Category: Featured Articles

A hairstylist cares for, cleans, cuts and styles hair. They assist clients by taking requests and giving advice to those unsure of what they should do with their hair.

Hair stylists fall under the trades industry. Salons, where hair stylists typically work all fall into the “personal care industry”.

As a hairstylist, you are required to perform basic washing, conditioning, cutting and drying clients’ hair as per their requested style. Clients may also ask for their hair to be dyed, straightened or curled. After the client’s hair has been done and they are satisfied, you must clean up the hair on the floor. In order to succeed in the position, hairstylists have to be good at their job and good at matching the client’s requests as to how they want their hair done.

To advance in the position, you would need positive reviews from clients if you’re working in a salon. If you’re a freelance hairstylist, there is no position to move up to – only more clients! As a hairstylist at a salon, you have the opportunity to advance to being a salon manager. You can also move up “levels” as a hairstylist based on how much education you endure, competition winning, and years of experience. Most salons have levels 1, 2 and 3 for hair stylists.  There will always be a need for hairstylists due to the fact that beauty is such an important part of our society.

In order to become a hairstylist, you need to have a high school diploma and have graduated from cosmetology school, along with most places requiring you to get a license stating that you are a qualified hairstylist. It is recommended that you take cosmetology throughout high school in order to have a better chance at getting jobs in this field. There are many cosmetology programs provided at colleges and universities all across the world.

If you are an extrovert, becoming a hairstylist is a great job for you. All day, you get to meet and interact with people. It is common that if people chat and become friendly with their hair stylists, they are more likely to give them good reviews and to return to the same hairstylist. This job also has very flexible hours and gives you the opportunity to work at a salon or freelance. A con of this job is that the pay isn’t always pre-determined and since you are paid per client, and by tips. Therefore, the pay can be unsteady.

Hair stylists work flexible hours and often get to choose which hours they work. If the hairstylist is working in a salon, they usually aren’t open past 6:00-8:00 pm, so this job does not often require working night shifts. The work environment is of good quality; indoors, usually clean and professional.

The salary for hairstylists typically starts at about $29,900 per year, but they have the room to grow up to a $46,000 salary depending on how long they have been working in that position. As mentioned, hairstylists have the chance to be promoted to salon managers who earn between $46,800 to $73,100 per year.

Sources:

Betterteam. “Hair Stylist Job Description.” https://www.betterteam.com/hair-stylist-job-description

Francis, K.A. “What Type of Business Are Beauty Salons?” Chron. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/type-business-beauty-salons-32010.html

Neuvoo. “Hairstylist Salary in Canada.” https://ca.talent.com/salary?job=Hairstylist

Neuvoo. “Salon Manager Salary in Canada.” https://ca.talent.com/salary?job=Salon+Manager

Private Label. “The Pros and Cons of Being a Hairstylist! Is It Worth It?” https://www.privatelabelextensions.com/pros-cons-hairstylist/#

Study.com. “Career Advancements for Hair Stylists.” https://study.com/articles/career_advancement_for_hairstylists.html

When you and your family want a change from meats like beef or chicken, you might decide to eat fish. Have you ever thought of who catches the fish? Your family might buy the fish from a store, but someone has to catch it first. Fishers and related fishing workers help to bring fish and other seafood to the stores and then to people’s tables. The job can be difficult, but it could be right for you.

Have you ever gone fishing with your family or friends? You might catch two or three fish each, or possibly a few more on a very good day. That might be enough for a family. However, supplying fish and other seafood like shrimp or lobster takes much more work. Fishers and fishing workers help to make this possible.

Generally, people in this field work either as fishing boat captains or fish deckhands. They might work in shallow water and catch smaller numbers of fish. Others work in deep water, where they might stay for weeks or longer on large boats where they catch fish and other animals that live far below the surface. Some fishers harvest marine vegetation such as Irish moss or kelp rather than fish. Others dive for animals like sea urchins or set traps for lobsters.

Captains plan and oversee the operations of fishing expeditions. They need to know the best places to find the type of catch they want. Sometimes, they hire workers and order supplies that they need for the journey. Fishing deckhands do most of the daily tasks of setting fishing lines and traps with the appropriate bait, hauling in the catch using nets or other tools, and repairing or maintaining the boat and fishing gear as necessary.

Normally, deckhands also secure mooring lines when coming into a port or removing the lines when leaving. Some people in this field also work in supporting the fishing industry, such as by selling the fish to stores or restaurants.

Physical strength and endurance can help people succeed in this very strenuous work.  People also need skills such as critical thinking and cooperation. The ability to assess weather conditions can help people avoid dangerous situations, and knowledge of trends in seafood consumption can help them choose the best type of catch to look for. If sea bass is a popular type of fish one year, for example, knowing that fact as early as possible can be helpful. Knowing where fish or other sea creatures are at a given time can also help fishers choose the best place to go. Often, managers or others who work on the land can analyze trends and look for this type of information.

Working as a fisher can be very dangerous. Boats can sink in storms at sea, and people can fall overboard or be injured while pulling in their catch. Many fishers are self-employed, and their work tends to be seasonal, which can allow them time to work in fields like teaching or writing. A high school diploma is useful, but normally people receive training on the job. Generally, salaries start at about $39,000 and can rise to $89,300. Most of the jobs are available on the east or west coast, but some work is located near lakes and rivers.

If you like to eat fish, you might want to be part of making this food available to people. The job of a fisher or related fishing worker could be a good choice.

Bibliography

College Grad. “Fishing and Hunting Workers.” https://collegegrad.ca/careers/fishing-and-hunting-workers.

Talent.com. Fisheries average salary in Canada, 2023. https://ca.talent.com/salary?job=Fisheries.

Talent.com. Fishing average salary in Canada, 2023. https://ca.talent.com/salary?job=fishing#.

Truity. “Fishers or Related Fishing Workers.” https://www.truity.com/career-profile/fishers-or-related-fishing-workers#.

Any street with a lot of buildings, especially houses, is likely to have many fences marking the edge of each property. Before people can build those fences, they need to know where one property ends and another begins, and they need help in finding that information. Surveyors research property lines and boundaries to help determine the ownership of different pieces of land and settle any disputes that people might have.

Suppose that your parents planted a bush just at the edge of your yard. In the future, the people living in the two houses might not know who owned the bush. A surveyor could research the property to find out where the boundary lines were. This work might involve working outside with special equipment to record the locations of the boundaries. Often, however, surveyors work in offices and archives to search for information on the property lines. Computers and other electronic equipment are an important part of this work.

Making electronic or paper drawings of features of the landscape, such as hills and streams, is an important part of the work. People in this career should have a good sense of distance and proportions to be able to see how to make the most accurate drawings possible. Maintaining records and updating them whenever necessary is important. In high school, courses in mathematics and English are useful, and even art courses can be helpful. Getting practice in looking for details and then drawing them can be useful, as well.

Construction is a common source of work for surveyors. Before builders can begin construction on a house or office, they need to be sure that they are not putting up the building in the wrong place. Surveyors learn how to record the necessary information and make it available to people who need it. Being organized and detail-oriented is important for people in this field.

Most people in this job work regular days, although they might have longer days during the peak season for construction. Besides construction companies, governments and land surveying companies often hire people. Depending on the size of the company, surveyors might work alone or with a team of several others.

Salaries for surveyors start at about $50,600 per year and can rise to about $78,900 with experience. The job is normally not very physically difficult, and people can continue in the field until retirement. However, it may become tiring and stressful, especially during the busy season. Later in their careers, surveyors might want to move into supervisory positions.

Surveyors should be able to work either alone or with others. They might have several projects to work on at once, or they might concentrate on one at a time. Being flexible but also organized can help surveyors get the job done properly so that others can do their work.

The work that surveyors do can seem invisible, but it is very important in keeping cities and towns in good repair. If you are accurate and detail-oriented, working in this area could be a very good choice for you.

Bibliography:

Careers in Construction. “Surveyors.” https://www.careersinconstruction.ca/en/career/surveyor

Job Bank. “Land Surveyor in Canada.” https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/jobs/24419/CA

Salary Explorer. “Land Surveyor Average Salary in Canada.” http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=38&loctype=1&job=183&jobtype=3.

University of Manitoba. “Land Surveyor.” https://umanitoba.ca/career-services/career-planning/explore-occupations/land-surveyor.

Some people see the trades as being major contributors to the climate crisis. With many goods being manufactured in one place and then being shipped over the ocean or across the country, this idea is not surprising. However, with creative solutions to replace old practices, the trades can move towards sustainable practices that help to reduce their impact on the environment.

In the past and even now, people used the resources that were cheapest and most convenient instead of the ones that were sustainable. Diesel and gasoline were the most common fuels for running machines, and people were generally not very concerned with how these fuels were affecting the environment. Builders constructed houses and offices on wetlands so that by now, about seventy percent of Canada’s wetlands have been lost in some areas and even up to ninety-five percent in areas with large populations. Factories have polluted waterways, and many of the trades have contributed to the climate crisis rather than helping to keep the natural world safe.

However, some tradespeople are trying to change. A British company called Futurepump, for example, has built environmentally friendly water pumps for people in countries like Nepal and Kenya. Renewable energy sources are replacing diesel-fueled pumps to get water for their daily needs. Other companies are using environmentally friendly designs in their construction.

One example of these kinds of projects is the Manitoba Hydro building in Winnipeg. This building, which has glass covering almost all its exterior, was designed to use sixty-five percent less energy than a similar-sized building with a more traditional construction from concrete or stone. Other builders are also using better methods of construction to make offices and homes more energy efficient. In Paris, France, people have found ways of using warm water from baths, showers, and dishwashers to generate electricity, and other people are using creative methods to reduce their impact on the environment.

Generally, engineers or people with similar skills are the ones who design new methods of generating electricity or reducing waste, but tradespeople can also help. Starting a small factory to produce goods locally can help reduce pollution, and using energy-efficient methods can also help in reducing the impacts of climate change. Using the best insulation in construction, for example, can help keep buildings cool in summer and warm in winter.

According to research from the 3M Science Centre, about 700,000 people in the skilled trades are expected to retire between 2019 and 2028. Those retirements mean that younger people will have the chance to get jobs where they can possibly influence the choices that their employers make, or even become employers themselves. They can choose to build energy-efficient buildings and to run factories close to where the markets for those goods are. They can recycle as much as possible and reduce their impact on the environment.

Individual tradespeople can also make a difference. Suppose that you have several jobs at opposite ends of the city. You could go back and forth many times in one day, or you could plan your work so that you can combine some of the jobs with other errands to use less fuel. You can use good-quality tools that last for years instead of cheaper ones that you might need to replace more often. With careful thought and planning, people in the trades can make a difference for the climate.

Bibliography

3M Science Centre. “The Future of Skilled Trades: Inspiring the Next Generation.” https://sciencecentre.3mcanada.ca/articles/the-future-of-skilled-trades-how-we-can-inspire-the-next-generation.

Government of Canada. “Government of Canada Promotes In-Demand Skilled Trades as a First-Choice Career Path.” https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/01/skills-trade.html.

Government of Canada. “Nature-Based Climate Solutions.” https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/our-environment/nature-based-climate-solutions.html

World Economic Forum. “Rethinking Trade’s Relationship to the Fight Against Climate Change.” https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/rethinking-trades-relationship-to-the-fight-against-climate-change/.

Winter is a time when many jobs come to an end for the season. Lawn care and gardening, for example, end in fall and start up again when the snow has melted. Many trades are also dependent on the weather, but some can continue even in winter. If you are interested in one of these trades, you can have a steady income to keep you going, even in the depths of winter.

In many parts of Canada, the weather is too cold in winter for any trades that involve being outside for long periods of time. Outdoor construction usually ends once the cold weather comes, partly because many parts of the process are difficult when the weather goes below freezing. The workers get cold, snow and ice get in the way, and materials such as concrete cannot dry properly. Construction workers could still find some work on indoor jobs such as kitchen or bathroom renovations, but the work in these areas is much harder to come across in winter than in summer.

Trucking is a good choice for year-round work. Even in winter, people need to have food or other goods from other parts of the country, and truckers help to haul the goods from one area to another. Driving on icy roads can be challenging, and the shorter hours of daylight can also be a problem. However, this job can be good for people who have a certain amount of physical strength and who are efficient and good drivers.

For people who want an extra challenge, driving on the ice roads in northern Canada is another possibility. Many northern communities have no regular road access in winter, but ice roads are available for drivers who are able to handle the slippery conditions, darkness, and other challenges.

Other jobs are also available in the trucking industry. Workers can load cargo onto trucks at the beginning of the route or unload it at the end, making sure that it gets to the right place, or they can help the drivers with this task. Packing or unpacking the boxes can also be a good option. Another option is to work in the office as a dispatcher, sending drivers to different destinations and keeping track of packages and other deliveries.

Many outdoor activities close down in winter, but others open up for the cold season. Maintenance work at a ski resort or an ice rink could be two options for trade work in winter. Some people might choose to maintain ski lifts, while other tradespeople might choose to work with grooming ski trails or ice rinks.  The amount of work available depends on the size of the recreation area and the amount of snow that falls over the season.

With ice rinks, the number of people who use the rink will affect the amount of work that people need to do. The blades of skates tend to cut into the ice, and gashes in the ice can cause skaters to fall. Keeping the ice smooth and clean is important for skaters to be able to keep themselves safe. For cities with large hockey rinks, being able to operate a Zamboni machine is an asset.

Setting up or maintaining displays in malls and other public areas can be another good option. Christmas lights and trees need someone to set them up, while work might also be available in ensuring that the electrical connections for the lights are working properly.

Another option is hairstyling, which can continue all year. If you enjoy people and can work with your hands, this might be a good option.

Trade jobs tend to be most active in summer because of the weather. However, some trades are still possible in the cold season. These jobs can help people hone their skills or learn new ones as they get through the winter.

Bibliography:

Bromley, Sam. “Tips for Tradespeople Working in Winter.” https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2019/11/working-in-winter-tips-for-tradesmen/.

Dixon, Brad. “Busting Skilled Trades Myths: “Skilled Trades Jobs are Inconsistent.” http://blog.getatrade.com/blog/busting-skilled-trades-myths-skilled-trades-jobs-are-inconsistent.

Indeed.com. “Seasonal Winter Jobs (with Salaries).” https://ca.indeed.com/Seasonal-Winter-jobs?vjk=fda9b7d01fc168da.

Winter Jobs. “Winter Jobs in Canada.” https://www.winterjobs.ca/.