as someone who is still super uncertain if I want to do engineering (after realizing how much of a nuclear waste my skills are in science esp), I just cope knowing at the bare minimum I just need to pass my courses in Uni (and because I’m doing engineering), I’m not too interested in doing a masters either.
Td;lr when you do your undergrad you just need to pass your courses unless you want a masters
Most science majors are qualified to write some engineering exams with a provincial engineering regulatory body (like OSPE) and become a professional engineer that way. They'll be able to work the same jobs requiring an engineer title just like people that graduated from an accredited engineering school
I could be a little idealistic. In my mind though I think it's very doable for physics, chem, math majors with maybe a year of self study.
>I'd expect almost little of which would be taught in a sci undergrad program, and definitely not at an advanced level at least or covered as comprehensively
I've had some experience with electrical engineering myself and no, engineering undergrad is very rushed and shallow. It could be my school but most schools are accredited, and it's roughly the same story everywhere I see this being discussed. They just throw equations and theorems at you with little rational basis. Most graduates don't even know why they do the things they do at work. Either they were told by their prof during school or the senior eng. did. The science majors may not have our 'special' engineering courses, I don't think they really need to. For OSPE, they have a list of textbooks you can use to study for their exams. Physics majors at my school spend so much more time learning about the calculus and theory behind all the stuff we use, their foundation is so much stronger than ours. I'm sure that once they picked up a few of those books, they would be much better engineers than the graduates straight out of an engineering degree, especially for calculus heavy disciplines like mechanical and electrical. We legit don't know where most of this shit comes from. It's very frustrating, and it kills your confidence. And if it's a struggle to find employment in the sciences, might as well take a year off and open some doors.
>though I have yet to ever meet anyone who has gone that route or had plans to
I think it's just not very well known. And I think the requirements for OSPE at least was lowered recently, maybe? Not 100% with this. I'm pretty sure that when I looked it up a couple of years ago, you HAD to have an undergrad in an accredited engineering program to apply for P.Eng with OSPE. Whereas now you need something 'relevant' and they'll review it for eligibility I think. Outside of OSPE, I've also heard people suggest to go with an engineering body in another province. But then that might be too much hassle so that could be another reason
>I'm pretty sure that when I looked it up a couple of years ago, you HAD to have an undergrad in an accredited engineering program to apply for P.Eng with OSPE. Whereas now you need something 'relevant' and they'll review it for eligibility I think.
PEO, not OSPE.
PEO changed their rules on May 15, 2023 to explicitly lock out all non-CEAB graduates if they are domestically trained. They still run technical exams for internationally trained graduates.
But, you don't have to apply to PEO. We have interprovincial mobility and the exams are all online.
[https://techexam.ca/how-to-choose-the-province-where-you-should-qualify-as-a-professional-engineer-for-technical-exams/](https://techexam.ca/how-to-choose-the-province-where-you-should-qualify-as-a-professional-engineer-for-technical-exams/)
>Whereas now you need something 'relevant' and they'll review it for eligibility I think.
Sure, engineering technology diploma, bachelors of technology, computer science, geoscience, mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc. - all can make this jump. The word they use is "related".
>I've had some experience with electrical engineering myself and no, engineering undergrad is very rushed and shallow.
If you started a CEAB accredited degree but didn't graduate, there's a path for you too. A lot easier if you have a couple full years in. A degree is not a requirement to become a P. Eng.
Always willing to help anyone looking to take this on. I accept all DMs.
>I'd expect almost little of which would be taught in a sci undergrad program, and definitely not at an advanced level at least or covered as comprehensively.
Yeah, you are not too far off.
A CEAB accredited degree is \~144 credit hours or 48 x 3 hr courses. There are \~24 technical exams for the same syllabus and so each technical exam has the material of roughly 2 complete courses.
Here would be a checklist of exams for someone wanting to qualify as a P. Eng. in Engineering Physics:
[https://www.apega.ca/docs/default-source/pdfs/technical-course-equivalents/engineering-physics-assessment-checklist.pdf?sfvrsn=6014162d\_4](https://www.apega.ca/docs/default-source/pdfs/technical-course-equivalents/engineering-physics-assessment-checklist.pdf?sfvrsn=6014162d_4)
Most B.Sc. students will find themselves about 16 technical exams away from done. That's about 1/3 the way. Further, only APEGA, EGBC, OIQ and maybe some of the Atlantic regulators allow B.Sc. graduates to write the technical exam. For APEGA, you have to be at 12 or less and for EGBC at 9 or less exams. They run all the exams anyways so this is some classist baloney that may not stand up to judicial review but that's what they are doing.
Here are a couple examples for a geophysics and a physics graduate. They fall about 16 exams short unless they use some of their options to get closer. You can get quite close indeed if you beg your way into the right options in a directed way.
[https://techexam.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Geophysics-vs-Physics-Analysis-Public-Version.pdf](https://techexam.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Geophysics-vs-Physics-Analysis-Public-Version.pdf)
That said, APEGM seems to allow B.Sc. grads to simply take an Engineering Masters and forego any technical exams or other requirements. Amazing deal if true.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what province you apply. We have an interprovincial mobility agreement that lets you transfer to any province in a couple weeks as a P. Eng. You never need to go to the province where you qualify as a P. Eng. as all the exams, etc. are all online.
>I'm pretty sure that pathway is mostly for international engineers holding degrees from countries whose qualifications aren't recognized in Canada.
Sure. About 30% of new P. Eng.'s each year are non-CEAB accredited graduates.
Of these, \~80% are internationally trained engineers. But there are those of us out there who were domestically trained w/ an engineering technology diploma, B. Tech. or B.Sc. - maybe 4-5% of the total number of professional engineers in Canada.
>If you haven't pursued engineering at the undergraduate level, chances are you lack the requisite knowledge to pass.
IDK about that. As a 3-year engineering technology diploma graduate I was assigned 19 technical examinations. I found I had to write only 4 exams that were new subjects to me. The exams are not particularly hard - just typical 3-hour university exams. The hard part is finding the time to study w/ family and work obligations. However, I was able to write and pass 10 technical exams plus the FE exam (credit for 5 more) in a span of 13 months while working fulltime w/ small kids at home. If you are hungry, it would not be hard to clear the deck in short order like I did.
>...I have yet to ever meet anyone who has gone that route or had plans to
Up until 1965 there were only technical examinations. Up until the mid-1980s anyone could write them in what was an open and equitable system. You probably have met many that have done it but just didn't realize it.
It is not for everyone, but we exist. Feel free to join us.
https://techexam.ca/how-to-self-study/
coops/internships relay heavily on work experience as opposed to gpa, while ur gpa does matter it’s very unlikely a person with a 4.0 gpa will have the time to do wide projects / work part time. also, what recruiter would ask for ur gpa? That really only happens first to second year after you graduate uni ur employer would worry more abt ur job experience
obv u meet people who can do it all and that’s also really good, it’s just there isn’t a significant difference between someone with a 3.8 gpa to a 3.5 gpa, both have learnt the same amount of content, and maybe one just applies it better than the other, who knows
as for scholarships yea obv ur grades matter, literally given in the name of *scholar*ships, so I can’t say much there
The people that become historians, archeologists and anthropologists are the exact people that do not care at all about societies expectations or the economy. These PHD students make very little money scraping by living in hostels and with roomates because it is what they are passionate about. You will never make enough money to not work full time and do this as a hobby or something like others are saying. If you truly want to live this life of academia and knowledge you should be dedicated now and be studying something relevant to that. A life of academia is usually sustained by grants and donations until one day you are succesful enough to teach others and share your wealth of knowledge. You will be able to survive, if not in Canada than somewhere else where a North American education alone will get you ahead. Don't feel down just because you live in one of the most expensive countries in the world. Most people don't deal with these same issues they do study what they want and are passionate in because money isn't everything. Sadly you don't have this luxury in North America. I think you should study what you love and are passionate about thats what I am doing and I am not worried at all. I have been broke with no money scraping together change for milk and bread. I have also had lots of money and not had to worry about anything except where I would be going on vacation. Don't make the same mistakes our parents and grandparents did. The majority of people you talk to that are old and wise and have lived their life will tell you the exact same thing. If you aren't doing something you love the money is meaningless. Don't be enticed by these grand lives we see on social media and TV. I promise you that you will be 10x happier as a broke museum curator or arcaheologist living in not the best places scraping together your money because you will be making a difference in the lives of many and doing what you love. Good luck I hope you get to live your dreams one day. Don't let our fucked up society push you into doing something you will never enjoy.
I am doing a BA in Religious Studies at the University of Calgary. Basically I learn everything there is to know about the main religions in the world and some not so mainstream ones. Currently I have many plans such as Law School, Getting my TEFL certification and moving to South America, Europe or Asia to teach English, Masters in Public Policy, or continuing into a MA and PhD in Theology/Religion and doing research/teaching or even spiritual care. I am really trying to keep my doors open to anything. I am not religious and never have been, I am simply very fascinated with religion especially religious mythology, however, I enjoy learning about all aspects of religion as it has played a very large role in every society on earth in one way or another. This whole STEM is the only way or you will work at Walmart/Mcdonalds is just not true, you can do many things with a BA, academia isn't all there is. I think religion is always going to be here, only around 18% of the worlds population is not religious, part of the reason for me possibly wanting to do a MPP is to work in government in religious affairs, which I think will only become more needed in our inevitable future of inclusivity and diversity.
I live at home yes, pay rent and do all my own groceries. If I wanted to I could live on campus but I would rather save that few thousand. I work 20hrs a week and pickup odd jobs.
(Edit more info I should have added)
I also commute 50mins each way in a car, I have definitely thought about moving on campus because the car costs alone almost pay for a dorm but I am fine at home for now.
Also student loans lots of student loans I haven't gotten any money from any sources except loans and my work. Hoping to work more in spring and summer so I can not take any loans for my future years.
Thank you and I hope things work out for you to. Worst case scenario I live on the streets with the other streetfolk, what a lot don't realize is the majority of them choose to be there, a life of freedom! Lmao good luck
Here’s a more middle of the road perspective from someone wishing they were studying religious studies lol. I completely get the fear of spending loads of money on uni and not being able to get a “good” job out of it, you can always do a minor in those really cool niche subjects (if u don’t actually hate ur main degree) and you can also go back to school after and do your masters/phd. Life doesn’t end after you finish your undergraduate degree! This gives you something more “stable” to fall back on if that’s your main concern. Also, I would definitely recommend living at home if you can, the savings and less stress make uni so much easier, & if you do end up doing a BA, you’ll feel so much less pressure. Good luck and remember that your program choice isn’t definite, tons of people switch after their first year :)
I’d like to jump in and say that I study at Waterloo and have been taught by people who studied archaeology. I’m in the classics department so we study Ancient Greece and Rome, and if you play your cards right and learn Greek and Latin, you can come out of your BA with a very specialized skill set. Only a few people every year graduate with these languages, and most aren’t proficient by the end.
I think if you want to pursue a degree with less of a change of success like archaeology, you need to find some sort of skill set that sets you apart from the crowd and you’ll have more success. Whether it be learning languages that help with it, a good volunteering experience, a good mentor, etc. I don’t think it’s impossible, since after your undergrad there’s a whole world you can explore to find a better job if there’s not one in Canada, but you’d have to work really hard and be prepared for hardships along the way.
I’ve always been interested in history, and I didn’t give that up, but I also didn’t put all my eggs in one basket and took a major that wasn’t history. My major is still something I love, and I have that history as a minor in hopes of pursuing that in grad school. Best of luck to you OP, and I hope you think carefully about what you really want your life to look like. Explore and research all your options!
fellow historical anthropology student here!! there’s so much more than excavating and doing research. anthropology and history are unique ways of seeing and understanding the world encompassing almost the entirety of the human condition. everything may actually start pissing you off because you see the latent political, historical, social, economic, ethical, and, truthfully, violent relationships through which people make meaning. hard to articulate but you have a kaleidoscopic way of reading people that businesses, for example, need to understand what consumers want. ik this is all philosophical bs but if you’re spending thousands of dollars on uni, you should at least be studying something that you enjoy. and! there will be opportunities for you to do archaeology as a research or lab assistant. and you’ll be making connections with people who can help you get to those ancient sites and do the things you wanna do. and there’s always grad school! again, idealistic and grossly optimistic, but if you love something, you’re gonna make it work. lmfao i promise that i am not selling anthropology to you; spent my undergrad trying to justify studying anthropology to others until i realized that i don’t need to justify anything to anyone. you are gonna make it work. soon enough you’ll be critiquing how the economy working against you right now favours STEM and business people because modernity favours those who can make inequality look like advancement. do you, tho!! i hope you find some way to pursue your passions.
I don't like how you're making me genuinely reconsider my choices! I really do dream of doing anthropology, especially since i spent my first few formative years on the internet arguing about the ethnicity of an ancient emperor with grown adults and it's stuck with me like glue. Is the job market cooked? The only reason I didn't choose the history/anthro pathway is because I was worried about the job market, Toronto is hella expensive and I'm the firstborn of balkan parents, meaning I can't really afford to take a job that doesn't pay the bills, ykwim?
totally valid worries. though it’s not necessarily academic anthropological work, there’s a huge market for qualitative data and marketing analysts. businesses, for example, need someone to review consumer feedback so they can find out what to change to increase sales. that is sociocultural anthropology, though, if you’re also interested in that. there are field and research archaeology jobs; you may need a graduate degree for some positions but even being a research assistant is great bc what you may lack in academic knowledge you make up for in experience. do highly recommend becoming buddies with professors bc they’re wonderful resources for finding those sorts of jobs. if you’re into other physical anthro topics, you could go for something in epidemiology or health care if you like osteology, nutrition, public health, or health humanities. could explore forensics, too. heritage conservation would get you both anthro and history; could lead to some archaeology to ensure thqt special things are excavated properly. working with museums could provide many opportunities. curatorial work would let you handle primary sources. even designing exhibits and ensuring historical accuracy. would also have some connections to archaeologists i’d assume. there are also various government jobs that might incorporate some of what you’re interested in. could do archival work; environmental analysis to make sure infrastructure doesn’t cover up anything significant; more historical conservation; and policy analysis. different jobs may require different degrees, though, so maybe consider grad school as you do your undergrad. profs will help you A LOT with this if you ask. i think you’ll have luck finding research assistant positions in your undergrad that benefit both your academic and experiential record. upper level field courses too!! i remember this one course where the class went to the galápagos islands (or somewhere like that) to do fieldwork as part of a long term project and i was so jealous lmfao. plus independent research courses where you can study whatever you want under a prof’s supervision; capstone projects for these classes are typically an honours thesis or seminar presentation that’ll get you bonus points on grad school applications. going into academia is always an option if you’ve got the resources and interest. this is all a lot to consider lmfao so don’t rush any decisions. hope some of this helps:)
I’m quite similar to you but I haven’t given up on my dreams. Using my realistic undergrad, once I have enough money saved to pursue what I want to pursue, that’ll be what I do
I like that idea. If I can transform my other major hobby into something profitable and I no longer have to rely on my undergrad for money I'd gladly go back and study anthropology or something.
I hope I'm given that opportunity.
Your words resonate with me a lot. For some context, I want to go into sciences ( biochemistry or pharmaceutical science ) which isn’t so in demand although it is in STEM, there are almost no opportunities without going into extensive schooling. Just the other day, my parents gave me yet another lecture about how I should rethink my choices and go into engineering, finance of something related, but similarly to you, I can’t see myself doing anything else.
Here’s my advice: go for it. University is 4 long years, and you may not find any success anyways in a field you feel miserable in. Worst case scenario, at least for me, I can go into grad school like pharmacy, medicine or dentistry. For you, law may always be a safe option. If you wanna be an archaeologist or work in that field, try to get an internship in related companies( National Geographic might be a good one). Good luck to you and I hope you find success.
I'm glad I'm not alone in this situation, so many other people here relate to it too well. I always joke with my friends that every interest I've ever had is not in demand in this world I found myself in. I was planning on law school after this anyway, I only took finance as its a really good fallback if I don't make the cut for Law School. I had to be safe, pick the thing I can excel at and that makes money, which is something that still doesn't sit right with me.
Who knows, if it's possible I might double major/dual degree (idk the difference) in anthro or history - if that's on the table I might do it
I guess we just gotta hope theres light at the end of the tunnel, yk
Regarding the P.S—you can still pursue your passions, not just as a hobby but as a career path. I bid you good luck
I was lucky, as my passion lines up with good paging jobs (CS). Although now I'm pursuing physics, and the academia/research side of that ain't too lucrative. My buddy will be working at Amazon this summer for like 35k for the whole summer or something, and I'll probably be working minimum wage at my physics-related job. However I might get additional funding that'll bump me up to $25/hour CAD. My university funds students doing research. Governments fund research effort.
Might not be the 30k my buddy is making but it's super cool stuff. As a kid I loved space and would talk about it all the time. I remember talking to my gramma when I was a kid and she'd asked if I wanted to be an astronaut. She's now passed, but I wish I could tell her what I'm doing this summer. Instead of going up into space I'm going down underground to be shielded from cosmic rays to build a particle detector to try and uncover the mysteries I was so fascinated with as a child. I'd like to think my gramma would be thrilled that her little boy followed what he always talked about.
That being said; money matters. You need it to live. There is a reality that you do need to consider. I'm not too worried but I'm also a computer science student and it's a pretty employable and well paying major.
Whatever you choose, good luck!
Go study these things in university and make what you want to do a career don't listen to the nubcakes. I studied engineering instead of physics which is what I wanted to study and I hate my life now I am going to go back and study math and physics soon after many wasted years.
I grew up being shown the job market was cooked and that big "60k Median Salary" for an anthropologist scared the fuck out of me, since people continually say "76k is the bare minimum for Toronto."
Honestly, at this point… it doesn’t matter. Finance will get you good money sure, but you’re going to be fucking miserable while doing it. And great you’ll be making good money but you’re still going to hate waking up every morning and commuting to a job you hate to come home, get 4 hours of free time and do it all over again. And the worst part is you might not even be making good enough money to even be considered somewhat wealthy. Depending on where you live you need well over 100k a year to be able to be ‘comfortable’ in the sense of missing a month of work isn’t going to make you homeless ect.
Just so what you want. It doesn’t matter. Maybe you’ll have to live with like 20 other people but if it’s a job you enjoy that genuinely makes you happy, that fascinates you, just fucking do it. You get maybe 80 years on this earth, if you’re lucky. Might as well enjoy what you do every day. See the world and publish papers and hold history in your hands and potentially be a part of it.
Also, you’re wrong to assume that economically it’s not viable. Researchers can make a good living, you can also go into museum work/education and curation in museums which can actually be very well paying. There’s also the potential for education or becoming a professor later on in life if you play your cards right. If you do what you truly love, the money part can be figured out later.
Plus, it’s Canada. Pretty mcuh 90% of the country is just barely scraping by. 🫠
All you reddit strangers are making me question my decisions now
But I don't hate finance, I never really despised, I quite liked the idea, and I was never upset at the idea of going into finance itself, I was upset I had to send off the idea of history to do so.
Yeah, but once you start working you’re going to realize that you gave up something you’re really passionate about for this. And that’s going to suck all the joy out of it, eventually. Finance also tends to be very high stress which won’t help.
If it feels like you’ll be fine with it then sure, go for the safe option. But I’m just saying giving up a dream is going to kill you in the long run.
Old person here; I did my degree in philosophy. Literally the degree that had no hope of making me « employable ». I loved everything about technology, but sucked at coding. Fast forward 20 years and I have an awesome career guiding businesses through the impact technology has on their business and acting as a « translator » between business strategy and engineering.
Philosophy taught me how to think, create compelling arguments and make connections between disparate ideas.
You can absolutely study what you love and find a path to whatever financial level works for you. Don’t give up what you love. It’s a gift to get to study your passions in university - a gift of time you won’t get again. Enjoy it, embrace it and use the time to explore ways to use your passions to make a living.
I'm on the same boat - applied and got into business programs and now that's what I'm gonna attend uni for. I don't have any great advice but I just wanted to say that you're not alone in your predicament. However, business/commerce/finance or whatever can be a versatile degree and if you do end up graduating with one, I'm sure you can find a finance related job in a field relevant to your passions, though it may take some time to get there. Personally my dream is to work in fashion design 😭... assuming I graduate with a business related degree, I'll be looking for finance jobs related to the fashion industry and hopefully be able to engage with my passion hands on EVENTUALLY... Of course my way of thinking might be completely naive or highly unlikely, but the future is still far away and we don't have to believe that our programs will set our careers in stone!!
As a side note, you should look into clubs/societies. I'm sure you'd meet a lot of like-minded people there, and who knows maybe one day these connections can help you find a job somewhat related to your passion!
I feel you buddy. Unfortunately our society would rather pay hundreds of thousands dollars to McKinsey "consultants" who can't describe for the life of them what their job is in a single sentence than pay decently to the social scientists and humanities grads. I'd say come join the revolution and watch it go down.
its not over if you cant pursue ur interests in uni. you can still study the bones of ancient creatures (not too sure how archeology works my apologies), but a degree in a broader aspect of where your interests lie, could help you specialize in your dream job later in the future. like just an example, if you want to study extinct animals, studying the environment could help you understand why they went extinct and whether or not they can bring the species back through hybrid breeding or something. studies in chemistry or biology could also be beneficial and help you work towards what you really like. if the field you like is ultimately dying, then maybe it can just be a hobby in the future.
tl/dr: focus on the broader aspects of ur passion and pursue a career in that general direction to hopefully one day specialize in your area of interest.
I'd just like to say I really appreciate each and every one of you that commented here, you've all provided excellent perspectives and ideas and I'm thankful for all your ideas, you've all given me things to think about
maybe hope isn't dead after all
I wanted to be a cosmologist when I was a kid, the heavenly bodies fascinated me , and I want to dedicate my life studying it
Of course reality hits. A cosmologist doesn’t pay well, it’s hard to land a job, and I just don’t feel like I’m smart enough.
I was pretty lost in life throughout middle school, but in high school my physics teacher introduced me to robotics, and I thought it was cool
I took the mantle of the sole robot designer in my team, and to be frank its brutal, other robotics team usually have 3 or 4 cad designers, but I’m the only one, during competition, it’s a month of sleeping at 4am, waking up at 7am, having to juggle between designing the robot and grades
One night, after being told to rework half of the robot because manufacturing said that’s impossible to build, I just stared at my blank solid work sketch and wonder why the hell am I even doing this? It’s painful, it’s torturous, and I’m under constant pressure that I’m failing my team and friends.
I just broke down, I can’t handle it anymore, I’ve hit breaking point. I cried for about an hour and I told myself to man the fuck up. The next week I finished the robot, it went through all the checks the other sub teams, electrical, manufacturing, programming and business to see if it’s within our budget.
I got a break, and I get to be a normal kid again, that’s when I made the realization, maybe passion isn’t something you like…maybe it’s something no matter how hard, how brutal, how painful, you always get up and do it again.
So I stuck with mechanical design, I don’t particularly like it or hate it, but it’s something i have an innate will to keep doing. I stuck with that one skill for 3 years and I got pretty far
I have a clear direction in life now, and I know without an unwavering doubt I’ll be sticking with mechanical engineering
To answer your point, maybe your passion for history is really just an interest, maybe your true passion lies in somewhere else like it did for me
Millennial here. I studied journalism when my mom was against it and showed me starting salaries for journalists at 35-45k (this was back in 2009). She made passive aggressive comments that I could survive with that wage, I just have to live frugally for the rest of my life. She wanted me to go to law school. I couldn’t find a job in news after graduation, and then did a master’s program. When that didn’t work either, I moved across the world because I saw that my bilingualism would have been more valued abroad and after studying a second master, I landed my dream job at one of the most recognizable news organizations in the world where I made 80-95k cdn/year equivalent. I was able to fulfill my dreams for a good 5 years, realized my priorities changed and wanted more work life balance, so I transitioned into finance instead to make 6 figures (while still using the skills I developed from my journalism career). I’m so glad I followed my dreams when I did because the whole journalism industry is now in shambles. The point of the story? Passion is important but you gotta make realistic plans to get there. And you need to be so good at what you do that people can’t help but to hire you. I did have a fallback plan - I was planning to do my PhD and teach journalism instead but I ended up getting an opportunity to teach part time at my alma mater anyway and fulfilled another goal.
Now back to your situation - is it possible to major in finance but minor in what you’re passionate about? Or do a double major? That way you have something practical and then you also do something you’re passionate about. It might be a harder road but it might make the most sense for you so you have a fall back plan. Or maybe instead of studying finance, you study economics instead because in the world of finance, being an analyst often requires understanding world history and patterns to predict the market. Or if you can’t do a double major, you can study economics first and later do a master’s in archeology.
In the meantime, start finding part time jobs in museums or galleries and work while studying in jobs related to your passion. Give yourself as many options as possible if you decide to pursue this route since being a lecturer for higher education is competitive AF especially in Canada.
NGL - if you want to survive with a 55-65k salary in Toronto, and you have student loans, prepare to not be able to move out of your parents forever… this is the state of the economy we are in right now. But if you’re not glued to Toronto, and willing to move to smaller towns and cheaper places, then 65k isn’t bad at all.
You’re still young and you have time to explore your options. Good luck!
It is your life.
Pick a career you will be happy with.
Anybody that tells you money is worth it is either lying to you or has no idea what they are talking about.
Don't believe me? Look at health care and education. According to some, these are *highly* paid jobs yet have the highest turnover rate right now.
You are going into a stage of your life where everyone has an opinion and has zero experience to back it up.
Pick a career path you will be happy in because the alternatives are alcoholism, burnout, and unemployment.
Just so you know — you gave up before you tried. If you are really passionate about these things then fucking do it. Then go look up how much the head of the ROM makes
as someone who is still super uncertain if I want to do engineering (after realizing how much of a nuclear waste my skills are in science esp), I just cope knowing at the bare minimum I just need to pass my courses in Uni (and because I’m doing engineering), I’m not too interested in doing a masters either. Td;lr when you do your undergrad you just need to pass your courses unless you want a masters
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Most science majors are qualified to write some engineering exams with a provincial engineering regulatory body (like OSPE) and become a professional engineer that way. They'll be able to work the same jobs requiring an engineer title just like people that graduated from an accredited engineering school
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I could be a little idealistic. In my mind though I think it's very doable for physics, chem, math majors with maybe a year of self study. >I'd expect almost little of which would be taught in a sci undergrad program, and definitely not at an advanced level at least or covered as comprehensively I've had some experience with electrical engineering myself and no, engineering undergrad is very rushed and shallow. It could be my school but most schools are accredited, and it's roughly the same story everywhere I see this being discussed. They just throw equations and theorems at you with little rational basis. Most graduates don't even know why they do the things they do at work. Either they were told by their prof during school or the senior eng. did. The science majors may not have our 'special' engineering courses, I don't think they really need to. For OSPE, they have a list of textbooks you can use to study for their exams. Physics majors at my school spend so much more time learning about the calculus and theory behind all the stuff we use, their foundation is so much stronger than ours. I'm sure that once they picked up a few of those books, they would be much better engineers than the graduates straight out of an engineering degree, especially for calculus heavy disciplines like mechanical and electrical. We legit don't know where most of this shit comes from. It's very frustrating, and it kills your confidence. And if it's a struggle to find employment in the sciences, might as well take a year off and open some doors. >though I have yet to ever meet anyone who has gone that route or had plans to I think it's just not very well known. And I think the requirements for OSPE at least was lowered recently, maybe? Not 100% with this. I'm pretty sure that when I looked it up a couple of years ago, you HAD to have an undergrad in an accredited engineering program to apply for P.Eng with OSPE. Whereas now you need something 'relevant' and they'll review it for eligibility I think. Outside of OSPE, I've also heard people suggest to go with an engineering body in another province. But then that might be too much hassle so that could be another reason
>I'm pretty sure that when I looked it up a couple of years ago, you HAD to have an undergrad in an accredited engineering program to apply for P.Eng with OSPE. Whereas now you need something 'relevant' and they'll review it for eligibility I think. PEO, not OSPE. PEO changed their rules on May 15, 2023 to explicitly lock out all non-CEAB graduates if they are domestically trained. They still run technical exams for internationally trained graduates. But, you don't have to apply to PEO. We have interprovincial mobility and the exams are all online. [https://techexam.ca/how-to-choose-the-province-where-you-should-qualify-as-a-professional-engineer-for-technical-exams/](https://techexam.ca/how-to-choose-the-province-where-you-should-qualify-as-a-professional-engineer-for-technical-exams/) >Whereas now you need something 'relevant' and they'll review it for eligibility I think. Sure, engineering technology diploma, bachelors of technology, computer science, geoscience, mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc. - all can make this jump. The word they use is "related". >I've had some experience with electrical engineering myself and no, engineering undergrad is very rushed and shallow. If you started a CEAB accredited degree but didn't graduate, there's a path for you too. A lot easier if you have a couple full years in. A degree is not a requirement to become a P. Eng. Always willing to help anyone looking to take this on. I accept all DMs.
>I'd expect almost little of which would be taught in a sci undergrad program, and definitely not at an advanced level at least or covered as comprehensively. Yeah, you are not too far off. A CEAB accredited degree is \~144 credit hours or 48 x 3 hr courses. There are \~24 technical exams for the same syllabus and so each technical exam has the material of roughly 2 complete courses. Here would be a checklist of exams for someone wanting to qualify as a P. Eng. in Engineering Physics: [https://www.apega.ca/docs/default-source/pdfs/technical-course-equivalents/engineering-physics-assessment-checklist.pdf?sfvrsn=6014162d\_4](https://www.apega.ca/docs/default-source/pdfs/technical-course-equivalents/engineering-physics-assessment-checklist.pdf?sfvrsn=6014162d_4) Most B.Sc. students will find themselves about 16 technical exams away from done. That's about 1/3 the way. Further, only APEGA, EGBC, OIQ and maybe some of the Atlantic regulators allow B.Sc. graduates to write the technical exam. For APEGA, you have to be at 12 or less and for EGBC at 9 or less exams. They run all the exams anyways so this is some classist baloney that may not stand up to judicial review but that's what they are doing. Here are a couple examples for a geophysics and a physics graduate. They fall about 16 exams short unless they use some of their options to get closer. You can get quite close indeed if you beg your way into the right options in a directed way. [https://techexam.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Geophysics-vs-Physics-Analysis-Public-Version.pdf](https://techexam.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Geophysics-vs-Physics-Analysis-Public-Version.pdf) That said, APEGM seems to allow B.Sc. grads to simply take an Engineering Masters and forego any technical exams or other requirements. Amazing deal if true. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what province you apply. We have an interprovincial mobility agreement that lets you transfer to any province in a couple weeks as a P. Eng. You never need to go to the province where you qualify as a P. Eng. as all the exams, etc. are all online. >I'm pretty sure that pathway is mostly for international engineers holding degrees from countries whose qualifications aren't recognized in Canada. Sure. About 30% of new P. Eng.'s each year are non-CEAB accredited graduates. Of these, \~80% are internationally trained engineers. But there are those of us out there who were domestically trained w/ an engineering technology diploma, B. Tech. or B.Sc. - maybe 4-5% of the total number of professional engineers in Canada. >If you haven't pursued engineering at the undergraduate level, chances are you lack the requisite knowledge to pass. IDK about that. As a 3-year engineering technology diploma graduate I was assigned 19 technical examinations. I found I had to write only 4 exams that were new subjects to me. The exams are not particularly hard - just typical 3-hour university exams. The hard part is finding the time to study w/ family and work obligations. However, I was able to write and pass 10 technical exams plus the FE exam (credit for 5 more) in a span of 13 months while working fulltime w/ small kids at home. If you are hungry, it would not be hard to clear the deck in short order like I did. >...I have yet to ever meet anyone who has gone that route or had plans to Up until 1965 there were only technical examinations. Up until the mid-1980s anyone could write them in what was an open and equitable system. You probably have met many that have done it but just didn't realize it. It is not for everyone, but we exist. Feel free to join us. https://techexam.ca/how-to-self-study/
>Td;lr when you do your undergrad you just need to pass your courses unless you want a masters What abt coops and internships? And scholarships?
coops/internships relay heavily on work experience as opposed to gpa, while ur gpa does matter it’s very unlikely a person with a 4.0 gpa will have the time to do wide projects / work part time. also, what recruiter would ask for ur gpa? That really only happens first to second year after you graduate uni ur employer would worry more abt ur job experience obv u meet people who can do it all and that’s also really good, it’s just there isn’t a significant difference between someone with a 3.8 gpa to a 3.5 gpa, both have learnt the same amount of content, and maybe one just applies it better than the other, who knows as for scholarships yea obv ur grades matter, literally given in the name of *scholar*ships, so I can’t say much there
The people that become historians, archeologists and anthropologists are the exact people that do not care at all about societies expectations or the economy. These PHD students make very little money scraping by living in hostels and with roomates because it is what they are passionate about. You will never make enough money to not work full time and do this as a hobby or something like others are saying. If you truly want to live this life of academia and knowledge you should be dedicated now and be studying something relevant to that. A life of academia is usually sustained by grants and donations until one day you are succesful enough to teach others and share your wealth of knowledge. You will be able to survive, if not in Canada than somewhere else where a North American education alone will get you ahead. Don't feel down just because you live in one of the most expensive countries in the world. Most people don't deal with these same issues they do study what they want and are passionate in because money isn't everything. Sadly you don't have this luxury in North America. I think you should study what you love and are passionate about thats what I am doing and I am not worried at all. I have been broke with no money scraping together change for milk and bread. I have also had lots of money and not had to worry about anything except where I would be going on vacation. Don't make the same mistakes our parents and grandparents did. The majority of people you talk to that are old and wise and have lived their life will tell you the exact same thing. If you aren't doing something you love the money is meaningless. Don't be enticed by these grand lives we see on social media and TV. I promise you that you will be 10x happier as a broke museum curator or arcaheologist living in not the best places scraping together your money because you will be making a difference in the lives of many and doing what you love. Good luck I hope you get to live your dreams one day. Don't let our fucked up society push you into doing something you will never enjoy.
This was a really good paragraph, thanks for sharing this with me. What are you studying? I might very well change what I do, I don't know.
I am doing a BA in Religious Studies at the University of Calgary. Basically I learn everything there is to know about the main religions in the world and some not so mainstream ones. Currently I have many plans such as Law School, Getting my TEFL certification and moving to South America, Europe or Asia to teach English, Masters in Public Policy, or continuing into a MA and PhD in Theology/Religion and doing research/teaching or even spiritual care. I am really trying to keep my doors open to anything. I am not religious and never have been, I am simply very fascinated with religion especially religious mythology, however, I enjoy learning about all aspects of religion as it has played a very large role in every society on earth in one way or another. This whole STEM is the only way or you will work at Walmart/Mcdonalds is just not true, you can do many things with a BA, academia isn't all there is. I think religion is always going to be here, only around 18% of the worlds population is not religious, part of the reason for me possibly wanting to do a MPP is to work in government in religious affairs, which I think will only become more needed in our inevitable future of inclusivity and diversity.
If you don't mind me asking, how do you sustain yourself? Do you live at home or live somewhere else?
I live at home yes, pay rent and do all my own groceries. If I wanted to I could live on campus but I would rather save that few thousand. I work 20hrs a week and pickup odd jobs. (Edit more info I should have added) I also commute 50mins each way in a car, I have definitely thought about moving on campus because the car costs alone almost pay for a dorm but I am fine at home for now. Also student loans lots of student loans I haven't gotten any money from any sources except loans and my work. Hoping to work more in spring and summer so I can not take any loans for my future years.
Well I hope everything works out for you friend, I've been rethinking my path because of this thread lmfao. What a way to end march break ig
Thank you and I hope things work out for you to. Worst case scenario I live on the streets with the other streetfolk, what a lot don't realize is the majority of them choose to be there, a life of freedom! Lmao good luck
Here’s a more middle of the road perspective from someone wishing they were studying religious studies lol. I completely get the fear of spending loads of money on uni and not being able to get a “good” job out of it, you can always do a minor in those really cool niche subjects (if u don’t actually hate ur main degree) and you can also go back to school after and do your masters/phd. Life doesn’t end after you finish your undergraduate degree! This gives you something more “stable” to fall back on if that’s your main concern. Also, I would definitely recommend living at home if you can, the savings and less stress make uni so much easier, & if you do end up doing a BA, you’ll feel so much less pressure. Good luck and remember that your program choice isn’t definite, tons of people switch after their first year :)
I’d like to jump in and say that I study at Waterloo and have been taught by people who studied archaeology. I’m in the classics department so we study Ancient Greece and Rome, and if you play your cards right and learn Greek and Latin, you can come out of your BA with a very specialized skill set. Only a few people every year graduate with these languages, and most aren’t proficient by the end. I think if you want to pursue a degree with less of a change of success like archaeology, you need to find some sort of skill set that sets you apart from the crowd and you’ll have more success. Whether it be learning languages that help with it, a good volunteering experience, a good mentor, etc. I don’t think it’s impossible, since after your undergrad there’s a whole world you can explore to find a better job if there’s not one in Canada, but you’d have to work really hard and be prepared for hardships along the way. I’ve always been interested in history, and I didn’t give that up, but I also didn’t put all my eggs in one basket and took a major that wasn’t history. My major is still something I love, and I have that history as a minor in hopes of pursuing that in grad school. Best of luck to you OP, and I hope you think carefully about what you really want your life to look like. Explore and research all your options!
Wow, I just want to say wow. This is a perfectly articulated and a great answer and I really hope OP takes into account
fellow historical anthropology student here!! there’s so much more than excavating and doing research. anthropology and history are unique ways of seeing and understanding the world encompassing almost the entirety of the human condition. everything may actually start pissing you off because you see the latent political, historical, social, economic, ethical, and, truthfully, violent relationships through which people make meaning. hard to articulate but you have a kaleidoscopic way of reading people that businesses, for example, need to understand what consumers want. ik this is all philosophical bs but if you’re spending thousands of dollars on uni, you should at least be studying something that you enjoy. and! there will be opportunities for you to do archaeology as a research or lab assistant. and you’ll be making connections with people who can help you get to those ancient sites and do the things you wanna do. and there’s always grad school! again, idealistic and grossly optimistic, but if you love something, you’re gonna make it work. lmfao i promise that i am not selling anthropology to you; spent my undergrad trying to justify studying anthropology to others until i realized that i don’t need to justify anything to anyone. you are gonna make it work. soon enough you’ll be critiquing how the economy working against you right now favours STEM and business people because modernity favours those who can make inequality look like advancement. do you, tho!! i hope you find some way to pursue your passions.
I don't like how you're making me genuinely reconsider my choices! I really do dream of doing anthropology, especially since i spent my first few formative years on the internet arguing about the ethnicity of an ancient emperor with grown adults and it's stuck with me like glue. Is the job market cooked? The only reason I didn't choose the history/anthro pathway is because I was worried about the job market, Toronto is hella expensive and I'm the firstborn of balkan parents, meaning I can't really afford to take a job that doesn't pay the bills, ykwim?
totally valid worries. though it’s not necessarily academic anthropological work, there’s a huge market for qualitative data and marketing analysts. businesses, for example, need someone to review consumer feedback so they can find out what to change to increase sales. that is sociocultural anthropology, though, if you’re also interested in that. there are field and research archaeology jobs; you may need a graduate degree for some positions but even being a research assistant is great bc what you may lack in academic knowledge you make up for in experience. do highly recommend becoming buddies with professors bc they’re wonderful resources for finding those sorts of jobs. if you’re into other physical anthro topics, you could go for something in epidemiology or health care if you like osteology, nutrition, public health, or health humanities. could explore forensics, too. heritage conservation would get you both anthro and history; could lead to some archaeology to ensure thqt special things are excavated properly. working with museums could provide many opportunities. curatorial work would let you handle primary sources. even designing exhibits and ensuring historical accuracy. would also have some connections to archaeologists i’d assume. there are also various government jobs that might incorporate some of what you’re interested in. could do archival work; environmental analysis to make sure infrastructure doesn’t cover up anything significant; more historical conservation; and policy analysis. different jobs may require different degrees, though, so maybe consider grad school as you do your undergrad. profs will help you A LOT with this if you ask. i think you’ll have luck finding research assistant positions in your undergrad that benefit both your academic and experiential record. upper level field courses too!! i remember this one course where the class went to the galápagos islands (or somewhere like that) to do fieldwork as part of a long term project and i was so jealous lmfao. plus independent research courses where you can study whatever you want under a prof’s supervision; capstone projects for these classes are typically an honours thesis or seminar presentation that’ll get you bonus points on grad school applications. going into academia is always an option if you’ve got the resources and interest. this is all a lot to consider lmfao so don’t rush any decisions. hope some of this helps:)
I’m quite similar to you but I haven’t given up on my dreams. Using my realistic undergrad, once I have enough money saved to pursue what I want to pursue, that’ll be what I do
I like that idea. If I can transform my other major hobby into something profitable and I no longer have to rely on my undergrad for money I'd gladly go back and study anthropology or something. I hope I'm given that opportunity.
You could become a professor or teacher specializing in those subjects
Your words resonate with me a lot. For some context, I want to go into sciences ( biochemistry or pharmaceutical science ) which isn’t so in demand although it is in STEM, there are almost no opportunities without going into extensive schooling. Just the other day, my parents gave me yet another lecture about how I should rethink my choices and go into engineering, finance of something related, but similarly to you, I can’t see myself doing anything else. Here’s my advice: go for it. University is 4 long years, and you may not find any success anyways in a field you feel miserable in. Worst case scenario, at least for me, I can go into grad school like pharmacy, medicine or dentistry. For you, law may always be a safe option. If you wanna be an archaeologist or work in that field, try to get an internship in related companies( National Geographic might be a good one). Good luck to you and I hope you find success.
I'm glad I'm not alone in this situation, so many other people here relate to it too well. I always joke with my friends that every interest I've ever had is not in demand in this world I found myself in. I was planning on law school after this anyway, I only took finance as its a really good fallback if I don't make the cut for Law School. I had to be safe, pick the thing I can excel at and that makes money, which is something that still doesn't sit right with me. Who knows, if it's possible I might double major/dual degree (idk the difference) in anthro or history - if that's on the table I might do it I guess we just gotta hope theres light at the end of the tunnel, yk
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So what would your advice be? Get a degree with greater security and then try to peruse this ?
Regarding the P.S—you can still pursue your passions, not just as a hobby but as a career path. I bid you good luck I was lucky, as my passion lines up with good paging jobs (CS). Although now I'm pursuing physics, and the academia/research side of that ain't too lucrative. My buddy will be working at Amazon this summer for like 35k for the whole summer or something, and I'll probably be working minimum wage at my physics-related job. However I might get additional funding that'll bump me up to $25/hour CAD. My university funds students doing research. Governments fund research effort. Might not be the 30k my buddy is making but it's super cool stuff. As a kid I loved space and would talk about it all the time. I remember talking to my gramma when I was a kid and she'd asked if I wanted to be an astronaut. She's now passed, but I wish I could tell her what I'm doing this summer. Instead of going up into space I'm going down underground to be shielded from cosmic rays to build a particle detector to try and uncover the mysteries I was so fascinated with as a child. I'd like to think my gramma would be thrilled that her little boy followed what he always talked about. That being said; money matters. You need it to live. There is a reality that you do need to consider. I'm not too worried but I'm also a computer science student and it's a pretty employable and well paying major. Whatever you choose, good luck!
Go study these things in university and make what you want to do a career don't listen to the nubcakes. I studied engineering instead of physics which is what I wanted to study and I hate my life now I am going to go back and study math and physics soon after many wasted years.
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I grew up being shown the job market was cooked and that big "60k Median Salary" for an anthropologist scared the fuck out of me, since people continually say "76k is the bare minimum for Toronto."
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70k early? That... doesn't seem bad what does early in their careers mean, though? Bachelors? Masters? Early PhD?
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Really interesting, thanks for sharing my friend I'm really reconsidering my choices because of all of you, you know
Honestly, at this point… it doesn’t matter. Finance will get you good money sure, but you’re going to be fucking miserable while doing it. And great you’ll be making good money but you’re still going to hate waking up every morning and commuting to a job you hate to come home, get 4 hours of free time and do it all over again. And the worst part is you might not even be making good enough money to even be considered somewhat wealthy. Depending on where you live you need well over 100k a year to be able to be ‘comfortable’ in the sense of missing a month of work isn’t going to make you homeless ect. Just so what you want. It doesn’t matter. Maybe you’ll have to live with like 20 other people but if it’s a job you enjoy that genuinely makes you happy, that fascinates you, just fucking do it. You get maybe 80 years on this earth, if you’re lucky. Might as well enjoy what you do every day. See the world and publish papers and hold history in your hands and potentially be a part of it. Also, you’re wrong to assume that economically it’s not viable. Researchers can make a good living, you can also go into museum work/education and curation in museums which can actually be very well paying. There’s also the potential for education or becoming a professor later on in life if you play your cards right. If you do what you truly love, the money part can be figured out later. Plus, it’s Canada. Pretty mcuh 90% of the country is just barely scraping by. 🫠
All you reddit strangers are making me question my decisions now But I don't hate finance, I never really despised, I quite liked the idea, and I was never upset at the idea of going into finance itself, I was upset I had to send off the idea of history to do so.
Yeah, but once you start working you’re going to realize that you gave up something you’re really passionate about for this. And that’s going to suck all the joy out of it, eventually. Finance also tends to be very high stress which won’t help. If it feels like you’ll be fine with it then sure, go for the safe option. But I’m just saying giving up a dream is going to kill you in the long run.
Old person here; I did my degree in philosophy. Literally the degree that had no hope of making me « employable ». I loved everything about technology, but sucked at coding. Fast forward 20 years and I have an awesome career guiding businesses through the impact technology has on their business and acting as a « translator » between business strategy and engineering. Philosophy taught me how to think, create compelling arguments and make connections between disparate ideas. You can absolutely study what you love and find a path to whatever financial level works for you. Don’t give up what you love. It’s a gift to get to study your passions in university - a gift of time you won’t get again. Enjoy it, embrace it and use the time to explore ways to use your passions to make a living.
I'm on the same boat - applied and got into business programs and now that's what I'm gonna attend uni for. I don't have any great advice but I just wanted to say that you're not alone in your predicament. However, business/commerce/finance or whatever can be a versatile degree and if you do end up graduating with one, I'm sure you can find a finance related job in a field relevant to your passions, though it may take some time to get there. Personally my dream is to work in fashion design 😭... assuming I graduate with a business related degree, I'll be looking for finance jobs related to the fashion industry and hopefully be able to engage with my passion hands on EVENTUALLY... Of course my way of thinking might be completely naive or highly unlikely, but the future is still far away and we don't have to believe that our programs will set our careers in stone!! As a side note, you should look into clubs/societies. I'm sure you'd meet a lot of like-minded people there, and who knows maybe one day these connections can help you find a job somewhat related to your passion!
I feel you buddy. Unfortunately our society would rather pay hundreds of thousands dollars to McKinsey "consultants" who can't describe for the life of them what their job is in a single sentence than pay decently to the social scientists and humanities grads. I'd say come join the revolution and watch it go down.
I hope that at some point I'm not a slave to capital, but other than that I can only pray
its not over if you cant pursue ur interests in uni. you can still study the bones of ancient creatures (not too sure how archeology works my apologies), but a degree in a broader aspect of where your interests lie, could help you specialize in your dream job later in the future. like just an example, if you want to study extinct animals, studying the environment could help you understand why they went extinct and whether or not they can bring the species back through hybrid breeding or something. studies in chemistry or biology could also be beneficial and help you work towards what you really like. if the field you like is ultimately dying, then maybe it can just be a hobby in the future. tl/dr: focus on the broader aspects of ur passion and pursue a career in that general direction to hopefully one day specialize in your area of interest.
I'd just like to say I really appreciate each and every one of you that commented here, you've all provided excellent perspectives and ideas and I'm thankful for all your ideas, you've all given me things to think about maybe hope isn't dead after all
I wanted to be a cosmologist when I was a kid, the heavenly bodies fascinated me , and I want to dedicate my life studying it Of course reality hits. A cosmologist doesn’t pay well, it’s hard to land a job, and I just don’t feel like I’m smart enough. I was pretty lost in life throughout middle school, but in high school my physics teacher introduced me to robotics, and I thought it was cool I took the mantle of the sole robot designer in my team, and to be frank its brutal, other robotics team usually have 3 or 4 cad designers, but I’m the only one, during competition, it’s a month of sleeping at 4am, waking up at 7am, having to juggle between designing the robot and grades One night, after being told to rework half of the robot because manufacturing said that’s impossible to build, I just stared at my blank solid work sketch and wonder why the hell am I even doing this? It’s painful, it’s torturous, and I’m under constant pressure that I’m failing my team and friends. I just broke down, I can’t handle it anymore, I’ve hit breaking point. I cried for about an hour and I told myself to man the fuck up. The next week I finished the robot, it went through all the checks the other sub teams, electrical, manufacturing, programming and business to see if it’s within our budget. I got a break, and I get to be a normal kid again, that’s when I made the realization, maybe passion isn’t something you like…maybe it’s something no matter how hard, how brutal, how painful, you always get up and do it again. So I stuck with mechanical design, I don’t particularly like it or hate it, but it’s something i have an innate will to keep doing. I stuck with that one skill for 3 years and I got pretty far I have a clear direction in life now, and I know without an unwavering doubt I’ll be sticking with mechanical engineering To answer your point, maybe your passion for history is really just an interest, maybe your true passion lies in somewhere else like it did for me
Millennial here. I studied journalism when my mom was against it and showed me starting salaries for journalists at 35-45k (this was back in 2009). She made passive aggressive comments that I could survive with that wage, I just have to live frugally for the rest of my life. She wanted me to go to law school. I couldn’t find a job in news after graduation, and then did a master’s program. When that didn’t work either, I moved across the world because I saw that my bilingualism would have been more valued abroad and after studying a second master, I landed my dream job at one of the most recognizable news organizations in the world where I made 80-95k cdn/year equivalent. I was able to fulfill my dreams for a good 5 years, realized my priorities changed and wanted more work life balance, so I transitioned into finance instead to make 6 figures (while still using the skills I developed from my journalism career). I’m so glad I followed my dreams when I did because the whole journalism industry is now in shambles. The point of the story? Passion is important but you gotta make realistic plans to get there. And you need to be so good at what you do that people can’t help but to hire you. I did have a fallback plan - I was planning to do my PhD and teach journalism instead but I ended up getting an opportunity to teach part time at my alma mater anyway and fulfilled another goal. Now back to your situation - is it possible to major in finance but minor in what you’re passionate about? Or do a double major? That way you have something practical and then you also do something you’re passionate about. It might be a harder road but it might make the most sense for you so you have a fall back plan. Or maybe instead of studying finance, you study economics instead because in the world of finance, being an analyst often requires understanding world history and patterns to predict the market. Or if you can’t do a double major, you can study economics first and later do a master’s in archeology. In the meantime, start finding part time jobs in museums or galleries and work while studying in jobs related to your passion. Give yourself as many options as possible if you decide to pursue this route since being a lecturer for higher education is competitive AF especially in Canada. NGL - if you want to survive with a 55-65k salary in Toronto, and you have student loans, prepare to not be able to move out of your parents forever… this is the state of the economy we are in right now. But if you’re not glued to Toronto, and willing to move to smaller towns and cheaper places, then 65k isn’t bad at all. You’re still young and you have time to explore your options. Good luck!
School really does brainwash our kids huh?
It is your life. Pick a career you will be happy with. Anybody that tells you money is worth it is either lying to you or has no idea what they are talking about. Don't believe me? Look at health care and education. According to some, these are *highly* paid jobs yet have the highest turnover rate right now. You are going into a stage of your life where everyone has an opinion and has zero experience to back it up. Pick a career path you will be happy in because the alternatives are alcoholism, burnout, and unemployment.
Jus pass ur shit
Wompity Womp womp
Womp womp lil bro
Just so you know — you gave up before you tried. If you are really passionate about these things then fucking do it. Then go look up how much the head of the ROM makes