I am Sanjeev Panchal from Baroda. I am a graduate Metallurgy Engineer from M.S. University of Baroda and have born and brought up in Baroda until I landed in Canada on 6 August, 2000.

It was my new birth and new beginning of a life. I had been to foreign in past for couple of times as a part of my work but this was not a part of work or a temporary assignment. It was a permanent landing for better future and prospects. It was a decision of a 15 years experienced Engineer/Manager and a successful progressive carrier minded person for betterment of his own carrier and of his family. It was confidence of his past success that brought him here to prove himself again in same way he has done at back home. He realise very quickly that Grass is not that green as it was looked from far away!. Path is not easy and acceptance is not immediate even with such a successful story behind him to support. and then a new struggle started right from scratch.

Yes my friends, In north America specially in Canada success does not come without hardship and continuous and consistence efforts. Employers are not ready to see your resume without Canadian experience. A real catch 22 kind of situation, as you are not getting job without Canadian experience and how you will get canadian experience without getting job. Real funny but hard fact which every one of us is facing or will face. But again there is a clue, and most of them are not realising it - Canadian experience in any field or firm will count in for your future job in your own field. If some one has accepted you, then others will be ready to accept you.

First year in Canada is to build your path for your future success and believe me every one over here who has positive mind frame and strength for surviving have made their carrier successful and still making progress further and further.

It is not easy but not impossible either. As we all have come from a excellent background in terms of education, family, friends and off course Career, It’s very difficult to accept hard reality of labour market over here.

For me it was a 240 volts jolt when I came to know that our experience and education has no acceptance and naturally it was not acceptable to me either. First of my 2 to 3 months in Canada I was trying to get job SPECIFICALY in my own field of Metallurgy/Quality Control with vigorous efforts and all kind of techniques taught by various HRDC centres with new format of resumes and covering letters result was ZERO.

Most of the applications has no answers at all, few has turned up in phone interviews and less than 5 had progressed up to first interview. All has resulted in un-successful ending.

Then I have started applying slowly and gradually in other labour kind of jobs along with my field jobs.

At last I have got a call from company called Core Tec Inc., a printed circuit board (PCB) making company for a position of TESTER with a salary of $10.00/hr a so called break through. I have been trained for my work and confirmed by company as a regular employee and was doing well in work and salary wise too. I was alone and staying as a paying guest, I have started small but consistence amount as saving.

Even though my whole family has got visa together, Initially I have decided to come alone to review the situation and believe me it really work out well. When I have called my family after 7 months I was ready with a furnished apartment and well converse with system over here. Which helped lot to me and my family in getting settle over here.

Surprisingly my children, Dipan (13 yrs) and Pooja(6 Yrs) have tuned with system very fast and after started studying nicely merge with environment.

My wife Heena also got job with help of one of our neighbour’s wife Rekhaben after 2 months and she is still working.

So things were running smooth until another jolt received in month of April 2001 when I was laid off from my job due to slow down in company (a regular feature of Canadian economy).
Again it was same routine of finding a new job and I was not able to find a job and decided to go on UNEMPLOYMENT as it was needed to run house which has help a lot for some time up to when I got another job. Which was again a labour job, different from my background but in field of Quality Control, so path is drawn by my Canadian experience which has continued then up to my present job in own field of Metallurgy as a Technician.

I will conclude with few suggestions for finding success in Canada, with which most of newly immigrated my friends will agree.

• For Starter in Canada patience is a key and constant and continues efforts is key.
  
• First Try with your own field work but when you realise that it does not work try to find out job in different field.
  
• By doing that you are starting build up your Canadian experience. Do not stick to your past background.
  
• Means do not regret that what I was doing and what I am going to do, because it will give you more pain without any fruitful results
  
• Listen to other's experiences but do not conclude that his experience will be same for you
  
• Try with your own way and explore all options such as News papers, Internet, Door to Door campaigning, Personal net working, Agencies.
  
• If circumstances permit you try to come alone and allow family to follow afterward, It will help you initially a lot and subsequently to your family.
  
• It’s a wonderful country to leave and develop but initially it’s testing your nerve and capacity.