About to graduate...What now....and engineering in Canada?
Discussion
So i have just finished reading the "Salaries" thread running in this section and it got me thinking about my own options. I am literally just a few weeks away from being finished my Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Currently I live in Ireland, but plan on emigrating in a few months because as i'm sure many already know, there's very little prospects here jobwise. Now this is where my dilemma comes in. My girlfriend has just moved back to the UK and wants me to move over there with her when i'm done, which i have no problem with only for the fact that after reading the "Salaries" thread and various job research, it seems like the salary for most engineers even with experience is abysmal and that you end up working your ass off for little in return.
The alternative option I have to this is to go to Canada. I have Canadian citizenship so working there would not be a problem and i have an uncle in Toronto so accommodation would not be an issue initially either, but outside of the whole oil industry there, i don't know much about the job prospects for engineers.
So I suppose what i'm looking for here is a little advice really, what would you do in my situation?, and if you know anything about the engineering scene in Canada, let me know, as to be honest i'm quite lost on what to do
The alternative option I have to this is to go to Canada. I have Canadian citizenship so working there would not be a problem and i have an uncle in Toronto so accommodation would not be an issue initially either, but outside of the whole oil industry there, i don't know much about the job prospects for engineers.
So I suppose what i'm looking for here is a little advice really, what would you do in my situation?, and if you know anything about the engineering scene in Canada, let me know, as to be honest i'm quite lost on what to do
MattPym said:
So i have just finished reading the "Salaries" thread running in this section and it got me thinking about my own options. I am literally just a few weeks away from being finished my Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Currently I live in Ireland, but plan on emigrating in a few months because as i'm sure many already know, there's very little prospects here jobwise. Now this is where my dilemma comes in. My girlfriend has just moved back to the UK and wants me to move over there with her when i'm done, which i have no problem with only for the fact that after reading the "Salaries" thread and various job research, it seems like the salary for most engineers even with experience is abysmal and that you end up working your ass off for little in return.
The alternative option I have to this is to go to Canada. I have Canadian citizenship so working there would not be a problem and i have an uncle in Toronto so accommodation would not be an issue initially either, but outside of the whole oil industry there, i don't know much about the job prospects for engineers.
So I suppose what i'm looking for here is a little advice really, what would you do in my situation?, and if you know anything about the engineering scene in Canada, let me know, as to be honest i'm quite lost on what to do
I'd go to Canada, because its a bloody beautiful country. Im not sure what the Engineering jobs are like, I imagine its similar to the US and I dont think the US has the highest Engineer salaries going, but they do seem to be better than the UK from what I've heard. They do also seem to expect more from you as well so its swings and roundabouts. Of course the good engineering money is out in the oil/gas/mining they have going on up there. Theres a mech eng guy on the final gear forums who has an RS4 for his hooning car and he works in Mining I think. It does look bloody freezing as well where he is.The alternative option I have to this is to go to Canada. I have Canadian citizenship so working there would not be a problem and i have an uncle in Toronto so accommodation would not be an issue initially either, but outside of the whole oil industry there, i don't know much about the job prospects for engineers.
So I suppose what i'm looking for here is a little advice really, what would you do in my situation?, and if you know anything about the engineering scene in Canada, let me know, as to be honest i'm quite lost on what to do
Im personally looking into Australia because I like the weather and beach lifestyle. I have an Irish engineer friend who had himself set up as his own company. He was contracted to rolls royce and judging by some of the cars he bought he cant of been doing that bad. Having said that I think I know 4 Irish people in total and none of them seemed to be wanting for money. They were all loaded!! Anyway he shut up shop despite the good job and is now working in Oil and Gas out in Sydney.
Engineer in Canada chiming in.
Prospects are very good, a real shortage of talent right now. Oil and Gas jobs are located in Alberta (oil sands) and Atlantic Canada (offshore mainly). You should be able to get a good graduate position fairly easily, as much as 65K (40K GBP) for the right candidates in the right company. Plenty of other projects as well.
On the East cost, the big engineering corporates include ExxonMobil, Suncor, Emera, Encana, SBM, Husky.
Toronto sucks, plenty of manufacturing there, but nothing beats actually sucking the juice out of the planet.
Plus, with a Canadian Passport you can work in the US freely under NAFTA.
Prospects are very good, a real shortage of talent right now. Oil and Gas jobs are located in Alberta (oil sands) and Atlantic Canada (offshore mainly). You should be able to get a good graduate position fairly easily, as much as 65K (40K GBP) for the right candidates in the right company. Plenty of other projects as well.
On the East cost, the big engineering corporates include ExxonMobil, Suncor, Emera, Encana, SBM, Husky.
Toronto sucks, plenty of manufacturing there, but nothing beats actually sucking the juice out of the planet.
Plus, with a Canadian Passport you can work in the US freely under NAFTA.
I wouldn't take the other thread too seriously and i certainly wouldn't move to Canada based purely on its content 
Whilst I would agree that most engineers are underpaid relative to other easier & perhaps less worthwhile fields, some of the examples in that thread are quite extreme.
If you do a little research you'll see that even as an in-experienced graduate (in my case with just a lowly BEng suffix to my name) you can start on more than they suggest a typical Phd + 10 years experience would be worth. Furthermore, in the course of a couple of years my pay has increased by an additional 30% without any hard ball negotiations, or jumping from company to company. This was despite graduating into recession, too.
anyway, here are a few pointers to get you started
BP - £32k (more if you have an MEng or Phd): http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categor...
JLR - 29k in first year: http://www.jaguarlandrovercareers.com/Career-Oppor...
DESG - 29k once you've completed grad training: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/Wha...
http://www.careers.dyson.com/jobs/job.aspx?id=1974
http://careers.triumph.co.uk/details/9/triumph-mot...
Whilst I would agree that most engineers are underpaid relative to other easier & perhaps less worthwhile fields, some of the examples in that thread are quite extreme.
If you do a little research you'll see that even as an in-experienced graduate (in my case with just a lowly BEng suffix to my name) you can start on more than they suggest a typical Phd + 10 years experience would be worth. Furthermore, in the course of a couple of years my pay has increased by an additional 30% without any hard ball negotiations, or jumping from company to company. This was despite graduating into recession, too.
anyway, here are a few pointers to get you started
BP - £32k (more if you have an MEng or Phd): http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categor...
JLR - 29k in first year: http://www.jaguarlandrovercareers.com/Career-Oppor...
DESG - 29k once you've completed grad training: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/Wha...
http://www.careers.dyson.com/jobs/job.aspx?id=1974
http://careers.triumph.co.uk/details/9/triumph-mot...
@Rhinochopig - I definitely wont be doing a Masters yet for two reasons, Firstly there aren't any of interest to me happening in Ireland at the moment and Secondly, I've spent the last 18.5 years in education, I want to give it a break now and live a little, especially after the last two years.
@All - Thanks all for your input, Sorry for taking so long to reply, I'm in the middle of final exams at the moment. I think Canada is definitely the plan at the moment. My girlfriend has come round to the idea of moving to Canada so it looks like all systems go over the next couple months. I'm going to look into graduate programmes and graduate positions once i finish my exams, and all the other typical things one should do when moving across the globe. I have to say i do like the idea of being able to drive a decent car and not be raped for fuel costs!
@All - Thanks all for your input, Sorry for taking so long to reply, I'm in the middle of final exams at the moment. I think Canada is definitely the plan at the moment. My girlfriend has come round to the idea of moving to Canada so it looks like all systems go over the next couple months. I'm going to look into graduate programmes and graduate positions once i finish my exams, and all the other typical things one should do when moving across the globe. I have to say i do like the idea of being able to drive a decent car and not be raped for fuel costs!
OP, have you ever been to Canada? its a land with just two season, snow and bugs. If there's not snow on the ground then there are bugs you'd want a 12 bore to defend yourself against flying all round you. Lovely people though, unless you're in Quebec in which case they're like the French but worse.
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