A high school graduate’s dilemma: Work first, or go to post-secondary?
Every year, high school graduates face two choices that determine how they will spend the next few years. Some graduates go straight to some form of post-secondary study. Others prefer to undergo one or more “gap years” after they graduate, which are usually spent working.
But what path is better, and why do people choose either one? That is the question I want to answer.
Rafael Luis Flores | Jun 23, 2026 | 5 min read
Two students, two stories: Finding the course load that fits
Starting post-secondary often comes with a big question: How many courses should I take? It’s easy to feel lost in the mix of advice and expectations on what, and how many classes, to take. It makes one wonder, is there even a right answer?
Bike Month: NAIT’s cycling community is alive and well
June is Bike Month, and we want to know: does NAIT have an active cycling community? We spoke to students and staff to find out.
Updates on NAIT’s 18 paused programs
In May 2025, NAIT paused 18 programs, and NAIT’s Academic Council has been working their way through the list to decide these programs’ fate. The council has finished for the year, after adding one extra meeting in June to finish up.
Ook, Ook, Goose: Keeping the peace with campus geese
If you’re at NAIT for spring classes, you’ve probably noticed that there are less students on campus — but more Canada geese. Their nesting season coincides with NAIT’s spring semester, and the large migratory birds have overtaken the courtyards and parking lots,...
From the Board: May 26 Board of Governors recap
Last week’s Board of Governors (BoG) meeting was the final meeting for the spring, with the next to take place Sept. 29. The meeting began by welcoming the new chair, Melanie Bayley, who was previously ATCO’s president. The Board also welcomed Andrea Klymchuk to the...
NAIT’s president and CEO will finish in 2027
Laura Jo Gunter, NAIT’s president and CEO, announced she will not return to the role when her contract ends in October 2027. Gunter was reappointed for a two-year term in 2025 after her first term of five years finished. She came to NAIT in 2020 after spending...
NAIT Learning Services and IT develop in-house Accommodation Dashboard
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‘Historic investment’: Alberta government officially announces funding for Advanced Skills Centre construction
On Monday morning, the Government of Alberta announced that it will be funding $384 million over three years to help build NAIT’s Advanced Skills Centre (ASC) — an official movement from the building’s modern design concept to its construction phase. The ASC will...
One NAIT student’s quest to expand campus culture
If you follow Ooks Life on Instagram, you probably know who Tanroop Mahal is. The third-year Bachelor of Business Administration student is featured in countless social media videos promoting campus events — his student engagement efforts seem effortless. When he...
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Opinion
A high school graduate’s dilemma: Work first, or go to post-secondary?
Every year, high school graduates face two choices that determine how they will spend the next few years. Some graduates go straight to some form of post-secondary study. Others prefer to undergo one or more “gap years” after they graduate, which are usually spent working.
But what path is better, and why do people choose either one? That is the question I want to answer.
The cold, hard truth about on-campus addiction: We’re not doing enough
NAIT is a polytechnic that has a bar on campus, and that might sound like a good thing — having once dreamed of a life in the trades, I can respect the desire for an adult beverage at the end of the day. Trades people have extraordinarily hard jobs. Between the hours...
SATIRE: Connor McDavid commits to NAIT Ooks for 2026/27 season amid eligibility changes
In a move that shocked the hockey world and left fans wondering, “Is this a joke?”, it is now official: Connor McDavid is joining the NAIT Ooks men’s hockey team for the 2026/27 season. The NHL superstar made the announcement Friday morning at a press conference held...
Sports
State of the Ooks: Q&A with NAIT’s Athletics Director
The 2025/26 Ooks season is in the books. All the teams have packed up for the summer, so we sat down with Jordan Richey, NAIT’s Director of Athletics and Recreation to get some insight into how the department viewed this season and what they have in store for next...
‘Everything falls into place’ for Ooks men’s futsal and soccer athletes
NAIT athletics’ dominance across the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference continues as the Ooks men’s futsal team put in a championship performance at the provincial championships the third weekend of March. They took commanding leads through the first two games...
2026 nationals recap: Women’s basketball
NAIT struggled out of the gate, as they trailed 22-11 to the Blue at the end of the first and 44-29 at the half.
Media
NAIT hosting men’s soccer nationals without a field?
In 2026, NAIT will host the men’s soccer national championships. Super exciting news, except… we don’t have a soccer field. And we haven’t since 2019. NAIT’s soccer teams have been bouncing around Edmonton (and St. Albert) to find a home for a few years now. Join Nugget Sports Editor Geono Aloisio to learn about the field’s inception in 1983, its ultimate removal in 2019, and where exactly nationals will be hosted.
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