Canada's Brain Drain

[Out Cold]

Ok readers, I'm a recent college grad with a major in Business Sales & Marketing. Before you get too envious of me wait and read the rest of my post, thanks. Like most of you, for the last X number of years I've heard continuous talk about Canada's "brain drain"--the large numbers of talented people, mainly young professionals, leaving Canada for other countries, mainly the U.S. Despite all these angry posts about Federal Politics, I still maintain some pride in my country and was always apaulled at people who think they can score a subsidized education here then bail to another country! Hearing young doctors, engineers, business people, etc brag on about how much better they have it in the states always made me think of that scene from the movie Titanic where that guy sneaks into one of the lifeboats, leaving everyone else behind.

Now, you've all probably agreed with me up until now I assume, well get ready. Since graduating University, I've come to the conclusion that Canada's brain drain is ALL OUR FAULT!! By saying "our" I'm refurring to those senior managers working in Canada's major corporations who stand beside our government preaching the importance of post-secondary education, but then leave us all high and dry come graduation. In the year since I've graduated, I have been unable to land a meaningful job in my field (much like 99% of my fellow grads) much to the contary B.S. pumped in our heads throughout school. Every decent job offer I've had thus far has been for positions in the U.S.

So what's going on here? In a nut shell, Canadian students every year are duped into spending a shit load of money most don't have on an education that leads them to an HR desk with someone telling them they don't have enough work experience. Give me a break! First of all, a good employer should be able to see value not just a work history. Secondly, experience is learned and is a consistently ongoing thing--nobody knows everything about everything! However, I've saved my biggest pet peeve till last: how come Canadian companies don't count college and university as experience? Do you think that we do ABSOLUTELY nothing during school except pick our noses and drink? This has put many Canadian grads in a tough spot where many have to lie and exaggerate experience in order to break into their fields.

With sits like Workopolis and Monster allowing students to post resumes anywhere in the world, is it any wonder more and more new grads are passing on Canada and looking to Uncle Sam for a chance? In fact, many American companies specifically seek out new grads, some like Microsoft, actually hold job fairs at Canadian universities. Now that's a statement!

My hope in positing this is to enlighten people about what's happening to the future of talent in this country. It's only a matter of time I suspect until good jobs begin to follow the educated people, which brings us back to my analagy of the guy on the Titanic--will Canada's retiring baby-boomer generation prove to be our fatal ice burg?

[Pateris]

Perhaps your problem is in the selection of career choice, or your impression of what kind of job you should be getting at entry level.

You complain that we have too many students looking for work and employers not willing to hire. You obviously are in the eastern half of the country.

We have massive shortages of skilled labour in western canada. Welders, pipefitters, ironworkers, electricians - even house framers.

with regard to university grads we are shorts doctors, nurses, engineers and other skilled trades. We don't need more lawyers or MBAs - honestly. Some accountants would be good though.

And you studied Sales and Marketing - most businesses I know what someone who knows something about the business itself to be doing the sales and marketing - promotion from within it is called. So perhaps you are looking for the wrong position. Perhaps you should be looking for something NOT in sales and marketing. Something lower down the food chain in a business that actually produces something (be it a good or service) and then move up into sales and marketing.

Also - I know companies here hiring 19 year olds with little education into marketing groups because they can't find anyone else.

And one of the best sales people I know has a degree in a social science. And that is selling in a highly technical field.