Job prospects with a Canadian masters

[DeccanPlateau]

Hi,

Having read more than a few threads on this forum, I've come to understand that a break into the Canadian job market can be pretty hard to come by if you're a new immigrant, particularly if your qualifications were awarded in your home country.

I plan to attend a Canadian university in order to earn my masters (I'm looking at a co-op MBA or a similar program in business - marketing, finance and suchlike). If I went to a good university - Toronto, Queen's, McMasters,Wilfrid Laurier or UVic -, would it make my life easier when I begin looking for a job? Would I stand a chance of landing a entry-level role commensurate to my qualifications? I'm in my early twenties and therefore have time on my side.

Would a prospective employer hire me on my Post Graduate Work Permit, considering that I will certainly make an application for provincial nomination? What are the provinces that currently have a healthy economy and a good job market?

 

[DeccanPlateau]

I would appreciate a reply.

 

[Katayoon]

If you have time and money for a master's, please do not spend it on MBA. It is a general course that does not teach specific skills. Moreover, in early twenties with MBA, it will be difficult for you to land a job because as MBA holder you will be overqualified for entry level jobs and you will not have 10yrs + experience needed for managerial posts. I would go for a specific Master's like actuarial science, statistics or financial engineering. The coursework will be much more difficult than MBA (where you will mostly scratch your tongue on case studies), but you will be better positioned for job market. Besides tuition will be cheaper as MBA is overpriced due to high demand and naive beliefs of many chinese, Gulf, former socialist students that after getting MBA they will head Apple.

regarding your question about university quality, I will give you my ex-colleague's example who graduated from McGill (best university in Canada), got PR and for almost a year was doing survival jobs until his ex-boss from UK found a job for him. So university ranking does not matter as much as it seems to you. What matters more, which companies you will be exposed to during internships, how long the internship will be, which contacts you will be able to make etc.

 

[DeccanPlateau]

Thank you for replying. I was beginning to think nobody would bother.

It's pretty disconcerting to note that somebody who graduated from McGill had to work survival jobs for an entire year. Makes me wonder whether the reputations of the elite universities mean anything at all.

The reason I'm looking for a co-op MBA (or any other business program that includes a co-op component) is the fact that it will get me about eight months of Canadian experience while I'm attending university, and thereby give me a decent shot at landing a job in Canada. So far, I've been unable to find a non-MBA business program that includes co-op. Plus, the average masters' program runs twelve months, which translates into a twelve-month work permit - I'm not too sure whether a prospective employer would hire me with that.

I have a couple of questions for you and anybody else who chances upon this thread:

1. Do you know of any co-op M.sc./M.A programs in business? I agree that most MBA programs are ridiculously overpriced. A cheaper alternative would be great!
2. I recall reading somewhere that co-op MBA programs are intended for students with little or no work experience. Do Canadian students typically enroll in these programs, or are they mostly sold to international students?

 

[scylla]

I know someone who finished his MBA through U of T last year. The program was not a co-op program. He is in his twenties and had no Canadian work experience - however he managed to secure a summer internship with one of Canada's banks in the finance division during his first summer off. He continued working part time with the bank during the second year of his MBA and was then offered a full time roll on finishing his MBA. He's now working as a full time employee with the bank and has submitted his PR application through Ontario PNP. So there are success stories as well.

 

[Katayoon]

I remember I saw quite a few MSc co-op programmes in business but I forgot titles. You can browse here by programme and institution:
http://www.cafce.ca/cgi/page.cgi/institutions.html

Thank you for replying. I was beginning to think nobody would bother.

It's pretty disconcerting to note that somebody who graduated from McGill had to work survival jobs for an entire year. Makes me wonder whether the reputations of the elite universities mean anything at all.

The reason I'm looking for a co-op MBA (or any other business program that includes a co-op component) is the fact that it will get me about eight months of Canadian experience while I'm attending university, and thereby give me a decent shot at landing a job in Canada. So far, I've been unable to find a non-MBA business program that includes co-op. Plus, the average masters' program runs twelve months, which translates into a twelve-month work permit - I'm not too sure whether a prospective employer would hire me with that.

I have a couple of questions for you and anybody else who chances upon this thread:

1. Do you know of any co-op M.sc./M.A programs in business? I agree that most MBA programs are ridiculously overpriced. A cheaper alternative would be great!
2. I recall reading somewhere that co-op MBA programs are intended for students with little or no work experience. Do Canadian students typically enroll in these programs, or are they mostly sold to international students?

 

[Gumby749]

It's pretty disconcerting to note that somebody who graduated from McGill had to work survival jobs for an entire year. Makes me wonder whether the reputations of the elite universities mean anything at all.

People are far less interested in the name of your school, than what you can do. The name of the school will open the door to getting your resume picked out of a pile, that's about it. Choose the school for what it can do for you, not the 'quality' of the name; in specialist fields the department is more important than the whole school.

 

[clubcanada]

If someone from McGill didn't get a job could have different reasons (focus area, degree, language, work experience, overall background, application/career strategy, lack of relationship, etc.), which I don't want to explore here in detail here. However, basically schools in Canada seem to be more local focused which fits with my observation that a lot is being done through personal relationships. This is also inline with what scylla stated. By local I mean most people from GTA do not care too much about degrees from outside GTA. Therefore, you need to build your relationships during your time as a student already (internships, summer programs, co-ops, fairs, volunteering work, etc.). Especially students from Asia seem to really underestimate the relationship building and focus on grades instead.

There is another thing that you should keep in mind: Especially in GTA a master's degree is quite common practice these days and does not provide you a better position on the job market. Good news is that with an MBA I wouldn't be too worried about being overqualified. Nonetheless, I share the opinion that this a high risk overall from a financial perspective as tuition is quite high.

 

[DeccanPlateau]

A big thank you to everybody who replied to my post!

Would you say that I would stand a better chance of landing a skilled job (i.e. a career commensurate to my education) as a graduate of a Canadian co-op program than I would if I earned my masters in my home country and moved to Canada? I'm looking at the co-op MBA that Wilfrid Laurier offers. They don't require any work experience (I do have some experience, but that isn't enough to get me into a traditional full-time MBA. Besides, I need to get my masters degree at the earliest as I have certain family constraints.)

Would you rate Wilfrid Laurier higher than, say, McMaster or Brock? I'd pick McMaster if I could, but the tuition is pretty steep. Wilfrid Laurier is cheaper. Brock isn't an option as I've heard less-than-glowing reviews of the MBA program.


I've read that it's a good idea for an international student to enroll in a co-op program in Canada if they intend to stay on and work after they've graduated. Is that true?

 

[scylla]

Would you say that I would stand a better chance of landing a skilled job (i.e. a career commensurate to my education) as a graduate of a Canadian co-op program than I would if I earned my masters in my home country and moved to Canada?

Yes.

Would you rate Wilfrid Laurier higher than, say, McMaster or Brock?

I would rate McMaster as the highest.

 

[clubcanada]

Would you rate Wilfrid Laurier higher than, say, McMaster or Brock? I'd pick McMaster if I could, but the tuition is pretty steep. Wilfrid Laurier is cheaper. Brock isn't an option as I've heard less-than-glowing reviews of the MBA program.

Brock? Never heard of... Laurier is more known for undergrad engineering/IT I guess. The MBA is ok-ish but I found the MBA students I've met comparably young and inexperienced. So not a fan. McMaster seems quite solid and I'd say is the best bet in terms of reputation if you just consider these three.

 

[Katayoon]

I came across some college co-op programmes in business (some of them leading to an industry certification).
http://www.arbutuscollege.com/en/?MainID=3&SubID=10

A big thank you to everybody who replied to my post!

Would you say that I would stand a better chance of landing a skilled job (i.e. a career commensurate to my education) as a graduate of a Canadian co-op program than I would if I earned my masters in my home country and moved to Canada? I'm looking at the co-op MBA that Wilfrid Laurier offers. They don't require any work experience (I do have some experience, but that isn't enough to get me into a traditional full-time MBA. Besides, I need to get my masters degree at the earliest as I have certain family constraints.)

Would you rate Wilfrid Laurier higher than, say, McMaster or Brock? I'd pick McMaster if I could, but the tuition is pretty steep. Wilfrid Laurier is cheaper. Brock isn't an option as I've heard less-than-glowing reviews of the MBA program.


I've read that it's a good idea for an international student to enroll in a co-op program in Canada if they intend to stay on and work after they've graduated. Is that true?