Millhouse

There is a time in life where you need to start work and stop studying. I hate to tell you this, but you have past this time already. You need to start work.

No bank or law firm will take on a 29 year old fresh graduate. It just does not work that way.

If you are prepared to travel, I would consider EBRD or EIB as potential employers. They would probably like your list of languages.

Pizzawheel

Good point millhouse. But if Erika is 26 now we'd be talking the wrong side of 30 to be tackling a crowded rookie job market- vs hundreds of fresh grads. As an interviewer I'd be looking for reasons why you're ten years late entering the market (and I'd be sympathetic to some personal issues. Unfortunately less so to someone who's studied for years only to find out there are no jobs for that qualification at the end of that period rather than at the start. Sorry to be blunt...

not2old

Back to your original post, I have a few questions, comments & suggestions.

Too me, you seem to want to continue be a professional student?

How are you funding your studies at age 26, have you ever worked at anything - if so, what?

If McGill is the place that you want to be, pick & choose something that you like & that you will get accepted into

Would you be content with more language studies or maybe move to fine art?

Since you lean towards languages, why not stick with it, if so, what about 'Forensic linquistics' or 'Psycholinguistics'? Could be a good one, useful for study & a career

What about 'Criminology'?

Do you want to repeat or add-on a Graduate degree in linguistics at McGill?

Could you define what "successful" means to you, is it more academic qualifications, be a lifetime researcher, or being able to work for money, give back to society.... just what is it?

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Shirtback

I tend to agree with those who suggest getting a job, for the moment, before launching into yet more study.

Putting all your qualifications aside for the moment, think about what would you *like* to do as a job/career? Have you worked at any time while you were studying? If yes, was there a job (or aspects of one) you particularly enjoyed? When you chose the studies you did, did you have a job/career in mind?

Have you looked at Federal government jobs? Not just translation/interpreter?

Are you "tied" to Montreal, or would you be prepared to go elsewhere in Canada?

Just throwing out some ideas...

DandNHill

Sorry to sound harsh but I think you need to check out the real world for a while...unless you are planning on becoming a professional student?

not2old

Agree, normal folks want to work, some want to be students all their life - it takes all kind


We don't know, yet the OP would appear to have unlimited resources, probably supported by someone, along with free accommodation & keep, best computer & cell phone, clothes, circle of friends, coffee shop, clubbing

Why at age 26 do folks want to continue to be in school, want to be successful - yet not work.... its because 'they don't live in the real world' IMO

My wifes brother in the UK was a 'professional student' till age 30, then started working. At age 35 (5 yrs after starting work) he was unable to continue because of depression. He stayed on disability (welfare benefits supported) continued 'in the books' till he died of a massive heart attack at age 66.


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scot47

Sociolinguistics ? Very interesting, but aside from an academic job teaching the subject, where does it lead ? Language Teaching, perhaps.

Shirtback

Off the top of my head: communications, PR, various flavours of Law Enforcement jobs, policy analysts, speech writers, etc etc & all sorts of areas not directly related...

Snowy560

I used to teach sociolinguistics and was never short of work in the UK. I still teach online for a UK university.

When I got here, I did a TESOL qualification but found TESOL teaching conflicted with my ideas about language, particularly notions of "correctness" which you challenge a lot as a sociolinguist. You can study topics such as:

World Englishes; Language change; Code-switching; Style shifting; language and gender; language variation .. Conversation Analysis ... and many more.

I'm also a discourse analyst which is kind of overlapping.

S

Former Lancastrian

So why can we not have mooses or mouses (mice) or others that don't have plurals

Snowy560

When people start using new words or come up with new ways of saying things, and usage spreads, eventually it becomes "normal".

But there is often a lot of criticism first from people (usually older) who would say it's "not correct" or "bad English" or "the state of the language" etc.

Then if people carry on using the new terms, eventually they become assimilated into the language and finally you'd find them in the dictionary.

Something like that anyway.

viajero

I disagree with this.

There are many people who finish their undergraduate degree, then work for a few years, and then return to school for a Masters (or professional degree), finishing up in their late-20s.

I did this myself - began an MBA at 27 and finished at 29. Didn't encounter any problems, but then I worked full-time between 23-27.

The problem with law, however, is that it's a saturated field in Canada. Not as bad as teaching, but close.

Which makes me think - Erika, have you considered becoming a French teacher? Outside of Quebec (for obvious reasons), French teachers are in massive demand with French immersion enrolment skyrocketing. Teaching in general has a terrible oversupply but it is the opposite for the following subjects : French, math, and the sciences (physics especially, but chemistry and biology also offer decent odds).

You can complete a Bachelor of Education in just a year and as a French immersion candidate you'll be snapped up right away. Even if you'd prefer to teach Core French (i.e. french classes to non-immersion students) there are still plenty of opportunities.

not2old

Thank goodness that I do not have to worry about the 'gooblygob' manner or correctness of my speech or english language skills (this is what you get), as well as to have to compete in todays job meat market

From 'all walks of life', not that its important (so why ask), d'ya reckon most of the members on the BE are academically qualified to degree +?

How important is it in todays world to have or attain the level of an undergrad, or even a graduate degree?

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Millhouse

Hummm. I'd say your case is quite different. You did an MBA after 5 years work experience. That's a normal path. You were not a fresh graduate on getting the MBA (just like almost all other MBA grads).

not2old

there are folks that do graduate studies much later - in their 30's, 40's, 50's & beyond, even change discipline