The answer to your question is probably "all of the above".

Theorhetically all IT qualifications are transferable globally - although lack of national standards means that vendor certifications are the rule, an MCSE probably won't get you a job if you can't back it up with Canadian experience, an A+ certification might just get you a job repairing PCs.

Theorhetically Canada needs more IT people - there's a fast track route for IT people after all - I got my PR on the pilot project, now its work visa only.

Recruitment consultants will tell you: Industry has said that they need more skilled, experienced IT people, it's a fact (albeit a misleading one).

The Canadian education system has responded by pumping out locally qualified (but inexperienced) people - very few local graduates can get an IT job either.

The immigration system has responded by fast tracking IT people from overseas.

Industry has responded to all this by saying "Well .... they don't have the *RIGHT* experience or the *RIGHT* qualifications .... sorry!".

You can try to match your qualifications to the local market but in the end the only "RIGHT" experience is Canadian experience.

If you believe this, you haven't read this or any other forums.

IT jobs are shrinking globally - although there might still be a boom market in India for outsourcing.

Hardware is more reliable, software is more reliable, remote support is a reality and systems management software is a survival factor for most large enterprises - sorry, this is not good news for IT jobs.

The IT job boom is over, it's a fact.

Governments and the education system just haven't caught onto the fact yet and are still misleading hopefull people.

If either of my kids want to go into IT, I'll disown them!!

Anyone who reads these forums can't believe that one ....

Who told you what you would be getting paid? A consultant? A recruiter? Show me your payslip when you get a job. I hope it works out for you, either way, I'll buy you a beer next time you're in Calgary

Maybe all us IT guys should all start taking stairs rather than elevators??? Let's see how long you elevator repair guys last ......

I didn't bother with a recruiter, I just went straight to the person who owns an elevator company.

They are desperate for skilled, experienced people.

Not just one company that needs people, but many.

http://ca.hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobseeke...ywords_phrase=

And just to put your mind at rest, I was posting hypothetical questions, not stating opinion. I have read this forum from beginning to end, but still see people who express the opinion that this is how parts of Canada work.

OK IT guys, if you're out of work, retrain to be elevator guys ... I bet you can get an educational grant for that ....

When do we have move en masse to Halifax by??

Those are Toronto rates quoted .... you've confirmed it's the same in NS??

.

I've gotta admit that when we first started thinking of applying for our visa we were told that IT was booming (In BC) and it wouldn't be a problem finding me a well paid job!! This of course was all sales pitch from our immigration consultants After reading these forums and talking to various companies I obviously realise now that this is just not the case. But for me, I really don't care anymore because it's basically the same over here. 4-5 years ago you could name your rate and decide where you want to work, these days I'd have to commute to London (from Bristol about 120 miles) everyday to get the rates I was getting back then & I really can't be bothered to do that anymore. Wife and kids change everything and you realise that life is so much more important than work.
Of course everyone's situation is different, but for us the emigration scenario is just perfect.
It does get depressing reading peoples posts about the struggles they're having finding jobs though

I remember the scramble to get out of the UK when IR35 first impacted three years ago. I remember when the PGC took the government to court over the legislation and failed abysmally - that told me how things were going to be in the UK for the forseeable future. A lot of very experienced IT contractors took permanent jobs or headed overseas.

Quality of life matters more than work, but a lot of people don't seem to be finding it over here.

Problem is that quality of life is directly related to having a job, hence only immigrate if you can be sure of getting that. Basically working for $ 8.00 per hour and not being able to pay the rent doesn't create a good lifestyle. Not just me too, lots of other people I know. Of course thats better than my current state of being unemployed.

Don't get me started on IR35
I'm still very very lucky and I've managed to avoid it (I hope no IR people are reading this ). If you do get caught you can just declare the company bankrupt and start up a new one, I know of a few who've been caught out. There's now talk of bringing in another law to stop you employing your Mrs as a secretary and claiming tax relief etc. That's a bummer, but the real killer is that if the law goes through they'll backdate the rule to when you started up the company!!! Yeah right!! I've been contracting for 8 years now, just think how much that'll cost
Quick get me out of here before they catch up with me

The IR chased me for two years after I got here - this is the first year I haven't had to do a tax return.

They have similar rules here, but the tax burden is lower and the pain less if you get hooked.

Pheonixing to avoid IR35 .... I seem to remember the IR have people chasing phoenix companies too.

For the benefit of Welshman, I've dragged this one up from the basement

what do you do

He's an elevator engineer ... he's going up in the world

It's a funny trade.

No one in it seems to have wanted to work on elevators from an early age. (Fireman, engine driver, nurse etc.)

Everyone I talk to seem to have fallen into elevators by accident.

But the money is really, really good, and there is a world shortage of elevator engineers. Virtually no one takes on apprentices now, and mose engineers are 55+, and companies are looking to fill the age gap.

This is probably the golden time in elevator mechanics, the same as you had in IT some five to ten years ago.

I keep getting calls from a company in BC that I had contacted when I had been looking at the west coast. he keeps upping his offer, even though we have decided that the east coast is where we want to try first.

I do hope that at some stage Canada does make a proper decision about acceptance of qualifications. The same level should apply to both PR and employment. The situation at the moment is unsustainable.

So one day a door opened up in elevator mechanics for you?

The immigration processes are full of inconsistencies - qualifications are normally regulated at provincial level, even if its to a national standard. A lot of it comes down to lobbying and who has the loudest voice.

IT is going the same way - old guys like me are valued as much for business experience as technical skills, but it's difficult to find the right job with the right company. People skills count for a lot and not many IT people have them.

Trouble is, there's no reliable way of assessing soft IT skills - passing exams only tests the hard skills. The only way to prove acceptable soft skills is to get some Canadian experience and prove it by doing it.

[QUOTE=Glaswegian]So one day a door opened up in elevator mechanics for you?

QUOTE]

You are quite right.

Someone opened a lift door and I fell straight into the shaft!

I was made redundant, was helping out a friend with a bit of part time work, he was asked if he knew anyone who wanted two weeks full time humping lift parts into a block of flats, put me in the frame, and here I am, an experienced, qualified engineer.

I didn't really intentionally get into the area of IT that I work in - I was meant to be training to be an IT manager back in the days when we had proper mainframe systems to manage (water cooled, took up a whole floor of the office block) - I can still program in COBOL - I got a three month placement in the section that looked after what was a rapidly growing handfull of PCs and very rare LANs in those days.

I was handed a screwdriver on my first day and was told to upgrade a very expensive laptop - it probably cost my annual salary to buy - I didn't panic or break it so they took a liking to me.

The three months quickly turned into three years .... another eleven years later and I'm one of the old guys