Ryan has four children—a three year old, a two year old and one year old twins.
Ryan recalled “there was never really any pressure to go to university.
Neither of my parents went so they never saw it as too beneficial but they expected
high school grads.”
Ryan’s mother graduated from high school and
completed some college. His father completed Grade 10 or 11. Ryan recalled his
father “read all the time. Newspapers every day, biographers; all non-fiction.”
He would also listen to self-help tapes. Ryan’s mother “read Good
Housekeeping; lots of magazines and the newspaper everyday.”
He saw his
parents paying bills and taxes and his mother cooked with recipes from cookbooks.
Ryan’s parents read to him once a week when he was little. When he got
older, they gave him some stories on audio cassette and he listened to these
instead. Ryan remembered the stories being moralistic bible stories and “stories
with good morals.”
Ryan’s parents helped him with homework when
he asked for help. They took him to the museum “more than a few times”
and to the Edmonton Art Gallery and TELUS World of Science once. Ryan’s
father gave him a job when he was 12 years old typing addresses and reading
and entering information on a computer. His father also gave him books on business
and he would learn from business men.
Ryan completed high school and is currently employed as an Investment Advisor.
He completed one year of general studies in university but dropped out for a
“good job in the family business.”
He also completed three months
of bible study at a bible college. Ryan has taken some courses through correspondence
including Canadian Securities, Conduct and Practices and Investment Management
Techniques after he started working. Ryan completed some on the job training
but “no courses or anything.”
He completed professional development—one
day seminars are “part of the industry. Every three years you have to
earn continuing education credits so you have to keep learning.”
Ryan
watches videos for approximately five hours per week, mostly drama. He uses
the internet for three hours a day, usually to do research to gather financial
and business information.
Ryan expects his children to complete high school and have “a plan. I
want to see ambition if they’re not going to university.”
Ryan’s
three year old hears him singing sometimes and occasionally sees him using the
internet. Ryan reads to his son four times a week for fifteen minutes at a time.
His son has a lot of books at home and does not use the internet. Ryan has gone
to the museum with his son a few times and the IMAX at the TELUS World of Science
and library once.