Career choices for the outdoorsman-What should i do?

[bowj]

health care, the military, police work - look for something with a pension - not sure if they will always be there, but as long as they are - you might as well take advantage of it....Not that I did though. And my girls aren't following that advice either....

yea pension is something my job is missing as well. however a lot of companies will match rrsp contributions in order to boost retirements savings. without a pension some discipline is required, but personal retirement saving is possible.

[Useless]

OK, and only since you asked....

The ironic thing is that you are a recent graduate with lots of "field placement" experience while you were a student. You're advising the OP about a geology degree taking him anywhere he wants to go, yet you live 100Km from where you took both of your degrees. The last time I checked, there is no active mining taking place anywhere near that, unless you count the geologic studies being done for the river energy project.

Werner is however correct about the field. I have a few colleagues who eventually went to the Civil Engineering side from geology because they basically said it was a lot of travel ( often out of country), unstable as many of the placements were contract based, and sporadic.

I don't want to hijack this thread so this will be my last comment on it. I went to school 100 km away from here because I didn't want to be far from home. I often came home on the weekends to hunt, spend time with family, etc. and it was only an hour long drive. I live in Cornwall because that is where I choose to live. I was born and raised here, I have family here, and I consider myself lucky to have a professional career in my home town. I could have gone elsewhere to work, either in Canada or abroad, but Cornwall where I want to be.

Contrary to your statement about there being no mines here in Cornwall, in fact there are lots. Not all geologists work in mines that produce precious metals and not all mines are tunnels into the ground with a canary in them, which is what I am guessing you are envisioning when you picture a mine. However, there are many quarries and pits in the area and throughout Ontario that are important to the economy and that many people might see as types of mines.

One of the points I was trying to make was that in geology you can study any type of science that you want. I know geologists who prefer desk jobs so they sit at a desk and write reports all day long. I know some geologists who can't stand being at a desk, so they are in the field collecting data for the people sitting at the desks writing reports. There are some geologists who do both. Geology is like any other field. It goes through its up and downs. There are positives and negatives about it, and it's not for everyone. However, it is a field that can take you places that you would never expect to go. Or you can go back to your hometown and make a career out of it, even if your home town is Cornwall.

As far a the OP goes, he showed an interest in mining. It seems that he is a high achieving student who would might excel at finding resources rather than working in the mines themselves. I was simply giving another option.

[skull]

Never mind that a plumber making house calls bills more per hour than you do: Canadians are turning their backs on skilled trades. And as the Baby Boomer generation steps away from the workforce in the next decade or two, experts predict Canada’s skills shortage could reach a million people.

[terrym]

In the end I think the OP should join his local Liberal riding association and devote his life to getting the Liberals elected. He will possibly get a plum civil service job with a pension. There ya go, cash for life and police protection. Or he could get himself elected as a school trustee and never have to actually campaign again for continuous re-election. God bless Ontari-owe.

[Final Flight]

My son just got hired with siemens, Wind Turbine Technician . He is an outdoors guy. It's a good job, pension and security. If heights don't bother you.

[Bluebulldog]

My son just got hired with siemens, Wind Turbine Technician . He is an outdoors guy. It's a good job, pension and security. If heights don't bother you.

The only trouble is if another government gets in and kills the Green Energy Act.

[Final Flight]

The only trouble is if another government gets in and kills the Green Energy Act.

That will not happen, it's here to stay. He has all the inside info. Many more wind farms are coming.

[Fishy Wishy]

Skilled Trades. Machinists (like really good machinists) are hard to come by...and many of those that are out there are rounding the bend. The man who owns my company also owns a large machine shop and has a hard time finding skilled persons.

Also good welders, pressure welders...and fitters. Tough to find...and there are jobs out there.

Also to go along wit the fitters and welders. NDE Techs. And NDE techs can make beaucoup de bucks.

[fishy steve]

Skilled Trades. Machinists (like really good machinists) are hard to come by...and many of those that are out there are rounding the bend. The man who owns my company also owns a large machine shop and has a hard time finding skilled persons.

Also good welders, pressure welders...and fitters. Tough to find...and there are jobs out there.

Also to go along wit the fitters and welders. NDE Techs. And NDE techs can make beaucoup de bucks.

tell him to look up here... theres a 150 of us laid off from the company i worked for lol well theyve called maybe 40% of them back... i told them to go fly a kite lol

[EJW88]

New to the site. I can offer some advice as I have graduated about a year ago. I went to University of Windsor. I took the Medical Laboratory science program that's tied in with St. Clair college. It basically works like the nursing RN program.
I have worked for just over a year and although I'm classified as part time I have worked more then full time hours. We are tied in with the HOOPP plan like all the health care workers. The money is on par with RN,X-ray and respiratory therapy. I like it because you are with the patients in ER and all over the hospital, but you get to run all the testing and figure out what's wrong with the patient and talk with the doctors directly.
Being a shift worker I can work afternoons all week and still get out and hunt/fish all morning.