Chittesh,

A person with your experience & skills in networking would get a better opportunity in US than Canada. Try getting jobs from India for US if at all you want to leave India. I would also recommend Abu Dhabi/Dubai as it does offer the best of both worlds western/eastern plus a tax-free income.

Consider the following factors :

1. Not much social life here unless you have a car. Chances are you might be working a different time, your wife would be working a different time. I meet my daughter only on Sunday since she goes to school early in the morning when I am asleep since I work from 12.30 p.m. to 9 pm. & come back home after 10 at night when she has gone to sleep.

2. If you are alone or just married, it is good. With kids, it will be difficult because if kids are small, it is difficult for both to work. If you keep kids in day-care they will keep falling sick & one of you has to take leave frequently. You won't get leaves frequently for this reason. Kids being small do not have enough immunity & they catch infection easily. This is true for India or Canada because it used to happen to my son in India also. My wife is not working in Canada due to this reason only.

3. Without car, it is difficult to go out. If it is an entry-level job you get, it is difficult to go out for shopping, etc. & come back with big shopping bags walking or in bus.

4. You will have to do a lot of walking & travelling by public transit initially even in the cold of -30 degrees & believe me, it is not easy. I have done it throughout this winter in Calgary walking for 30 minutes every day at night.

5. If you are used to things like computer, car, etc. in India, then it is difficult to buy these things in Canada immediately. If you do buy, you run out of your savings.

6. Health care does not cover prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicines etc. which is the major component of health related expenses. Places like Alberta have a monthly health care premium which you have to pay for health care coverage. It is not free in Alberta. How many times are you likely to be hospitalised in young age?

7. Chance are you will not get a job in your field immediately or atleast at your level. Even if you make around $1500 after taxes in another job, it is barely enough to take care of your monthly expenses. So forget about saving money atleast for 2 years. Even maintaining a car is difficult in this salary. I am not sure about you but most people do borrow money from India for coming here.

8. I know of people who are going back to India getting good salaries.

9. Education for kids is not good here. University education is good.

Thanks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Let's make India a better place !

Read your views on ministers & corruption. Do you know that the Canadian govt. is right now facing a serious loss of confidence due to a bribery scandal ?

So corruption is there everywhere, here only it is not so rampant in small things.

In winter, after it snows & it starts to melt, I get reminded of India because it starts getting dirty & nobody bothers to clean the roads or footpaths immediately. Here also I see people spitting on roads.

There are problems here also of drugs, alcoholism, people not studying, rape, murder, theft, etc. So it is not that there is less crime here. Only since the population is less, we feel that the crime is less compared to India.

Not all people get caught.

Rgds.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Let's make India a better place !

N/A

Chittesh,

Now it is up to u since u have done enough homework by going thru CD and other sites.

U need to think about future also. About your kids, etc. Whether u want to raise them here, making them confused between the cultures. I know some old timers whose children in their 30s are still single. They are neither here (Canadian) nor there (Indian). They may end up marrying a gora/gori, fight it out and then get divorced (if at all they get married). As I have come across, most of the girls have ended up marrying a gora. Parents think that it is their children’s fault. But they never think how they have raised their kids.

(u know the term ABCD? American Born Confused Desi. So make it CBCD)


DIO

Chittesh,

I feel you should give Canada a try - you have experience in the IT field and are fluent in English. You may or may not succeed in getting a job in your field but remember \"Nothing ventured nothing gained\". There are as many success stories as there are failures. Keep an open mind about the field you want to work in- if you cannot find something in IT, think of some other field. If you can afford it, take some courses. You are young and have age on your side.

I agree with you about the situation in India - the corruption and the politics. Corruption is there everywhere- but here it is not as rampant as in India. Be realistic about your expectations - dont expect the moon - and you will be happy. I really like Canada and even though I am not working in my own field I am doing fine. I came here three years back, have managed to buy a home and am near to obtaining my accounting designation (I was a CA in India). No doubt it was tough in the beginning but I got this job as a bookkeeper after 3 months of landing. I did not come with lots of money (have never worked in the Gulf). I am happy here and hopefully will be able to secure a job in my field once I get my designation. So be positive!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------
JM

Editorial: Literacy numbers deeply disturbing



Literacy affects our job prospects, our incomes and our ability to adapt to the constant change of the information age. That is why a recent study measuring literacy and other skills in Canada should ring alarm bells with governments, employers, teachers and parents alike.

The study, co-authored by Statistics Canada and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, found 42 per cent of Canadian adults had difficulty with everyday reading requirements in 2003.

The figure is troubling because it means many of us are struggling with basic tasks like reading instructions, brochures and newspapers. Even more alarming, average literacy scores have not changed significantly since the last survey was taken in 1994.

"People and institutions that have the ability to adapt are resilient; they survive and have a chance to flourish," the study says, warning this ability rests on skills like literacy. "In contrast, those lacking the ability to adapt become vulnerable and dependent."

But basic reading and writing are no longer sufficient to cope in an increasingly complex society. The study also found many Canadians fared poorly in other crucial areas, including numeracy, problem-solving and the ability to read charts, forms and maps.

We all lose, both economically and socially, when poor basic skills prevent people in our communities from reaching their full potential. The fact that we have made little headway over the last decade in boosting literacy — the starting point for proficiency in other areas — should be a wake-up call to all Canadians.

That's why we all must look at ways to improve literacy in Canada.

Ontario has trained its attention on the issue with a literacy test that high school students must pass in order to graduate. The success rate increased last year to 82 per cent, from 77 per cent in 2003, as more resources were poured into schools that had done poorly. That is a good start.

So are the federal government's recent budget commitment to boost literacy funding, and its national child-care strategy, which Ontario signed on to recently. Quality early learning will ensure more children get a good start on basic language skills. But both measures now hang in the balance with the fate of the Liberal government.

As we welcome more and more immigrants, governments also must ensure they set aside adequate resources for language training so new Canadians can adapt and flourish in their adopted country.

But the burden of literacy cannot rest with government and schools alone. Learning should start early and at home.

In this, we all share a responsibility.
› Great subscription deals here!



Previous Story
Print Story
E-mail Story
Next Story

-----------------------------------------------------------------
reporter

Re "Immigration to be streamlined" (April 18): Kudos to Immigration Minister Joe Volpe for taking an extremely positive step in announcing measures that will ease and speed up the process for immigrants who wish to join their children or grandchildren settled here in Canada. Also, the move to let foreign students work while studying here will also boost the number of these students coming to Canada, thus giving much needed revenue to our cash-strapped universities and simultaneously fomenting our economy. However, the true measure of Volpe's willingness to really help the immigrants will be when a hands-on approach is taken to help those already here by placing the qualified immigrants such as engineers, teachers, doctors, etc., in jobs commensurate with their education and experience, instead of having them driving cabs, delivering pizza and doing other odd jobs.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
reporter