ONTARIO: I NEED to talk to somebody who works in IT!!

[StageLeft]

This is important - I'm considering a move to Ottawa. I have a year's experience in web/software development (ASP, SQL server, some VB, Java, standard complement of skills). I have a BSC and a diploma from ITI. What would my likely starting salary be and how long should it take me to find a full time position? Ideally I'd like an entry level job doing Java.

Thanks for any replies, the more you write the more I happily read

 

[StageLeft]

^

 

[kami]

Well, I wish I could give you an idea about ottawa. Maybe you should ask Dennilfloss...he might know since he lives there.
But I'm in Kitchener (southwestern ontario) and I'm just out of high school, heading to college in september and without any work experience in the field (same stuff you are looking at...web development) I am making $18/hr full time...which is NOT bad for a student my age I think without any experience. I know the other guys in my place make very comfortable salaries. This part of ontario is booming with tech jobs, and I know ottawa is too.

 

[StageLeft]

Damn that ain't bad. I was making $18/hour here with a degree and experience...Halifax sucks for money

 

[RoadRuner]

18/hour in canadian???

bleh

 

[kami]

Hey, it's good to me when all my friends are making $7 and $8 an hour.

 

[cyclistca]

Well I'm in Montreal so I can only tell you what I have heard from others. When I was looking for my first IT job I had an interview with Cognos. One thing the interviewer told me was that Ottawa is not a great town for single guys. He said is was more a family kind of town. I do have a few friends living there and they seem to like it.

As to the IT situation just be careful. I know my company just let over 700 people go in Ottawa but then again most of them where Engineers.

Have no idea what the starting salary would be there.

Have you tried monster.ca?

Wait a sec..........Ok I just tried it. Got 92 hits using java. Most looked like consulting firm though.

Good luck.

If your itching to move maybe look at Alberta. That where I would go if I did not like Montreal so much.

 

[LocutusX]

Ottawa is a definite tech-town. I know lots of people who work/have work/are planning on working there. Many are programmers (one's at Corel) but a number have non-programming IT jobs as well. Good luck!

 

[Rudee]

$18/hr Canadian = $12 American. Either way, it's not a lot of money. But for a student living at home, it's ok.

For the most part, it depends highly on the cost of living where you live. $18/hr in Winnipeg Manatoba Canada goes far, because the economy isn't very good and the average house price is $80,000. On the other hand, in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, cost of living is much much higher. In Calgary the average house is $160k, so $18/hr is barely keeping you afloat. Probably something like $250k in Vancouver and similar in Ontario.

In Calgary I earn $44k/yr which seems ok to some, but after my mortgage payment, utilities, interest payment, and other monthly expenses, I don't have a heck of a lot left to invest for retirement. But at least I can enjoy my Condo an 52" Bigscreen TV.

I agree that Ottawa is a "tech town", but to make a comfortable living on your own - especially if you want to own a home - you're going to need to make $60k+/yr just to afford those $1400 month mortgage payments! I think I'll stay in Calgary for now.

 

[StageLeft]

cyclistca I don't care if I never meet a friend - ok I do, but right now money is what I need and a job!

Rudee $18/hour is good in some areas. In halifax for instance the average adult male makes $15/hour ($30k/year) across the board...to a young single guy $18/hour will get you an apartment, car, and trips to the Sony store. My fiance will be joining me after a year so our income should be nearly 100k/year and we want a house in Ottawa.

Anyone else? It looks like i'll be going there in a couple of weeks and hopefully I can land something...

 

[RoadRuner]

sheesh crazy cheap ness

move to usa. you'd make 50K/year easily, with some skills, and well thats like $70k/year in canadian.

and i hear the govt takes more taxes up north there. something to do with socialism eh?

plus our beer is better.

 

[StageLeft]

roadrunner Its not like that at all - does $800/month CAN buy you a 2 bedroom with 1200 square feet in a nice building? Its all relative. Don't forget, we have free health care too. There is a reason why Canada is often rated as the best country to live in by the rest of the world. In Halifax, NS $40-45k CAN would buy you a similar lifestyle to $50k US in Boston.

I know you guys have more money...but money ain't everything

 

[Rudee]

<< plus our beer is better >>



Now that's a seperate debate entirely.

Skoorb come to Calgary. A very nice city with a excellent IT base. Lot's of work, and it's a hour and a half away from the mountains for fishing, hiking, etc.

Lot's of large companies are moving their head office's here. It's really booming - especially for developers.

 

[StageLeft]

Yes, and one I ignored because I'm happy enough with Canadian beer that I don't have to play sour grapes hehe

 

[StageLeft]

^

 

[StageLeft]

Come on baby!

 

[cyclistca]

plus our beer is better

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Oh stop it RoadRuner your killing me.

 

[Michael]

cyclistca - The average Canadian beer is much better than the average American beer (Molson against Bud). However, there are many breweries in the US that make very good beer. In mass market, Sam Adams is as good or better than any normal Canadian beer. If you match smaller breweries against smaller breweries, the American ones more than hold their own. Since there is a much higher population in the US, there is much more variety in types of beer as well.

Skoorb - You have to be careful when using the standard of living comparisons between Canada and the USA. After living in both, I can see why Canada scores higher. The USA has a much more extreme low-end, and that seriously skews the results downwards. However, standard of living for professionals (degreed computer programmers would fall into that category) is a different matter. You also have to be careful when comparing the cost of housing since mortgage interest is tax deductible in the US.

I prefer Montreal to all other parts of Canada, but I was born there and my French is decent. Ottawa is pretty close and does have a French influence as well.

My recommendation would be to work in the USA for one year if you're going to be apart from your fianc&eacute; anyway. It will be good experience, and you'll get to know another culture as well. Moving to Ontario is also a decent choice as the economy there is much more diverse than Halifax.

Michael

 

[kami]

$18/hr for a 18 year old student living at home is ok? My friends are envious! Like I said, almost everyone I know makes minimum wage or close to it. yuck. I never said $18/hr has to &quot;keep me afloat&quot;... it's not like I'll be making $18/hr forever...

I'll be able to put myself through college (living away from home) without any help from parents and keep a car and I'm pretty proud of that...

once i graduate I'm just going to move wherever I can get the best pay...but some places may not be worth it if the cost of living is high. Where I live right now, the cost of living isn't too bad.

 

[cyclistca]

. If you match smaller breweries against smaller breweries, the American ones more than hold their own.

Agreed Michael. I've had some good mirco brew in the States. It's that water you guys call beer that I'm not to crazy about.

 

[LocutusX]

Kami... $18/hour is *excellent*. As a matter of fact, it's probably more than what most university students make during their summers, including those in tech. support and majoring in CS.

 

[Wedesdo]

<< a diploma from ITI >>



Ahahahahahahahah.......

Sorry - had to do that... ITI is considered barely better than DeVry... unless, of course, it's a different ITI...

 

[StageLeft]

Not sure which one you're thinking about. Its www.iti.com I don't think its great. I should have done a CS degree, but alas I didn't and believe it or not some people actually do think that ITI is really good. A recruiter was blessing me the other day for having gone there and I was trying not to laugh. $24k in 9 months, but you know what I don't regret doing it, because everybody out of my class has taken a non-future degree and turned it into a pretty decently paying job with a strong future.

 

[Bluga]

kami


where do you work?

part-time?

 

[Rudee]

IMHO, saying you went to ITI is almost as embarassing as saying you went to Devry.

Different strokes for different folks.