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BEST TECH CITY => TORONTO VS CALGARY VS EDMONTON VS VANCOUVER VS OTTAWA

plzhelpme

Star Member
Jan 14, 2013
79
3
Hello experts,

I live in Montreal and quite find it struggling with the jobs due to lesser proficiency in french. I want to know best city for English technical jobs like developer, software engineer, technical specialists.. etc and etc..
Kindly leave your suggestions with a reason and also if you'd like you can explain other factors also relating to climate, lifestyle and living cost.
But first priority is Tech City! ;) :)

Thanks in advance.
 

steaky

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Nov 11, 2008
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Re: BEST TECH CITY => TORONTO VS CALGARY VS EDMONTON VS VANCOUVER

As you probably heard it, Vancouver and Toronto are expensive cities to own and rent a home. Calgary due to recession is the least expensive to own and rent a home. Edmonton in between.
 

plzhelpme

Star Member
Jan 14, 2013
79
3
Re: BEST TECH CITY => TORONTO VS CALGARY VS EDMONTON VS VANCOUVER

steaky said:
As you probably heard it, Vancouver and Toronto are expensive cities to own and rent a home. Calgary due to recession is the least expensive to own and rent a home. Edmonton in between.
Yes Steaky, you are right about those cities but despite the fact which one would be worth in terms of IT? And if I mix with good lifestyle, transportation, entertainment and weather then which one? ::)
Thanks for your feedback.
 

ttrajan

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Oct 14, 2013
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Toronto. If the oil & gas market improved then go for Calgary or Edmonton.
 

plzhelpme

Star Member
Jan 14, 2013
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ttrajan said:
Toronto. If the oil & gas market improved then go for Calgary or Edmonton.
Toronto is good but in case of Calgary and Edmonton if oil and market improves then would it impact directly on tech market as well(may be stupid question)?
Thanks for your feedback!! :)
 

CDNPR2014

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Mar 1, 2016
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OTTAWA!!!! Specifically Kanata. this is where ALL the tech companies are, and in Kanata they don't care about French. It can get a bit harder without French working downtown, but if you have the technical skills needed, it's not going to matter since development works on its own language. Look up Kanata North and follow the Ottawa Business Journal. Kanata is known as a "tech hub". I currently work in a software company in a non technical role. I don't have my leads list anymore, but i'm telling you there are LOTS of places to choose from ranging from the big players to the small start ups. Look up Software companies on Legget Dr., Terry Fox Dr, Hines Rd, and March Rd. Disclaimer... be wary of opportunities at Solar Winds and Halogen. They are known to have super high turnovers.

If you live in Montreal, you may want to consider driving up for a day and touring around the area for company names. There are a lot of office parks that you can easily see who has offices where. when i was looking, i literally drove around to each street and wrote down the name of every company on the signs, then researched opportunities/people at those companies. if you have the right skills, you'll probably be in high demand.
 

plzhelpme

Star Member
Jan 14, 2013
79
3
CDNPR2014 said:
OTTAWA!!!! Specifically Kanata. this is where ALL the tech companies are, and in Kanata they don't care about French. It can get a bit harder without French working downtown, but if you have the technical skills needed, it's not going to matter since development works on its own language. Look up Kanata North and follow the Ottawa Business Journal. Kanata is known as a "tech hub". I currently work in a software company in a non technical role. I don't have my leads list anymore, but i'm telling you there are LOTS of places to choose from ranging from the big players to the small start ups. Look up Software companies on Legget Dr., Terry Fox Dr, Hines Rd, and March Rd. Disclaimer... be wary of opportunities at Solar Winds and Halogen. They are known to have super high turnovers.

If you live in Montreal, you may want to consider driving up for a day and touring around the area for company names. There are a lot of office parks that you can easily see who has offices where. when i was looking, i literally drove around to each street and wrote down the name of every company on the signs, then researched opportunities/people at those companies. if you have the right skills, you'll probably be in high demand.
Yes I tried pretty much everything and I got lots call from companies but their last question or first question was that are you able speak french fluently? Then I was like OOPS!! I tried to convince them that if I speak more and more but...I am talking to you about Tech support roles.

Now regarding the development roles Java dev or web dev almost 98% of the companies here ask for 1 or 2+ for junior roles years of experience which I don't have but willing to start!! Applied for internships and new grads position but no chance has been offered until now. I love Montreal but more than that I love development roles.

Let me know what you think and if you don't mind would you like to stay in contact?

Any help would be highly appreciated. Thank you very much for a wonderful suggestion! :)
 

CDNPR2014

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plzhelpme said:
Yes I tried pretty much everything and I got lots call from companies but their last question or first question was that are you able speak french fluently? Then I was like OOPS!! I tried to convince them that if I speak more and more but...I am talking to you about Tech support roles.
definitely keep trying, and find companies that are actually in KANATA, not Ottawa. That makes a big difference with the french thing. Also focus on companies that are headquartered in the US. You are more likely to not need french when the majority of customers are in the US. The proximity to Quebec makes Ottawa centre and the east end more dependent on French and more likely to service Quebec.

Also, there are immigrant service organizations that help connect you to professionals in your field and offer mentorship programs. I'd recommend checking to see if LASI world skills has any offices in Montreal. They may prove helpful...

I'm happy to connect on LinkedIn. Feel free to PM your email on there and we can connect.
 

NetMecca

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Dec 12, 2013
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Dont know about those jobs in those cities but be warned about the weather. Vancouver is pretty much the only place with reasonable temperatures. If you are used to warm weather, anywhere else will be a challenge. Vancouver to my mind would be worth the sacrifice if any is necessary.
 

DEEPCUR

Champion Member
Apr 12, 2016
2,428
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Hello experts,

I live in Montreal and quite find it struggling with the jobs due to lesser proficiency in french. I want to know best city for English technical jobs like developer, software engineer, technical specialists.. etc and etc..
Kindly leave your suggestions with a reason and also if you'd like you can explain other factors also relating to climate, lifestyle and living cost.
But first priority is Tech City! ;) :)

Thanks in advance.
So what did you finally do? Which city you chose for settling? Did you manage to find something good in Montreal itself?