Information Technology - Which province has better opportunity.

[rk2009]

I wanted to get this forum's opinion on which province in your opinion has better opportunities or requirements in IT?

I am biased towards Ontario as I was in Toronto for a while and had a project there, but I want to ensure that if there are other places like vancouver etc. which might be not so obvious.

 

[qorax]

Bro,

IT is hot everywhere, including all provinces of Canada. Thus, u may safely land anywhere and jobs in ur sector might not be hard to find.

Said that, the hot spots of industry & jobs would regulate ur case as well. 'Coz, bigger the job basket, larger the chance for u. Thus, the bigger cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and if u r French capable, Montreal etc would do u best. It's ur call, brother.

Regards.

 

[rk2009]

Thanks Qorax,

How is vancouver?

 

[qorax]

Thanks Qorax,

How is vancouver?

For IT & hospitality it seems to be OK. For others & importantly, for 1st timers, it is better avoided. 'Coz, Vanc is presently starving on the job market. Though the winter olympics shall be a winner, but that's mostly a temp. job market.

 

[GeorgeJoseph]

Hi Guys, Just a quick question. What would be the average salary package for an IT Guy of 8 years experience (a) if doing a IT Project Manager role (b) if doing a IT technical developer role.....in the provinces that you know.... plz. respond. thnx... George

 

[canpr]

Hi Guys, Just a quick question. What would be the average salary package for an IT Guy of 8 years experience (a) if doing a IT Project Manager role (b) if doing a IT technical developer role.....in the provinces that you know.... plz. respond. thnx... George

GeorgeJoseph, from what I heard through couple colleagues of mine that are Project Managers, the salary ranges from 85K to 95K for the typical role that you have described. Hope this helps.

Thank you.

 

[GeorgeJoseph]

ok sir. thnx. but what about the Developers (IT developer with 8 years of Java/ J2EE exp)? plz. respond. tnx, George

 

[commonwealth]

Few years old research---- Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver offer decent IT employment opportunities.

 

[qorax]

Few years old research---- Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver offer decent IT employment opportunities.

Rightly said CW.

George, But remember: At the initial stages one may not be able to get hold of a decent job opening, even if he is well qualified in IT. It takes some time after doing survival jobs, usually around 6-12 months (avg 8 months). That goes for IT as well. Though I may sound disheartenning, but I wish everyone well.

 

[commonwealth]

qorax- You are doing an excellent job setting expectations, i see many folks with little or no international exposure with high expectations might be in for a ride. It's great to have dreams but grounded in reality. I hope everyone will succeed in this adventure but have decent expectations and this is very true for folks with families, you will what I am saying once you spent few years.... I wish health and happiness in years to come and stay strong, brighter days are ahead of us.

 

[rk2009]

qorax- You are doing an excellent job setting expectations, i see many folks with little or no international exposure with high expectations might be in for a ride. It's great to have dreams but grounded in reality. I hope everyone will succeed in this adventure but have decent expectations and this is very true for folks with families, you will what I am saying once you spent few years.... I wish health and happiness in years to come and stay strong, brighter days are ahead of us.

My worry is more around how it compares to US. My expectations are lower as I do preliminary research around salaries. However if housing and cost of living is less, I do not mind it. Project Manager salaries of $85k CAD is very less as senior developers get that kind of salaries in the US, however the housing and cost of living is higher in the US.

 

[commonwealth]

I can understand your situation and it's tough, i assume you are on H1b status.
Canadian job market is much smaller then US so expect longer time to find appropriate position, 30% less compensation then what you are making in US.
Cost of living is higher in major metros here in US and that seems to be the case on Canadian side (may be 10% less) with few exceptions.
You can find a job before you decide to make the move.

 

[rk2009]

I can understand your situation and it's tough, i assume you are on H1b status.
Canadian job market is much smaller then US so expect longer time to find appropriate position, 30% less compensation then what you are making in US.
Cost of living is higher in major metros here in US and that seems to be the case on Canadian side (may be 10% less) with few exceptions.
You can find a job before you decide to make the move.

My company has operations in Toronto, but they may not take kindly to a transfer. I have no other contacts in Canada that can help to setup a discussion. Thankfully the 1 year from medical may provide enough months to do some pre-work.

 

[commonwealth]

One of my friend had to make lot of effort to secure inter company transfer from US to Canada. He is working for IBM.
I personally decided not to move to Canada and stayed in US and currently hold US passport.

 

[rk2009]

Thats an interesting thought. For me the question remains the same do I put a lot o effort to get permanent here, which the company will not do easily or jump the boat to CA.

As the process gets closer to finalization these questions become real, when we were applying it did not make sense to think so far ahead, things change a lot in one year.