Hey Aska,
I’m in a real dilema here. I just got accepted into OISE J/I program, and I’m excited and all, but the horrible job market for teaching in Ontario is a real bummer. I also got accepted into nursing, but after a 5 year undergrad experience, I’m not too sure I want to go through another 4 years. Nursing is great but the shift work and immense stress is also troubling. Plus OISE is cutting half its program and extending the program from 1 year to 2 years starting in 2015. I’m at a lost here, and I’m really not sure where to go next year. Please offer me some advice ='(
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hey there,
it seems to me you’ve already done some research on this. you probably know more about the job market for teachers in Ontario than i do, and you probably know more about nursing. i could dig up some statistics for you that might tip you one way or the other, but i feel like you can do that on your own, so i’ll just try to change your perspective a bit.
to me, whether you do 2 years or 4 in school is not the main concern. either way, in under a half a decade, you’ll be finished with school, and ready to spend at least forty years on one career. since that amount of time massively eclipses the time you’ll spend in school, i think you need to focus on that. the question, then – which i will continue ramming down all your throats ’til you’re sick of it – is what you’ll enjoy more.
if you really want to be a teacher, then having to travel to another country to teach shouldn’t be enough to put you off that career. of course, moving is demanding, and trying to do your job in a culture (and sometimes a language) you are unfamiliar with is incredibly hard. shift work is also hard, especially in such a physically and mentally demanding job as nursing. but, like, life is hard, you know? jobs are hard. i have the best job imaginable, and sometimes even i wake up tired and don’t want to commute for two hours to get to it, and sometimes i mess up at work and i feel stressed out about my mistake for the rest of the day. it happens.
no matter what you do, your job is going to come with roadblocks. but the career you pick needs to be something that you love enough that you are willing to push through the roadblocks. and yeah, i think those roadblocks should be part of the consideration: are you willing to move province or country if you can’t find a job teaching in ontario* are you willing to work long shifts at strange hours? but also, consider what it is you really want to spend your life doing. i know that’s easier said than done, especially when there’s no way for you to test-run the job, so to speak, in a volunteer or internship position.** but that’s the thing that should ultimately determine your decision, i think.
sorry i can’t give more help than that. hopefully this gives you something to chew on, at least.
best,
aska
* by the way, i understand that it is super tough landing a teaching job in toronto, but it’s not impossible, especially if you start applying for tutoring jobs and stuff now to build your resume.
**though if you?can get a volunteer position at a school or hospital, i’d highly recommend it; that’ll definitely well-inform your decision.