Civil Engineering Jobs - Few More Words

Q: I immigrated to Canada from China early last year. Before I came to Canada, I was quite confident to find a job because I had got 13 years of engineering experience in China, including two years of project management experience in Shell China Limited. I am very pride of my achievements, and in China, I needn't to find a job - jobs find me. But in Canada, after I made my best endeavors, I failed. Almost every employer needs "Canadian experience". Therefore I enrolled myself in University of Toronto last fall to make up my Canadian background. I expect to get my M.Eng. degree next spring. The job hunting experience of my classmates graduating this spring is disappointing. One of them sent more than 30 resumes and got 3 interviews, but he failed in all the interviews. The reason is too many applicants. I don't know how many resumes the other two sent, but I know that they're still hunting. One of them has registered an undergraduate computer program, hoping to find a job as a computer programmer or something in the future. Many grad students in the Department of Civil Engineering have the intent to study computer. A Ph.D. candidate wants to quit and register a computer program at a community college. I feel sad about all these. Fortunately, from the replies to my previous posting, I heard some exciting news from USA. Can anybody tell us some good news here in Canada?

A: Interesting remarks that I find very incredible. It seems that the Canadian economy is booming, at least where I’m setting here in Alberta. And the demand for engineers of all disciplines is high. And I would think that you would be in high demand. your international experience

and ability to work and communicate in more then one language does give you a definite advantage. I would have to agree that the market for CE’s is not the same as IT professional, but nonetheless, there still is a strong demand for your skills. And really, which would you rather do? One thing you may consider is looking at your method of job searching. Firstly, I’d take a more optimistic view to star with. How do you present yourself at a interview?........how are your spoken English skills? And you can always consider being an independent consultant....... I feel there are lots of opportunities here in Canada as well as the US, and the rest of the world.