Justin originally wanted to get his PhD. in engineering so he could get a decent job when he got out of University. But after two years in University he re-examined his direction and decided to take a year off to look at his goals. If Justin had continued with his goal he would be spending about 9 years in University. It’s a good thing he took that year off.

During his year off he had some interesting discoveries for himself. He first worked for an oil and gas company and quickly recognized that the oil and gas business was the place to be because of the money being made. Problem was he didn’t have any qualifications to be making the big bucks so when his work term was up he went to work in the rail yard for a rape seed oil production facility. There he was had the opportunity to study for his 4^th Class Power Engineer Technologist certificate as the company he was working for was looking for volunteers.

Justin has an uncle who is a welder and who has his 4^th. Justin quizzed him about Power Engineer Technologist and got the low down on the business and so decided to go for his 4^th. This way he got to work in the utility part of the rape seed plant and get steam time and graduate to a better pay scale. Justin didn’t stop there he continued his investigations into Power Engineering while working on his 4^th. He then quit his job and was determined to go to a technical institution to fast track himself through the process. He also got $9000 in grants to cover expenses while at school. He had to go through a few interviews to get it but what the hey, it’s free money!

One thing a person can learn from Justin's experience is to ALWAYS check out the bursaries department. There are thousands of dollars just waiting to be picked up by anyone who qualifies for them. Justin admits that some of the grant money he got was due to his Native American heritage. Keep in mind, there are still many grants available for regular folks. If you have your eye on a large corporate employer, it doesn't hurt to call their offices to see what grants and scholarships they may have available for a prospective employee as well.

In 2003 Justin made a jump between employers.  His reasons for the shift were primarily for the good of his children.  Although he grew up in the area where he was working and had a lot of attachment because of family and friends, he wanted to live in the big city.  This offered his children better educational opportunities and greater amenities for the family.  Justin is young and open to change.  Having a Second Class Power Engineer Technologist Ticket helped considerably when it came to making the employment transition.

Justin's attraction to the business:

He noticed friends of his that are in the business had a higher standard of living than his other friends.

Power Engineer Technologist had greater job stability.

Justin's advice:

Don’t let the word "Engineer" scare you. An average person can make their way through the education for this stuff even if you were getting 60% on your math exams in high school.