Question about Toronto...

[Hydrogen]

You can afford to live in Toronto. But like every other city, the lower the income the more restricted the choice in terms of housing and location.

 

[urbandreamer]

you could always move to hamilton (cheap living costs) or waterloo region (tons of jobs, lower living costs than toronto but not as cheap as hamilton and less competition for jobs.) Really in toronto--or the gta--the easiest to get jobs are found in brampton, mississauga and milton. Downtown even i've had trouble cracking--it's all about connections: cultural, religious, ethnic, school mates, what scene your into etc. Basically, (having done what you're doing--live in another cheaper city outside of ontario for a few years then move back to toronto) you'll be paying minimum $700 for a tiny bachelor apt (slightly less if you get a room in a crappy house==$500 perhaps) in a sort of ghetto area (st clair and bathurst, parkdale, danforth, bloor and ossington) and without a business degree or some specialized skilled trade, you'll be hanging around temp agencies begging for $10/hour jobs.... Really sucks.

(Moving out of toronto cost me about 5 year's career advancement; i missed those crucial networking years working up from entry level positions; as a result, i've stopped looking for a job and have become self employed.)

Remember: Everyone wants to move to Toronto. Vancouver is easier to get a construction job; in Toronto, if you don't speak Spanish or Italian (sorry for not being totally PC here but i've got friends who work in the biz) chances are high they won't want you on the site.

I've learned to live cheaply and still save money: Ditch your car, rent a cheap basement apt, and start networking (ie sleeping around lol) and you might land your dream job within a few years....

 

[Bogtrotter]

Yes networking seems particularly important in the downtown core. There are a lot of jobs that never get advertised, rather they are emailed around offices and between various connections at other companies. It is not uncommon for people to be hired through someone they know or through a recommendation even if they have marginal experience in the position. For someone on the outside looking in that can be very frustrating.

 

[Ummagumma66]

I have no diplomas, but I think if I do come back east I'd stick to my Law Enforcement career path, possibly with Meto Police or TTC Special Constable, I've bee doing Security and Law Enforcement related work since just after 9/11. I like K-W but its a little too close to the parents. we shall see.

 

[Admiral Beez]

many people (especially small businesses) are looking to hire their own nationality (Russians want to hire a Russian, Chinese a Chinese guy).

That's the case with most employers, and IMO it's always been that way.

I know that being a white, male, unaccented-English speaker gets me into far more employers' doors than if I was a Chinese woman with a thick accent. I also know not to bother applying for jobs in medium sized Chinese, Indian or minority-run firms, since they like to hire their own. This doesn't bother me at all, since I know I'm benefiting from the same hiring practices within my own community.

The group that gets hurt the most from this are IMO blacks of Caribbean descent, since there are not many firms run by folks of this background, so they can't hire their own, while the other groups may not consider them. This, IMO, is why Jewish, Italian, Greek, East Indian, Sikh and other minority groups have done well in business in North America despite discrimination from employers of different backgrounds, since they could hire their own.

This doesn't apply as much to large corporations, but then again, take a look at any Board or senior management at any banks or large corps...not too many folks of colour there.

 

[simply Dan]

I have no diplomas, but I think if I do come back east I'd stick to my Law Enforcement career path, possibly with Meto Police or TTC Special Constable, I've bee doing Security and Law Enforcement related work since just after 9/11.

The Toronto Police Service has been on a hiring spree lately, especially within the gay community. In general, there are lots of new law enforcement positions available both in Toronto and in Southern Ontario.