Immigration 101: How to Succeed in Canada?
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| Immigration 101: How to Succeed in Canada? By: Vandematram A.Who should immigrate to Canada?. article.php?id=539 |
A.Who should immigrate to Canada?.
We keep reading the very same questions repeatedly in regards to job opportunities in Canada.
The dichotomy of the situation is that some highly qualified/experienced individuals are immigrating and crying here while poor to mediocre individuals are going great guns here.
Hence persons with the right attitude and a desire for making it any cost are required in Canada and NOT the book smart people.
It is all about attitude in Canada.
The the words attitude denote that we will do what is necessary to succeed here than what we want to do with our past experience.
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B.What are the yard stick for success after you leave your shores and land in Canada?.
1.A fully paid up 4 bedroom home with a two car garage and a swimming pool. The value of the assett around $ 1 Million.
2.Either a BMW X5 or a Cadillac Escalade or even a Mercedes SUV and combinations of those cars.
3.Option for a vacation anywhere in the world for 2 weeks every summer.
4.Children doing very well in school and getting 90% and above with a sure shot for the bursary and getting into top programs in good schools including medical education.
5.A condo on the 20th floor in downtown GTA rented and having the option to give it your child when they are ready for the first job.
6.A vacation cottage home at the Muskoka lake with a fancy boat on the jetty.
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C.Having listed a wish list or a symbol of success yard stick in Canada do we know any Desis who has attained these?.
Yes and there are plenty of them in Canada. I see every day Punjabi taxi drivers who cannot read or write English and who speak a smattering of English living in half million dollar home with their family driving Acura SUV's.
You see the refugee Srilankan Tamil living in fancy homes and every one of his family has a car. Many of them cannot sign their own names in English but have mortgages which far outweigh those of many of us.
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D.Who are they and what is it that they do?.
Typically these are individuals who have less education, who have picked skill sets and are not afraid to get their hands dirty.
They also have an attitude to face any consequence to attain success. Meaning they will even break the law and are willing to go to jail if needed so.
The highly qualified book smart individual always calculates the risk before jumping in while the less qualified street smart individual looks at the reward before jumping into the pool of wealth.
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E.How do you plan for success in Canada?.
1.Do not come with the US cross border migration plan after Citizenship. USof A is such a mess it will take generations to get out of the mess.
Life is more stable and chances of survival are better in Canada in comparison to USA.
2.Land in Canada and leave your degrees/experience certificates aside and start from scratch with a Will Win attitude.
3.Get a Safety Shoes from Walmart. You might be the best damn SAP expert with donkeys years of experience in it but the way things are going you'll never know when you will go looking for a warehouse job.
4.Always plan for 2 part time jobs than a full time job.
5.It is better to get into a unionized job with seniority than to break your head over an office job. The so called desk job/office jobs are the real stinkers unlike India where you'll have no job security but will be made to slog at a wage which on averaging for hours will be equal to or less than minimum wage. There will be no option for overtime pay on office jobs unlike the manufacturing/warehouse jobs.
For Example: FEDEX pays $13.50 per hour to start with and you can always move into higher professional levels from the entry point. UPS pays their drivers $25 per hour and there are many who make around $100,000 PA and have their vacations, pension and full health benefits and they are protected by the union. Canada Post pays initially the minimum wage and if you are able to enter full time you end up at $22 per hour.
6.Try to incorporate a small business on the side. Set aside a small amount may be 1000 bucks to start with and try to tinker in a small business on the side. You may succeed or you may fail but you have made a start. The up side on this is that you can write off your expenses from this side show.
7.Always have a plan for a future small business and try to work in it even if it involves low pay.
If you plan to start a restaurant down the road and you are a TECHIE, do not write in this website about starting a restaurant. Get a job in an Indian place or even a Subway or Timmys and see for yourself how it works and then decide to get into a similar business.
The message here is that you cannot learn swimming by reading a book, You need to jump into the water.
8.Always keep building your credit, checking your credit score and use all methods to get a HIGH LINE OF CREDIT.
You need to get credit cards to reach there, but once you get the 100K combined line of credit for your family you can cut your credit cards off.
9.Constantly keep evaluating your financial,social situation and also keep track of YOUR progress than your neighbours progress.
Many a time we lose track of our own success from where we were 3 years ago by comparing ourselves to our friends or neighbours.
Yes your friend TECHIE came to Canada with his IT experience and got a job in RIM and is making 80K. Yes he bought a nice semi-detached home from the 100K he saved from his US stint.
You came from India and did all odd jobs and you are driving your Toyota Corolla and have your condo or town house. Do not be dissuaded by comparing yourself with him. If he loses his IT job where will he go?.Can he/is he prepared to wear the safety shoe and work in a warehouse, while you can do it at a drop of a hat.
10.Have positive attitude and be willing to take risks. If you do so, there is more wealth in Canada to be attained than anywhere in the World.
Like the Great American Poet called Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cents said - "Get Rich - Die Trying"
Do Not Give UP!.
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Sunny Leone a true Canadian DESI now back in India !.
Location: Western Hemisphere
Posted on: 01-07-10 10:25:59
Interesting perspective.
B and C seems to be also a good recipe for bankruptcy. Windsor is a great example of C. Couples working at $12/hour with $350,000 homes or hourly workforce with ridiculous mortgage having lost their jobs and with no other savings.
(Mind you $350,000 in Windsor can get a lot of house...just in case if anyone is comparing with prices in GTA)
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Dimple2001
and to chime in my usual tune..folks, US of A on a bad day is still better than Canada any day of the year. Life stability is a factor of YOU, not where you live. Most of the items in the wish list above is "usually the norm" for Desis in the States who are in good jobs or own a business and have been settled there for 8-10 years.
If anybody is interested to know why I feel this way, I am always up for a "healthy" discussion 
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Microsoft - Which end of the stick do you want today?
nice try above but much easier said than done. Manufacturing/warehouse jobs can have an impact on health down the road so you might keep the job but not your health. Same with driving etc. Also hourly wages and big mortgage...receipe for trouble as pointed out above. Financial health that is.
Certainly not the way to think as a 101 for the most part.
I'm afraid, you haven't quite translated what he really meant. If you live in GTA, esp.., Mississauga / Brampton, you would know what the OP really means.
Quote:
Originally posted by dimple2001
Interesting perspective.
B and C seems to be also a good recipe for bankruptcy. Windsor is a great example of C. Couples working at $12/hour with $350,000 homes or hourly workforce with ridiculous mortgage having lost their jobs and with no other savings.
(Mind you $350,000 in Windsor can get a lot of house...just in case if anyone is comparing with prices in GTA)
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The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM
Quote:
Originally posted by dan
nice try above but much easier said than done. Manufacturing/warehouse jobs can have an impact on health down the road so you might keep the job but not your health. Same with driving etc. Also hourly wages and big mortgage...receipe for trouble as pointed out above. Financial health that is.
Certainly not the way to think as a 101 for the most part.
What do you say about those Desi Taxi Drivers, Factory workers, etc. who looks pretty healthy to me. Trust me they are indeed healthy. The above is just an excuse given by the educated and techie folks like us. To top it all, they enjoy life better than we so-called professionals with early mortgage payoffs. Their wives stay at home with 3 cars parked at a driveways. I can show you in thousands within GTA and Vancouver. I personally know at least 15-20 families who are amongst the one described in '101'. So, I disagree with you that it's easier said than done. Punjabis have found a great success in Canada not by being booksmart but streetsmart. While, the new wave of professionals who live by the book are way far behind these business people who are not only a success, but living their life a way better than the 'so-called' professionals. You may say, they are the most currupt as well, while I'd say - yes the case of few bad apples. Where they aren't?
Also, mind it they don't show up here on Canadiandesi.com ranting about the 'immigration gone sour' while cursing Canada at a drop of a hat.
Please don't bring US into all this - they have an altogether different immigration system and a vast population to their benefit.
Quote:
The highly qualified book smart individual always calculates the risk before jumping in while the less qualified street smart individual looks at the reward before jumping into the pool of wealth.
Oh, Boy! You said it all. Couldn't agree with you more.
Quote:
Originally posted by febpreet
Quote:
Originally posted by dan
nice try above but much easier said than done. Manufacturing/warehouse jobs can have an impact on health down the road so you might keep the job but not your health. Same with driving etc. Also hourly wages and big mortgage...receipe for trouble as pointed out above. Financial health that is.
Certainly not the way to think as a 101 for the most part.
What do you say about those Desi Taxi Drivers, Factory workers, etc. who looks pretty healthy to me. Trust me they are indeed healthy. The above is just an excuse given by the educated and techie folks like us. To top it all, they enjoy life better than we so-called professionals with early mortgage payoffs. Their wives stay at home with 3 cars parked at a driveways. I can show you in thousands within GTA and Vancouver. I personally know at least 15-20 families who are amongst the one described in '101'. So, I disagree with you that it's easier said than done. Punjabis have found a great success in Canada not by being booksmart but streetsmart. While, the new wave of professionals who live by the book are way far behind these business people who are not only a success, but living their life a way better than the 'so-called' professionals. You may say, they are the most currupt as well, while I'd say - yes the case of few bad apples. Where they aren't?
Well you disagree and that is fine. Nothing stops you from going the streetsmart route anyway but 3 cars in the driveway is not everyone's measure of success or the reasons to be in North America. That is not everyone's goal and that goal can be achieved using the streetsmart route.
And it IS easier said than done. It is tough work, the hours are long (certainly they do not enjoy life the way you said it) and as for the health issues, that could be an issue but not for all.
So take this 101 route YOURSELF and come back to us only then. Till then, bye. Stop looking at the driveways as well.
