Question worth CAD $42000.... and beyond... Masters OR trades diploma??

[Wordlife]

Hi guys... So this is where I get worried and confused and in fact, a lot of students might be worried as well. So I thought why not consult the real people here and see what they think about it.

Current Scenario: I've got Visa for 3-year Dental hygiene diploma. It pays well according to numbers, $30-40/hour.. but when I talked with the real hygienists I found that they are struggling and there are barely any jobs. In fact, the only jobs available are part time or highly underpaid. No job postings on kijiji, indeed, workbc etc. So I decided to change my course as I didn't want to experiment my future and would rather go for something more stable. Fee for this diploma is approx CAD $50,000.

Future Scenario: Now I have 2 options left:

1. Masters (Masters in Public Health, MPH - fee is $15000-20,000) ---
a. May or may not get me a job - depends on my networking i know but ex-grads took 1-2 years to find a related job.
b. I can apply for immigration under post-graduate stream
c. Close to 0 job postings in websites and my research found that $40,000 is average earning IN CASE I GET A JOB!

2. Skilled base/Trades/technology diploma (Medical Lab technology science - fee is $42000 CAD)
a. Listed in federal skilled worker occupation list
b. Google and canadian websites say this diploma has higher job openings than any other health profession jobs.
c. Toooo overly priced fee but I can cover that.
d. I'll downgrading my education but I want to be market oriented rather than being a jobless scholar

My concern is basically that should I opt for masters degree(MPH etc) or should I go for skilled job oriented diploma program.
Right now I have bachelor's degree... and in the end, I just want to be better prepared for a related job and positively get a PR. I have a good network where I am going and wish to work in British Columbia during PGWP years (its beautiful there).

MPH is 2 years and Medical Lab technology diploma is 2.5 years long.

I would highly appreciate your input guys as this not only decides where I spend all my time, money and hope but also decides my future most importantly.
P.S. I am a medical student and can study/work in healthcare sector only.

 

[mead]

having jobs is not enough....will u have a career thats important, if u have a job with no advancement ur career will go no where..so look at where u want to be... see if the degree/diploma that u select will get u there.....check highest job titles u can get from both programs....I will give u an example lets say there r a lot of jobs as a taxi driver so lets say u take a course that makes u a taxi driver now 5-10 years down the line do u see any progress in ur salary....career is stagnant......this is an exaggerated example but did u get the point? well thats just my point of view.....

 

[Wordlife]

having jobs is not enough....will u have a career thats important, if u have a job with no advancement ur career will go no where..so look at where u want to be... see if the degree/diploma that u select will get u there.....check highest job titles u can get from both programs....I will give u an example lets say there r a lot of jobs as a taxi driver so lets say u take a course that makes u a taxi driver now 5-10 years down the line do u see any progress in ur salary....career is stagnant......this is an exaggerated example but did u get the point? well thats just my point of view.....

You did make a solid point there. That cleared some air for me. I think masters would grow my career while diploma gets me a short term satisfaction here.
So, in case I fail to get a related job after MPH for 1-2 years, would i still be eligible to apply for PR with odd bridging jobs for time being?
Or do I hold better PR chances with skilled based diploma?

 

[mead]

You did make a solid point there. That cleared some air for me. I think masters would grow my career while diploma gets me a short term satisfaction here.
So, in case I fail to get a related job after MPH for 1-2 years, would i still be eligible to apply for PR with odd bridging jobs for time being?
Or do I hold better PR chances with skilled based diploma?

dont know what MPH is ..does it have better career advancement? if not find a masters which will have prospects and which ur interested in......dont just go for masters cause it is masters.....do u like it? is there any other master that u would like better .....also see if u do PG diploma now and if ur career gets stagnant is it possible to do another program at that point .....like example u did diploma in Medical Lab technology science is it possible to do another program after 5 years to boost ur career....

 

[mead]

also wait for more people to give their view points.....

 

[Justin-engineer]

Hi guys... So this is where I get worried and confused and in fact, a lot of students might be worried as well. So I thought why not consult the real people here and see what they think about it.

Current Scenario: I've got Visa for 3-year Dental hygiene diploma. It pays well according to numbers, $30-40/hour.. but when I talked with the real hygienists I found that they are struggling and there are barely any jobs. In fact, the only jobs available are part time or highly underpaid. No job postings on kijiji, indeed, workbc etc. So I decided to change my course as I didn't want to experiment my future and would rather go for something more stable. Fee for this diploma is approx CAD $50,000.

Future Scenario: Now I have 2 options left:

1. Masters (Masters in Public Health, MPH - fee is $15000-20,000) ---
a. May or may not get me a job - depends on my networking i know but ex-grads took 1-2 years to find a related job.
b. I can apply for immigration under post-graduate stream
c. Close to 0 job postings in websites and my research found that $40,000 is average earning IN CASE I GET A JOB!

2. Skilled base/Trades/technology diploma (Medical Lab technology science - fee is $42000 CAD)
a. Listed in federal skilled worker occupation list
b. Google and canadian websites say this diploma has higher job openings than any other health profession jobs.
c. Toooo overly priced fee but I can cover that.
d. I'll downgrading my education but I want to be market oriented rather than being a jobless scholar

My concern is basically that should I opt for masters degree(MPH etc) or should I go for skilled job oriented diploma program.
Right now I have bachelor's degree... and in the end, I just want to be better prepared for a related job and positively get a PR. I have a good network where I am going and wish to work in British Columbia during PGWP years (its beautiful there).

MPH is 2 years and Medical Lab technology diploma is 2.5 years long.

I would highly appreciate your input guys as this not only decides where I spend all my time, money and hope but also decides my future most importantly.
P.S. I am a medical student and can study/work in healthcare sector only.

Read the message i sent you in your inbox !!!

 

[allin]

If you study only for the money and the PR, you have a problem.
My advice is study what you like and what your heart says, its a very important decision to ask on a forum of unknow people. Good luck

 

[Wordlife]

If you study only for the money and the PR, you have a problem.
My advice is study what you like and what your heart says, its a very important decision to ask on a forum of unknow people. Good luck

Thats a nice gesture, thanks.
Well not really... if i tell u my past experience, i am probably the most active volunteer in my community. I work for free to help homeless, stray animals and unhealthy masses. I actually need MORE MONEY to carry on my works as WITHOUT MONEY i am not really as useful for the community. And plus I'll be spending close to $70,000 for entire studies including stay. And this is the most genuine thing I can ask for >> The Right Course << something that has a market value...
Yes u r right... I should follow my heart... but it would leave me nowhere, so it's best to go with the market trend, plus i can always do my thing once i get settled down. Once I reach Canada, I'll start volunteering for local community, preferably elderly and homeless.

 

[Wordlife]

dont know what MPH is ..does it have better career advancement? if not find a masters which will have prospects and which ur interested in......dont just go for masters cause it is masters.....do u like it? is there any other master that u would like better .....also see if u do PG diploma now and if ur career gets stagnant is it possible to do another program at that point .....like example u did diploma in Medical Lab technology science is it possible to do another program after 5 years to boost ur career....

You are right... best program would be the one which has further ways of getting advanced training or promotions.
MPH is Masters in public health... these r the guys who make health policy, work on prevention, teach health related issues to community etc.

Medical lab techs are basically the guys working in lab doing blood sample tests and form test results, pretty much the medical report in short... they work in hospitals, with pathologists etc. Earn $20ish/hr on an average. Entry level may be less.

MPH can qualify me for post-graduation PNP while Medical Lab Tech is a skilled technical job which comes under NOC 0,A or B something.

 

[Wordlife]

Read the message i sent you in your inbox !!!

Thanks for the positive note bro!

 

[Jattitude]

check ur inbox worldlife

 

[Ash20]

Hi
I have also done BDS and was in the same boat as of you but after doing a bit of research, i only thought of applying for MPH even though i knew my percentage in BDS is not up to the mark to get into the masters but still i took a chance and as expected i couldnt get through but i was sure in my mind that i dont want to downgrade my previous education by taking these diploma courses..There is one more Medical or Dental office administration course apart from the ones u mentioned So anyway i didnt go for these diploma So i would suggest u to go for MPH only from univeristy of saskatchewan or univeristy of manitoba as i guess its easier to get a PR from there ( correct me i am wrong) ..And also why not go for masters program when even getting a job after these diplomas also is not sure and probably in the mean time, u can try cracking the NDEB if u do want to practice as a dentist also
P.S- I use to be the silent visitor of this forum but after seeing your post today , i finally decided to make my appearance

 

[Wordlife]

Hi
I have also done BDS and was in the same boat as of you but after doing a bit of research, i only thought of applying for MPH even though i knew my percentage in BDS is not up to the mark to get into the masters but still i took a chance and as expected i couldnt get through but i was sure in my mind that i dont want to downgrade my previous education by taking these diploma courses..There is one more Medical or Dental office administration course apart from the ones u mentioned So anyway i didnt go for these diploma So i would suggest u to go for MPH only from univeristy of saskatchewan or univeristy of manitoba as i guess its easier to get a PR from there ( correct me i am wrong) ..And also why not go for masters program when even getting a job after these diplomas also is not sure and probably in the mean time, u can try cracking the NDEB if u do want to practice as a dentist also
P.S- I use to be the silent visitor of this forum but after seeing your post today , i finally decided to make my appearance

So are u going to reapply to universities or stay in india only? Yeah MPH is quite competitive in admission as well as during job hunting as number of job postings are quite slim. Diplomas on the other hand are quite expensive for some reason. I am going to do any health related course that has comparatively more job openings, wage is not my concern, i just don't want to do odd jobs thats all.

 

[just_do_it]

Hi guys... So this is where I get worried and confused and in fact, a lot of students might be worried as well. So I thought why not consult the real people here and see what they think about it.

Current Scenario: I've got Visa for 3-year Dental hygiene diploma. It pays well according to numbers, $30-40/hour.. but when I talked with the real hygienists I found that they are struggling and there are barely any jobs. In fact, the only jobs available are part time or highly underpaid. No job postings on kijiji, indeed, workbc etc. So I decided to change my course as I didn't want to experiment my future and would rather go for something more stable. Fee for this diploma is approx CAD $50,000.

Future Scenario: Now I have 2 options left:

1. Masters (Masters in Public Health, MPH - fee is $15000-20,000) ---
a. May or may not get me a job - depends on my networking i know but ex-grads took 1-2 years to find a related job.
b. I can apply for immigration under post-graduate stream
c. Close to 0 job postings in websites and my research found that $40,000 is average earning IN CASE I GET A JOB!

2. Skilled base/Trades/technology diploma (Medical Lab technology science - fee is $42000 CAD)
a. Listed in federal skilled worker occupation list
b. Google and canadian websites say this diploma has higher job openings than any other health profession jobs.
c. Toooo overly priced fee but I can cover that.
d. I'll downgrading my education but I want to be market oriented rather than being a jobless scholar

My concern is basically that should I opt for masters degree(MPH etc) or should I go for skilled job oriented diploma program.
Right now I have bachelor's degree... and in the end, I just want to be better prepared for a related job and positively get a PR. I have a good network where I am going and wish to work in British Columbia during PGWP years (its beautiful there).

MPH is 2 years and Medical Lab technology diploma is 2.5 years long.

I would highly appreciate your input guys as this not only decides where I spend all my time, money and hope but also decides my future most importantly.
P.S. I am a medical student and can study/work in healthcare sector only.

i think the most important question is 'do you have any work experience'?

No program guarantees a job right away after graduation. Unfortunately, work experience does play a major role.

Consider your work experience and how it relates to your educational goals. If your program is completely different from what you have done in the past, it would be just like starting new with 0 experience. If its all relative, you do have something to put on your resume and will have a somewhat easier time in finding a job.

If you have no previous work experience, then its good to be considering the market status when picking a program.
Diploma courses are usually specific and will provide you with a limited skill set in a confined area. I think Masters in this case would provide knowledge of a variety of areas. In the end, that leaves you with more job areas to explore.

Also, depends on what your expectations are for jobs after the masters program. You said you found 0 jobs. what kind of jobs were you looking for? any program with 'public' in the title usually means for working in public service aka government. And govt jobs are not so easy to come around (trust me, i know).

Have you looked into Health informatics/ Health information Management?

 

[r1987]

Hi Wordlife,

I know what you're going through, as I was in your shoes 3 years ago. No doubt it's a big investment and commitment. Although I am not in medical field, I have few friends who are. In nutshell, My best friend had completed respiratory therapy diploma (3 years) from canadore college in Ontario. And he got hired right out of school starting with around 60K a year, and that before even he passed his registration exam. And same hold true for his friends that I know of. He mentioned to me that is not easy program to get in, as it's very competitive. My friend had a degree in science from York before he joined the diploma.

However, it is worth to mentioned, since you specified that you'd like to work in BC, that all job offer he and his friend got were from Alberta and/or Saskatchewan. He told me that BC weren't pay that much anyway.


Hope that help little