Raindrop73 said:
With all due respect to your qualifications, I strongly suggest that you prepare a dust-proof envelop to put your qualifications in as no one there will give a s..t about them.
Sorry for saying that, but this is the actual truth there. Here is the OBLY tried remedy to get a job there, prescribed by real-life' immigrants. It is called, networking.
About my qualifications, it is not the point of this discussion, but let me inform you about them:
1- A college lecturer back home
2- An MSc holder from the UK in project Management where the main focus of research is Health and Safety.
3- A PhD student in the UK now in one of the highest and rare- to find area of research (Occupational Health and Safety)
Of course, such qualifications may not be respected in Canada, due to the lack of the ‘valuable' Canadian experience !
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I agree about networking but do you think my network comes from being me or from my university's brand name lol. I met couple of head of departments from Canada and from other places at a conference last year. They were quite interested in getting to know me but unfortunately, i was too early in my phd to consider that. I am certainly not a great PhD student but what makes me attractive to lots of department is the brand name of my university. So to say that they don't give a damn about my university would be hard to believe. If you are from Oxford or from Cambridge and in my field, then you won't have much problem in Canada. I am fortunate to be playing in a level of similar brand name and in a field that is hot even during recession (especially during this financial crisis). I won't bore you with my research interests. Remember people go to hot MBA schools because brand names have better networking opportunities. I don't disagree with your networking comment but I think you may fail to understand that it is the brand name that is facilitating my networking.
I think what you fail to understand is that my case is different from others. It is not the PhD that makes me attractive to academic departments but rather where I am getting my PhD from. I hope no one takes this as a show off, because I can assure you that I am not a good student lol.
As for my citizenship. I am of dual citizenry and would rather not reveal that in a public forum.
Oh by the way, i do think that most of the people who are doing jobs that they don't want to, have less of an academic qualification than I will once I graduate. Because if they do have the same qualification, you are saying that over 50% of such people have phd. That would be hard to believe. I am not saying that many phds are not doing those jobs they don't want to but over 50% seems high.
Sample size is important to consider before making conclusion. I am sure Leon would have taken many cabs and more of those drivers would have no Phd rather than Phd, but it would be boring and inconsequential to mention that his cab driver did not have phd.
Also I can assure you that most of their phd is not from a similar or better brand name than mine. Also don't forget, academic qualification is not the be all and end all. Its skills that matter at the end. Fortunately for me, employers (in my field) have a higher success rate with brand name universities so tend to minimize their cost by interviewing such graduates.
Oh you want to move south to the US. Didn't know that. I want to move north to Canada from US. Not that I think US is bad. I like exploring new places. My adviser who is a true US patriot wants me to stay in the US and contribute to the US' economy but feel like I have seen most of what I want to see in the US.
Leon - blue collar jobs are certainly not bad. Its not my preference as much as I am sure you would find what I do boring. When I was younger, I used to think that I should earn more just because I have a higher academic qualification. Of course, that disappeared quickly as soon as one learns about demand and supply and that skills don't necessarily come from academic qualification. I also agree one should not look down on bus drivers and plumbers, etc. In fact one should not look down on anyone. As I told one student who came to visit us when I used to work in a company, we shouldn't look down at the old lady begging on the streets, she is doing all she can, with what she knows, to make sure her child is fed. To give you a quick story, i lived in a rural area once and lightening hit the transformer. We had to wait two weeks for electricity to be restored. Life wasn't fun.
