Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

The market is flooded with 'IT consultants' with nothing more than a few years experience. What a lot of companies are looking for is the right combination of experience and qualifications. Searching through sites such as Microsoft they are asking for MCSE & x number of years experience for jobs such as after sales technical support.

The jobs are there, it's just the matter of having the right combination of attributes that fit what the company wants. It works the same the world over. I have seen people in the UK get turned away from 1st line support jobs even though they have MCSE qualifications as it's just a piece of paper to say that you have learned the course material. I have seen MCSE qualified contractors who when it comes to a real life IT situation they struggle due to no practical experience.

I have to echo what other people are saying here with a lot of the battle is positive thinking as if you come across negative then no-one is going to hire you as all you will do is bring a bad element to a good working environment. you spend more of your time in work than you do at home generally so managers have to look out for their teams working atmosphere.

I have experience of people blaming their misfortune on the country they are in when it comes down to just making excuses for not keeping going when things are rough and throwing That person was actually blaming the UK for all of their problems and they had to be in the US as that's where their hopes and dreams were... well guess what they are now ...... Canada and has a successful job where he is being trained in a management development role in one of the major Canadian Banks and has just brought his first house. When you finally stop blaming things on a country and realise it's down to your own initiative and perseverance that gets you what you want.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

Seacreature, why are you waiting until April to return? I don't mean this as an attack, I am genuinely curious as to why you would stay an extra 8 months in a city you despise, especially if you have a job lined up in the UK. While I have not been in your position, I live with someone who has and I would be worried that your frustration re: jobs would sour your outlook on everything else in life, and may be a difficult attitude to get rid of, even once you are back in the UK. Is it not possible for you to go back early and have your partner join you in a few months?

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

Oh. Thanks. A bit out of my area.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

The IT industry lost a lot of credibility due to the dot com fiasco with their bizarre business models and theories. People with a combination of IT and sound practical business experience are more valuable than pure techies.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

Just my two cents worth.

It seems to me that there are lots of reasons why people don't want to stay in Canada. Its probably not the fault of Canada or the fault of the person. Its just one of those things. Not anybody's fault. There are things about Canada that I like and there are things about England that I like.

It seems to me that its kind of dumb to turn this into some kind of a slanging match about Canada or individuals etc. etc.

So - it didn't work out - so what?? It's not the end of the world. But its not Canada's fault per se that it didn't work out - at least that is the way I see it.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

I agree with most of what seacreature has said. Canada is not a nirvana. It is a boring shitehole. It is hard to find decent work. There is no culture.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

In your opinion - those are not facts - they are just what you BELIEVE.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

This is a tough one - I can only think you are talking of Toronto - many people have problems with this poor city which is so unlike the rest of the country and most like the UK. I had trouble there once finding a restaurant that wasn't a spit-n-sawdust or $100 a steak. I wouldn't call Canada boring, there are few countries in the world as diverse. No culture!!!! your'e kidding, in every major city you will find pretty much every culture you could wish for, maybe your'e thinking of identity but even then I would disagree. As SC mentioned, no history; well that only really covers what we refer to as civilised history, it's a common joke that North America has no history just bad habits. Canada is a young country that is proud of it's heritage, I think if you have shown the attitude your comments highlight to resident Canadians you will have had a tough time. I certainly would not recommend "It is a boring shitehole" in front of the local hockey fraternity!!!

If you really feel this way, why are you here!!!!

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

That sounds like much of the UK. Better scenery here, though, and it's possible to buy a house without mortgaging your grandchildren.

Since when were the Brits culture fanatics, anyway? I lived in London for 15 years and never saw anyone desperately trying to finish off their day's work in time to rush off to the latest avant-garde ballet.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

The culture to which they refer, is either the drinking culture or yob culture.

I doubt they are referring to an afternoon at Glyndebourne.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

If you look at pictures of people at Glyndebourne, I believe you'll see a fair few glasses in hands. I don't think there's been a pitch-invasion yet but it's surely only a matter of time.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

"better scenery" ??? Pretty much the same except that there is more of it in Canada.
"possible to buy a house without mortgaging your grandchildren" I totally agree.
"never saw anyone desperately trying to finish off their day's work in time to rush off to the latest avant-garde ballet" Did you ever try and get tickets for the ballet/theatre? they are like rocking horse sh**

On the subject of culture and history, what constitutes a history? Here in the annapolis valley we have just been celebrating the 400th anniversary of the 1st european settlers, is 400 years not history? and as for culture, i think people mistake culture for luxury, glyndebourne is a luxury, not culture and the 1st nation race (the original inhabitants) have as much culture as any other nation. People forget that canada was inhabited before the white man came along. This is a fantastic country, full of history and real culture, it is no better than the UK in some respects and no worse in others. Areas of Toronto are far more dangerous than anywhere in the UK but Canada as a whole is far safer.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

Have you:

Visited Lake O'Hara in Yoho NP?
Driven the Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper?
Hiked or taken the lift up to the top of Lake Louise ski hill and looked down onto LL?
Seen the columbia icefield?
Flown from Calgary to Vancouver (or vice-versa) on a summer's evening?
Cycled up the Highwood Pass (highest paved road in Canada) before it opens to traffic and seen a grizzly bear?

There is nothing like any of those things in the UK.

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

Have you cycled the north york moors, past the tan house inn, the highest pub in the UK?
Visited lake windermere/coniston water/loch ness/loch lomond?
walked to the top of a tor on dartmoor?
Looked out across the bristol channel to lundy island from the coast of north devon?
Driven/hiked/cycled through the scottish highlands?

If you had read what i said, i said it was "pretty much the same" not exactly the same

Re: Wet Blanket time .....
 

Ah, yes. I'd forgotten the Sussex Rocky Mountains, the coastal rainforests of Lincolnshire, the Essex desert, the vast glacier fields in Aberdeenshire, icebergs floating down the Thames......