Originally Posted by NSpaul (Post 5008158)

I don't see how it can be a bad thing. I don't think the answer is to surround yourself with uneducated people in order to improve your job prospects or make yourself feel more intelligent. Presumably you wouldn't move to a remote backward town where you had the advantage of being the only person in the whole town with a degree so that you could have your pick pf the top jobs?

Originally Posted by NSpaul (Post 5008158)

The advantage of having a cluster of intelligent well educated people is that it attracts high-tech, bioscience and other leading edge industry which in turn cultivates good jobs (in exactly the same way that leading universities in Massachusetts, California, Cambridge UK have been doing for years)

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 5008190)

I did do pretty much that. I don't have a formal education but, in Toronto, it didn't really matter; few people do.

What prompted my comment was that I know people here who gave up on Halifax because they felt underqualified for that location. One friend who has only a B. Sc. moved here and now manages a retail store (Williams Sonoma) whereas, in Halifax, his degree wasn't enough to get such a job.



One might argue that, if that were so, Halifax would have those sorts of industries as it's had a cluster of universities for a long time. I think instead you just get qualification inflation, the man carrying the dustbins has a degree, the dustcart driver a Masters.

Originally Posted by NSpaul (Post 5008258)

Okay, I know what you're saying. I have only been here a year so I'm not an expert but I haven't noticed that to be the case. I would say your friend was fairly unlucky, I haven't heard of too many people who's qualifications have been undervalued like that. I think probably the problem if more to do with it just not being that big a city - only 370,000 people and less that 1 million in the whole of Nova Scotia. There are around 80,000 gradutes leaving these Universities every year. Most of them came here from other provinces to study and lots want to stay which means job competition especially amoung new graduates can be fairly stiff. At least thats my take on it.

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 5008277)

You may be right. My friend is a flamboyantly gay Newfie so his circumstances are not typical(!) My daughter had no trouble finding shop work in Halifax while she was at school there though she did remark on the high qualifications of the other shop workers.

Originally Posted by Southcote (Post 5008746)

Interesting point. We are trying to decide upon Vancouver or Halifax. Whilst we much referred the property prices in Halifax, our one reservation is opprtunities for our children when they are old enough to venture into the world of employment.

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 5008779)

You're assuming that they'll stay where you are, I wouldn't count on that; they may, but they may also go off to a university far away and never return. I don't think you can plan for them and wouldn't make it a major factor in choosing your location.

Just to throw a spanner in the works, if I were choosing a province based on the best educational and therefore career prospects for the children, I'd likely choose Quebec as the in-province tuition fees there are so low.

Originally Posted by steve666 (Post 5005093)

In my Harness Geographical Book of the World (1924) it says it's very much like Cornwall. So is Halifax the equivalent of Falmouth?

Will you be going to meet your daughter and see the regatta? I woudn't mind going, I have a thing for large sailing ships. We're in Ottawa next week and part of the week after, what's the date of the regatta? Yes I know Ottawa is miles away but Halifax does have an aeroplane runway of sorts, doesn't it?

Originally Posted by Southcote (Post 5008792)

I don't want to put themin a position where the HAVE to move away through lack of opportunities.

Originally Posted by kazbob (Post 5008796)

Interesting thread. We actually live quite near Falmouth, Cornwall, UK and visit there on an almost weekly basis. The Tall Ships visit is outstanding. We are off to Halifax 3 weeks tomorrow (yipee, dances a jig, so excited :D). So I will comment on the likeness to Falmouth. Although Falmouth is 'proper Cornish', with all it's nooks and crannies old buildings.

Will report further on our return in August!

Karen

Originally Posted by steve666 (Post 5008905)

I was born and my early years were spent in Plymouth, went to Falmouth now and again, holidays etc. We're looking at flying out to Halifax from Ottawa the weekend after next to see the boats, the cost may be prohibitive though, £1000 in all which includes 2 hotel nights (none booked yet).
My wife scrunched her face up when I broke the news.

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 5008808)

Got it. I'd think Vancouver offers more opportunities but, of course, there are lots of other things to consider.

Originally Posted by NSpaul (Post 5008080)

Here are some actual facts about Halifax…

• Halifax is the most Educated city in Canada - with 81.1 post-secondary students per 1000 people, that’s three times the national average. More than 60% of the working population has post-secondary education, the highest rate in Canada.
  
• Halifax is home to six highly regarded Universities and 5 of the top 11 Universities in Canada (ranked by Macleans) are located in Nova Scotia
  

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 5008912)

Can you stay in one of the universities? King's has a nice residence with shared student rooms, I expect they rent them to the public in the summer.

Originally Posted by steve666 (Post 5009082)

I wasn't aware you could do that? I'll check it out. It's the air fair that's the stinker though, still searching for cheaper flights.

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 5009089)

It always is. Internal flights in Canada are a killer. You can drive there in two days, that's what we mainly did when child was in school. That or flew Buffalo-somewhere-Halifax.