Considering a career switch from Federal Forensic Tech to MLT in Alberta/ Seeking take home pay reality and advice!

[u/NegativeEnvironment5]

​Hey everyone,

​I’m currently 30 years old and working as a forensic technologist with the federal government. I’m at Step 4 making $80k gross, which works out to about $4,000/month take home after taxes and deductions.

​Honestly, with all the recent federal budget cuts and workforce adjustment notices going around, the public service is starting to feel a lot less stable than it used to. That uncertainty, combined with the higher abundance of jobs, has me seriously considering a switch to Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT).

​It would mean going back to school for 2–3 years, taking a temporary financial hit, and graduating into a starting salary that might be lower than what I make now.

​I have a couple of questions for MLTs (particularly interested in Alberta):

​What is your realistic monthly net income once, taxes, union dues, benefits, and pension deductions are taken out? How much do shift differentials help bump that up?

​Do you think the switch is worth it at 30?

​Would love to hear your honest opinions on the work-life balance and if you'd make this move given the current climate. Thanks in advance!

[u/ViIehunter]

Im in Ontario and been an mlt for 5 years. Making more then that. Even without ot. And after a few more years will be closer to 100k

I am completely unaware of Alberta payscale and unions though. But that is my experience here.

I also have a forensics degree funnily enough ha.

[u/Katkam99]

Didn't the AB government just announce a new forensic DNA laboratory is going to be constructed? I feel like that will be a boost for jobs in your field.

Last year working I did 97k gross on step 3 of 9. About 16k of that was shift diff, overtime etc. It works out to about 65k net after taxes, deductions, pension and I also had some RRSP auto-deposits.

In school there are a few 30+ 2nd career students so you won't be alone. Most people have a BSc as well before doing MLT.

[u/NegativeEnvironment5 → u/Katkam99]

Yeah but I don't work in biology unfortunately. Im more in the chemistry field. Also, that lab wotn be built/implemented for years to come.

[u/Aromatic-Lead-3252]

Im not Canadian, but I do want to say that if you decide to do it, 30 is NOT too late! And honestly, depending on your goals, you've still got plenty of time. 30 is super young in the lab world, especially now that a lot of us are working into our 70s.

[u/NegativeEnvironment5 → u/Aromatic-Lead-3252]

Thank you for the encouraging words. I keep thinking "I should have done this sooner" but I do know people make the change to MLT later in life when compared to other careers.

[u/SloshyYew]

If you are willing to do on call at a rural site your wage would be higher. Otherwise not that different than what you make now, maybe 10-15k more. As for work life balance - my two years I worked in AB I had all my vacation denied due to short staffing issues. I don’t think there’s many places that are actually adequately staffed nowadays

[u/NegativeEnvironment5 → u/SloshyYew]

Well that sucks. I know MLTs have more vacation than I do but if you can't use it whats the point.

[u/liver747]

I'm at step 8 and average pay is around 2.4k a pay after deductions.

I work about 50-60% offshift so it's a little higher but realistically it's not a huge amount (I think with evening, night, and R tech it was about 7-8k pretax).

Do you currently work shift work? Are you currently in a perm position?

[u/NegativeEnvironment5 → u/liver747]

I am in a permanent 9 to 5 position. Do you know what that 7-8K would look after deductions? I've always found the federal deductions to be hire than anyone else's but based on some posts here that may not be the case...

[u/liver747 → u/NegativeEnvironment5]

Take home like 65% of it.

I mean your non income tax or union dues (mlts need to pay for professional licensing yearly) deductions are likely for your benefits, what's your pension, Dental, health like?

I just gotta be honest, leaving a perm unionized position with the federal government, that is also a dayshift position, to wade into 24/7 shift work or on call because of rumblings is a little preemptive imo.

Ride it out, if you transition later you do it later but I don't think it's worth it now imo

If you want money and security there's better options out there (RN as an example).

[u/NegativeEnvironment5 → u/liver747]

Thanks for your advice. It is a tough call, specially leaving the 9 to 5. RNs are too front facing for my liking. I know the jobs is also extremely stressful for some. I thrive more behind the scenes. May I ask what "offshifts" mean?

[u/liver747 → u/NegativeEnvironment5]

Offshift is evenings, nights, or weekends anything not 8-4pm m-f.

The majority of labs in Alberta are some variant of 24/7 (with someone on call or scheduled).

[u/Or-Et-Bleu]

It's definitely not too late. I work with an MLT who switched careers at 42 and he's very happy.

I'll also include that Manitoba has a few open positions now, with top of pay scale hitting 100k at 6 years. Our cost of living is much lower than other provinces, and if you work in a rural setting you get a 5% pay bump. Just putting it out there :)

[u/Amazing_Syrup_5563]

Alberta pay looks great on paper until you meet the taxman and the mandatory union dues. As an MLT here, your gross might look sexy, but after AHS (Alberta Health Services) takes its cut for the pension, the union grabs its share, and federal/provincial taxes hit, your take-home is going to look like it went through a paper shredder. Expect roughly 65-70% of your gross to actually hit your bank account. If you’re leaving a cushy federal pension/benefits setup, make sure you calculate the loss of seniority. You’ll be starting at step 1 of the HSAA wage scale, which is a tough pill to swallow if you're used to federal government steps.

[u/NegativeEnvironment5 → u/Amazing_Syrup_5563]

I have a friend that works as an MLA and when comparing benefits it seems that Alberta Health is somewhat better (more vacation, TFSA matching, more sick time etc). In terms of pay, I thought MLTs would get better take home pay so that's disappointing. I currently feel like my own pay is going through a shredder. On paper I make 7k a month but in my pocket I barely make 4.

[u/NegativeEnvironment5 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks for the advice. Even with differentials and OT you would still say its lower/similar pay?

[u/CarlCakeAss → u/NegativeEnvironment5]

Do not listen to this guy, he is a bot that is always posting the same shit

[u/NegativeEnvironment5 → u/CarlCakeAss]

Oh dang ok. Thanks for letting me know!

[u/AggravatingPapaya771 → u/[deleted]]

what about mls?

[u/kanadadian → u/AggravatingPapaya771]

MLS is MLT here

[u/AggravatingPapaya771 → u/kanadadian]

that's certainly that true in many states. Which state are you referring to?

[u/ToastyGlovez → u/AggravatingPapaya771]

The country of Canada and the province of Alberta??

[u/AggravatingPapaya771 → u/ToastyGlovez]

thanks for clarifying peeps

[u/ViIehunter → u/AggravatingPapaya771]

Canada. If you read the post.

[u/OfficeDoors → u/AggravatingPapaya771]

This is Canada buddy

[u/anon_y_m0use]

Realistically, you would be making the same ot less. You would likely have to work multiple positions to make up a full time job. You would definitely be working nights, call, weekends, holidays and all sorts of undesirable hours.

[u/External_Paint_2673]

As an entry-level MLT you will likely only be able to get a casual position to start with. Some people juggle multiple casual positions at once to get closer to full-time hours. There are a few MLT jobs that could be straight days but a lot will be rotating shifts or random.

DM me if you want info about school in Alberta, I just finished my program.