Career Guidance

[serenity]

A level math, physics and chemistry.
What career paths would u suggest a recent graduate consider?
And what tertiary level studies would be required to achieve same?

[Solachica]

Engineering?
Petroleum engineer'mud engineer' is really good field to go into. Best wud be go texas to do it. Jobs available all over the world and pay is really good.

[vaio]

Eng is a good field...

[snowbird]

A level math, physics and chemistry.
What career paths would u suggest a recent graduate consider?
And what tertiary level studies would be required to achieve same?

I don't mean to be critical, but I am surprised that someone would have gotten this far, and obviously done very well academically yet seem to have done no career planning. Do the High Schools in Trinidad (if that's where the student is) not have Guidance Cousellors on staff that advise students, and help them with career pathing? If not, then what's the motivation behind the student selecting the courses they do?

[sheppy]

Engineering is probably the most chosen field from these subjects....maybe even commercial pilot etc...

I don't think that your A level subjects should decide your career path tho.
There is actually a large book called the occupational dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago ..or s'thing so..(when i was a book worm I read everything in sight)
It actually has a comprehensive list of jobs, the academic requirements and years of study needed etc.
It is probably out of date by now...but definately a good book to see the possibilities...

Again i stress...find out what you want to do, then do the acadamic studies to make it happen...not the other way around... jobs are hard...you might as well try to do something you like to do...

[Ali]

sheppy that book sounds interesting.......where can i get it?

[sheppy]

Try the public library, or school libraries have it usually,

[serenity]

A level math, physics and chemistry.
What career paths would u suggest a recent graduate consider?
And what tertiary level studies would be required to achieve same?

I don't mean to be critical, but I am surprised that someone would have gotten this far, and obviously done very well academically yet seem to have done no career planning. Do the High Schools in Trinidad (if that's where the student is) not have Guidance Cousellors on staff that advise students, and help them with career pathing? If not, then what's the motivation behind the student selecting the courses they do?


SB,
Most kids here just do subjects they like. Some end up doing the subjects that are available. I did the subjects I loved and thats how I ended up choosing careers. Lucky for me, turns out I love what I do and well suited to it. But then again, this particular profession is so wide, anybody could find their niche in it.

Sheppy,
Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out.

[Falcon]

I don't think that your A level subjects should decide your career path tho.
Again i stress...find out what you want to do, then do the acadamic studies to make it happen...not the other way around... jobs are hard...you might as well try to do something you like to do...

this is FANTASTIC advice!

serenity, don't do a job because your subjects dictate it. Find ANYTHING you like to do, then do it.
Sola, mud engineers make obscene salaries, I was stunned the amount of money in relation to the amount of pre-training.

[Solachica]

Yes they do make lots of $$$ got a relative working for like $650US a day plus perks and he also consults. He doesn't even have the degree. All he has is some sorta certification from tht sch in texas. His company in Trini had send him. So with his experience and lil training he's in demand. He can leave a job today and be back on another by next week.
He said he wud advise someone to get into it becos there are jobs available all over world. He's been to places like africa, india, australia.
Only thing is if u have a family u wud be away for 1mth and home for 3wks and so it goes.

[dancerboy]

SERENITY, IT' S MORE IMPORTANT WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE THAN WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING. DANCERBOY

[BW]

SERENITY, IT' S MORE IMPORTANT WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE THAN WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING. DANCERBOY

Amen!

[lexbarker]

Take a quick look at this site:

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/care ... choice.htm (http://careerplanning.about.com/od/careerchoicechan/a/myths_choice.htm)

[serenity]

Thanks all for your concern for the compatibility bet my profession and my happiness. Like I mentioned earlier, I've already chosen my profession and very happy with it. This advice was not sought for myself but rather for another who is just looking around for ideas before they make a final decision. Since I'm a literature, history, geography person, my knowlege of the sciences and related fields is limited. Thus I hoped u guys would have been in a better position to offer assistance.

I must say though, I'm wondering what qualifications I need to be a quality control technician at an ice cream factory... :D

And Dancerboy, while that advice sounds great, realistically, one's chosen field is what usually dictates what what is able to do with one's life.

[dancerboy]

SERENITY, you may have heard of the now decaeased, RED FOX(SANDFORD & SON),RICHARD PRYOR, also MC HAMMER, MIKE TYSON, and i am sure you could add the names of famous, and not so famous people who made millions of dollars. THEY made a great living, but they did nothing with their lives. DANCERBOY

[neilrmp]

I am not sure if there are Operating Engineers in Trinidad, They operate the equipment that keeps building cool and heated.
I am an Engineer in NYC and we make pretty good money, 90,000,00 per year and that is without working hard.

[Silky]

I did the exact same combination and I'm now in teaching.
Ppl who have done science subjects don't necessarily end up in the science field.
There are ppl who did sciences and ended up in business, law, etc.

IT' S MORE IMPORTANT WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE THAN WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING -- dat is so true.

Anyways, for a combination like that in Trinidad, for tertiary studies, any faculty - natural sciences, engineering, or medicine or combination natural sciences with social sciences, or law.

Career - anything within that scope. Btw, is this person a guy or girl? My experience in industry was limited but working in a 10% female, 90% male environment was really eye-opening.

There are operating engineers in Trinidad I believe, wouldn't they be the same as process engineers? :?:

To be a QC tech in an ice cream factory you need experience in ISO standards, QA/QC, internal auditing, ummm I dunno wat else.... :roll:

[snowbird]

SERENITY, IT' S MORE IMPORTANT WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE THAN WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING. DANCERBOY

Also I'm not sure if some children are being prepared to deal with the reality of our times which is.... they will probably have four or five careers between thier 'first career and last career' . Also, I'm wondering if they are being prepared and advised to recognize their 'prime earning years' (in what ever career it happends to be in) and how to make the best choices as far as investments for future 'down years'.

The one thing I would add here is that initially some of us work for 'need' then eventually we work for love of it; if the love of it position happens to be a lesser paying position you would want to be sure you have a little bit of a 'cushion' so that you can really enjoy what you are doing without having the stress of financial implications taking away from that joy.

[dancerboy]

SNOWBIRD, Too many people today work for GREED, and not for NEED. DANCERBOY

[sheppy]

dancerboy...you can't blame people for trying to make alot of money...atleast they want to work for it..and not steal it....

look at the 'what is a good salary' thread....see what passes for a good living and comfortable living.

If your motivation is to make as much money as possible...then you should get a career to suit..(it sais something about your values...but each to his own)

[dancerboy]

SHEPPY, i am not blaming anybody for working to make a good living. But unfortuntely, 'making a good living' sometimes is the 'be all , and end all' in some people's lives. Sometimes we are so wrapped up in the material at the expense of the social, spritual ,fraternal. DANCERBOY

[sheppy]

well it is how we have been brought up...socialized by our 'rich' friends in maria regina....or watching 'cribs' on MTV ....or rich and famous lifestyles...
We take a drive on Star Island and look at the 12 car garages and yachts in the back with palacial houses...and think...'wow, that is the way to live'

in your life you have 4 facets: emotional, physical, spiritual and mental.
One should try to be accomplished in all to live a balanced life.

[Sirius]

A level math, physics and chemistry.
What career paths would u suggest a recent graduate consider?
And what tertiary level studies would be required to achieve same?

I would suggest the individual asks themselves what career path they want to take rather than what they can do with those three subjects. Many people - myself included - did sciences right up to the end of A'Levels only to realize they never wanted to do sciences in the first place. With those particular three, one can look mostly at engineering, or even computer science because of that A'Level math. But if the individual is not such inclined, there is nothing wrong with doing a 4 year degree instead of 3 and switching to a different field entirely.

Once the person has their 5 O'Level passes including math and english - which I take it they have, since they did A's, then they can do anything they want to. Anything. Quite frankly, A'Levels while a great time to gain maturity are a waste of time academically. It's two years spent for the sake of getting one year less at the tertiary level. Let A'Levels be an aid if the subjects are right, but don't let it govern a career path...that is a very easy way to send someone down a lifelong career that they will hate.

[lexbarker]

SNOWBIRD, Too many people today work for GREED, and not for NEED. DANCERBOY
I cannot see how you can work for greed. It is better to have more than to have less. It is your passport to security. Without money you cannot have proper shelter or food and do the things that you enjoy in life.

[neilrmp]

I did Electricity Electrionics in comprehensive school, moved on to radio and televisionTechnician, arc welding plumbing and Mechanics.
when I moved to NY I did computer programing and servicing to name a few, I worked in each field for some time but soon realized being an Operating Engineer I get to use all that I have study in the past, also it was and still is in great demand especially in NYC.
I not only work hard for myself, but also for my children and their children's future.

[dancerboy]

LEX, I would excuse SHEPPY, because of the increase in materialism today's world. However, SHEPPY, i was raised poor, but respectable. I am not by any stretch of the imagination implying that today's generation (the X generation)is being brought up 'irrespectable'. But our parents inculcated a sense of values in us. We were told; 'NEVER HANG YOUR HAT HIGHER THAN U COULD REACH ', 'ALWAYS SAVE FOR A RAINY DAY', 'TAKE LITTLE AND LIVE LONG', 'IF U HAVE A LEMON MAKE LEMON JUICE', and 'ALWAYS RESPECT YOUR ELDERS' (even though not all of them deserved recpect). DANCERBOY

[geeta]

i need to know what is the qualifications needed for guidance couns. in secondary school

[travelbug]

I know a young guy who has the same passes. He's taking the Paramedics course.

My cousin's a geologist and also makes a ton of money, but works weird hours.

Either way, money can only make up for so much.

[Krysten Thomas]

Hey, well I'm only 15 but honestly reality's coming at me pretty quick. So anyways, I'd like to go into psychology but I've been doing some research on the salary but I wasn't getting any results pertaining to T&T and also for A-levels I wanted to do Biology, Sociology and Maths but apparently I've heard that if someone's doing a science subject they're required to do chemistry as well... so I'd like to get some advice on that please. :)

[dancerboy]

Hey, well I'm only 15 but honestly reality's coming at me pretty quick. So anyways, I'd like to go into psychology but I've been doing some research on the salary but I wasn't getting any results pertaining to T&T and also for A-levels I wanted to do Biology, Sociology and Maths but apparently I've heard that if someone's doing a science subject they're required to do chemistry as well... so I'd like to get some advice on that please. :)

KT my friend, you are starting on the wrong foot. Don't choose a career because of the salary.


DANCERBOY

[Sirius]

It would be foolhardy NOT to consider salary. If a person wishes to have a certain lifestyle then they need to ask themselves if their career choice will pay for that lifestyle.

One must consider:
1) Do they enjoy the field they want to pursue
2) Do they have the aptitude for it
3) Can it pay for their lifestyle

In the same manner that having high pay isn't going to make up for a job you hate, a job you love is not going to make up for being unable to afford the luxuries you crave. Gotta find a balance in there somewhere.

[dancerboy]

It would be foolhardy NOT to consider salary. If a person wishes to have a certain lifestyle then they need to ask themselves if their career choice will pay for that lifestyle.

One must consider:
1) Do they enjoy the field they want to pursue
2) Do they have the aptitude for it
3) Can it pay for their lifestyle

In the same manner that having high pay isn't going to make up for a job you hate, a job you love is not going to make up for being unable to afford the luxuries you crave. Gotta find a balance in there somewhere.

SIRIUS my friend, we are not looking for a job to put food on the table. I did many of those kind of jobs. I had a career as a main frame computer operator, with knowledge in tech support, and a little system programming. I truly enjoyed my job. I worked 2 jobs from 1979 to 1989 to send my daughter to Pace U. (and she stayed on campus). I could have been a lawyer, doctor, systems programmer, or become a manager. And i would not have had to work 2 jobs. I retired as a level 3 supervisor from NYC (gov't). That's the highest level one can reach, and still be a union member. After that is becoming part of management.
There weren't too many level 3 supervisors who took a promotion to 'management' Even though we were considered 'managers'. Once you became part of management, your life was changed drastically. You were 'on call'. So if you making love, and the you got a call (on the company phone) you gotta go. If you at a ball game, and the phone ring, ditto. I f you at Xmas dinner, and the phone ring, ditto. Do you really want that life, for a few xtra dollars ?. I don't think so. NOT ME BUDDY


DANCERBOY

[Amelia]

Just to add to what sirius is saying, its all well and good to say follow ur passion and the money will come. Realistically, that is NOT how the cookie crumbles.

Living hand to mouth for the sake of doing what u love can make that love fade fast as the frustration grows. Esp when u have a family and financial responsibilities keep piling on and u cussing yuhself for not going after the money.

IMO, follow the money, time and luxury of following passions will come.

Of course, the choice is rarely one or the other. Most areas for which one has a passion will bring money once u are willing to put in what it takes to rise to the top. EASY money is what we're really talking about when we ask 'do what i like, or do what will bring the money'.

[Krysten Thomas]

well I'm not going into that field because of the salary, I just wanted to have an idea about it... I'm more interested about the and not the money

[lexbarker]

You have to realistic in today's world. You need money to have a proper life and how much you need depends on the lifestyle. Don't let people tell you that money can't make you happy. It is probably true but you will be a lot sadder if you dont have it and living hand to mouth. Not to mention if you are sick and cannot afford the proper medical treatment. Money determins the shelter you have, the clothes you wear and the food you eat.
The ideal thing is to have a job that you like and consider a hobby and get good pay for it, but most of the times it is not like that. As long as the job does not put stress in life (government job?) and pays decent I would take it.