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Hi,
I'm posting in this website, after a gap of 1.5 years. Initially I wanted to call this the progress report, but changed my mind to call it the STATUS report. "You can always look at a cup half full or half empty". You can be happy at any place or be miserable at all places. What I mean to say is that, it is all in your mind. You need to find inner peace within yourself. No point in complaining about the situation, as you were not forced to come here on gun point, but you spent money, applied for immigration and landed here. Yes your immigration agent would have painted a rosy picture for you and you fell for it. Hence the onus is on you. Not the Canadian government. Yes, we come here on "Skilled" immigration based on education and skills, while the jobs we do here are not related to the level of accomplishment you have had before.
It is exactly 1.5 years since I migrated to Canada. I have changed my user name since the last post as I had some problems with my former employers who had done a Google search and found my posts in this website. I'm very thankful to Canadian desi(Please be assured I'm not brown nosing and I do not get anything in return for doing so..)For guiding me. I still remember when I wrote my first e-mail to this website about 2 1/2 years ago from Chennai, so many people wrote to me that "Arre Doctor Saab, Idhar Mazdoori Kaam karne key liye math avo !". While Chandresh responded :( that it takes time for one to settle down, while he was very happy to see his children grow gloriously here. I have also seen the same happen to me. Both my children are having a fun time, while my first daughter is doing very well in school, even was awarded the Student of Month awards, obtained admissions in two schools for the 7th grade specialized programs through competitive entrance exams and interviews.
Yes I started at $8 an hour and I'm today at $ 12 per hour. I had my car accident in December '04 and obtained full claim even though I had one way insurance. I loved the way it was handled by the insurance company. I was twice CHEATED by my fellow Desis, while I rented their basements. Today I have saved around $15,000 in my children RESP, while I have saved around $3000 on my RRSP. I have an old 1993 car and I drive around the city and pay $125, on one way insurance.
COMING to the point, you should not expect Canada to accept you for what you have done before, you need to change yourself for the system. To put it crudely do not try to play cricket in a soccer match. Canada wants people with practical hands on approach and not text book knowledge. Let us face it "Canada is the Warehouse" for USA. You'll find lots of jobs on shipping/receiving or small time assembly of various components for export to USA. High technology development type of jobs are all being handled in USA, while labor intensive jobs are being done here due to the lower labor costs compared to USA. When we look around, we will find lots of Srilankan Tamils, who have fled their country due to war, landed here on fake passports, applied for refugee status and started their life from scratch. They do all the back breaking labor jobs and most of them have two jobs(working for 16 hours per day) and you'll find them very happy, complaining the least and owning half to million dollar homes. You will also find typically the Phillipino (your line leader) doing the labor job, spending his earnings on week end at the local casino and not complaining. While we will find the DESI, not happy at home and not happy here and always complaining.
In getting back to my story, I finished my PhD from a top notch school in USA, with a noble prize winner had the pick of the jobs in USA, left everything and headed back home about 12 years ago. I never had any second thoughts, landed bag and baggage and looked for employment. I WAS WILLING TO ACCEPT INDIA, INDIAN MANAGEMENT STYLES and adjust myself to my Indian bosses irrespective of my past accomplishments. I grew steadily and at the last position was the General Manager of a large company of about Rs.400 Crores turnover, having about 40 people reporting to me, having my own personal secretary. I used to fly around India at the drop of a hat. There have been days I spent a single day in three Indian cities, like Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. I used to stay in "The Oberoi" in Mumbai, and used to be chauffeured around in A/C cars, and attending corporate meetings/making multi-crore deals and always on business lunches and dinners. My salary was Rs.15 + Lakhs with company maintained apartment, chauffeured company car with unlimited petrol, paid company vacations and membership in prestigious clubs in India.
I gave it all up came to Canada and started on the shop floor at $8 and today I'm at $12 per hour. I work for people who have no education, not internal personal skills and here I'm a PhD, MBA willing to accept them and work with them. Again I reiterate I'M WILLING TO ACCEPT CANADA AND ITS MANAGEMENT STYLES. You will find(most of the time) the laborers are all DESI's, the line leaders are Phillipinos while the supervisors are whites. This is the way it works. I'm very clear in mind right from the day, I planned to migrate, that Canada is my TRANSIT LOUNGE, and my final destination is USA. I lived in USA for 7 years, I was very happy there; lived in India for 12 years and was happy there; will live in Canada for 4 years(to obtain my passport) and I'm contended and will move back to USA.
Every place has its own problems, and people at all of these locations are not happy and complain about the state of affairs at each of these locations. In USA about the high crime rates, no medical security; In India about water, environment, highly competitive educational systems and hence lesser of opportunities for their children; while in Canada about jobs and taxes. I have had friends come over from USA to visit me at Canada and first thing they react is that the places are very clean here and very less crime here(they rarely hear the Police car sirens). I have some Americans visit me in India, and the first thing they said was "I see lot of happy and smiling faces in India even in slums", while everybody is stressed, worried and brooding in USA.
"Grass is always Greener on the other side".
Let us look at the jobs/skills which are in demand in Canada:
1.Shipper/receiver: Fork lift operator,
2.Plastic machine operator,
3.Sheet metal worker,
4.Tool-die mould maker,
5.Plumber,
6.Carpenter,
7.Security Guards,
8.Bank Teller....
The list goes on. If you look at the HRDC website, you will see at least ten jobs for plumbers with salaries of $50,000 PA and plus. There are many people who live together and have children but do not get married on paper to obtain "Social Welfare". Just look around how many furniture/mattress shops are going out of business and are doing so happily. Why? Some body is declaring bankruptcy and LAUGHING HIS/HER WAY TO THE BANK. Most of us know, that if you file as Self-employed you can write away most of your expenses like your car lease, insurance and part of your mortgage if you are working out of your home.
Hence the point, I'm trying to drive at is "You can be miserable everywhere OR happy anywhere" it is all in you. I just saw a couple of posts, one in which a person wants a software job on landing and has not got any responses upon applying at Workopolis. My friend in San Jose tells me that most of the IT companies are like ghost towns and all the parking lots are empty at the Silicon Valley. The rentals have dropped 40% in the last two years. The moral of the story is that if you are looking for a good software job try for it at Bangalore. USA and Canada are not the places for it "NOW'. A courier driver with his own car can earn around $150 on an 8 hour shift after all expenses in Canada or you want to slog in an entry level SW job at $12 per hour ? I can introduce you to many young engineers in the field of "Computer Engg" from Universities like Waterloo who are working in Bakeries at $9 per hour. The other post was on how much money would take you back home, I can assure you that if Reliance offers you Rs.1 Crore per annum(at Vice Presidents and above level that is how much they pay), you will go home, land there and complain that I work 7 days/ 140 Hrs per week for the company and do not have time for my children. I do not have time to do play with them, help them in their home work or go to their school play. I used to get paid $ 8 in Canada, was very happy and would punch out exactly at the given time go home, had the week ends for myself and had my income tax direct deposited into my account with CCTB, GST refunds, while I need to pay a bribe to some babu sitting at government office to get my money or my passport back.
The moral of the story is to come to Canada, study the situation here and play the right game for financial advancement if you want it. Spend time learning about the tax laws, social welfare systems here. This is a socialist county and not a capitalist country like USA. Do not expect Canada to be like USA.
My game plan was always, " the first 6 months to survive, the next year to get into my field, next six months to stabilize myself(network) and then grow from there". I'm on the track for the same and I will succeed and will NOT complain saying"Yehan Kucch be Nahin Hai". Okay what are you going to do about it, is my question to you. Yes, I hear you saying everybody is not as lucky as you. Do you know the first 6 months I worked in an Indian restaurant, and I did a damn good job on it. This has given me confidence that if every thing goes wrong, I can always get a job in Tim Hortons. Do you know waiters in decent restaurants, make around $150 per day on week ends as tips(CASH on Hand)! That is around $225 before taxes.
I'll keep you posted on my status/progress once in every six months in this site.
Good Luck to all !
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