Need suggestion from employed ppl in Canada or who r hunting for jobs in Canada

[parul154]

Hi
I am an Indian student
I am planning for Masters from a low ranked institution in Canada. (Concordia University College of Alberta )
Now , I have a good profile.People suggest me go for High ranked Universities.
I am in dilemna whether doing masters from a low ranked Instituion hampers the job opportunites in any manner??
Or whether the employers are only interested in hiring people from well known reputed University?

Please post your valuable suggestions.

 

[nov1061]

Hi
I am an Indian student
I am planning for Masters from a low ranked institution in Canada. (Concordia University College of Alberta )
Now , I have a good profile.People suggest me go for High ranked Universities.
I am in dilemna whether doing masters from a low ranked Instituion hampers the job opportunites in any manner??
Or whether the employers are only interested in hiring people from well known reputed University?

Please post your valuable suggestions.

Personally I don’t think that really matters which Canadian university you get your Maters degree from, (if you’re going to apply for a job in Canada), unless you have your Masters from a top world ranking universities.

 

[orebaron]

In Canada, as long as you have a masters degree, you are good to go, there is no big difference between low and high profile, especially when hunting for jobs, what really matters here is Exeprience!!

 

[parul154]

Personally I don't think that really matters which Canadian university you get your Maters degree from, (if you're going to apply for a job in Canada), unless you have your Masters from a top world ranking universities.

Hi Nov1061
Thanks for the reply.
Actually I have a good profile.People suggest me go for High ranked Universities.
I am in dilemna whether doing masters from a low ranked Instituion hampers the job opportunites in any manner??

by the way, u from canada? which course and University?

 

[nov1061]

Hi Nov1061
Thanks for the reply.
Actually I have a good profile.People suggest me go for High ranked Universities.
I am in dilemna whether doing masters from a low ranked Instituion hampers the job opportunites in any manner??

by the way, u from canada? which course and University?

As "orebaron" above says. The most important thing to get a good job here in Canada is your experience. Of course to have a degree from high rank Canadian university is always good. Personally I would enroll to the high rank university (just for personal reasons), but again it will not give you a massive advantage over those holding degree from lower ranked universities.

 

[parul154]

As "orebaron" above says. The most important thing to get a good job here in Canada is your experience. Of course to have a degree from high rank Canadian university is always good. Personally I would enroll to the high rank university (just for personal reasons), but again it will not give you a massive advantage over those holding degree from lower ranked universities.

That is what i think. My thinking is High ranked niversities are expensive and there is lot of competiotion. So why not go for a middle ranked University and then do masters. This way i can have more interation with faculty, and do some industry based certifications along.

You studying in Canada?

 

[nov1061]

That is what i think. My thinking is High ranked niversities are expensive and there is lot of competiotion. So why not go for a middle ranked University and then do masters. This way i can have more interation with faculty, and do some industry based certifications along.

You studying in Canada?

You're correct. If I were you, I would take undergraduate degree from some average ranked university and later (if you feel like it) finished my masters in some top ranked university. But again, only an experience from good reputable company will give you big advantage in finding a good job in Canada.

 

[parul154]

You're correct. If I were you, I would take undergraduate degree from some average ranked university and later (if you feel like it) finished my masters in some top ranked university. But again, only an experience from good reputable company will give you big advantage in finding a good job in Canada.

U misunderstood me

I have done my Graduation (4 yrs) in India, and now m going for higher education Masters from middle ranked university, noot top ranked university.

 

[ferna]

If you get a degree from some low rank university in the west part of Canada and then want to find a job in east part, then you may face some issues. Because some may even have not heard of your university and your university won't be in hiring websites of some companies. But as long as you stay in the same area you are good to go.

 

[parul154]

If you get a degree from some low rank university in the west part of Canada and then want to find a job in east part, then you may face some issues. Because some may even have not heard of your university and your university won't be in hiring websites of some companies. But as long as you stay in the same area you are good to go.

Thanks for that valuable suggestion!
I am planning for Masters in Information Security Management from Concordia University College of alberta.

Any opinions / ever heard of this Institution??

Moreover how to check the company sites whether this insitution is listed or not?

 

[on-hold]

University reputation is a sorting mechanism -- places like UBC, U of T, McGill show one thing, that you were able to compete at a high level once. Concordia doesn't show this to the same degree, so in general, people try to apply to a mixture of places that reflect a safety school, the school they best fit, and one or two schools that are a bit above them. In general (I think) it is good to play this game, because there can be a difference in the quality of the program, and having a higher status degree can help you later on, particularly if you want to go on in academia.

However, because the quality of the program is most important, and you are doing a graduate degree, you need to look at that first. Sometimes a mediocre university has an awesome program -- for example, journalism at Ryerson. When that's the case, it is the department that matters more than the college. When I was applying to grad school, there were three departments that were head and shoulders above the rest: SUNY at Stony Brook (the best), Johns Hopkins, and Duke. Going to Harvard would have been a big step down (but only to people who knew about the field).

Thirdly, there is funding. Your major looks like it might not be eligible for funding, since it is an applied field, but check that out. A full ride at an OK school is better than half a ride at the best.

Finally, make sure that you want to go to a University College, which suggests an institution in the process of upgrading itself -- in Canada there is a stronger distinction between colleges and universities than in the States. This might be a valid masters degree that this institution has whipped up to attract foreign students (and foreign tuition). Find an equivalent masters at another Canadian university and email the graduate adviser there to ask them to rank Canadian programs in this subject. Ask them specifically where Concordia University College is. Email the graduate adviser at Concordia University College and ask them how long the major has been around, and what data they have on the success of their graduates.

 

[parul154]

University reputation is a sorting mechanism -- places like UBC, U of T, McGill show one thing, that you were able to compete at a high level once. Concordia doesn't show this to the same degree, so in general, people try to apply to a mixture of places that reflect a safety school, the school they best fit, and one or two schools that are a bit above them. In general (I think) it is good to play this game, because there can be a difference in the quality of the program, and having a higher status degree can help you later on, particularly if you want to go on in academia.

However, because the quality of the program is most important, and you are doing a graduate degree, you need to look at that first. Sometimes a mediocre university has an awesome program -- for example, journalism at Ryerson. When that's the case, it is the department that matters more than the college. When I was applying to grad school, there were three departments that were head and shoulders above the rest: SUNY at Stony Brook (the best), Johns Hopkins, and Duke. Going to Harvard would have been a big step down (but only to people who knew about the field).

Thirdly, there is funding. Your major looks like it might not be eligible for funding, since it is an applied field, but check that out. A full ride at an OK school is better than half a ride at the best.

What does the line marked in RED means?? which funding ? Please elaborate

Finally, make sure that you want to go to a University College, which suggests an institution in the process of upgrading itself -- in Canada there is a stronger distinction between colleges and universities than in the States. This might be a valid masters degree that this institution has whipped up to attract foreign students (and foreign tuition). Find an equivalent masters at another Canadian university and email the graduate adviser there to ask them to rank Canadian programs in this subject. Ask them specifically where Concordia University College is. Email the graduate adviser at Concordia University College and ask them how long the major has been around, and what data they have on the success of their graduates.

I ll take the lines marked in "purple" SERIOUSLY.Thanks for that valuable suggesstion. The program that i am chosing is being offered at only 1-2 other Universities, Concordia Quebec being one of them. The programe offered at Concordia Quebec is with Co-op(MEng) and other one with Thesis(MASc), whereas that offered at Concordia University College is without Co-op, but thesis based.

Secondly, Concordia University College of Alberta has been offering information systems security programs since 2000 and in 2005 started the Master of Information Systems Security Program (MISSM) after receiving Campus Alberta Quality Council (CAQC) approval for the graduate degree program. I ll definitely ask the advisor for stats abt the program and as u suggested data on success of their graduates.
Here is a link for my program in case u wish to advise me further :
http://infosec.concordia.ab.ca/

For concordia quebec, here is the link : http://www.concordia.ca/academics/graduate/information-systems-masc-why-study.html
The program at Concordia Quebec was started in around 2002 .

I ll definitely do me HOMEWORK now.

Any more valuable suggestions are welcome

 

[parul154]

Master's in Canada don't help much unless you want to do PHD. I have 2 masters here (MENg and MSc), apparently I am doing almost similar job what an undergrad can do. I figured out if you do undergrad here you have 10 times more chances to get a better job. In future if you want to get professional certificate like EIT or PEng. Canadian Undergrad is best for getting that. University absolutely doesn't matter because in Canada there are no stupid university like US and London. About job, if you watch "3 IDIOTS" couple of times, you will figure out what you need to get a good job.

Thats great then. I would like to know your "gyaan" on movie 3 IDIOTS. I have seen this before, but more interested to hear from a senior
Any job sites u wish to share with me will be very helpful.

 

[ferna]

Thanks for that valuable suggestion!
I am planning for Masters in Information Security Management from Concordia University College of alberta.

Any opinions / ever heard of this Institution??

Moreover how to check the company sites whether this insitution is listed or not?

I have heard of Concordia for sure. and have friends in Montreal who graduated there and found jobs in IT section.
To see the universities in companies' websites, you need to register in their career section as an applicant. Then while filling out the fields, it will ask about your university, and there usually is a drop down of all universities they recognize. So basically it is not a quick check.

 

[on-hold]

I ll take the lines marked in "purple" SERIOUSLY.Thanks for that valuable suggesstion. The program that i am chosing is being offered at only 1-2 other Universities, Concordia Quebec being one of them. The programe offered at Concordia Quebec is with Co-op(MEng) and other one with Thesis(MASc), whereas that offered at Concordia University College is without Co-op, but thesis based.

Secondly, Concordia University College of Alberta has been offering information systems security programs since 2000 and in 2005 started the Master of Information Systems Security Program (MISSM) after receiving Campus Alberta Quality Council (CAQC) approval for the graduate degree program. I ll definitely ask the advisor for stats abt the program and as u suggested data on success of their graduates.
Here is a link for my program in case u wish to advise me further :
http://infosec.concordia.ab.ca/

For concordia quebec, here is the link : http://www.concordia.ca/academics/graduate/information-systems-masc-why-study.html
The program at Concordia Quebec was started in around 2002 .

I ll definitely do me HOMEWORK now.

Any more valuable suggestions are welcome

It's not that important for you -- but in fields like anthropology or English literature, any half-decent graduate program will give its students a full tuition waiver AND a living stipend of 10,000 to 15,000 dollars a year. This is because those fields don't pay so well, so it's a terrible idea to go into debt to get the degree. In engineering, law, medicine, this doesn't usually happen, because those people are expected to cash in, any funding they get in college is for being awesome. I didn't know what category your degree would be in, funded or unfunded.

Don't look too much at who has approved the program, because in Canada all degrees will be accredited by someone. Try to get employment information from the department, and look at it carefully. In the US, a lot of places have ways of manipulating this data -- people who get a good degree but can't find a job often don't respond to surveys, so the response rate can be just as important as something saying "95% of graduates are earning 60,000+" when only 20% of graduates respond to the survey.