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Does work experience before graduation count?

ageg95

Star Member
May 17, 2017
50
2
Hi everyone,

I'm considering applying for express entry, but I can't find an answer anywhere for this. So I graduated from a Canadian university, before that I studied for a part of the same degree at a university in Egypt and I was working there as a marketing coordinator, full-time in the summers and part-time during the academic year, the total number of hours is over a year full time. If I could prove this, would I get points for this experience?

Thanks
 

DelPiero07

VIP Member
Oct 2, 2016
10,388
2,614
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Work experience during full-time studies OUTSIDE of Canada does count as long as it was paid and NOC 0, A or B.
 

mohafahas

Full Member
Oct 22, 2018
24
0
Work experience during full-time studies OUTSIDE of Canada does count as long as it was paid and NOC 0, A or B.

Hello Forum members,

I have over 6 years and 4 months of experience in NOC B category-2282 User support technician, in three companies.

Please understand that the work experience I have is same NOC B code which is NOC B category-2282 User support technician.

The first company I joined was in June'2010 and I left it in Sep'2011.--15 months.
The second company I joined was in Aug'2013 and left it in Jan'2016.--28 months
The Third company I joined was the very next day when I left the second company, in Jan'2016 and am still employed there for the past 34 months.

As you can probably sense by now that there is a gap in my work experience from first company to the second one.

This is because I needed to complete my graduation which was of 4 years. I studied my graduation from July'2009 to Nov'2013

As soon as I wrote my exams for my bachelors I went for an Interview at a very well known multinational and worked there, which is the second company.

My graduation was a regular course meaning it was full time, however, my college had no objection towards someone who wished to work and study at the same time. Which I did, I did full time work from my first job during my full time graduation, but due to my low scoring grades I felt that it was extremely important for me to get back to studies, so I left my first company and worked towards getting the right grades and got them.

My first question is, will I be asked for any documentation for the gap in my work experience from the first company to the second one?
I had also created an express entry profile in june2017, which exprired in june 2018 and in that profile for the question under work history> then under occupation, I answered the question for "Primary occupation" as June'2010. but before I make this selection this question it asked.

""

Any other Job, this is the date they first obtained minimum education or training stated in the NOC description.(Note: If the NOC only states high school, this is the date they graduated.)

""

Under this NOC these are the details listed:

""

Employment requirements

Completion of a college program in computer science, computer programming or network administration is usually required.
College or other courses in computer programming or network administration are usually required.
Certification or training provided by software vendors may be required by some employers.

Additional information

Progression to computer programming, interactive media development, Web development or systems analysis is possible with experience.

""

You see how it says college program and computer science.

I do not have a direct degree of computer science, however, if given the oppurtunity to explain, I do have a lot of subjects related to computer science in my electronics and communication engineering.

Will I be questioned about my experience not related to my college work?
Infact I started my work before I got my degree, Do you beleieve it would be better that in the new express entry profile I put my primary occupation as I obtained my minimum education for my job and skip the whole first job experience completely? I won't have a problem about the work experience points as even if we remove my first job, I will still have 3 years of experience. I will not hide my first job completely, I will put it in my personal history section after the ITA. Will that raise questions?
 

cansha

VIP Member
Aug 1, 2018
6,676
5,855
Hello Forum members,

I have over 6 years and 4 months of experience in NOC B category-2282 User support technician, in three companies.

Please understand that the work experience I have is same NOC B code which is NOC B category-2282 User support technician.

The first company I joined was in June'2010 and I left it in Sep'2011.--15 months.
The second company I joined was in Aug'2013 and left it in Jan'2016.--28 months
The Third company I joined was the very next day when I left the second company, in Jan'2016 and am still employed there for the past 34 months.

As you can probably sense by now that there is a gap in my work experience from first company to the second one.

This is because I needed to complete my graduation which was of 4 years. I studied my graduation from July'2009 to Nov'2013

As soon as I wrote my exams for my bachelors I went for an Interview at a very well known multinational and worked there, which is the second company.

My graduation was a regular course meaning it was full time, however, my college had no objection towards someone who wished to work and study at the same time. Which I did, I did full time work from my first job during my full time graduation, but due to my low scoring grades I felt that it was extremely important for me to get back to studies, so I left my first company and worked towards getting the right grades and got them.

My first question is, will I be asked for any documentation for the gap in my work experience from the first company to the second one?
I had also created an express entry profile in june2017, which exprired in june 2018 and in that profile for the question under work history> then under occupation, I answered the question for "Primary occupation" as June'2010. but before I make this selection this question it asked.

""

Any other Job, this is the date they first obtained minimum education or training stated in the NOC description.(Note: If the NOC only states high school, this is the date they graduated.)

""

Under this NOC these are the details listed:

""

Employment requirements

Completion of a college program in computer science, computer programming or network administration is usually required.
College or other courses in computer programming or network administration are usually required.
Certification or training provided by software vendors may be required by some employers.

Additional information

Progression to computer programming, interactive media development, Web development or systems analysis is possible with experience.

""

You see how it says college program and computer science.

I do not have a direct degree of computer science, however, if given the oppurtunity to explain, I do have a lot of subjects related to computer science in my electronics and communication engineering.

Will I be questioned about my experience not related to my college work?
Infact I started my work before I got my degree, Do you beleieve it would be better that in the new express entry profile I put my primary occupation as I obtained my minimum education for my job and skip the whole first job experience completely? I won't have a problem about the work experience points as even if we remove my first job, I will still have 3 years of experience. I will not hide my first job completely, I will put it in my personal history section after the ITA. Will that raise questions?
There are a lot of questions !! But, I think most around 2/3 major themes so let me address those.

1. No, you don't need to explain gap in your work experience.
2. There is no relation between your study area and work area unless it is a regulated profession. There are hundreds of people who are civil engineers by education but work as software developer. However, you can't claim to be a doctor if you did a commerce degree.
3. You don't need to show all the work experience in work history. Any experience you don't want to claim points will move in personal history post ITA. Before ITA only put the work for which you want to claim points and can obtain reference letters in accordance with CIC guidelines.
 
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mohafahas

Full Member
Oct 22, 2018
24
0
There are a lot of questions !! But, I think most around 2/3 major themes so let me address those.

1. No, you don't need to explain gap in your work experience.
2. There is no relation between your study area and work area unless it is a regulated profession. There are hundreds of people who are civil engineers by education but work as software developer. However, you can't claim to be a doctor if you did a commerce degree.
3. You don't need to show all the work experience in work history. Any experience you don't want to claim points will move in personal history post ITA. Before ITA only put the work for which you want to claim points and can obtain reference letters in accordance with CIC guidelines.
Thank you for your valuable reply.

About the second point:

2. There is no relation between your study area and work area unless it is a regulated profession. There are hundreds of people who are civil engineers by education but work as software developer. However, you can't claim to be a doctor if you did a commerce degree.

In other words, you mean to say, I won't have any questions regarding my education in electronics and communication engineering from the immigration officer? which is not completely related to my my profession? because 2282 is not a regulated profession? Also, I actually started as a user support technician-2282 even before my graduation, so will that raise questions? as to how I had knowledge to do that job before graduation.

The knowledge I had was through computers, I am a computer enthusiast, I was trained by trainers with my first company, as most of the companies offer training before going live with production. I cannot prove this because after the training you are not given a certificate, so that knowledge is there but not on paper.

Using that knowledge and work experience from the first job, a few subjects from engineering studies and my own personal enthusiasm and interest towards computers, I went for an interview in the same profession (2282) and got the job in August'2013.

My engineering degree which was to arrive in August'2013 arrived a little later in November'2013 as I had to re-write a couple of backlogs I had. I wrote them and passed in a supplementary exam conducted by the university.

In the section of work history, I have already made a change and removed my first profession as it comes before my graduation, firstly, because it does not give me any points as I have will already have three years of experience and secondly, because it comes before my graduation and If possible I do not want for the immigration officer to think that my profession and work experience was not related, where in it was partially related.

As I got my degree in November'2013 and joined my second company in August'2013, I was trained again in computer hardware and software by well educated trainers, again unfortunately I was not given a training certification, I was trained well close up till Nov'13.

My question is about that selection for occupation date:

In this question it is asking me

Date I (My name) first became qualified to practice in this occupation

If the "primary occupation" is:
  • a qualified trade (four-digit code begins with 632, 633, 72, 73, 82, 92), this is the date they became qualified to practice on their own in Canada. (For example, when they moved from apprentice to being a licensed trades person.)
  • any other job, this is the date they first obtained the minimum education or training stated in the NOC description. (Note: if the NOC only states high school, this is the date they graduated.)
My occupation is not a qualified trade, so here only the second point applies for me.

I have selected a date of August'2013 because this is when I started my second job.

Should I select my second option which is November'2013? because this way I would be qualified by getting that degree and also by that training by this time which was given to me by the second company.

My final question is,

for the same question above, I had selected the date to be June'2010 in an expired express entry profile, due to my ignorance at that time of creating the profile, which expired in June'2018. I had also mentioned my first job there with the NOC B 2282, but I did not get an invite on my profile there as I had less CRS points back then due to my average scores in IELTS. I did get an invite for Ontario, I did not go with it, because of reasons such as I was informed that if I go to Ontario, I won't be able to work outside Ontario for 2 years. I wanted to get more opportunities for my work, so I did not choose to go with it. I did some analysis in my professions offering there in Ontario, through online job portals and I learned that half of the jobs in my line of work in Canada come for Ontario Province and half of it from other provinces. Besides that reason, I was fairly confident that I will be able to score better in IELTS in my next exams, which proved right.

so my question is ,will my previous expired express entry profile be checked and compared with my new one?

Eagerly awaiting your reply, thank you.
 

cansha

VIP Member
Aug 1, 2018
6,676
5,855
In other words, you mean to say, I won't have any questions regarding my education in electronics and communication engineering from the immigration officer?
Not in other words I exactly mean that no questions will be asked about degree. I thought I was very clear.

Should I select my second option which is November'2013? because this way I would be qualified by getting that degree and also by that training by this time which was given to me by the second company.
Dude you write so much it is so difficult to understand what is your question. Don't write essays here :)

Having said that personally I will choose date of graduation as the date. so Nov'2013.

so my question is ,will my previous expired express entry profile be checked and compared with my new one?
People change information in their express entry profiles all the time. It is not an issue.
 

mohafahas

Full Member
Oct 22, 2018
24
0
Not in other words I exactly mean that no questions will be asked about degree. I thought I was very clear.



Dude you write so much it is so difficult to understand what is your question. Don't write essays here :)

Having said that personally I will choose date of graduation as the date. so Nov'2013.


People change information in their express entry profiles all the time. It is not an issue.
Sorry for those long essays. Thank you very much for your reply. Have a great weekend wherever you are.
 

Thecroow1

Newbie
Jan 4, 2019
3
0
Hello everyone. I have 2 questions regarding this topic. My work experience is NOC A. human resource professionals in which I currently have 2 years of foreign job experience. My bachelor degree was engineering which is not relevant. But I currently study public management (human resource distribution) masters now:
1. Does my work experience before I start university count?
2. Is public management relevant to NOC human resources professional?
 

cansha

VIP Member
Aug 1, 2018
6,676
5,855
Hello everyone. I have 2 questions regarding this topic. My work experience is NOC A. human resource professionals in which I currently have 2 years of foreign job experience. My bachelor degree was engineering which is not relevant. But I currently study public management (human resource distribution) masters now:
1. Does my work experience before I start university count?
2. Is public management relevant to NOC human resources professional?
1. Yes if you can prove it by appropriate reference letters
2. Education and job has no relation unless its a profession like doctor or lawyer.