Some people are lucky and know from a very early age what profession they want to enter, and they dedicate their young school life to achieving their goal. I was never one of those people. I dedicated my school life to achieving as little as I could possibly get away with. That is not to say I didn’t have professional goals for adulthood, in fact, I had many ideas: spy, tv game show host, rockstar, jewel thief, riverboat gambler, pirate and the person who holds the “keep left” sign during road repair. Mostly I wanted vast amounts of money or adventure with as little effort as possible. After high school, I went to university, not with any strong desire for a specific career but with a very strong desire not to get kicked out of my mom and dad’s home. Luckily for me, my university did lead me to a life of employment that I have enjoyed. I’m also getting ready to leave mom and dad’s any day now. Right after I know the fridge is empty!
As an international student, you likely want an education that makes you employable and a contributor to your new home or gives you skills you can transfer back to your own country. For students who plan to stay in Canada – you are in luck! There is a shortage of workers in many areas of the economy, and this will only increase as our world begins to recover from the covid pandemic. For university-bound international students, the following is a sample (not comprehensive) list of jobs in need of workers in Canada now, for which I am quoting the website immigration.ca. (Key source: Randstad Human Resources. Key areas of study: Business/IT/Health care/Customer Service).
KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER – SALES (NOC 0601)
Key account managers are the people who plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the activities of establishments and departments involved in commercial, industrial, institutional, e-business and wholesale and retail sales.”
Job Bank, Canada’s employment website, pegs the median annual salary of key account managers at $97,500.
SOFTWARE DEVELOPER (NOC 2174)
These IT specialists are increasingly in demand as businesses turn to ever more technical solutions.
In Canada, software developers earn a median annual wage of $ 74,997, based on a standard, 37.5-hour work week, Job Bank data reveals.
MARKETING MANAGER (NOC 0124)
In the next six years, Canada is expected to see more than 19,000 new marketing, public relations, and advertising manager jobs.
In Canada, marketing managers earn a median annual wage of $84,376 based on a standard work week, Job Bank figures show.
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (NOC 6552)
These are the people who answer enquiries and provide information regarding an establishment’s goods, services, and policies and who provide customer services such as receiving payments and processing requests for services.
Customer service reps make a median annual wage of $37,050 in Canada, based on a 37.5-hour work week, data from Job Bank indicates.
ENGINEER (NOC 2131)
Employers are trying to lure engineers from throughout the world to Canada these days as the labor shortage for these professionals in the country intensifies.
Engineers in Canada earn a median annual wage of $80,340 based on a standard work week, according to Job Bank figures.
ACCOUNTANT (NOC 1111)
Red tape in Canada is leading many businesses in several sectors to turn to accountants to ensure their finances are managed properly.
In Canada, an accountant working a standard work week makes a median annual salary of $69,712.
CLOUD ARCHITECT – INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (NOC 2171)
With the work-from-home revolution greatly sped up with the arrival of the pandemic, many employers are looking to the cloud to ensure the storage and transfer of information.
Cloud architects in Canada make a median annual salary of $80,008, based on a 37.5-hour work week, Job Bank data reveals.
IT PROJECT MANAGER (NOC 0213)
Managers overseeing information technology projects develop and oversee the implementation of those projects and stickhandle their company or organization’s tech efforts to ensure continuous improvement and to provide frameworks and leadership for development initiatives.
IT project managers earn a median annual wage of $103,116 based on a 37.5-hour work week in Canada.
The cherry on the Canadian cake is the thriving economy, diversity, and the unparalleled safety that the country offers.
We will be covering other relevant topics in the coming weeks – stay tuned!