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naraburns  nihil supernum  11mo ago (text post)   3995 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 30, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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If you are looking for serious advise, unless you have a reasonable fear of getting doxed you really should share a lot more details. This is not a decision to take lightly.

Some generic advise:

Think very deeply about how satisfied with the general life you are in your country. Do you like being near family/childhood friends? Do you have a decent social status? Do you have decent wealth accumulation or expect to build it up thanks to good career and/or family support? Do you feel strong ties with your culture? These are the main things with which you will start from absolute zero in Canada. You will be a nobody, own nothing, know no one.

Take a honest look at yourself. Do you think you have the potential to build up a new social and professional network and find a good partner in a foreign land? On this point, if you are from a country that gives out a lot emigration to Canada you have a slight advantage. Otherwise you are starting from zero.

If you are making a mainly economics based decision try to be realistic about salary expectations in Canada as well as the living costs. Don’t make the mistake of looking at high Canadian salaries from the lens of your current living costs. Also don’t make the mistake of looking at high Canadian salaries with average Canadian living costs either. High salary means living in expensive city.

If you consider all these and you are still on the fence, I would say go! It’s just a master degree. Even if you don’t like it there you will have some useful experience of living abroad for a while and you can just return. If the degree is good you will have a leg up in the local job market and social ladder.

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