omotayo333:
Hey guys been a minute since I’ve been here. So i have two rooms in a three bedroom condo apartment in Mississauga available from 1st of April. If you’re interested feel free to chat me up. Cheers!!

Hi Omotayo, sent you an email.

THE SHOCK OF DIFFERENCE (Musings of a Nigerian).
I am not one who is liberal in the usage of my tongue for the purposes of cursing, but I may have been tempted to so do lately. What has prompted this temptation you may want to ask, well, quite a few things. For one, the difference in the environment (Nigeria) which sired me and where I am now is the cultural difference that you see and it is more telling when you begin to see that difference and change in your children.
Culture I know is not a static phenomenon, it is organic in that it grows as society germinates but whether such growth is positive or otherwise is solely determined by the subscribers to that society. For Nigeria, a paradise, yet so far from righteousness, I am not exactly sure the growth of the country in the healthy sociological sense has been entirely positive. Nigeria’s story is one for another day, “make we face another tin”.
As I have observed here, the allowance for critical thinking in schools and in ordinarily mundane things such as sports and games impact your child and. When I say, “critical thinking”, I do not mean its isolation as a subject as we find in some Nigerian private schools but as a necessary condiment for the design of every subject/course children study in school. The ability to critically think makes the children begin to question everything around them. Their question is not geared towards uprooting our culture or religion which we think is dear to us but for them to understand why we hold it dear and convincing them on why they must have the same level of deference to those concepts and ideas. They question everything, questions you cannot possibly imagine from religion to homosexuality, racism, slavery, family and so forth and damn, you must be ready to answer these questions which should and must be convincing and logical. I think it is best to get ahead of some of these difficult questions by discussing them before you are asked by your children. In that way, it may be easier to discuss when these questions come up. The questions come in drips or torrents and it brings out the best or worst in you depending on how you respond to them. Even their jokes become cheeky and irreverent.
I told my last a few weeks ago when he was up to some mischief that he and I “will wear the same trouser”, he looked at me confused and retorted, “but we will fall Daddy”. Na so I quiet.
A few days ago, I went out with my second and last for a religious service at the end of which the second had to wait for me at the door away from a group of men. This made it challenging for her to find me among so many men. When the last and I eventually found her (or she found us) she said to me, “Daddy, I found you because of the reflection of the sun on your bald head”. Can you bloody imagine? Well, if she were in Nigeria, I am certain she would have exploded for simply having that thought cross her mind much less blurting it out. The other day, she told me to “always try to” take my plate to the kitchen after eating. I had to curse, IYA E!!! (YOUR MOTHER) and her mum was there laughing her head off without coming to my aid, mtsheeew, nonsense. Just thinking if I had said all these to my own father. Well…… first off, I won’t be alive to write about it or if I am lucky, I sure will have a few teeth missing.
I have always been a fiercely private person but being here has given privacy a whole new meaning. In Nigeria, my beloved, I can just stand in front of my house for no reason other than standing, I can sit with my Fulani guard to catch up on the neighbourhood gossip, I can do all sorts and anyhow but here, you mean nothing to anybody except for tax purposes. Simple things like clearing the snow path are a big deal and is determined by the survey lines of your property. Your neighbour can clearly tell you not to allow your kids play around his car or on his driveway and come to you the next day expecting you to be nice. The culture is different, everything is “one kind sha”. The other day in an office in which I interned, a Nigerian was absent from work and when she resumed, she was asked the reason for her absence and when she did not respond, the questioner said “were you ill?”, she responded “Alice, I was not ill”, “Alice, I am not ill”. They all wondered why she repeated her answer twice but as a Nigerian although she did not say it, I knew the emphasis meant “Alice, I am not sick in Jesus name”. In my mind, I was like “talk am naa”.
We are what we are, adapting to a new environment can be challenging and at the same time interesting. The success or otherwise of the transition from the comfortable to the unknown is dependent on the person. What I think is certain is that we as Nigerian immigrants can change without necessarily losing our core of respect, love and more importantly fraternity.

Adeniran Ajagbe.

Hey guys, anyone interested in shaw internet 300 for $50 with first 4 months off? Its a limited offer

adesbaba:


5)Can one land and study say msc or pgd in Calgary then after grad,travels to Toronto to job hunt.....(msc will either be in finance or management or business analysis)

Since one is a PR, one can move around freely in Canada. No restrictions. But one would keep these two things in mind

1. There is no equivalent of OSAP in Calgary. I believe you'll have more loan than grant in Alberta, compared to Ontario where I hear they have more grant than loan.

2. Part of the reason for schooling is to build a network. Hence is advisable to school where you want to work, for easier plugging into the labor market.

Just my unverified opinion.

19CannyMum:


Since one is a PR, one can move around freely in Canada. No restrictions. But one would keep these two things in mind

1. There is no equivalent of OSAP in Calgary. I believe you'll have more loan than grant in Alberta, compared to Ontario where I hear they have more grant than loan.

2. Part of the reason for schooling is to build a network. Hence is advisable to school where you want to work, for easier plugging into the labor market.

Just my unverified opinion.

I don't know about point 1 i.e. student loans and stuffs like that, but point 2 is absolutely spot on.

please those who lives in Montreal, where are the tourist places one csn visit? thank u

I'm on Alberta Student Aid but studying in Ontario. My classmates on OSAP have way more grant than I do. In fact, Alberta did not give me any grant. The little grant I get is from the federal government.

salford:

I don't know about point 1 i.e. student loans and stuffs like that, but point 2 is absolutely spot on.

jhoci:
I'm on Alberta Student Aid but studying in Ontario. My classmates on OSAP have way more grant than I do. In fact, Alberta did not give me any grant. The little grant I get is from the federal government.

And with the UCP in Alberta, it's not looking great for future students, and to an extent current students studying in Alberta as well.

omotayo333:
Hey guys been a minute since I’ve been here. So i have two rooms in a three bedroom condo apartment in Mississauga available from 1st of April. If you’re interested feel free to chat me up. Cheers!!

Sent u a PM.

dtush:
Hello House,

Here to seek advise and Clarifications please. I will be landing back permanently in Calgary at the end of the month. I currently have over 7 years exp in Risk mgt and audit in banking and oil and gas sectors in Nigeria and its been my desire for a while to move into the IT space, IT AUDIT.

I want to find out if there are short courses available to newcomers in Canada most esp Calgary i can enroll for. I am reading for my CRISC exam at the moment and should write as soon as i land, and then proceed to take the CISA exam. But i feel like the textbook knowledge might not be enough to chart a course in this new field.

But i am looking for a more hands on knowledge and practical training to help kickstart this switch. Will appreciate any feedback

.
If you can, do the Information Security Systems course in SAIT

jhoci:
I'm on Alberta Student Aid but studying in Ontario. My classmates on OSAP have way more grant than I do. In fact, Alberta did not give me any grant. The little grant I get is from the federal government.

I school in SAIT Alberta. My fees per semester is 3700. Loan I got was 6000 grant 4,600. They just also approved for my next semester a loan of 7k and grant of 6300...

MrTeeo:


I school in SAIT Alberta. My fees per semester is 3700. Loan I got was 6000 grant 4,600. They just also approved for my next semester a loan of 7k and grant of 6300...

4600/6300 grant is not bad at all. Do you have kids?And are those grants combination of Federal+Provincial?

hi,g

hi everyone, this is a really enlightening forum,learnt about it from my cuz , i appreciate all that take their precious time to offer answers.
i am sorry if i am asking a question that has been asked before but i have read up and not been able to decide what path to take.

i live in ontario, with a first degree in basic medical sciences , looking to pursue a career in nursing. i have researched and the options i found are

Firstly, the second entry nursing programs which require per-requisite courses like anatomy, physiology, microbiology,statistics,psychology, etc, and they usually have to be within a certain time frame they were done, for example not more than 5-7 years ago. i don't have all prerequisites and some are more than 5 years. i found out some courses can be retaken at athabasca and ryerson (those are the colleges one i know of) , but each course is quite costly, averaging between $600-$800 each, multiply that by the number of courses you need to take and do the math.

Second option, 4 year BSCN program, requirements include OSSD Grade 12 eng, math,bio and chem, usually with a minimum of 75-80% in each subject, which is around an A1 to B3 in our WAEC, and i dont have all of those grades in my o'level. its quite competitive, and short of taking OSSD , and i dont know how possible that is, i am not sure what to do about this option.

Thirdly, for LPN, its requirements are similar to the 4 year bachelors program, except the grade 12 scores are lower, some colleges say minimum 65% in eng,math,bio and chem., approx C4 and above(i stand corrected), but i had a c6 in my waec math, which is around 50%.

i just want to know if there is any LPN or BSCN program i can easily get into anywhere in canada with my undergraduate degree that does not focus on o'level, or any other pathway into nursing. thank you.

sorry for the long post, anyone with information should please shook mouth,lol. thanks alot

cc. salford, blackbuddy, vickyehi, 19CannyMum, Dessdess, olalekan9320

19CannyMum:


Since one is a PR, one can move around freely in Canada. No restrictions. But one would keep these two things in mind

1. There is no equivalent of OSAP in Calgary. I believe you'll have more loan than grant in Alberta, compared to Ontario where I hear they have more grant than loan.

2. Part of the reason for schooling is to build a network. Hence is advisable to school where you want to work, for easier plugging into the labor market.

Just my unverified opinion.

Thanks ma.....the reason for opting for Calgary is cos of Calgary cheaper cost of living e.g rent compared with Toronto.......but then from adverts, YouTube n co,I have seen that Toronto has more Finance companies n Banks compared with Calgary....that's the reason for schooling in Calgary n then hunting in Toronto or searching from Calgary n then move once job clicks...

marinaojo:
hi everyone, this is a really enlightening forum,learnt about it from my cuz , i appreciate all that take their precious time to offer answers.
i am sorry if i am asking a question that has been asked before but i have read up and not been able to decide what path to take.

i live in ontario, with a first degree in basic medical sciences , looking to pursue a career in nursing. i have researched and the options i found are

Firstly, the second entry nursing programs which require per-requisite courses like anatomy, physiology, microbiology,statistics,psychology, etc, and they usually have to be within a certain time frame they were done, for example not more than 5-7 years ago. i don't have all prerequisites and some are more than 5 years. i found out some courses can be retaken at athabasca and ryerson (those are the colleges one i know of) , but each course is quite costly, averaging between $600-$800 each, multiply that by the number of courses you need to take and do the math.

Second option, 4 year BSCN program, requirements include OSSD Grade 12 eng, math,bio and chem, usually with a minimum of 75-80% in each subject, which is around an A1 to B3 in our WAEC, and i dont have all of those grades in my o'level. its quite competitive, and short of taking OSSD , and i dont know how possible that is, i am not sure what to do about this option.

Thirdly, for LPN, its requirements are similar to the 4 year bachelors program, except the grade 12 scores are lower, some colleges say minimum 65% in eng,math,bio and chem., approx C4 and above(i stand corrected), but i had a c6 in my waec math, which is around 50%.

i just want to know if there is any LPN or BSCN program i can easily get into anywhere in canada with my undergraduate degree that does not focus on o'level, or any other pathway into nursing. thank you.

sorry for the long post, anyone with information should please shook mouth,lol. thanks alot

cc. salford, blackbuddy, vickyehi, 19CannyMum, Dessdess, olalekan9320

You could upgrade your Grade 12 classes. Some colleges offer evening classes to upgrade your grade 12 classes. The best programs are usually the after degree or the BSN outright. Moving from LPN to RN would be very competitive too and I am sure there would be some years of work experience required. I don't know own much about the East i.e Any province east of Manitoba. Have you checked the requirements of University of Lethbridge, University of Calgary, and URegina. I am sure both schools have after degree nursing programs as well as 4years nursing. Saskpolytech has nursing programs too. For LPN, Bow Valley would be my first pick. Check out the requirements in these schools if you have no problem moving from Ontario to the West.
Nursing is a very good career. You can't go wrong with nursing.

adesbaba:




Thanks ma.....the reason for opting for Calgary is cos of Calgary cheaper cost of living e.g rent compared with Toronto.......but then from adverts, YouTube n co,I have seen that Toronto has more Finance companies n Banks compared with Calgary....that's the reason for schooling in Calgary n then hunting in Toronto or searching from Calgary n then move once job clicks...

What if you get called to physically attend an interview? Would you be flying to Toronto?

salford:

You could upgrade your Grade 12 classes. Some colleges offer evening classes to upgrade your grade 12 classes. The best programs are usually the after degree or the BSN outright. Moving from LPN to RN would be very competitive too and I am sure there would be some years of work experience required. I don't know own much about the East i.e Any province east of Manitoba. Have you checked the requirements of University of Lethbridge, University of Calgary, and URegina. I am sure both schools have after degree nursing programs as well as 4years nursing. Saskpolytech has nursing programs too. For LPN, Bow Valley would be my first pick. Check out the requirements in these schools if you have no problem moving from Ontario to the West.
Nursing is a very good career. You can't go wrong with nursing.

Nursing is very competitive in Calgary right now. Nurses having difficulty getting full time lines. Na casual dey reign. Meanwhile ucp cuts... AHS looking for ways to stop people holding multiple lines across facilities and talks about privatizing some existing facilities.

But yes, it's still one of the most secure jobs.

marinaojo:
hi everyone, this is a really enlightening forum,learnt about it from my cuz , i appreciate all that take their precious time to offer answers.
i am sorry if i am asking a question that has been asked before but i have read up and not been able to decide what path to take.

sorry for the long post, anyone with information should please shook mouth,lol. thanks alot

What Oga Salford said. Speak with schools your interested in to find out about academic upgrading.

adesbaba:




Thanks ma.....the reason for opting for Calgary is cos of Calgary cheaper cost of living e.g rent compared with Toronto.......but then from adverts, YouTube n co,I have seen that Toronto has more Finance companies n Banks compared with Calgary....that's the reason for schooling in Calgary n then hunting in Toronto or searching from Calgary n then move once job clicks...

Remember that Toronto is not Ontario. And Calgary and Toronto are not Canada.

19CannyMum:


Nursing is very competitive in Calgary right now. Nurses having difficulty getting full time lines. Na casual dey reign. Meanwhile ucp cuts... AHS looking for ways to stop people holding multiple lines across facilities and talks about privatizing some existing facilities.

But yes, it's still one of the most secure jobs.

Casual nurses have been reigning in Calgary like forever - Union palaver (seniority rules). I befriended a couple of nurses when I worked security with paladin at AHS. The casual and PT were always lamenting about being on casual for years with no hope of getting a permanent Full-time post, but yet, they refuse to leave Calgary.
Calgary is a big city by Canadian standard. Everyone wants to live in an happening city.
However, if OP can move to a smaller city after grad, the chances of finding a permanent FT job increases by a wide margin.

salford:

Casual nurses have been reigning in Calgary like forever - Union palaver (seniority rules). I befriended a couple of nurses when I worked security with paladin at AHS. The casual and PT were always lamenting about being on casual for years with no hope of getting a permanent Full-time post, but yet, they refuse to leave Calgary.
Calgary is a big city by Canadian standard. Everyone wants to live in an happening city.
However, if OP can move to a smaller city after grad, the chances of finding a permanent FT job increases by a wide margin.

Interesting. Yukon is another option for the brave

19CannyMum:


Interesting. Yukon is another option for the brave

My wife's friend works in Whitehorse, Yukon despite the high number of grizzly bears
That's too far away though but some people like money too much. However, some also move up north to work for maybe 3 years cos they want to quickly pay off their student loans via government loan forgiveness programs for nurses and extra northern allowance (tax return).

While some nurses are struggling to get a full-time job in Alberta especially Calgary/Edmonton (Alberta is aiming to cut 750 nursing position too), PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are experiencing a severe shortage and are even looking outside the country to fulfil their hiring needs.

But would the nurses crying for FT and perm roles with AHS move? No. Big city life style can be hard to abandon

salford1:

My wife's friend works in Whitehorse, Yukon despite the high number of grizzly bears
That's too far away though but some people like money too much. However, some also move up north to work for maybe 3 years cos they want to quickly pay off their student loans via government loan forgiveness programs for nurses and extra northern allowance (tax return).

While some nurses are struggling to get a full-time job in Alberta especially Calgary/Edmonton (Alberta is aiming to cut 750 nursing position too), PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are experiencing a severe shortage and are even looking outside the country to fulfil their hiring needs.

But would the nurses crying for FT and perm roles with AHS move? No. Big city life style can be hard to abandon

I know someone that knows someone that moved to Yukon, but kept her casual shifts in Calgary. So she's earning the big bucks. Then every couple of months she comes to mark register in Calgary. Apparently once she's fulfilled her financial mission in Yukon she'll come back.

In other news I was at a job fair today, and there were companies from small towns in BC looking for who's willing to relocate.

19CannyMum:


I know someone that knows someone that moved to Yukon, but kept her casual shifts in Calgary. So she's earning the big bucks. Then every couple of months she comes to mark register in Calgary. Apparently once she's fulfilled her financial mission in Yukon she'll come back.

In other news I was at a job fair today, and there were companies from small towns in BC looking for who's willing to relocate.

Probably kept the casual shift so as to remain in the Union and build seniority. Permanent FT jobs would be given based on seniority when they become available.

Hopefully, the companies are willing to pay a decent wage, atleast for people to justify their moving to a small town in BC.

marinaojo:
I just want to know if there is any LPN or BSCN program i can easily get into anywhere in canada with my undergraduate degree that does not focus on o'level, or any other pathway into nursing. thank you.

Your observations are very accurate, especially for schools in and around Toronto. Had same observations few years ago when I was researching my options.

I honestly wouldn't advise the LPN route for someone who already possess an undergraduate degree, especially if they can get into the BScN program or better still, a second degree compressed one.

The only program I found in Ontario that is more forgiving of older prerequisites and an average GPA is the Compressed Nursing BScN prepared program at Lakehead University, Ontario. A few of my friends applied there and were admitted. One even has an Art degree, which means she didn't do most prerequisites, and was still admitted. You take Anatomy, Physiology, Psychology, Statistics amongst other courses, in your first year. Much better than paying so much to do them at Athabasca and still not be guaranteed admission into Nursing afterwards. I heard the program is good but intense as you need to maintain an average cGPA of 70% throughout.

It's officially a 3year program but you can finish in 2.5years if you decide not to take one summer off. I think they're still accepting applications for Fall 2020.

Act fast. Goodluck.

salford1:

My wife's friend works in Whitehorse, Yukon despite the high number of grizzly bears
That's too far away though but some people like money too much. However, some also move up north to work for maybe 3 years cos they want to quickly pay off their student loans via government loan forgiveness programs for nurses and extra northern allowance (tax return).

While some nurses are struggling to get a full-time job in Alberta especially Calgary/Edmonton (Alberta is aiming to cut 750 nursing position too), PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are experiencing a severe shortage and are even looking outside the country to fulfil their hiring needs.

But would the nurses crying for FT and perm roles with AHS move? No. Big city life style can be hard to abandon

Wow! @bolded, is this person a black or white Canadian?

esterella:


Wow! @bolded, is this person a black or white Canadian?

Fellow Nigerian not a white.

Whitehorse is not bad o. There are Nigerians on Iqaluit and YellowKnife too.

good morning, thank you so much for this information. i appreciate!

salford:

You could upgrade your Grade 12 classes. Some colleges offer evening classes to upgrade your grade 12 classes. The best programs are usually the after degree or the BSN outright. Moving from LPN to RN would be very competitive too and I am sure there would be some years of work experience required. I don't know own much about the East i.e Any province east of Manitoba. Have you checked the requirements of University of Lethbridge, University of Calgary, and URegina. I am sure both schools have after degree nursing programs as well as 4years nursing. Saskpolytech has nursing programs too. For LPN, Bow Valley would be my first pick. Check out the requirements in these schools if you have no problem moving from Ontario to the West.
Nursing is a very good career. You can't go wrong with nursing.

thanks for your input mama!

19CannyMum:


What Oga Salford said. Speak with schools your interested in to find out about academic upgrading.

i appreciate your response! thanks alot.

SlowlybtSurely:


Your observations are very correct, especially for schools in and around Toronto. Had same observations few years ago when I was researching my options.

I honestly wouldn't advise the LPN route for someone who already possess an undergraduate degree if they can get into the BScN program or better still, a second degree compressed one.

The only program I found in Ontario that is more forgiving of older prerequisites and an average GPA is the Compressed Nursing BScN prepared program at Lakehead University, Ontario. A few of my friends applied there and were admitted. One even has an Art degree, which means she didn't even do most prerequisites, and was still admitted. I heard the program is sound and that finishing is tough as you need to maintain an average cGPA of 70% throughout.

It's officially a 3year program but you can finish in 2.5years if you decide not to take one summer off. I think application for fall 2020 is still open.

Act fast.

.