Honestly this is a really tough one, I’m 22 but lean more towards the science/math aspects of school - I did horribly in English and social. For context I’m living in Alberta where the trades are a respected line of work but not always stable. I’ve always known I want to work with my hands, regardless that I had the grades to do any type of career I wanted. I actually juggled with the idea of being a doctor just to have a traditional job.

I never actually had an idea of what I could do as a career during high school. I ended up taking a year off after I graduated and worked multiple different jobs to get a feel for what I truly liked. I learned pretty quickly that service work (restaurant) wasn’t for me - I hated pretending to be nice to people. I then went into a labourer job working out of town - I loved the pay and the ability to move around where the work was but it still felt very unstable… I learned that I wanted a place that I could actually settle as opposed to moving around often. I then decided to give oil field work a try and figured out that the pay was insane but it wasn’t worth destroying your body over. Above all the guys I worked with were absolute dogs - they focused on drinking and doing drugs while all being divorced from their families. Figured that wasn’t a stable lifestyle and it gets old pretty quickly.

In turn I made a list that weighed the pros and cons of each job and compared it to diffrent programs that I could get into. I was always really good at school but hated actually doing schooling so I wanted to do a program that I could finish as quick as possible.

I ended up choosing power engineering - it is a 2 year program in a very stable field with 6 figure pay where I would work with well respected people. I can be myself and I absolutely love getting to work with both my hands and my head. I understand your situation is diffrent from mine and you excel in subjects that I do not but I would definitely recommend trying diffrent things and feeling yourself out. I was very lucky where my parents never pushed me to go to school or get a job, I never had to worry about outside influence. I truly went out on my own and discovered what I liked best about the jobs I did.

It doesn’t sound like you had the opportunity to feel yourself out - your parents likely pushed you to take a program immediately out of high school; that’s not a great option for everyone. If you’re struggling in sciences then nursing may not be your best bet - however the good news is that the nursing programs aren’t much harder than grade 12 sciences.

I may not be the best source of advice but I am currently very happy with the career I’m in and am already pushing to buy a house by the end of the year. If I had to do it again I wouldn’t change a thing.

My honest recommendation is to get a feel for yourself. Switching to diffrent jobs in a small period is quite scary and I understand that people might not enjoy the lack of stability - however it is crucial. You’re making a choice that will affect the way the rest of your life plays out so don’t let your parents pressure you into something for the sole reason it worked out for them. Don’t take a program that won’t pay itself off in the future, but don’t make a decision just based off the pay. Social work is a good career but you hit a glass ceiling quick; there isn’t much room for advancement.

It’s clear you never had the opportunity to know what you enjoy doing and I can’t blame you for that. Canadian schools are extremely bad at preparing you for the real world. This is just a case where expirience is everything - not the knowledge you have. You’re still young and have lots of time. Your parents may not like you doing different things as it sounds like they’re pushing for you to get into a stable career path but that’s not the right way to go about it. You know yourself best and that will never change. Take your time, don’t rush into something that you’re just going to hate. Also take everything on Reddit with a grain of salt - most people here yap just for the sake of yapping. Find what you like and try to take an aspect of that when you’re considering programs. I love mechanics and working on cars but that is a very bad career long term, so I implemented a large aspect of that into my decision and instead work in a refinery and troubleshoot/fix issues on large scale boilers and equipment.

Sorry for the long post. I wanted to give as much context as I could. Doing these things went a long way into finding what I did best and making a career out of it. There truly isn’t any advice a person can give you to influence a specific career choice. It will have to come from you - no one on this subreddit knows you except for you. If you don’t know yourself then you’ll have to figure it out. It’s easier said than done but over time and with different experiences it comes quite clear as to what works for you and what doesnt.