Got my first job in Canada as a produce clerk is this a good job?

[johnmax187]

I recently immigrated to Canada a PR.I have a diploma in electrical engineering, but I have to get it accessed first and need some income initially before i go into to college.I applied and got a job as a produce clerk is this a good job?Anyone that has done it before can give me some tips please.I am little nervous if it involves alot of heavy lifting.

 

[Alurra71]

It is certainly not in your field, however if you need a job, any job that gives you a steady paycheck is a good job, imho.

 

[Dejaavu]

a job is better than no job. congratulations good luck!

 

[newtone]

Dont worry working as a clerk in Canada is far better than working as an Engineer in your country. Dont worry about the heavy lifting either cause health care is free. Most medical issues will b covered by the government. Having a job is better than no job

 

[Pippin]

Newtone I hope you were joking about healthcare!! I Think the point is that there are workers safety standards for acceptable weights to be lifted and how to do so to prevent injuries. You should review the concepts of good body mechanics and workplace safety. There is huge emphasis on NOT getting injured on the job in the first place. From my observation it is a busy job with lots of interaction with customers. May be a good place for some Networking as people tend to shop in the same place. Look at each person as your next potential boss. Congrats on the new job and Happy New Year!

 

[ramcal]

congrats on your new job. i am also an electronics and communication engineer and will be landing on april 2014, i am eagerly awaiting for those who will be sharing their ideas/ experiences.

 

[mrbeachman]

I am reading posts here with an incredible amount of disbelief.

Are people actually saying that having the lowest paid job which you will not be able to live on (let alone your family if you have some) is better than being an engineer in your native country? Am I reading this right? Has Canada really conditioned you into thinking that just because you are in Canada you should be happy with the lowest, crappiest job? And "networking" at the grocery store? With who? Other engineers who could not get a job or pimple faced teenagers? Please.... is this right? Or am I just so incredibly naïve about something?

 

[maxvol]

Congratulations!! You are lucky to have got a job with foreign credentials. Wish you all the best. Any job is better than no job at all.

 

[Bargeld]

I am reading posts here with an incredible amount of disbelief.

Are people actually saying that having the lowest paid job which you will not be able to live on (let alone your family if you have some) is better than being an engineer in your native country? Am I reading this right? Has Canada really conditioned you into thinking that just because you are in Canada you should be happy with the lowest, crappiest job? And "networking" at the grocery store? With who? Other engineers who could not get a job or pimple faced teenagers? Please.... is this right? Or am I just so incredibly naïve about something?

So what you're saying is people should just have an idealistic mindset about Canada and forego reality that finding jobs is tough? Brilliant.

I also find it hilarious that you're blasting networking with people at a grocery store. Those grocery store employees or customers don't have family or friends that might help him get a job in his field? You obviously are clueless about networking -- do you even work at all?

I work in the oil and gas industry and I see no problem whatsoever with the approach of networking even if it's networking at the worst paying places. If you're going to have this superior attitude, it would be wise to pull your head out of your ass first. Once you accomplish this feat, you might slowly rid of this retarded disbelief you have.

 

[mrbeachman]

So what you're saying is people should just have an idealistic mindset about Canada and forego reality that finding jobs is tough? Brilliant.

I also find it hilarious that you're blasting networking with people at a grocery store. Those grocery store employees or customers don't have family or friends that might help him get a job in his field? You obviously are clueless about networking -- do you even work at all?

I work in the oil and gas industry and I see no problem whatsoever with the approach of networking even if it's networking at the worst paying places. If you're going to have this superior attitude, it would be wise to pull your head out of your ass first. Once you accomplish this feat, you might slowly rid of this retarded disbelief you have.

Ahhh... the know nothing from United States is back with irrelevant information.

Thanks for dropping by.

 

[Bargeld]

Ahhh... the know nothing from United States is back with irrelevant information.

Thanks for dropping by.

Any time random guy who visits Canadian immigration forum to piss and moan about Canada despite supposedly being happy elsewhere on the other side of the planet.

 

[on-hold]

I am reading posts here with an incredible amount of disbelief.

Are people actually saying that having the lowest paid job which you will not be able to live on (let alone your family if you have some) is better than being an engineer in your native country? Am I reading this right? Has Canada really conditioned you into thinking that just because you are in Canada you should be happy with the lowest, crappiest job? And "networking" at the grocery store? With who? Other engineers who could not get a job or pimple faced teenagers? Please.... is this right? Or am I just so incredibly naïve about something?

This whole discussion, which I've participated in before, kind of reflects how immigration has changed over time. A hundred years ago it was for peasants and laborers, poor people with no connections, outcasts, refugees, etc. The basic expectation was that immigrants would eat dirt and scrabble to live. Now with its points system, Canada has made immigration a lifestyle choice, something that educated, middle-class people do for educated, middle-class reasons -- better school system, Canadian passport to travel on, stuff like that. It also contributes to a lot of pain, when people find that it's easy to immigrate but not so easy to bring one's middle-class status with them. I sympathize with the original poster, my first job in Canada was working in a grocery store, and though I believe all work is worthwhile and has dignity, I don't believe it so much that I didn't wonder what had happened to my life.

The truth is, though, it is totally possible to network and advance from a position like that. Look for contract work, look for companies that do the kind of work you want to do -- go tell them that you're getting your education validated or whatever, and ask if they have any lower-level jobs you can start at. In my opinion, having a first job like that is extremely important, it gives you an opening into Canadian society and lets you meet people, and make a little money. Some people never get that far, and spend a year or two sending out resumes on the Internet until they give up and go home, bitter.

And, if nothing works, come to Edmonton where you can make 35/hour shoveling dirt, as long as you don't have anything against frozen tundra (there are other jobs here too :-X) Good luck, and congratulations on working.

 

[mrbeachman]

This whole discussion, which I've participated in before, kind of reflects how immigration has changed over time. A hundred years ago it was for peasants and laborers, poor people with no connections, outcasts, refugees, etc. The basic expectation was that immigrants would eat dirt and scrabble to live. Now with its points system, Canada has made immigration a lifestyle choice, something that educated, middle-class people do for educated, middle-class reasons -- better school system, Canadian passport to travel on, stuff like that. It also contributes to a lot of pain, when people find that it's easy to immigrate but not so easy to bring one's middle-class status with them. I sympathize with the original poster, my first job in Canada was working in a grocery store, and though I believe all work is worthwhile and has dignity, I don't believe it so much that I didn't wonder what had happened to my life.

The truth is, though, it is totally possible to network and advance from a position like that. Look for contract work, look for companies that do the kind of work you want to do -- go tell them that you're getting your education validated or whatever, and ask if they have any lower-level jobs you can start at. In my opinion, having a first job like that is extremely important, it gives you an opening into Canadian society and lets you meet people, and make a little money. Some people never get that far, and spend a year or two sending out resumes on the Internet until they give up and go home, bitter.

And, if nothing works, come to Edmonton where you can make 35/hour shoveling dirt, as long as you don't have anything against frozen tundra (there are other jobs here too :-X) Good luck, and congratulations on working.

Ok. Thank you for your valuable input. I, of course, completely disagree with the bolded part. As someone who has a business I frequented Canada Post outlets inside Shoppers Drug Mart and other big box stores on a daily basis where University graduates would be stuck with this $10 an hour dead end job for years. Even when I left the country and said my goodbyes (as I have interacted with these people for years) they still seemed to go nowhere. Same faces.... year after year. Maybe they were unmotivated.... maybe they were lazy. I don't know.... but this is the reality and most of them were born in Canada.

 

[on-hold]

I think you misunderstood, I didn't mean advance 'in' that job, I meant from it. It's a place to start. Of course grocery work is a dead end, people who work there for 15 years get promoted to make 11 bucks an hour. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

 

[mrbeachman]

I think you misunderstood, I didn't mean advance 'in' that job, I meant from it. It's a place to start. Of course grocery work is a dead end, people who work there for 15 years get promoted to make 11 bucks an hour. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

No, I understood perfectly well. I was speaking about University graduates who work in these low paying jobs for many years and are unable to find degree related jobs. Hence my comment about networking in these places being pretty much useless.