I am in my late twenties and I have decided to go back to school. Due to some financial reasons and family situation I had to drop out of my undergrad studies. I have been working full-time ever since. However, I feel like I am not getting anywhere careerwise. I can be doing the same admin jobs for the rest of my life if I don’t go back to school and get a degree. My initial choice was to go back to community college and do a diploma program which would be finished in 2 years. My choice was to complete a Paralegal diploma. In Ontario Paralegal’s are now licensed and can offer advise and represent clients in courts. However, a few people at my work and at home have said we think you should do something in IT as we can see you will be good at it. My supervisor at work really thinks I should be studying something in IT.
Then I thought to myself that since I have decided to go back to school part-time, why not just go to a university and work towards a degree instead. I am now so confused about what degree program should I enroll in. My friend said you should study law as this profession will never go out of demand. However, I feel that if I ever want to move to another country my law degree maybe irrelevant to the laws of another country.
If I enroll in an IT program (interested in IT management program) then I can go to any country in this world and my skills and my degree will still be considered valid.
What do you guys think. 4 years down the line which profession would be more in demand in your opinion? Looking at current trends, which degree option do you think is more versatile?
You should learn IT and I suggest u to learn web development courses and diplomas Its really helps you. I also earn from this field by doing work without any degree or diploma. But if possible you also have to continue any degree specially software field choose for ur future....
sorry for a delayed response mate.. I agree with the advise that has been shared by the above posters. IT is definitely a much more progressive career compared to Law. Though Law may never run out of business but it demands long working hours and alot of it is sales based in companies .. a really hectic field and also very country specific.
On the other hand, IT is quite a diverse field. Several opportunities remain and if you keep yourself update with newest happenings of the industry, you are hardly going to be out of job ! and you are not confined to a certain country.
Degree is always better then a diploma. Specially if you havnt completed your degree during your study years .. A degree may be more expensive and more time consuming, but it pays off in a much better way in the long run.
Please do not consider 'in demand' disciplines. See what interests you and pursue that. In the long run, you'll succeed if you choose what you like to do rather than what you think corporations require.
Kaka, I sort of disagree with this approach. At the end of the day, its a very competitive world we live in. Earning money and being in a progressive career is no longer easy.
Its very important that we become more and more calculative about what we want to do in life. Not all of us will be lucky to get into a career of choice. I didnt choose my career, I know majority others who didnt choose theirs either .. it was either chosen for them by elders, or , they ended up in a certain career by coincidence and then carried on with it. They are happy , as long as they are progressing, earning money and living a good life.
Recently, I was attending a career discussion group meet, almost all HR executives of larger firms said, its the need of the hour that individuals change strategy and select careers carefully, after excessive research on the "need" element of the market rather then "those segments of the market where supply is already abundant"
The times have changed do quickly that just 10 years ago, people used to say "do your MBA and you WILL find a job" .. now MBA is not enough .. you need to be in a specific candidate short industry to be able to find a job without too much hassle !
There are always some careers that if you do not like your job, you cannot progress much. Sales and marketing, Law and Computer programming are such field that you need to 'like' what you are doing, otherwise you'll be stuck in middle management in the long run.
Then there are careers where you can do a good job even if you do not like it. Engineers, accountants, medical professionals are some people who need a lot of brain and less of heart to do the job. You can progress well if these fields and do a great job even if you do not like it.
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I have decided to pursue a degree in IT Management. I have already submitted my application to the university that I am interested in attending. Now it is just a waiting game. :)
I would say do what you enjoy and have a passion for. But lets look at the facts for a minute. The IT industry is booming right now and that isnt gonna change anytime soon. Dont know about Ontario but where i am (scotland) the Law market is saturated. I have a friend who wasnt able to secure a placement allowing him to study for his solicitor examinations. He made the swtich to Accountancy. But the job market in general in scotland is pretty abysmal at the moment. It seems to me that you wanna pursue Law. If thats the case go for it. You still have some geographical mobility with a Law degree though you may have to sit conversion exams. In short it boils down to Do you wanna do what you enjoy vs Do you wanna be a part of the next big thing (IT)?? Me personally i would go with Law. I am a firm believer that if you enjoy what you do then youll be good at it. And if youre good at it then you as an empolyer will obviously be in demand with good job opportunities everywhere with good pay. Balls in ur court
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I have decided to pursue a degree in IT Management. I have already submitted my application to the university that I am interested in attending. Now it is just a waiting game. :)
Thanks once again.
All the best to you Tea , hope it all works out as per plan , keep us updated :)