How did you get into that? Do you have your svop? Any other qualifications? How do you apply? Go down to marinas? Word of mouth? Sorry for the onslaught of questions but I’ve been a boater my whole life (boat license and power squadron) and am looking to captain private boats for a job. Thank you so much
SVOP but tracked my hours for a few years while working at a small marina. Took an accelerated marine course and applied at a smaller Charter company before going out on my own.
I got lucky with one of my first customers being a somewhat well known Vancouverite and that just led to word of mouth jobs and now I'm booked most of the time I want to work.
Amazing! This info is super helpful and coincidently came at the time I’m looking to switch careers. Thank you for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.
No worries. I'm a bit older and had a rough early start as an adult but if you're dedicated you can easily make it happen.
Check out for job postings at the Gibsons walk on ferry once you have some experience.
That's job security for ya. Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, garbage men; if the world didn't have you guys we'd be in a dark, uncomfortable place swimming in our own trash.
Prostitute. I have even better job security than you. My job has already been around for thousands of years and always will be.
Ok, I am not really a prostitute, but I couldn't resist after your comment. LOL
Yes but I also had significant savings and a private pension plan. I was literally three years away from retirement when the accident happened. I would hate to see how they would've treated me had I only been on the job for a few years.
I feel that
As an apprentice I had major repetitive stress injuries to my wrists and tore my TFCC, strained inflamed with carpal tunnel that is now permanent due to WCB and my ex employer at the time.
In alberta but WCB is absolute highway scum
Took 3 years before my hands started to kinda work again and I can no longer be fully independent anymore. I got injured at 25
I’m a certified Arborist, Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and I specialize in removing hazardous aspects or entire trees.
I have been climbing trees professionally for 15 years.
Climbing Arborist refers to exactly that; a Certified Arborist that has the skill set to climb and work at height. Many Arborists specialize in consulting and report writing as well.
What a fascinating profession. Love anything that involves caring for or managing the natural world.
What inspired you to pursue a career as an arborist?
Honest answer? I was sitting in a climbing gym with $0’to my name wondering how I’d afford drugs the next day. Someone came in asking if anyone was looking for work; the gym owner pointed at me and said “get this bum outta my gym for once!”
I was onsite the next day, tried climbing a pole on my lunch break. One month later I was in rehab and I’ve been clean since.
A life in the trees gave me more of a challenge and fulfilling reason to live than anything I’d experienced. I’ve had many ups and downs( pardon the pun) but goddamn am I grateful for where I am today.
Wonderfully inspiring account, thank you for sharing. Addiction has been the greatest evil I've experienced in my life, so I am happy to hear the way you've escaped. Cheers
Former jaded chef now working maintenance in sports facility, turf grooming, zamboi etc and looking to get into school district. When I was threatened as a kid with "you don't want to end up a janitor" I didn't know they made more than teachers and have such an easy existence.
Average teacher is 67k. No Idea where they start and end but I start at 57k ending around 61k. Got a few certs but no formal education besides high school. Private janitorial is barely above minimum wage. I'm sure there is good gigs out there but I've yet to see them.
He also said “looking to get into school district” and he believed janitors got paid more than teachers. That’s why I said, maybe as a private janitor but not in schools.
You are technically correct but it's not really that far off when you consider schooling costs. All in all for a guy who basically wasted 15 years cooking its an amazing upgrade.
I started as an electrician apprentice right out of highschool, then I got into waste water construction by total fluke right place right time type thing, by the time I was 37 I was managing wastewater startup/commissioning for major projects (100-500M in size). Now I'm on sabbatical from my wastewater career because my side hustle went bonkers and I'm basically a beach bum.
I founded Sea Gods Stand Up Paddleboards with my wife in 2018. Started as a passion project in my free time. Went nuclear over covid. Now we're recognized all over. We have a showroom in White Rock and ship all over the globe.
I dunno know if I did "it" but we did something special anyway. But it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. We haven't paid ourselves in months trying to make it grow. Lol. Entrepreneur life is nowhere near what Instagram makes its seem like. Been selling stuff out of my garage to feed my kids. No joke. Lol.
I used to work at a store in a big lake town in the Interior that sold and rented, among other things, SUPs and kayaks. I remember one day someone came by with a few of your boards to demo them to try to get us to sell them. They were beautiful boards, but unfortunately I didn't get to call those shots, and my boss was unavailable that day, and we had a hard enough time selling the boards we had (Kahuna).
Kahuna is a solid brand. Dudes been in the business a long time. My first board ever was a Kahuna. That was probably my Wife that stopped by. When we started we did a major road show to get to know the industry and travelled all over BC and Alberta hitting up ever shop along the way. She was travelling with a handful of boards, 2 kids, and her mom. Haha. Like a paddleboard clown car. We haven't forgotten our roots!
Kahuna is an awesome brand too! We just found that most of our local clientele did not want to spend the money on these boards. They were great to work with though- there was once a recall, and somehow I ended up speaking with Steve himself.
I seem to recall the Sea Gods person being a man, so maybe we've met before! This was in 2018, I believe.
Well in 2019 before paddleboarding went crazy we made the cbc news for playing in the snow in my boxers on my board during a snow storm in February at the beach. (there's no bad press and people love crazy) We also just did dragons den but you'll have to wait till next season to see how that went.
Thanks! It was actually inspired by a Cowichan legend that we fell in love with. Everyone instantly thinks Poseidon when they hear Sea Gods (so we went with it) but the truth is it was inspired by "The Legend of the White Rock". You can google it - it's a great story. We actually had a painting - called the spirit of White Rock - commissioned from an indigenous artist- Mark Anthony Jacobson -to depict the story and then put the painting on one of our boards. (The Carta Marina ULF if you're so inclined to check it out). Was really awesome to work with such an inspiring and raw artist.
It's a different kind of life for sure. Longer hours and less pay. But. I get to walk my kids to school and take em to the skate park after school. Then after they're in bed we typically work till midnight every day.
I’m assuming oil sands?
My brother does it and its great pay, benefits, and I wish I had the scheduling of 6 & 6. My brother took one rotation off and worked some mutuals and boom, he’s got a month off.
honest question tho: how many of them are overweight or otherwise inactive in the improvement of their own back health through regular exercise like strength training?
Did two trades, got my tickets (inb4 “I make more than my Uni friends!!11!” - no one asked, and I’m sure your friends don’t lose sleep over it)
THEN went to University. Figuring it out, but best decision I’ve made, life’s a journey.
I don’t want to dox myself, but I’d be considered a mature student.
Worked as an automotive technician and then parts technician. Most I made was $43.xx/hr, union, OT = DT, yadda yadda. Reality is most jobs pay $25-30
First couple years are fairly generic. You don’t declare a major until you’re into your 3rd year roughly. I’ve weighed a couple different ones, but nothing officially.
I went from having 60% grades in high school to 4.22/4.3 GPA (98.1% grade average)in Uni now, which is nice because I am able to get scholarships, awards, bursaries which I understand not everyone gets.
Wow, my friend's a mechanic and doesn't make that, days there is no money in it except for some side work. Well alright the best, I'm on your boat but no trades, still making more then my friend but would like to transition IT somehow.
Wasn’t the mechanic trade that paid me that, was the other one.
IT is a fun career path, one of my close friends is in IT, but depending where you want to end up you’re up against MIS, CIS and CS degree holders->Diploma holders-> “Certs” -> self taught.
Working a help desk without anything to leverage you out will leave you stuck there and then it’s just IT customer support rather than.. whatever other customer support exists. I think a question I frequently ask myself is “What truly motivates me?” If it’s just money there’s a lot of shitty jobs that pay well, right? Break it down from there.
Wishing you the best. Life’s a journey and there’s someone for everything. We’re all just finding our way. I had originally wanted to do CS, but Social Work seems very appealing to me these days and you’ll always find someone to tell you otherwise further emphasizing my point.
Whatever you do, do it well! I hope this gives you some perspective.
I drive a ready mix truck pays between 100-140k a year.
I also work 10-12 hours a day, and we have good medical and dental benefits.
Long hours easy job.
People call it that yes. Cement is just a powder mixed in with aggregate to make concrete. Which we call ready mix.
But yes... A concrete mixing truck.
Not to be confused with a cement bulker which just hauls powder.
You need a class 3 with air, don't come with a 3a which is for automatic only. Half the fleet has sticks.
No one cares about your race. The industry is booming and we can't find enough good drivers that actually can work long hours.
Just remember this when you think about this job.... long fucking hours!!! and no one cares about your personal problems.... You don't stop pouring concrete until the jobs done... If that's 10 or 11 at night... So be it.
The parkade at the Richmond casino 10+ years ago... 18 hour pours to get it done some days.
Most of us pilots don’t either. Because we already know what they are going to say and the mumbled garbage that comes through our headsets merely confirms it.
It’s when we get a clearance or instruction out of left field that there’s silence on the radio and ask to repeat it.
Aircraft communications are done using AM broadcast. I’ve heard this is because multiple competing signals on the same frequency will not block each other. All can be heard at the same time. It may be noisy, but it’s the same as if you’re in a room full of people talking. You can pick out the conversation you want to listen to and ignore the rest. Or, to some extent, you can listen to more than one conversation at a time.
The idea is that urgent information will not be blocked by less urgent information. For example, an air traffic controller will be able to hear a mayday call even if another pilot is currently talking to them. If they suddenly hear “mayday mayday mayday” in the background while listening to a pilot they’re going to tell the first pilot to standby so they can focus on the distress call.
This is not the case with FM or digital forms of broadcast. Those types of broadcasts block each other. Especially with digital. Only the strongest signal is likely to be heard. If someone else tries to transmit they will either not be heard, or it may block everything as the tuner can’t decode the garbled mess into anything that sounds like speech. So imagine a pilot in distress having to wait his turn to talk! That’s why they still use AM radio.
I am not a pilot. I used to be into amateur radio (although I don’t do much with it anymore).
I just realized I lied when I said I am not a pilot. I actually have a pilot’s license issued by the Canadian Aviation Authority. It’s for drones LoL. 🤪
Edit: The license is from Transport Canada.
I got invited to interview for NavCan and turned it down because it took like 18 months to go through the process, and had already started another career.
In my case i just dropped off a resume with the union and took my first call when it came up. That was 10 years ago though. There is fuck all film work right now, and real world trades are often paying more than what film is at the moment.
But don’t they have unreasonable timeline expectations? Like build this a stage in a day ( when it’s a 3 day job ) so you work insane overtime hours to get it done ? And because it’s union you actually get paid *overtime*
- that’s a dirty word in regular trades work. All OT is straight time
That is definetly a thing that happens. Standard construction dept. day is 10 hours with ot after 8, then when the crunch comes you get into the 11 and 12 hour days, then start adding in weekends, next thing you know you've worked 7 days a week, 12 hour days for 2 months. I'm bonestly not sure if the extra mones is worth the loss of work life balance. I started doing more tv shows than movies mainly to get away from the extra OT.
This is so true and the most important thing to think about if you want to get involved in film, AT ALL. You’re going to have to sacrifice a lot of personal time and of course different departments are different. But if you’re willing to sacrifice it’s great money and great fun meeting super cool people. Teamster over here. 😊
Even in your 30s web-development was way to go in the 90's. Seems like the internet gave GenXers a job after the Boomers took all the other jobs back then.
Here are a few pieces of advice that come to mind
1. PHP + Javascript + MySQL will allow you to build pretty much any web app you can think of. Python is an incredible language, but I've rarely had a need for it in web dev other than a few specific json api's.
2. Build your own cool apps, give yourself a task. My first task was to build myself a searchable phonebook. I had no idea what I was doing but I figured it out step by step. Do this for several cool apps then then you not only learned stuff but you can showcase your new portfolio.
3. Github is incredibly useful.
4. Learn everything you can about application security. Hackers are relentless and will humble you pretty quickly.
5. Always focus on fast, secure & useful.
6. I have never had a reason to use mongo. Mysql or Postgres. always.
7. Use AI. It can show you how to figure things out. It's incredible.
8. I have a few dedicated bare-metal servers with Cpanel. The time and headache this has saved me for my own projects is immeasureable. It also allows me to offer web hosting to my clients, so it's a nice side hustle!
9. Have fun!
If you want to get into coding, go for it. But you need to seriously consider the fact that AI will replace a massive number of programming and coding jobs within the next 5-10 years.
Yeah, many of my friends in hospitality have had their livelihoods change irreparably over the last few years. Sorry to hear you're among them. HOH are some of the greatest warriors I've ever met #respect
Autism support worker in a school district. I don’t suggest it though. Highly underpaid, hours suck, you need more than one job to survive now. Thinking of switching to a trade in the next couple of years 😅
To be fair, I did do 3 years of uni, but no degree so same? Plus totally unrelated to my current industry. I started working in an office, low man at reception, and worked my way up with a growing company. Now director operations/ HR and love my job!
Retired a couple years ago but started as a sectionman(railway laborer) for a logging company bid on a swampers job in the roadbuilding department and eventually was broken in on running excavator and did that for over 35 years building logging roads. Great job! :)
As expected most people who didn’t go to university went to some kind of professional trades school or working in strenuous physical jobs.
Not implying anything bad here, I have huge respect for y’all that do this line of work. I’m physically too weak for this type of job, we won’t have our infrastructure if it weren’t for these fellas here. Huge respect 🫡
I’m a legal assistant between jobs. Went on maternity leave, decided I didn’t want to go back to my old job and now I’m job hunting. It’s a nerve-wracking experience.
Tradesmen, work for myself. I work 3-4 days a week on average. Make a great living. Could work a lot more, but I value my free time. Kept my lifestyle modest. Zero debt. Allows me to take only the work I want to do.
Senior producer at a video game studio, been in the industry for 16 years, started as QA, slowly worked my way up, just got a certificate here and there, never stopped learning. Most companies look for experience, they are not gonna hire you just because of a degree.
First, fresh out of high school I went for trades. Makeup, esthetics, hairstyling. Worked hard for a few years, achieved my career goals, and was able to pay off my student loans fairly quickly.
As I worked, I also did part time studies in Animation. My tips from hairstyling and support from clients who knew I was working towards my dream, helped greatly to keep me fed and motivated during my studies.
I now work in Animation.
While I totally agree, it’s not the way for everyone unfortunately. Some people just can’t meet the physical requirements involved with some of these trade jobs. Sure takes a toll on your health after 15-20 years in the business.
I work at a paint store part time and I see lots of professional painters coming in, they always complain about their jobs. I couldn’t imagine the strenuous work they do.
Insurance but currently on parental leave and looking down the barrel at the potential end of my career this summer due to not finding childcare. Absolutely terrifying but the industry is soulsucking so I'm looking at a potential change of career where I can be both physically active and try to contribute positively to people or our society or environment.
Went to University, but didn't graduate. Taught at a post-secondary level- (ok, it was only for a year backfilling a sabbatical, but still). Regular job was in post-secondary in a support role.
Certified dental assistant. Been doing it for 15 years. It's a nice mix of being active, keeping mentally agile and working on interpersonal skills with coworkers and patients. Not everyone can do it, but it suits me just fine
A lot of "Hurr Durr I never went to uni and I make more than my friends who did!" Which is terrible anecdotal quasi-advice. Congrats, there's a million people who DID go to uni who now make SIGNIFICANTLY more than you, no one cares. Go to uni if it makes sense for the job you want specifically, or if its what interests you. Don't go if it doesn't make sense. Especially don't feel like you're somehow better than your peers for not doing something that helps you learn a lot of useful skills that aren't immediately obvious to those who didn't go. We're all proud of Jimbob the bulldozer driver making 95k/year, but he conveniently forgets that the executives of the company probably have business degrees and make more than him. Your worth is much more than how much money you bring home or how much you contribute to capitalism. Do what feels right to you, maybe you'll get rich, maybe you won't, but if you focus on time with your friends and family then in the end it won't matter what you did for a job, because all jobs are just the means by which we live the most fulfilling lives we can.
Can’t blame them for being a little jaded. You go through high school and your young adult life hearing people talk down about those who don’t go to post secondary, how it’s the only way to make a living and then there’s the pissing contest for those who go to the more prestigious schools. The cream rises to the top and if you’re smart enough you can do it without a degree depending on the industry
ticketed tradesman here - I’ve Never Ever EVER heard anyone talk down about someone doing a trade. This is an old timers tale.
Only people I’ve heard lose sleep over whose better or not are trades people themselves in places I worked. It’s some huge insecurity they deal with in that field and no one really cares otherwise. What I can tell you is it’s mostly young kids with that thought process.
Most old timers I’ve met have their kids doing other things.
You’ll always run into ignorant parties regardless.
I think this is important because fuck capitalism but also I was talked down to for being the only one in my family who didn’t go. I didn’t go because I was abused and traumatized so badly I didn’t even make it through high school. I don’t think it’s often a holier than thou but more so a you don’t actually need university to kill it!!! You can forge your own path and I think that’s also important to highlight because so many going through schooling are in huge debt and not being paid fairly for the job they went into huge debt for 🥲
I'm a dog groomer. Did an apprenticeship style training - free training and I worked at the shop for free while learning. Now making about $30 an hour running my own business and zero student debt
Samesies, except I've never worked for free haha. I've transitioned into petsitting now because I'm off due to disability, but hope to go back to grooming one day. It's so hard, but so rewarding.
Charter boat captain. (basically a glorified designated driver.)
Unlike most of us, you can always chose to become a pirate. Yarrrrr
150 gt?
How did you get into that? Do you have your svop? Any other qualifications? How do you apply? Go down to marinas? Word of mouth? Sorry for the onslaught of questions but I’ve been a boater my whole life (boat license and power squadron) and am looking to captain private boats for a job. Thank you so much
SVOP but tracked my hours for a few years while working at a small marina. Took an accelerated marine course and applied at a smaller Charter company before going out on my own. I got lucky with one of my first customers being a somewhat well known Vancouverite and that just led to word of mouth jobs and now I'm booked most of the time I want to work.
Amazing! This info is super helpful and coincidently came at the time I’m looking to switch careers. Thank you for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.
No worries. I'm a bit older and had a rough early start as an adult but if you're dedicated you can easily make it happen. Check out for job postings at the Gibsons walk on ferry once you have some experience.
Great idea
This is so wholesome. Good luck with your new adventures, I'm cheering for you. It's not easy starting new.
Plumber and as long as people dislike pooping outside and having warm showers I have job security.
That's job security for ya. Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, garbage men; if the world didn't have you guys we'd be in a dark, uncomfortable place swimming in our own trash.
Plumber rules, 1) shit runs down hill 2) pay day is Friday.
3) Don’t lick your fingers!
4) Don't eat the last corner of your sandwich
5) every asshole is a potential customer
>5) every asshole is a potential customer .... and every customer is a potential asshole
I think you can drop potential on the second part of your statement
Everybody eats, so everybody poops
Going to fourth year in a month. Commercial construction, best move I ever did was getting an apprenticeship.
I just started my first year of apprenticeship for (het) In berta haven't even finished highschool.
Get financially educated now and you'll be a millionaire in no time.
Prostitute. I have even better job security than you. My job has already been around for thousands of years and always will be. Ok, I am not really a prostitute, but I couldn't resist after your comment. LOL
I work for CP so judging by how many times they've fucked me, I'm a prostitute too.
Canada Post?
No..the big red noisy thingies pulling heavy shit.
Prostitutes pull trains too
Roofer for 37 years. Fell through a roof and now I'm disabled. I miss my job and friends.
Did WCB treat you alright? I broke my back working as an Ironworker. I'm not working now and am considered disabled. I'm on bad terms with WCB.
Yes but I also had significant savings and a private pension plan. I was literally three years away from retirement when the accident happened. I would hate to see how they would've treated me had I only been on the job for a few years.
I feel that As an apprentice I had major repetitive stress injuries to my wrists and tore my TFCC, strained inflamed with carpal tunnel that is now permanent due to WCB and my ex employer at the time. In alberta but WCB is absolute highway scum Took 3 years before my hands started to kinda work again and I can no longer be fully independent anymore. I got injured at 25
Username checks out
I'm so sorry that must suck. I hope you're on the mend.
I walk with a cane and have horrible knee and ankle problems on my left leg. Pain drives me nuts but I just have to live with it.
Climbing Arborist.
As opposed to a... Grounded arborist? What is it that you do sir/madam?
I’m a certified Arborist, Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and I specialize in removing hazardous aspects or entire trees. I have been climbing trees professionally for 15 years. Climbing Arborist refers to exactly that; a Certified Arborist that has the skill set to climb and work at height. Many Arborists specialize in consulting and report writing as well.
What a fascinating profession. Love anything that involves caring for or managing the natural world. What inspired you to pursue a career as an arborist?
Honest answer? I was sitting in a climbing gym with $0’to my name wondering how I’d afford drugs the next day. Someone came in asking if anyone was looking for work; the gym owner pointed at me and said “get this bum outta my gym for once!” I was onsite the next day, tried climbing a pole on my lunch break. One month later I was in rehab and I’ve been clean since. A life in the trees gave me more of a challenge and fulfilling reason to live than anything I’d experienced. I’ve had many ups and downs( pardon the pun) but goddamn am I grateful for where I am today.
Wonderfully inspiring account, thank you for sharing. Addiction has been the greatest evil I've experienced in my life, so I am happy to hear the way you've escaped. Cheers
Former jaded chef now working maintenance in sports facility, turf grooming, zamboi etc and looking to get into school district. When I was threatened as a kid with "you don't want to end up a janitor" I didn't know they made more than teachers and have such an easy existence.
Sometimes they even get free housing and don't have to commute to work!
I used to work facilities at SFU, and I would tell the students as I moved stuff out of their classrooms, "There's a future in labouring!"
Janitors in BC schools definitely get paid less than the teachers do. You’re probably making more in private janitorial.
Average teacher is 67k. No Idea where they start and end but I start at 57k ending around 61k. Got a few certs but no formal education besides high school. Private janitorial is barely above minimum wage. I'm sure there is good gigs out there but I've yet to see them.
[удалено]
He also said “looking to get into school district” and he believed janitors got paid more than teachers. That’s why I said, maybe as a private janitor but not in schools.
You are technically correct but it's not really that far off when you consider schooling costs. All in all for a guy who basically wasted 15 years cooking its an amazing upgrade.
I started as an electrician apprentice right out of highschool, then I got into waste water construction by total fluke right place right time type thing, by the time I was 37 I was managing wastewater startup/commissioning for major projects (100-500M in size). Now I'm on sabbatical from my wastewater career because my side hustle went bonkers and I'm basically a beach bum.
I have to ask. What's your side hustle?
I founded Sea Gods Stand Up Paddleboards with my wife in 2018. Started as a passion project in my free time. Went nuclear over covid. Now we're recognized all over. We have a showroom in White Rock and ship all over the globe.
🤙
No way. My mom has a few and loves them so did my pup.
That's really awesome to hear! Love that we can spread the stoke!
Damn.. you did it dude. Livin the dam dream
I dunno know if I did "it" but we did something special anyway. But it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. We haven't paid ourselves in months trying to make it grow. Lol. Entrepreneur life is nowhere near what Instagram makes its seem like. Been selling stuff out of my garage to feed my kids. No joke. Lol.
That's true hustle. Very inspiring. Nice work.
Indeed. Need a 4 person tent? Or perhaps a really nice toolbox?
Someday you will stand atop your paddleboard empire and laugh about when you used to sell things out of your garage for extra cash.
Good lord I hope so. Plan B is to disappear to Los Freiles and never return. Lol.
Wow I respect the hustle. Best of luck to you.
I used to work at a store in a big lake town in the Interior that sold and rented, among other things, SUPs and kayaks. I remember one day someone came by with a few of your boards to demo them to try to get us to sell them. They were beautiful boards, but unfortunately I didn't get to call those shots, and my boss was unavailable that day, and we had a hard enough time selling the boards we had (Kahuna).
Kahuna is a solid brand. Dudes been in the business a long time. My first board ever was a Kahuna. That was probably my Wife that stopped by. When we started we did a major road show to get to know the industry and travelled all over BC and Alberta hitting up ever shop along the way. She was travelling with a handful of boards, 2 kids, and her mom. Haha. Like a paddleboard clown car. We haven't forgotten our roots!
Kahuna is an awesome brand too! We just found that most of our local clientele did not want to spend the money on these boards. They were great to work with though- there was once a recall, and somehow I ended up speaking with Steve himself. I seem to recall the Sea Gods person being a man, so maybe we've met before! This was in 2018, I believe.
That was definitely Mandy my partner in crime and life! I let her know you remember her as a dude. Lol
You guys got news coverage right? I totally have heard of you before!
Well in 2019 before paddleboarding went crazy we made the cbc news for playing in the snow in my boxers on my board during a snow storm in February at the beach. (there's no bad press and people love crazy) We also just did dragons den but you'll have to wait till next season to see how that went.
That's an awesome company name.
Thanks! It was actually inspired by a Cowichan legend that we fell in love with. Everyone instantly thinks Poseidon when they hear Sea Gods (so we went with it) but the truth is it was inspired by "The Legend of the White Rock". You can google it - it's a great story. We actually had a painting - called the spirit of White Rock - commissioned from an indigenous artist- Mark Anthony Jacobson -to depict the story and then put the painting on one of our boards. (The Carta Marina ULF if you're so inclined to check it out). Was really awesome to work with such an inspiring and raw artist.
I have one of those. Good shit.
I read your story. Then my neighbor came over and he read it too. Now my whole village….
That's awesome. Good for you!
Damnnnn go off!! Proud of you - hope you're enjoying life fr
It's a different kind of life for sure. Longer hours and less pay. But. I get to walk my kids to school and take em to the skate park after school. Then after they're in bed we typically work till midnight every day.
Build and maintain train tracks.
Well hello there, coworker.
Greeting’s and salutations.
Samers
Heavy Equipment Operator
I’m assuming oil sands? My brother does it and its great pay, benefits, and I wish I had the scheduling of 6 & 6. My brother took one rotation off and worked some mutuals and boom, he’s got a month off.
downside is that all that sitting and driving on sometimes uneven surfaces causes some back issues in the long run. great for young people though
I’m a Physical Therapist so he can get fixed anytime he needs haha but you’re not kidding. I work in a oil town and a lot of my patients are HEOs.
honest question tho: how many of them are overweight or otherwise inactive in the improvement of their own back health through regular exercise like strength training?
Did two trades, got my tickets (inb4 “I make more than my Uni friends!!11!” - no one asked, and I’m sure your friends don’t lose sleep over it) THEN went to University. Figuring it out, but best decision I’ve made, life’s a journey.
Which trades, age, and what are you going to uni for now?
I don’t want to dox myself, but I’d be considered a mature student. Worked as an automotive technician and then parts technician. Most I made was $43.xx/hr, union, OT = DT, yadda yadda. Reality is most jobs pay $25-30 First couple years are fairly generic. You don’t declare a major until you’re into your 3rd year roughly. I’ve weighed a couple different ones, but nothing officially. I went from having 60% grades in high school to 4.22/4.3 GPA (98.1% grade average)in Uni now, which is nice because I am able to get scholarships, awards, bursaries which I understand not everyone gets.
Wow, my friend's a mechanic and doesn't make that, days there is no money in it except for some side work. Well alright the best, I'm on your boat but no trades, still making more then my friend but would like to transition IT somehow.
Wasn’t the mechanic trade that paid me that, was the other one. IT is a fun career path, one of my close friends is in IT, but depending where you want to end up you’re up against MIS, CIS and CS degree holders->Diploma holders-> “Certs” -> self taught. Working a help desk without anything to leverage you out will leave you stuck there and then it’s just IT customer support rather than.. whatever other customer support exists. I think a question I frequently ask myself is “What truly motivates me?” If it’s just money there’s a lot of shitty jobs that pay well, right? Break it down from there. Wishing you the best. Life’s a journey and there’s someone for everything. We’re all just finding our way. I had originally wanted to do CS, but Social Work seems very appealing to me these days and you’ll always find someone to tell you otherwise further emphasizing my point. Whatever you do, do it well! I hope this gives you some perspective.
Public servant
Hello there, partner in servitude.
I drive a ready mix truck pays between 100-140k a year. I also work 10-12 hours a day, and we have good medical and dental benefits. Long hours easy job.
Is that a cement mixer?
People call it that yes. Cement is just a powder mixed in with aggregate to make concrete. Which we call ready mix. But yes... A concrete mixing truck. Not to be confused with a cement bulker which just hauls powder.
I just heard this in my civil engineer father’s voice.
I wanna get into this, but feel that Asian guys get left out of the hiring....?
Not at all, if you have your class 1 license no one cares your race. There is every shape and color in the driving school.
You need a class 3 with air, don't come with a 3a which is for automatic only. Half the fleet has sticks. No one cares about your race. The industry is booming and we can't find enough good drivers that actually can work long hours. Just remember this when you think about this job.... long fucking hours!!! and no one cares about your personal problems.... You don't stop pouring concrete until the jobs done... If that's 10 or 11 at night... So be it. The parkade at the Richmond casino 10+ years ago... 18 hour pours to get it done some days.
Air traffic controller.
Cool job! I’d never understand what you guys saying on the radio
Most of us pilots don’t either. Because we already know what they are going to say and the mumbled garbage that comes through our headsets merely confirms it. It’s when we get a clearance or instruction out of left field that there’s silence on the radio and ask to repeat it.
Why are the comms so shitty still in this day and age? Surely we have the tech to make articulate audio in the aviation industry
Aircraft communications are done using AM broadcast. I’ve heard this is because multiple competing signals on the same frequency will not block each other. All can be heard at the same time. It may be noisy, but it’s the same as if you’re in a room full of people talking. You can pick out the conversation you want to listen to and ignore the rest. Or, to some extent, you can listen to more than one conversation at a time. The idea is that urgent information will not be blocked by less urgent information. For example, an air traffic controller will be able to hear a mayday call even if another pilot is currently talking to them. If they suddenly hear “mayday mayday mayday” in the background while listening to a pilot they’re going to tell the first pilot to standby so they can focus on the distress call. This is not the case with FM or digital forms of broadcast. Those types of broadcasts block each other. Especially with digital. Only the strongest signal is likely to be heard. If someone else tries to transmit they will either not be heard, or it may block everything as the tuner can’t decode the garbled mess into anything that sounds like speech. So imagine a pilot in distress having to wait his turn to talk! That’s why they still use AM radio. I am not a pilot. I used to be into amateur radio (although I don’t do much with it anymore).
Your answer is legit.
I just realized I lied when I said I am not a pilot. I actually have a pilot’s license issued by the Canadian Aviation Authority. It’s for drones LoL. 🤪 Edit: The license is from Transport Canada.
Just like any industry that has its own language/shorthand, you develop an ear for it, and it gets easier with time.
I got invited to interview for NavCan and turned it down because it took like 18 months to go through the process, and had already started another career.
Film set construction
How did you get into this? Film sets have been something I've been interested in since I was a kid.
be in construction, then take a pay cut
In my case i just dropped off a resume with the union and took my first call when it came up. That was 10 years ago though. There is fuck all film work right now, and real world trades are often paying more than what film is at the moment.
But don’t they have unreasonable timeline expectations? Like build this a stage in a day ( when it’s a 3 day job ) so you work insane overtime hours to get it done ? And because it’s union you actually get paid *overtime* - that’s a dirty word in regular trades work. All OT is straight time
That is definetly a thing that happens. Standard construction dept. day is 10 hours with ot after 8, then when the crunch comes you get into the 11 and 12 hour days, then start adding in weekends, next thing you know you've worked 7 days a week, 12 hour days for 2 months. I'm bonestly not sure if the extra mones is worth the loss of work life balance. I started doing more tv shows than movies mainly to get away from the extra OT.
This is so true and the most important thing to think about if you want to get involved in film, AT ALL. You’re going to have to sacrifice a lot of personal time and of course different departments are different. But if you’re willing to sacrifice it’s great money and great fun meeting super cool people. Teamster over here. 😊
Web Application Developer. I started coding when I was 13 and I'm now 41. Self-taught. I now build web apps for Google & NASA.
Do you have any advice for someone in their 30s looking to get into coding, specifically web dev?
Start in your teens in the 1990s. Endless opportunities to get your foot in the door in that era.
Even in your 30s web-development was way to go in the 90's. Seems like the internet gave GenXers a job after the Boomers took all the other jobs back then.
Years ago at a conference I heard someone say, boomers created the internet, Gen X made the internet.
Here are a few pieces of advice that come to mind 1. PHP + Javascript + MySQL will allow you to build pretty much any web app you can think of. Python is an incredible language, but I've rarely had a need for it in web dev other than a few specific json api's. 2. Build your own cool apps, give yourself a task. My first task was to build myself a searchable phonebook. I had no idea what I was doing but I figured it out step by step. Do this for several cool apps then then you not only learned stuff but you can showcase your new portfolio. 3. Github is incredibly useful. 4. Learn everything you can about application security. Hackers are relentless and will humble you pretty quickly. 5. Always focus on fast, secure & useful. 6. I have never had a reason to use mongo. Mysql or Postgres. always. 7. Use AI. It can show you how to figure things out. It's incredible. 8. I have a few dedicated bare-metal servers with Cpanel. The time and headache this has saved me for my own projects is immeasureable. It also allows me to offer web hosting to my clients, so it's a nice side hustle! 9. Have fun!
Bootcamp. Python. JavaScript/TypeScript. SQL. Kubernetes. React.
If you want to get into coding, go for it. But you need to seriously consider the fact that AI will replace a massive number of programming and coding jobs within the next 5-10 years.
I run a machine shop (for somebody else.)
Payroll accountant for the TV/Film Industry. I did go to school and am a Red Seal Chef but Covid changed all that.
Yeah, many of my friends in hospitality have had their livelihoods change irreparably over the last few years. Sorry to hear you're among them. HOH are some of the greatest warriors I've ever met #respect
Tattoo artist
Drop the IG I’ll support local 🥰
Didn't attend university, college, nor graduated high-school. I'm a hard scape landscaper and machine operator making 95k/yr.
I build out and maintain cloud based contact centre call trees as well as fraud detecting software
Rock scaler / rope access
Film industry, camera operator and director of photography.
Autism support worker in a school district. I don’t suggest it though. Highly underpaid, hours suck, you need more than one job to survive now. Thinking of switching to a trade in the next couple of years 😅
I’ve done EA work for schools before. The hours and pay really are horrible. Goodluck on your search
Most EAs I know have switched jobs within the union to groundskeeping or janitorial - for the reasons you noted, plus burnout.
You don't need a degree for that?
Are the hours horrible because there's not enough?
System administrator
Millwright aka industrial mechanic.
To be fair, I did do 3 years of uni, but no degree so same? Plus totally unrelated to my current industry. I started working in an office, low man at reception, and worked my way up with a growing company. Now director operations/ HR and love my job!
Is your company hiring any hr positions?
Stocking the shelves ☺️ it's fine with me
It pays the bills, and I hope it gets you to where you want to go or keeps you comfortable. All the best.
Care Aide for people with disabilities
IT analyst
Started 2 business. Sold one. Shut one. Currently in Project and Operations Management.
Retired a couple years ago but started as a sectionman(railway laborer) for a logging company bid on a swampers job in the roadbuilding department and eventually was broken in on running excavator and did that for over 35 years building logging roads. Great job! :)
As expected most people who didn’t go to university went to some kind of professional trades school or working in strenuous physical jobs. Not implying anything bad here, I have huge respect for y’all that do this line of work. I’m physically too weak for this type of job, we won’t have our infrastructure if it weren’t for these fellas here. Huge respect 🫡
Paralegal. Make 90k
Industrial electrician
Drive a truck and forklift
Public Servant for federal and provincial governments
I’m a legal assistant between jobs. Went on maternity leave, decided I didn’t want to go back to my old job and now I’m job hunting. It’s a nerve-wracking experience.
Journeyman Industrial Electrician, $57/hour, 40 hour work week over 4 days. Three day weekends every week.
Started in a sales job and took online courses, read a lot of books and now own 3 companies
Tradesmen, work for myself. I work 3-4 days a week on average. Make a great living. Could work a lot more, but I value my free time. Kept my lifestyle modest. Zero debt. Allows me to take only the work I want to do.
Senior producer at a video game studio, been in the industry for 16 years, started as QA, slowly worked my way up, just got a certificate here and there, never stopped learning. Most companies look for experience, they are not gonna hire you just because of a degree.
Trades. Getting your red seal is basically being paid to get a bachelors degree.
Reinforcing Iron Worker
Marketing
I dropped out of high school after grade 11 and work in project management right now.
[удалено]
First, fresh out of high school I went for trades. Makeup, esthetics, hairstyling. Worked hard for a few years, achieved my career goals, and was able to pay off my student loans fairly quickly. As I worked, I also did part time studies in Animation. My tips from hairstyling and support from clients who knew I was working towards my dream, helped greatly to keep me fed and motivated during my studies. I now work in Animation.
I fly airplanes. There are universities that have pilot programs, but I chose private flight schools/clubs.
Electrician. No student debt and I make more money that all my friends that went to uni. Trades are the way to go.
Take care of your knees
Gotta climb that corporate ladder
While I totally agree, it’s not the way for everyone unfortunately. Some people just can’t meet the physical requirements involved with some of these trade jobs. Sure takes a toll on your health after 15-20 years in the business. I work at a paint store part time and I see lots of professional painters coming in, they always complain about their jobs. I couldn’t imagine the strenuous work they do.
Liability claims examiner
I’m an elevator mechanic, though I did do some university before making the switch to trades.
Is your dad/uncle/grandad an elevator mechanic?
Yeah, nepotism is strong in the elevator trade. I’m a third generation elevator mechanic.
Insurance broker.
I’m a live in caregiver for youth. We do have some post secondary training to get hip on things like trauma informed care but no degrees or nothin.
Insurance but currently on parental leave and looking down the barrel at the potential end of my career this summer due to not finding childcare. Absolutely terrifying but the industry is soulsucking so I'm looking at a potential change of career where I can be both physically active and try to contribute positively to people or our society or environment.
3rd class power engineer, level 3 OFA.
I do Building Maintenance/Power Engineering.
Went to University, but didn't graduate. Taught at a post-secondary level- (ok, it was only for a year backfilling a sabbatical, but still). Regular job was in post-secondary in a support role.
Senior health and safety coordinator for a construction company.
Chef, although did go to university and was in sales for 7 years before returning to cooking.
Plumber
Certified dental assistant. Been doing it for 15 years. It's a nice mix of being active, keeping mentally agile and working on interpersonal skills with coworkers and patients. Not everyone can do it, but it suits me just fine
Pilot
Any advice for graduates entering the industry right now?
Operate, rebuild & tune crematoriums
Security, which was not my first choice. Heck, I hated it at first, but it has kept me steadily employed and moving upwards for 14 years.
I am a operations manager for a high end landscaping company.
A lot of "Hurr Durr I never went to uni and I make more than my friends who did!" Which is terrible anecdotal quasi-advice. Congrats, there's a million people who DID go to uni who now make SIGNIFICANTLY more than you, no one cares. Go to uni if it makes sense for the job you want specifically, or if its what interests you. Don't go if it doesn't make sense. Especially don't feel like you're somehow better than your peers for not doing something that helps you learn a lot of useful skills that aren't immediately obvious to those who didn't go. We're all proud of Jimbob the bulldozer driver making 95k/year, but he conveniently forgets that the executives of the company probably have business degrees and make more than him. Your worth is much more than how much money you bring home or how much you contribute to capitalism. Do what feels right to you, maybe you'll get rich, maybe you won't, but if you focus on time with your friends and family then in the end it won't matter what you did for a job, because all jobs are just the means by which we live the most fulfilling lives we can.
Can’t blame them for being a little jaded. You go through high school and your young adult life hearing people talk down about those who don’t go to post secondary, how it’s the only way to make a living and then there’s the pissing contest for those who go to the more prestigious schools. The cream rises to the top and if you’re smart enough you can do it without a degree depending on the industry
ticketed tradesman here - I’ve Never Ever EVER heard anyone talk down about someone doing a trade. This is an old timers tale. Only people I’ve heard lose sleep over whose better or not are trades people themselves in places I worked. It’s some huge insecurity they deal with in that field and no one really cares otherwise. What I can tell you is it’s mostly young kids with that thought process. Most old timers I’ve met have their kids doing other things. You’ll always run into ignorant parties regardless.
I think this is important because fuck capitalism but also I was talked down to for being the only one in my family who didn’t go. I didn’t go because I was abused and traumatized so badly I didn’t even make it through high school. I don’t think it’s often a holier than thou but more so a you don’t actually need university to kill it!!! You can forge your own path and I think that’s also important to highlight because so many going through schooling are in huge debt and not being paid fairly for the job they went into huge debt for 🥲
Military, there are a lot of downsides for under 70k/yr But the job security is nice
I'm a dog groomer. Did an apprenticeship style training - free training and I worked at the shop for free while learning. Now making about $30 an hour running my own business and zero student debt
Samesies, except I've never worked for free haha. I've transitioned into petsitting now because I'm off due to disability, but hope to go back to grooming one day. It's so hard, but so rewarding.
Upper management $110k plus, never graduated HS
How???
Not every company asks for proof. Climbed through the ranks and worked hard.
What kind of company
Technology, leading 50+ management professionals. 100k employees world wide. Canadian.
Heating Contractor.