Three RoutesGuides · 3 min read · updated 17 October 2026
What to do after Grade 12 in Canada: the honest list
Six routes, the same columns, and a way to decide in one weekend. No ranking of schools, no ads, nothing to sign up for.
Start with the question nobody asks you
Everyone asks "where are you applying?" The better question is "what does each route cost, when do you get paid, and what's the part nobody mentions?" Put the same columns next to every option and the decision gets much calmer. That is what this whole site does; this page is the short version.
The six routes, same columns
| Route | Type | First real paycheque | Cost to the credential | Earnings: start → year 5 | Why people pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | apprenticeship | Month one | $2,000 | $39,000 → $66,000 | Earning from month one, no debt, licence in demand across Canada. |
| Practical nursing (RPN) | college | 2 years | $9,900 | $49,000 → $60,000 | Two years, high demand, a clear ladder to RN later. |
| Engineering | university | 4 years | $52,000 | $79,100 → $95,000 | Highest starting pay of any degree here, if you can get in and stay in. |
| Personal support worker | straight to work | 8 months | $4,600 | $38,000 → $47,000 | Working in under a year; Ontario has subsidised most of the tuition. |
| Residential cleaning business | start something | 2 months | $0 | $35,000 → $65,000 | Almost no capital; the business survives if you can sell and show up. |
| Canadian Armed Forces (paid trade training) | other route | Month one | $0 | $52,000 → $80,000 | Paid from day one of training, including the trade ticket. |
Ontario figures. Switch province on any pathway page for BC, Alberta or Quebec.
How to choose in one weekend
- 1Decide your money timeline, honestly. Need real income within a year? That rules in trades, straight-to-work and the Forces, and rules out a four-year degree unless someone else is paying rent.
- 2Decide how much more classroom you can take. "I could do it if it pays off" is a fine answer. "No way" is also a fine answer, and it points at an apprenticeship, where school is eight weeks a year.
- 3Pick three, from different routes. Not three universities. One trade, one diploma, one degree, or one job, one business, one program. Read the downside on each. The one you keep coming back to is your answer.
- 4Talk to one person who does each job. A cousin, a neighbour, the person who fixed your furnace. Ask what a Tuesday in February looks like. This beats any website, including this one.
- 5Show your parents the numbers, not the plan. Most objections are about money, and the money is usually smaller than they think. The parent page is built for that conversation.
Three things that are true and unpopular
A degree is not a job. An arts degree starts around $42,500 in Ontario with about $30,600 of typical debt for those who borrow; an electrician is at $66,000 by year five with none. Degrees catch up in some fields and not others; look at the specific one.
Trades are not the easy option. The schooling is the easy part. Finding a sponsor, 7am starts in January and the first job hunt stop more people than the exam does.
Starting a business at 18 is possible and most of them close. Survival rates after five years run from roughly a third to a half depending on the industry; the ones that last are usually a skill first and a company second. The "start something" pathways show the survival rate on every card.
If you still have no idea
That is most people, and it is not a character flaw. Take the structured gap year seriously: work, save, do one readiness check for a route you are curious about, and decide in a year with more information. The worst option is paying $30,000 to find out.
Quick answers
What are the options after Grade 12 in Canada?
Apprenticeship in a skilled trade, a college diploma (DEC in Quebec), a university degree, starting a small business, going straight to work in a job with employer training, or a structured gap year. Three Routes compares 47 specific pathways with the same numbers.
Is it better to go to college or university after Grade 12?
It depends on the field, not the label. A two-year practical nursing diploma starts around $49,000 in Ontario with high demand; a four-year arts degree starts around $42,500. Compare the specific program, its cost and its first-year pay rather than the type of school.
What should I do if I don't know what to do after high school?
Work and save for a year while doing one readiness check for a route you are curious about. A structured gap year costs nothing; picking the wrong program costs a year and often $10,000 to $30,000.
How do I decide between a trade and a degree?
Set your money timeline and your tolerance for classroom time, then put one trade, one diploma and one degree side by side with cost, debt, first paycheque and year-five earnings. Talk to one person who does each job. The Three Routes quiz does the side-by-side in five minutes.
Does this cover provinces other than Ontario?
Yes. Trades, college, university and straight-to-work pathways have verified figures for Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec; other provinces see Ontario figures with a note.
See your own three options
Seven questions, five minutes, no sign-up. The same numbers as this page, ranked for your answers.
Figures are medians and typical costs from Job Bank, Statistics Canada, provincial wage surveys and institution fee pages, verified in 2026; the data page lists every source. Your own numbers will differ by employer, region and overtime.