Narkoya:
Good morning, pls us there any WhatsApp or telegram group for London, Ontario?

There might be but I am not sure, its most likely the GTA you'd find. Are you in London?

She has not been found! Vanguard needs to be sued for this fake news.

selemempe:
thats not true...1st of all there is nothing like anioma in the real sense...anio is an accroynm for aniocha, ndokwa, ika and oshimiri local govts of delta. The aniocha and oshimiri are pure 100% igbo...ika and ndokwa are mixed

When i saw omu of Anioma, I was like someone is high on steriods. I am ika, so I know fully well that ANIOMA is just an acronym that identifies a socio-political formation. It's only non Aniomas that ignorantly assume it is a tribe.

MummyJaygirls:
As taken in Banff. Alberta

Mehn abeg find work for me for Alberta na, make I for relocate to dey follow you for this walka.

MummyJaygirls:
Somewhere along the road, lol

Ah dey carry me follow body for this your road trip na. Lovely picture. Thanks for sharing.

salford1:

I know what you are suggesting, but It's not about who no go no go know .

Hiring managers (PMs in whatever industry one is in) can see and smell BS when screening resumes or during interviews. That is why i said getting the experience is major not the certification.
Nomad 26 gave a good advice though since Adunni gave an insight about her work experience.

@ the bolded. Their Nose have undergone an advanced evolution.

If you are heading to University of Western Ontario/Western University or Fanashawe College this fall and interested in co-sharing an apartment(to save cost) , kindly contact me.

Is there anyone here who is going to University of Western Ontario/Western University or Fanashawe College this fall? I am thinking of renting a 2 bedroom apartment to share with one person. If interested, let me know.

Crazy how time flies. Today marks 13years since I joined NL. NL threads helped me sharpen my programming skills as a teen, I brainstormed browsing cheats & loopholes with friends made on NL, got my former Project Engineer job via NL, got to Canny via NL threads. Wetin remain na to marry @seun sister
Funny how a childhood activity imparted my life in more ways than I could have imagined. I really should celeberate children's day �

On a serious note, many thanks to @Seun (even though seun dey cash out steady), the mods esp @justwise and the several awesome people who post useful content that makes this site valuable. This former ugly website(e still ugly small) seems to have brought so much beauty and shine into my dull life. Though there is still lots of room for improvement as it hasn't evolved as much as one would expect.

19CannyMum:


Next time just drop the link raw. Anyone who wants to access it should quote your message. Once in quote mode the real link will show.

NB: if you quote and then publish it will still scramble again. Just quote and copy the link. Don't publish.

Thanks for the tip. Though I think not everyone would be savvy enough to think towards the quote & appear trick, so it's much more intuitive to just have them copy and leave out the R.

pyruvateluv:


Please can one be created for bankers or financial professionals

I guess one may already exist, you could ask people in your field.

texas1:
@einsteino
Pls check the link again

Turns out Nairaland is censoring whatsapp links. The script on NL, erases chaRt.whatsapp.com ... I had to add "R" in chat so it even appears. so you could copy it and take out the R in chat or simply send me a pm.

For Engineers and geoscientist who are preparing for the Professional Practice Exam which is part of the requirements for licensing, I have a couple materials you may find helpful. I uploaded a folder of the materials to google drive to make it easy to share.

The folder contains various text on PPE for Engineers and Geoscientist, past exam questions and a few answered ones, PPE course material by the EPIC center and lastly a dump of www.practiceppeexams.ca.

I hope you find it helpful. Here is the google drive link

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1oV50HdXXvRfCyp1VVYiR-r3prVltYcc5

If you are in Ontario and your background is in Engineering, Planning, Ecology, Geoscience, you should look up PAIE bridging program. It may provide you a chance to get 1 year paid co-op(not guaranteed) which could serve as canadian experience esp for licensing purposes. Deadline for applications is June 28, 2019 but program start date is september. For more info visit https://paietraining.ca/page/paie There would be an info session online and in-person on May 23rd. Best of Luck.

raphrulz:
Exactly.

Most seem to ask for those or 6 months payment in advance, which i heard is not legal

Yeah that's often the case. However it is a risk to rent out your place to someone without those, as eviction is quite an expensive and time gulping process. So a couple of months in advance helps landlords minimize the risk, though 6months alot of money to cough. Hopefully @czaratwork would help with a positive answer.

czaratwork:
My people,

How has it been? A shout out to those that towed the financial analysis path. How has it been learning Advanced excel and some accounting packages? I hope at least one person gained from the knowledge sharing. I know i had also posted on AML role, i hope it helped at least one person.

Then for black female accountant network, i hope we have not only joined the group on linkedin but also on whatsapp as jobs are posted on regular basis in the whatsapp group.

If you are landing in GTA and need a realtor to help you with accommodation, please inbox me and i will give you the number of the person that helped me.

Sorry my PM responses are not as fast as before, my default gmail is my new gmail account. Sometimes i forget i have another gmail to check.

If you are still finding it difficult to integrate, don't worry. We will all be okay las las.

Finally the voting for RBC top 25 is almost coming to an end and i need your support to vote for Jenny Okonkwo (founder of black female accountant network). You can vote for 3 times in a day.

Thank you.

Nice work boss/ma'am you're doing. About the realtor, is s/he immigrant friendly? ie does s/he accept folks who are yet to land a job, haven't credit history, and guarantor? This seems to be the headache for most recently landed immigrants.

Zutlin:


Thanks Einstein. I find your posts very helpful. I'll definitely be saving this for reference.

Thanks alot. I hope it helps.

RAMBLING PART 3:
So now we have touched on how to handle the transition, but what about our goal? how do we land our dream job? Fact is I have no definite answer, as there are no guarantees and there is not a single mold that fits all. Matter of fact, this thread has done justice on this topic: you all know about the option of short courses, full fledged diplomas/degrees(better if it has co-op), internships to gain Canadian experience, getting licensed etc. I am certain if you have spent time to reading up previous post of the many nice people on this thread, you would get the info you need. However, I do have a few small tips to share, maybe it might bring a new perspective. Forgive my typos in advance and bear with me if it is incoherent, I would proof read it later.


I think you increase the acceptability ratio when you target small - medium size firms, they are not as selective nor do they have as much protocols as large firms. You also should scout for firms that have immigrants as their heads/decent percentage of their staff, these firms may better appreciate your foreign education and experience, I noticed this. With small firms you can even try to do a walk-in. For walk-ins, a functional resume rather than a chronological resume would be much more reasonable. With a functional resume, the focus would be on your skill sets and competencies rather than merely listing specifics of your previous job duties. This gives you the opportunity to be applied to any position that they have needs in and your skills aligns with, rather than the position you assume maybe vacant (esp if they didn't publish any opening).


How can you tell the size of a firm or the background of their staff? Well there are two parameters that could serve: number of employees and turn over. If you have a library card(free in most cities for residents), head to the Scotts Canadian Business Directory and Canadian Business Online website. Once you are on the website, select the industry of choice, location and set a filter with the aforementioned parameters: no of employees and turnover. You would now have a much smaller no of firms displayed, for each, you may have information such as their website, phone no and address displayed. You may visit their website or google them to learn more about them. To know the demographics of their employees, proceed to LinkedIn and search for the firm, focus on the profiles of their employees, note of their Alma Mata and work experience. Recent Immigrants would typically have non-Canadian bachelor's degree and their current work position would likely be their only Canadian experience. Once you have made out a list of firms that seem to be quite open to hiring or giving opportunity to immigrants, you could attempt a walk-in or check the company's website for an email you could submit your resume to, you may get lots of "Sorry..." but you never know, you could be lucky if you keep at it.


[b] few tips on Interviews [b] You'd have the interview to worry about if you are lucky to be given the opportunity. A lot of people only prepare to prove they meet the technical requirement, but in Canada, that's only the prerequisite, not the decider. I am not certain if interview tips has been shared here as it has been quite some time I had the opportunity to do some real reading here. Anyways I'd summarize: it is often good to have some background information about the firm, what their vision is. Lots of interviews here for major firms would have a couple STAR interview question, so learn how to answer STAR questions. Learn how to answer questions such as tell me about your weakness, it is better off to discuss about skillset that are not integral to the job or performance. Never ever say things like my weakness is that I am honest, and also never use a trait as your weakness because traits/habbits are harder to work on than skills. Learn about the firm, prepare for the various interview forms, have a couple questions that not only shows you have done your homework on them but brokers a discussion. Above all, mind your body language and composure, it is very important to loosen up, a smile is just as important as being well dressed to the interview. Always wear deodorants, but avoid perfumes if you are unsure of their policy on scents. if you choose to wear a perfume, has to be mild enough to be discovered by a seeking nose rather than it announcing your presence. Reason is that some people here have all sorts of funny allergies, and those who don't may assume you are trying to mask your body odour by wearing excess perfume(I learnt of someone that lost a job over this).


Networking As you all know, networking is crucial to job pursuit. For a recent landed unemployed immigrant, the traditional way of doing this is attending networking events, job fairs and using LinkedIn. The challenge with professional networking is that unless you meet a really nice person, in the absence of a common ground that makes him/her interested in you, you can easily pass off as a hound and a bother. Sure, you could get close enough if you are a sociable person, but you don't come into such a relationship on an equal footing. and not everyone would make out time for a total stranger. I have contacted lots of people via LinkedIn, some made out time to answer my questions while others didn't, after-all everyone is busy in Canada. Even with those who gave me an audience, I noticed I found it a bit difficult to push deep on my questions or get the privilege of them scrutinizing my plans, how much more referring me. Introverted people also may find it quite challenging building networks the traditional way. This isn't to say professional networking should be abandoned, there are many gains to it but it could be an arduous task and you shouldn't limit yourself to the traditional way.


So what other ways could you explore to network? As Mario Puzo said "Friendship is everything, it is bigger than the govt, it is almost the equivalent of family". A great and fun alternative to professional networking is good old friendship and I dare say it could be even much more effective If you make friends the way kids do: without having "ulterior motives". You may unexpectedly find that a couple of your friends may just by chance turn out to be your cornerstone. Friends are usually much more willing helps, many things you wouldn't achieve by attending networking events, you would gain from making friends with just about anybody. Believe it or not, the most significant assist you may get would be during a careless gist or outing. So wherever you are, be it a survival job, place of worship, a store or bar you frequent, try to engage in small talks that could cause a friendship to ensue and try to keep in touch to get it to the right depths. Another way to grow your network is by helping! surprised? Well sometimes in the process of helping someone you could become a fond acquaintance/friend and you never know how the table would turn, that same person could make all the difference to you someday. So rather than work yourself up searching for seemingly already established helpers, start out making friends and helping those you can... Note I have can in bold for a reason, this is because you may meet people who may be so inconsiderate to your own needs/struggles that they would emotionally blackmail you for not having the convenience to assist. Strike a balance, don't sacrifice your sanity trying to be the nicest human ever, but try to help when you can.


One more thing, learn a game or two if you may, or anything that is usually a common ice breaker. I remember wearing a Raptors shirt to work and a colleague that has never said a word to me, instantly struck a convo with me about the Raptors game that was for that night. You need to see how the light left his face when I replied "Oh I only bought the shirt because I loved how it looked, I don't know jack about basketball". I missed a chance there. Small talks like those are how you can create solid networks, and not be socially awkward at your workplace.


Lastly, no run from your people. Yeah Nigerians get scoi scoi for head but na see finish dey partly at play here and magnifies our faults...because we don't know any other people better than our own, so the other people wey we dey see as perfect na mainly because we never know enough about them. I have made friends here with people from different creed, sexual orientation, race etc but I haven't seen any reason to alienate myself from my own people. I find that the depth of friendship I have with Nigerians has been hard to replicate, maybe it is all in my head but I believe there are peculiar benefits to this both in the material and immaterial sense.


You don't want to go through all this and lose your job over a pointless thing. So let's talk how to keep your job or the nuances of Canadian workplace culture that gets people in trouble. It is well known that Canadians are some of the most polite people but people have lost their jobs off the assumption that their smile is always a sign of approval. Canadians are passively aggressive and It might not be so easy to know where you stand with them. They aren't like us who have a culture of saying what we think without mincing words(at least compared to them), here bluntness is considered being rude. So people would often mask the truth or talk in circles. I have seen colleagues report someone over some things they smiled with him about. Point is, be chill with everyone at work but don't be over comfortable and assuming. When you want to ask what someone thinks of your work, you may have to explicitly ask for your pitfalls or phrase your question very directly e.g "what areas do you think I should improve on" else polite Canadian fit just bobo you with sweet feedback and yet have a tonne of negatives to put in his report on your work. People have been sacked while getting lost with the smiles. I know you could say it's back stabbing/hypocrisy, but this one is different, they just by default say a lot of sorry and smile even when they mean something else... you too would soon learn to lol

Thanks so much for all your kind compliments and wishes, I truly appreciate them. I choose to selectively reply the mentions to save space.

jjohndoe83:
einsteino,
I pray for you from my heart that God almighty will bless you and cause his face to shine on you and show you mercy in all that you do. Amen.

I have been so enlightened by your posts and its time to brace up for the next few years of my life! I would love to be your friend (they say friendships don't start this way, but who cares?).

@bolded Who said so? some of us on this thread have long reached out to each other and are good friends behind the scenes, so much so that by the time we landed it felt like we already had a small network in Canada already. Yes the much talked about Networking should start here and on your whatsapp groups. Certainly, not every pm would lead to a serious friendship, as there might be a huge difference between how you conceptualized a person from their post and who they eventually turn out to be or you may just not bond, but hey hafa hafa no dey wound pesin and you can always choose to be just an acquaintance if e tire you. That said, I am just a normal guy and I still need friends too, esp if we can grab a beer.

vululadilolo:



But a guy who seems to have a plan and a good understanding of how the society in which he migrated to works, can't stay "broke" forever lol...


Really good job you are doing here!


Good luck in your future endeavors.

Thanks so much, una dey sabi burst pesin head here.

waynetemi:



Hi. I noticed you mentioned you are a Project co-ordinator. I am looking for oportunities in this role.I have 3 years experience as a project coordinator, was pmp certified at some point and would mind some pointers on getting a job. Do you mind helping? i haven't landed yet but need to get ready so i hit the ground running.

Indeed is the right place to start. I can say there are jobs for Project co-ordinator here but the canadian experience thing might be the issue. All the same go on indeed, search for jobs and study the requirements to see what they care for and if you need to upskill. PMP is a nice have here, what's your academic background if you dont mind my asking?

Eddy4400:
@einsteino I replied your message late, pls kindly check your mail. Thanks

oh sorry I would check again for the email.

CanadianNaija:


Thank you for the time and thought you put behind every post, they are honest and realistic.

My father references a quote often, preparation is a form of prayer. So hopefully we all prepare, and adjust accordingly.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours.

That's such a lovely quote, thanks alot for sharing it. It is quite philosophical. Thanks alot

abnot:

Spot on bro you are one of the few real Nigerians out there . Most Nigerians create the impression of Canada being a perfect society with no challenges . Was once in a similar scenario while on OPT training in us . I knew I had a much stronger network in Nigeria and also knew about the challenges in Nigeria but didn’t feel too comfortable with the system and decided to move to naij . Landed two good offers after national service, move a level up after first year and a second level after another year , got an apartment in an upper middle class neighbourhood, shipped in a saloon and have been pretty much able to live comfortably . However the Canada gospel is being preached in many places these days and sometimes ask myself if I’m seeing things wrongly as I don’t think it will be far different from other first world countries ( Scotland /USA / Switzerland /France ...) that’s I’ve spent time in. Many also say it a sacrifice for their children however I recall our parents and their peers living/working in Africa and sending us to college in the west without having to move their lives as well. I also know of some Nigerians with dual citizenship (birth right citizenship) who have access to live and work in both worlds . Has Canada met your expectations so far ? I haven’t been there yet the closest I’ve been to is buffalo

Has Canada met your expectations so far ? I haven’t been there yet the closest I’ve been to is buffalo

Sorry for my late reply. I am taking the mentions one at a time.

I came to Canada with very low expectations, I already knew about the rigors of first world country life and what people go through to settle in. I have relatives and friends who are in the U.S, Ireland, Australia, U.K and Canada, so I had an idea but experience was still the best teacher . Canada has met my expectation though, it's not an easy life but I like it. I don't know if I can say I had a modest/good job in naija because the sort of high level jobs some folks here had in Naija dey make me shut up. Anyways my job was decent enough that I was airborne almost every week, I would fly to a project site in say Abuja in the morning and be back at lagos in the evening, all at company's expense, though the salary was modest. Even when I resigned, my boss asked what he could do to get me to stay. for my age and the background I was born into, that was a very good life, so it wasn't like I had nothing going on for me. but mehn I was tired of naija and the society where what we call doing well was more because majority lived in misery and earned meagre wages, and without a strong network one can go from 100 - 0 in a second. So my expectations in Canada were not that of a rosey life but some sanity and being in an organised society.

The kind of life you are living in Nigeria is not accessible to the majority of the population no matter how hard working or intelligent they maybe, inshort what we often call doing well in Nigeria is just a function of living in a society that favours elitism and where the have nots are in the majority. We can't even say having a brand new 2015 car in the first world is a sign of doing well unless you paid in full for it, but in Nigeria I attended several parties to wash used cars that the owners were new to, because in Nigeria the majority are deprived of a fair shot at life, so it is a big achievement to most. So fact is that we can't compare Canada to Nigeria in general, because that would mean thinking about what each country is like for the majority and not an individual. Since you are the one thinking of immigrating, you would miss the mark if you don't look at it on an individual basis and what ticks you. So for you who have your life established and can afford to ship a car to naija, lives in a fancy neighbourhood in naija(though may just be regular here), and believes you should be able to pay overseas fees like your parents, and your kids can leverage on the same network that got you 2 good jobs, is Canada better? The answer would be your answer because the question is yours. but for the majority, the answer would be Yes.

Really everyone should do some introspection. The problem is that we are too competitive a people, so we always worry about being left out. If I prefer to live in Nigeria or Australia tomorrow, it wouldn't matter to me if everyone else thinks it is a cesspit, so long as it aligns with what I want and my goals.

jjohndoe83:
einsteino,
I pray for you from my heart that God almighty will bless you and cause his face to shine on you and show you mercy in all that you do. Amen.

I have been so enlightened by your posts and its time to brace up for the next few years of my life! I would love to be your friend (they say friendships don't start this way, but who cares?).

Your post is the realistic eye-opener that I've been yearning for in all my permutations about coming to Canada. I have to do more research and prayerfully consider this.

Salford1,I thank you very much too. You have been consistent and supportive. God bless you richly. Amen.

Oga Topsmamen, kindly help us create a hyperlink to this discussion on page 1. Thank you.

Thanks alot. Salford1 is really someone I admire, I can't stop saying it.

Folafikemi:




This is another eye opener. Bro by family of 1, u mean say na only u Waka come... Lol and how do u get to style ur hair itself and still look good. I think I will learn some bathing skills her before I come over o. It can at least fetch me few bucks

No too look my expenses o, rent can be cheaper by 40% in other cities. Yeah by family of 1, I mean just me. As for the hair, I didn't start out hoping to look good, just neat. hair cut is $20 and I usually have to cut my hair every week, so I figured if I buy a clipper it would pay itself in a few weeks and I would be saving $80 per month after that. Another thing is that it was quite an inconvenience having to find time to go to the barber. Right now whenever I feel like having a haircut, I get it without worrying about open hours or wait lines. How do I do it? I have a wall mirror and a hand mirror, with both I am able to see all sides of my head. As you may have guessed, I don't bother to do anything fancy, just good old lowcut. Its my beard that I am able to do more on since I have full visibility of my face. Do I look good in it? hehe no be Gorimapa 2face carry? Would a barber do much better? Sure! and even sef I made the decision in the winter wey all man dey use cap and hoodie take cover their head sef.

Mehn it would be great if you know how to cut hair professionally, I do see "Barber wanted" signs at some Barber shops.

captainhoo:


This part is golden. Most "success" story tellers leave out the "defining" details, giving unrealistic hope to people. Most publicise their fancy job and ignore the hustle job that provided them with what it took to land the fancy job. When it doesn't work out like the fancy story, they feel sad.

lol whose fault is it? Our people no dey like hear those kind part na. Do you know how many times my friends for naija dey follow me argue say Canada dey easier than I dey talk? at a time, na only my guys wey dey other first world countries I dey gree gist about life with, cos only them dey fit relate and fit contribute.

Folafikemi:




What's PSW pls and as a Logistics supervisor in Nigeria with good knowledge of IT support, what part can I switch to on the survival job pls bro.

I once saw something about logistics stuff, I don't remember who posted it. Soon as I do, I would ask the person if he can fill in you on what you need to know about the industry. As for survival jobs, just check out the options and pick.

jennyvick01:
brilliant write up einstein.Very informative post. Thanks. BTW did you sit for your NSE (Nigerian Society of Engineers ) exams in Benin City??

Yes I did! Are you sure we haven't met? BTW, pls can you truncate the mentioned post, just to save reading space on the page. Thanks

Obtay:
Hmmmm,
Thanks for this.
Just part of the reasons we are still staring at that COPR till date.We really need to come prepared,psychologically,emotionally wise.It might be a huge financial drop for us (considering we really are doing okay here )till we balance back but we are trying to look beyond the financial gains and focus on other benefit.Hopefully we summon the courage to soon.It is well.

One key thing that keeps crossing my mind is,if we decide to send kids abroad to school when they are of age(to say my kids are just 5yrs and 6yrs now).How are we sure we will still be financially fit then to pay the huge fee as international student? especially going with the way naijas economy is going and who knows what tommorw really holds.Then case of security challenge these days(heartbreaking)
..
Sorry to bother you all with my thoughts,,just alot running through my mind.

.
May God direct us all aright.

.

I am sorry if I painted such a pessimistic view of Canada, but TBH it may not be a walk in the park, esp in your first year, it can be a bittersweet experience. Maybe I should tell a story.

2wks ago I had a chat with my boss at lunch, and as an icebreaker he asked me what I do when I get home. I just chuckled "I sleep, that's all there is to do when you get home mid night and have to worry if you would have enough sleep before your alarm wakes you up, I actually have an alarm set to warn me to go to bed". He looked puzzled and wondered how I get home midnight when I leave work at 5pm and I was like I leave this work for another work. I thought to myself, you must have wondered how I manage to pay bills when I do this job for zilch all in the name of gaining Canadian experience? My tone gave my secret away, that sometimes in the silence of my head I wonder if it would be worth it in the end, esp in the weeks that I can't differentiate myself from a machine at a factory line.

At that point he chose to tell me his story, he immigrated just like me and he was doing well back home but was fed up with the corruption in his home country and doubted if his kids would have a fair chance at success. He said in the first one year he woke up everyday wanting to run back home, it was that tough for him. I still doesn't know how come I didn't, he said. He worked at fastfoods, did all manner of jobs despite his several years of quality engineering experience. While at this he was studying hard (I didn't ask if it was licensing or school), and struggled for 3 years, every bit of those 3 years were tough according to him and he kept saying he doesn't even know how he made it through. He said what kept him going was that he wanted a better environment for his kids as he had lost all hope in his home country(he is Persian). Then he looked at me and said "I feel pity for you, unlike me you have nothing that makes your sacrifices seem worthwhile in the short term and longterm is not predictable enough to reassure you, I at least had my kid's faces to stare at every day and hearing how much better they like it here was my drive. Here I don't have to worry about my kid's security, no matter what hour of the day they are outside". if I arrived alone just like you I would have ran back, when you think of all the fun and easy life you can have back home, girlfriends (I no know say for Iran dem dey do woman matter, the media makes them seem boringly serious) Canada can't compete in that regard. He ended saying he now likes it here, I just laughed hard replying "of course anyone would when you have managed to become a partner at an Engineering firm". Life panned out greatly for him here, though I don't know exactly how he did it but that would be question for another day. You see he went through his fair share and fact is there was no guarantee he would come out of it


I don't even know why I am telling the above story, but somehow hearing him saying all that rejuvenated me. I am not from a privileged background so I am not new to struggling but my P here is that I yearn for a definite path, you know a guarantee that if anyone does this, they would definitely get so so result. That's where it's tough cos I have met many brilliant people that have taken right steps and not much have come out of it. For instance, I have a friend from Sudan, she is in her 50s. She once soberly said to me "I lost the better part of my life savings in this country and I hate to think about that", it was cold to hear.. she has been here for a couple years trying to land an Engineering job and chasing P.Eng licensee. Sure we all feel she should have taken up a survival job first(I didn't ask if she did) but when you realise that she had a very rounded profile: masters degree from Netherlands, Phd from Germany, worked at a multinational firm, was a visiting professor to a German uni, has been in regulatory environment, has even presented papers in Canada and around the world before immigrating, you would know it is only normal to have had the expectations she had.

I suspect the problem is that she never knew how tough it could be to integrate here(afterall you only hear good stories, everyone dey hide their struggles) and she also didn't know that it is very possible that she could have to trade the career she invested the better part of her life into, for Canada. I am not one of those who blames Canada, I just feel we are in a different environment and so the game may have to be played differently as the needs here are different, that you are a valuable professional back home may not cut it for you here. You have now read of two different Civil Engineer's story(my boss's and my friend's), one achieved success and the other is yet to, both very qualified. I also feel that while we do all we can to land a white collar job, mek we still get am for mind say no be do or die and be open minded enough to explore other options. I dey hope say in time we go learn enough of Canada to come together and start businesses wey go help Canada and help us too. We could take a cue from Indians, them go hussle for a while save enough cash and chuk head for business.

So to answer your question, you already answered them and the way you analysed it is so beautiful, I really can't do a better job. I would just echo what you have answered in a different way. I was admitted to Memorial University of Newfoundland(Canada) years ago and deferred the admission to enable me save the tuition and apply for my Study Visa, that was my initial planned way of coming to Canada. when it was time to apply for the Visa, I just couldnt despite having saved what was supposed to be the tuition in naira, Buhari had been elected and you know what happened. So If you think of your kids, the uncertainties in 9ja, and you havn't a lastname that guarantees their future, Canada would be worth the gamble. If you think of yourself and your career you could be in doubt about coming here, esp if you have a top level career and are doing great(esp if you were able to raise POF without osusu, bambiala and family support like me). The whole thing is a dilemma, I know of people who were successful at their careers in 9ja, retired and had to use their pension to financially support their grown ass kids because no good paying job for most young people, yet over here kids start working in high school.

For me, I know I can't bear to live permanently in Naija again, I simply dont have the means to provide good roads, 24/7 electricity without the noise of a gen for myself, clean air(I nagged all through the time I was working in Lagos about how much I hated the polluted air and the chaos we call a city, we don't even know it is a problem). What is there for me to go back to? is it relatives? half of them are either already out or trying to get out of a country where walking down the street at 2 am with a good phone or car greatly increases the chances of being robbed or kidnapped(I return home 2am atimes here and walk with an air of safety that surpasses the one I would have at Oshodi in broad daylight). and above all, knowing that Nigeria's core issues wouldn't be solved in our days.


So it really boils down to coming to terms with the choices before you and realistically seeing it as a possible lose some to win some. Like I have said before, no land is a utopia but there comes a time in one's life when you feel home should be a country whose aspirations are worthy of your efforts and not merely a place where your ancestry lies. If I were a Jim Ovia or married to an Alakija, I would live my whole life in 9ja. but knowing who I am, PR is the best thing that has happened to me in recent times. I hope this helps you in making a decision that reflects on your background.

amdman:


Thank you so much for your frankness. One must have a balanced expectation before making the sojourn into these lands. To me, the best survival jobs are those with late/night shifts, leaving the day free for you to attend to your job search/interviews. Taking too many excuses to be off work can get you fired.

The issue of 'Who know man' is real. That you are referred/recommended by someone can be the tipping point in deciding whether or not to employ. This can sometimes be understandable when you view the issue from the employer's lenses. For example, my employer will spend over $20,000 to train me over the next 3 months, yet they don't have a guarantee that I will be there by the end of this year. A recommendation from their reliable employee therefore helps them to form an opinion and make the hiring decision. However, that is not to say 'who know man' is the only way... afterall I wasn't recommended by anyone.

From the foregoing, abeg... make we dey help fellow Nigerians. If you work in a structured organization, help other Nigerians to get in (yes, they are qualified)... as other nationalities are helping themselves. While it's easy to help those we know, let's also remember to help those that are not so known. Put in a good word on their behalf, go out of your way to find opportunities for them.

If you have landed and are interested in the financial services industry, PM me.

sorry I am a bit late replying this and mentions in general. I totally agree with you boss. My job at amazon was a night shift job and while working at nights doubles the stress of the job, it did actually spare me hours during the day to handle personal stuff. A colleague of mine who is camreonian attended couple of interviews during the day and got a job with a bank. Another one had to take time off to attend interviews because according to him the wear and tear from working at night would affect his performance at the interview(which I agree with). Thankfully he too got a job, with TD Bank I think and later on moved to CIBC.

youngRx:


Just a few questions. are these survival jobs enough to foot the bills and fund a very moderate lifestyle?

then for those of us that may be writing one or two really pricey professional exams, can one save for them from survival jobs? or is a buffer needed from POF?

The system here is egalitarian, so a modest life doesn't require praying and fasting to achieve, so long as you're willing to work your butt off and aren't too selective I can say a modest life is guaranted. The issue is that what one considers moderate depends on where s/he is coming from. if you mean having a decent shelter, food, clothing and maybe a car, that's doable, though the cost of rent here no funny and buying a car could be cheaper than keeping it.

Can you save? Sure, I have a friend who is saving up for licensing as a pharmacist and he works a survival job. However, some survival jobs no go even give you enough hours to work better money, that's why I said there are factors to consider when picking a survival job. The thing is that for most survival jobs the hourly rate fit no make brain, so to make better money na to put in more than 40hrs per week or you fit dey run two jobs if your body go carry am. Note for work here, dem go make sure say them get full value for the money wey dem go pay you, so even just 40hrs per week no easy to do. One thing to note though is that it pays you more to work overtime at one employer rather than having that same no of hours spread between two employers cos overtime pay is 1.5x regular hour pay.

I made an average of $4k(before tax) per month working at least 50hrs per week at Amazon(above 40hrs is overtime pay at Amazon), and I was able to save. On a minimum wage job of only 40hrs per week, you'd be lucky to earn more than $2.2k per month. How much of that money would actually be saved depends on your living expenses. Unfortunately you can't live here at the same cost of living in Naija, much of what you make here would go to settling living expenses. Having idle cash after settling bills is not so common here, so most westerners live on credit out of necessity, while some out of indiscipline. folks here go on vacation on credit, lease recent model cars (credit), most expenses are on credit. I am not saying you should hate credit, there are times when it is wiser to owe than to out rightly pay off. but if you hope to have actual savings at this initial stage, you have to watch your credit card balance carefully and understand credit card money isn't free. If you lose your job while heavily indebted, you would be under immense pressure because your E.I may not be able to settle your credit card's minimum payments or mortgage.


To give you an idea, here is what my basic expenses for a month looks like.

Family size: 1
Rent: $750 for a room in a shared apartment (Incl Wifi + Utilities). Location is Toronto
Bus: $252(I have explained how come this before, for the regular folk in Toronto it would be $155)
Uber: $30 (when I am running late for important appointments)
Phone bills: $45.2
Beer: $23... Canada has kept me busy enough to become a scarce drinker now, a pack of 8 gets me through a month now.
Food: $40 (I brought foodstuff from naija, so I haven't really started buying foodstuff and I only grab lunch on occasion).
Laundry: $20
Grocery: about $100
Naija: $100 (normal level, all man dey settle bills for naija)
Professional devt: $100 (I averaged it, some months its $0 and some months it just shoots to the roof)
Phone calls to Naija: $6
Babes: $0 ( lol I be akagum for now)
Miscellaneous: $100
Hair cut: $0 (I cut my hair and style my beard myself)


Total: $1521

Note: I actually do spend more than this, but the rest are extras that I can live without. I have also noticed that on the week I work fewer hours that's when I spend several folds more on miscellaneous items. So keeping busy with crazy working hours not only brings in more money, it also helps you cut down on expenses.

Bracha:
So you're single? Hmmm
Yes, that's all I got from that very informative post.

and broke if I may add.

iaatmguy:
one job or two jobs ?

2 jobs and it does vary though, I would say 12hrs to 14hrs a day on the job but of course I spend an extra 2hrs commuting, so that makes it 14hrs schedule. but I have worked 12hrs on one job a few times in the past. Not everyone would have to go through this, I do it because my plan demands it.