We examined the numbers to identify fields in Canada that will land you a lucrative jobs with bright futures. What should you study to get a lucrative career?
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Based on hiring rates, median pay, and income growth, Canadian Business identifies the most promising professions in the nation yearly.
Table of Contents
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Here is our 10 Best Field to Study in Canada to Land a Lucrative Job
1. Utility manager
There is no bachelor’s degree in utility management. But overseeing the delivery of essential services—including water, electricity, and heating—requires post-secondary training and years of service.
Studying business could be an excellent path to eventually landing a career in utility management, Deanna Orpen, a manager of distribution, operations, and maintenance at SaskPower, graduated from Saskatoon Business College with a diploma in business administration. She received an entry-level position as a customer care representative at Saskatchewan’s electricity supplier thanks to that education almost ten years ago. From there, she climbed up to her current position as a regional manager based in Swift Current. In the southwest region of Saskatchewan, she is currently in charge of a group of 30 power-line technicians. She is responsible for developing a plan to deliver services on time and within budget and ensuring that all environmental and safety regulations are fulfilled. It’s difficult, adds Orpen. You must constantly be moving to address what is happening in the field because most of our job is urgent and unforeseen.
You might begin with a college-based power engineering course and work your way up, much like Orpen did to get to her current management position after completing her business studies. A degree in engineering might also be necessary for some more specialized roles. According to Maclean’s 2019 program rankings, the University of Toronto is first. Orpen received a further push in the direction of her chosen profession. Her father worked in construction for several years, and her grandfather worked in logistics for a similar amount of time.
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2. Engineering manager
Landing a job as an engineering manager where you oversee staff and engineering projects will take at least one engineering degree, years of experience, and maybe some business training. It is a long road that will net plenty of job opportunities and a median annual salary of $109,000.
The first stop is an undergraduate engineering degree. Canada’s most prominent and consistently top-ranked engineering school is the University of Waterloo. Students applying to Waterloo choose their significant immediately (in 2019, it was No. 3 behind Toronto and U.B.C.). In addition to the standard civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering options, the school provides more specialized nanotechnology and biomedical engineering options. To apply to any engineering school of your choice in Canada, you must have excellent high school algebra, calculus, physics, and chemistry grades and a good overall average. For majors like nanotechnology, software, or biomedical engineering, applicants to Waterloo must get scores in the mid-80s or early 90s to be considered competitive.
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Once you’ve earned your first engineering degree, you’ll need your P.Eng. or professional engineering license. In Ontario, becoming one requires an undergraduate degree, four years of professional engineering experience, and passing an exam administered by the Professional Engineers of Ontario. Still with us? (The procedure is the same in other provinces.) You can then carry on working as a P.Eng. from there. Apply for manager positions when they become available. You could be able to find a manager position more quickly with more education, such as an M.B.A. or master’s in engineering.
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3. Pipefitting supervisor
On the list of jobs, this is one of the few that doesn’t require a university or college degree. However, securing a pipefitting supervisor position still takes years of on-the-job training. The job entails managing the groups in charge of large-scale industrial and commercial facilities and residential housing’s heating, water, and oil systems. To do that effectively, you must qualify in the pipefitting trade through an apprenticeship and certification, probably by applying to a course at a college or polytechnic. For example, the steamfitter-pipefitter apprenticeship program at NAIT in Edmonton alternates four eight-week class sessions with periods of on-the-job training for a minimum of 1,560 hours (four years). After that, they must pass A provincial exam to become a journeyperson. The good news is that you are paid during all of those apprenticeships, and once qualified, you can anticipate making between $35 and $45 per hour.
To apply for a higher-paying supervisor position after earning your journeyperson certification, you’ll need experience; most job advertisements specify a minimum of five years. WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) and further safety teaching should also be up to date while you’re at it.
4. Pharmacist
Stan Dyjur had a winding route to his current position as the hospital in Red Deer’s pharmacy manager. Dyjur, the current president of the council for the Alberta College of Pharmacy, has always desired a career in the medical field. It didn’t go as planned for him to relocate from his rural homeland of Olds, Alberta, to Edmonton, where he would study science. Dyjur recounts, “I was expelled from the University of Alberta.” “I didn’t do well in school, and I didn’t adjust well to living in a big city.”
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Dyjur attended night sessions at Grant MacEwan College (now a university) and the University of Alberta to gradually complete a biological sciences degree while also taking college courses to become a personal trainer. Then, he added a second degree from the University of Arizona in nutritional sciences. Dyjur entered the University of Alberta pharmacy program in 2006 with high honors and two scientific degrees, and she graduated in 2010. It’s a beautiful profession, he says. There is flexibility to go in, look at what your community needs, and satisfy those needs because pharmacists in Alberta have a wide range of practice options, including the ability to prescribe prescriptions, provide injections, and order lab work.
If becoming a pharmacist is your goal, fast as possible., it is probably best not to follow Dyjur’s example. You must study science at university, take the required undergraduate courses, and perform well. Then apply to one of Canada’s ten pharmacy schools (two are French-language). Competition exists for admission. For instance, students from inside the province must have a G.P.A. of 3.5 (out of four) to be considered at the University of Alberta. Students from outside the region require a 3.7 or above. You must pass a test that is being given. After earning that degree, the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada requires classroom and clinical teaching.
5. Public administration director
A senior public administration director’s career might take many different paths. A bachelor’s degree in the social sciences (political science or economics may be helpful), commerce, or even law is still likely to be required. You’ll need to combine your degree with a ton of work experience in the public sector. If you don’t currently speak both official languages, are you thinking about a career in the federal public service? Consider adding a French minor or some time spent overseas to that degree.
Schools in Ottawa are an excellent place to launch a career in the federal public service. Carleton University supports a bachelor’s degree in public affairs and policy management. It is a competitive program, and you must have an 83% high school average to apply. The university’s department of public affairs also provides master’s degree programs and post-baccalaureate degrees in public administration. The social science faculty at the University of Ottawa offers a master’s degree through the school of public and international affairs. The M.A. curriculum includes the study of domestic and foreign policy. An individual aiming for a top position in public administration would greatly benefit from it. It would be preferable if you applied for an undergraduate degree with some prerequisites in economics.
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6. Health care manager
There isn’t a single educational pathway to this position similar to other manager jobs on this list. For example, a nurse looking for a new challenge and perhaps a more traditional 9 to 5 work may already be a nurse, doctor, or another healthcare professional transitioning into management after years in their sector. Suppose it is your wish to pursue a career in nursing. In that case, you might want to consider attending the universities of Alberta, Toronto, or U.B.C., which, according to the most recent Maclean’s rankings, were the top three nursing programs in the nation.
However, as Canada’s population ages, several schools are beginning to see the necessity of developing health care managers from the ground up. For instance, Seneca College in Toronto grants a four-year honors bachelor of science in health care administration. The program requires a work term, so graduates will have practical work experience. Through its population and public health university, U.B.C. provides a master of health administration degree. Doctors, nurses, dieticians, and other regulated health professionals who desire to work in management positions are welcome to apply to McMaster, which offers a master’s degree in health care. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree and work experience in the medical profession will also be considered by the institution.
7. Senior Business manager
Are you interested in that corner office? Selecting a top-ranked business school for your undergraduate education is probably a good idea. The Sauder School of Business at U.B.C. is ranked first in Maclean’s rankings. Obtaining a position at Sauder—or any other top-ranked business program, for that matter—requires excellent academic standing and completion of the necessary preparatory courses, typically English and arithmetic. According to U.B.C.’s 2017–18 enrolment report, the grade average for successful applicants entering the business program straight out of high school was over 90%.
You might wish to think about the kind of businesses that interest you when choosing a school. For instance, Sauder emphasizes sustainability, ethics, and philanthropy in all of its teaching materials. Are you concerned with international trade? Maclean’s ranked York University third for business, offering a specialized international business degree with a required study abroad experience. How does the energy sector fare? Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business focuses on energy and expert land management. Alternatively, think about collaborating with the Schulich School of Engineering in Calgary for a five-year dual degree in business and engineering, as nothing says C-suite like earning two of the most challenging undergraduate degrees.
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8. Banking and credit manager
The best chance of getting a job managing money in a bank or credit union typically lies in pursuing a degree in business or economics. Canada offers a wide range of excellent business schools. If you want to work in banking, attending a school with a built-in work-term or internship requirement may help you gain experience in the financial services industry before you graduate.
McMaster in Hamilton is one choice. With a unique internship option, DeGroote School of Business is one of Canada’s top business schools. After their third year of school, DeGroote students can apply for a 12- or 16-month work term. This lengthy placement enables students to earn competitive rates and graduate with a full year of experience on their résumé instead of internships that only last three or four months. Waterloo might be an excellent alternative for those who desire to explore various job opportunities in the financial services sector. Co-op business students at Waterloo alternate four-month study and four-month work periods. This would appeal to students who wish to experience various workplaces and settings before graduating.
9. Veterinarian
When Chris Bell was a small child, his ideal job was to become a veterinarian. Growing up on a horse farm close to Airdrie, Alberta, he had first-hand experience with the industry. “I was always charmed by the veterinarians who would come out and conduct the treatments—pull the teeth, vaccinate, sew up horses,” he remembers. After graduating from high school and the University of Saskatchewan with a science degree, Bell began working in a veterinary clinic. The school’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine accepted him. The school’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine took him. Before purchasing his current horse practice in Winnipeg in 2012, he completed a further residency in surgery.
Overall, Bell spent ten years in school, but it was all worthwhile. He laughs and continues, “I never dreamed I would be able to work with horses daily and get paid for it. “Being a veterinarian is the fulfillment of a dream.”
There is no fast track to becoming a vet. Before attending a vet college for an additional four years, prospective veterinarians must get high grades during a four-year scientific undergraduate degree. Admission to one such university is complicated. According to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, there are just five colleges in Canada, and they only produce about 450 new veterinarians yearly. Start considering the University of Prince Edward Island, Université de Montréal, Guelph, USask, and the University of Calgary if you want to be a part of that select group. Like in medicine, some students rejected by Canadian universities prefer to study abroad, with opportunities in the United States, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. With a degree, you can access a wide range of job opportunities, such as those in the government, pathology, and radiology—particularly as Baby Boomer veterans retire and choose to sell their practices. According to Bell, a D.V.M. degree in veterinary medicine opens up many opportunities. “It’s crucial to think beyond only taking care of dogs and cats,”
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10. Marketing and public relations manager
You can study journalism, communications, marketing, or public relations at a college, university, or a combination of those subjects to earn a position in this industry.
If you decide to further a career in journalism, Ryerson University in downtown Toronto has one of the best schools in the nation, awarding both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The University of King’s College, Carleton, Western, and U.B.C. (only at the master’s level) are among Canada’s top universities that award journalism degrees. These colleges frequently require a portfolio and excellent grades. So before applying, it’s a good idea to join a writing or media group at your school or another.
If you want to skip the journalism training and go into public relations, consider studying at a polytechnic or another school that offers an applied degree. Hands-on training provided through polytechnic programs, such as the one at Humber’s school of media studies, means students graduate with the skills to produce promotional videos, manage social media accounts and develop a crisis communications plan. Polytechnics are another excellent option if you already have a more general arts degree and want to specialize. For example, Seneca offers an eight-month graduate certificate in public relations recognized by the Canadian Public Relations Society and the International Association of Business Communicators.
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