technical/trades, etc., you just can't go wrong with educating yourself, period. Like many of the guys above have mentioned, the key is finding something that you like to do and going for it - everything else will fall into place. I think the risk of going straight to work is that, A) it's harder to go back to school after working and, you want to be the same age as all the cute girls at school!!!

 

The fact that young folks like you have a lot of options these days is both a blessing and a curse. There are far more options than there were even just a decade ago for chumps like me and that can make it hard to make the ultimate decision. Just do a little research and see what piques your interest. A great place to start is to check out the (somehwat) recent thread on what the board members do for a living.

 

As far as taking out a loan, my belief is that it's the best investment you'll ever make, hands down. OSAP is an Ontario Government-run program that allows you interest relief while you are in school (the clock on interest only starts ticking when you graduate). You could work a part-time job while in school and potentially take care of your loan as you go. Also, staying at home for school will probably cut your costs down by more than 50% (UOIT is in your home town, I believe). I know people who commuted from Toronto to Guelph three days a week to do their degree - saved them a bundle (and still will, even with current, brutal gas prices).

 

Anyway, in the end, I suggest you stay in school. The field of study you choose today will not necessarily lock you in for life - you can always go back like I did. I think that getting an education will stay with you for life, though, and you'll be real glad you went for it.

 

Best of luck!

 

MOB

[muskymike]

Probably about 10 months in layoffs for me in 30 years. We call that holidays.

 

haha Holidays. I never mentioned how long they are laid off for

 

I just see it in the bricklayers, framers and foundation builders a lot on our sites and a few other large builders.

 

we push them and they get bigger crews, when we are done, well we cut them off.

 

its not a nice story but its business.

[mkeyes]

I have kids your age and my advice to them was:

the market is being flooded with computer science techs and people with business degrees

what is really needed is plumbers and electricians

with those trades you can always open up your own business in the future if that is what you want

there is also a shortage of any profession in the medical field

if you don't think you could work with your hands and can do the sciences.

 

 

 

and the trucker thing hmmmm they work super long hours

not something I would want to do

I love having my fishing time lol

[The Urban Fisherman]

hey dude!

 

I'm only three years out of college. I took 1 year off after highschool to try out some trades (plumbing/heating/electrical) and to some save money for my education. I almost ended up becoming a plumber - what changed my mind? sewer back-ups and way to much digging.

 

I'm no expert but here's a few things I've learnt.

 

1) if you don't really enjoy school, don't take a break because it's hard to motivate yourself to go back (My best friend had to force me to write my application essay's for college)

 

2) If you're confident that you can jump back into the books after a year or so GO FOR IT! For a few reason's. My Little Bro-In-Law is 20 and has seen the world. There's various programs that allow you to travel and get university credits simultaneously. Also, as in my case - I was able to save some cash for school, and gain some serious life experience. I bought a house a few months back and have probably saved $10,000 or more in renovation labor costs. All stuff that I learned in a 1 year span after highschool.

 

3) Loans - they suck, but are a necessary evil for some. I worked at a bar for 1 semester and had a really hard time with my school work, so I quit. My parent's don't make a whole lot of money so I had to rely on OSAP to cover the costs of getting my education. Don't get me wrong, if there's no other options OSAP loans are better than not going to school, but if you can avoid it by working, do it. I ended up owing $21,000 and was paying $300 a month payments. Not bad, except $150.00 of that is INTEREST. I got lucky and scored a huge deal on my house so I tabbed on an extra $21,000 to my mortgage to cover my OSAP and poof, just like that it's gone. And I've still got a good $40,000 worth of equity left in the house. So, there's light at the end of the tunnel even if you do have to borrow a ton of cash.

 

4) If you're into trades - go for it, but don't do it just because there's always going to be jobs in it. I nearly gave up on pursuing a career in the television industry, and look at me now. 6 years later and I'm working for a freakin' fishing show!

 

Anyways - as others have said, good on ya for looking into things early - and don't hesitate to shoot me a PM if you have any questions. Again, I'm not expert, but I'd be glad to help out any ways I can.

 

Cheers,

UF

[Mike the Pike]

Yes the better option would be to stay in school but if school is not for you consider a trade.

 

I spent 13 years in the printing trade the last 8 years I have been a technical sales rep and that my friend is where you can make great money.

 

Sales is a great career if you are motivated.

 

Be wise Mike choose what you like to do .You get out of life what you put into it.

 

Best of Luck Young man

[Daplumma]

Join the Navy.It will change your life forever in a good way.In the states you can take courses and the govt pays for it.You can save up a bunch of money and use it for school after you get out.

Joe

[Victor]

Hi Mike,

 

I'm doing my 3rd year in the University of Waterloo right now so I might be able to help ya out a little. Lots of great advices have been said. I'll put everything down in point form ...

 

1) As others said, It would be better to not take time off school to work, unless you are absolutely confident that you will be able to get back into it after a year or so. It would be difficult to get yourself to go back to school once you start earning money.

 

2) For student loan, others have already mentioned OSAP. I worked as a lifeguard in highschool for 2 years or so and saved up a bunch. The government loan me around 10k and with my savings I got through first year without any problems. I'm in a co-op program so after first year I alternate between 4 months of work and 4 months of school. (Work is part of my program, I need to completely 6 work terms to graduate). Since then I earn enough during my work terms to fund for my schooling. You have to start re-paying your loan 6 months after you graduate, however, I have heard that they are very leaniant when it comes to that. If you send in a letter saying that you don't have the ability to fork out money at the moment they usually would extend your "interest free period". I am already saving up to pay it back and I will most likely be working right after I graduate so I don't worry about it too much.

 

3) Whatever you choose, choose something that you truely enjoy. Don't base your decision too much on "what's the hottest job right now" or "what's going to look like a great career". It might be true that it might be hard to find a job in a career that's already flooded with people in it, However, If you like it and enjoy it, you will do a much better job than others and it will give you an edge.

 

If you need more info/help, feel free to PM or something. I've always up for a talk.

 

Victor

[JohnF]

I'd personally wait for John F. to respond. I swear I dont think I have read any better advice then he has given in a few posts.

 

Thanks MM,

 

I'm just about to head out the door to hunt bass from Garry's Ranger so I'm pressed for time, but I've got a lot of thoughts on this kind of thing. I doubt that will surprise anyone.

 

I sometimes ponder on how I'd do it if I could do it all again, with the benefit of hindsight of course. Can't help but be a little, hell, a whole lot envious of these young guys with their lives ahead of them. It would be fun to do it all again, only do it smarter.

 

I'll be back in a couple of days and will for sure post some blather to bore any who take the time to read it.

 

JF

[fishinggeek]

Lots of good stuff here, and I thought I'd add my 2 cents. Considering going in straight after high school and working part-time to fund it. Your education is an investment, and you only have a fixed number of years you can work, so the earlier you get it done, the more return on it you can potentially make (assuming you're ready for college which it sounds like you are).

 

Regarding student loans, if you need them, they're a good thing. They help people go to school that would not have gone otherwise, so that can't be bad. Remember that the interest on OSAP has a tax shield, so you are effectively paying less than the interest rate by paying a bit less in income taxes (depending on your tax bracket), so the payments should hurt your wallet less. I wouldn't be scared of the OSAP interest if what you plan to study generates additional income for you after you graduate, which is usually does.

 

A lot of people seem pretty passionate on what occupation to do, such as trades, military, etc. Certainly these are honest, hard-working careers, and considering Canada's shortage in trades, you can make a very decent living. But no one knows you better than youself, so only you can really chose your own career path. People have tried to steer me into certain careers when I was younger too, and thank goodness I choose my own career path based on my preferences. Narrow your search into things you like to do, then see if they can give you a comfortable living. That is precisely what I did against the advice of some friends and family members, and now I have a very fulfilling career that provides me and my family a very comfortable living, likely far better than I would have done if I listened to others' advice.

 

Also remember that now people tend to have many jobs, often in multiple industries, throughout one's life. This is quite different than previous generations where one would work in the same company/industry until retirement. So you're not "sentencing" yourself to a career path by going to college. You can still learn a trade, join the military, go back to school, or whatever after your program.

[tbayboy]

Here's my 2 cents:

 

1. Don't go straight into university without a plan. Don't go simply because 'its what people do'. ESPECIALLY if you're going to have to borrow to do it. Not to make fun of some degrees but you probably don't have the option to switch plans every year - I have friends who I think are still bartending at U Waterloo and have 5 arts degrees under their belt. If your not sure what you want then look around first.

 

2. Don't ignore trades and college - as pointed out many times above. University certainly isn't the be all end all the high schools seem to make it out to be (that said I'm very happy I did the university route but it was a very focused one)

 

4. Co-op/internship - your nuts not to look for these. First off they help pay: for 5 years at UW (yeah I needed extra term - who can study in the summers?) I borrowed 2 grand from my parents and got a 500 osap loan in the 4th year which I blew on beer - the rest came from my co-op placements. And more importantly you're really set for life with what you learn in the co-op terms. Not knocking the studies but the real world isn't a classroom.

 

Now enjoy your file year of high school.

[limeyangler]

from experience beware of taking time off school before going back....ya might never go back!!!

[Canuck2fan]

It really depends on what YOU see as your future. The trades are certainly booming all of them and EVERYTHING is paid all the way along except for your beer money while in class.

 

I find too many people going to university has watered down the benefits. I have worked with literally hundreds of students during summers who are just looking for a paycheck over the years and frankly the ones that go to university just because mom said I have to have not found that spending the money needed has paid off for them. Most of them are just doing exactly what they would have been doing right of high school but they do have a graduation picture and a sheepskin and still asking do you want fries with that.

 

That being said the ones who went to university because they WANTED what a program offered them are usually very successful and doing quite well financially and quality of life wise.

 

I find my friends who went through the trades are doing very well financially too. Many of them opened their own businesses and their biggest concern right now is what work to take what work to refuse while still being able to be on their boat or at their cottages 3 or 4 days a week all summer long.

 

The long and short of it is either route will only give you what you want to put into it. So choose something you can see yourself being happy with. There isn't a form of education that WILL NOT benefit you in the long run. Knowledge of any kind is always the most POWERFUL tool in any field or economic situation.