Calgary versus Edmonton Job Market

[Bonded]

Hey CP,

I was just wondering if there are major differences in the Calgary and Edmonton job markets. I know the stereotypes and was wondering if they are true. Me and my girlfriend are currently living in separate cities and I will be working and she has two years left. I went to the UofA so I know what it is like living there.

She would prefer to stay at the UofA, but I have a feeling Calgary will be more conducive to what I want to do (something along the lines of sales, consulting, maybe accounting, and etc).

So the big question is, does Edmonton offer close to the same opportunities in the career market and people just don't want to live there or are the job markets drastically different?

Finally, does it matter all that much in the long run if I start my career in Edmonton?

Thank you again.

[Kybosh]

I've lived and worked in both, and there is good and bad with both places. In a very general sense, Calgary is much more corporate and white collar than Edmonton. The cities work together on practically everything though. You will often times find an engineering firm in Calgary that has their warehouse or development shop in Edmonton. Edmonton has a more thriving manufacturing sector than Calgary and is maybe a better jumping off point to many O&G projects.

No offense but sales, consulting and accounting don't really seem to go together to me as a new career. What is your degree in?

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

I've lived and worked in both, and there is good and bad with both places. In a very general sense, Calgary is much more corporate and white collar than Edmonton. The cities work together on practically everything though. You will often times find an engineering firm in Calgary that has their warehouse or development shop in Edmonton. Edmonton has a more thriving manufacturing sector than Calgary and is maybe a better jumping off point to many O&G projects.

No offense but sales, consulting and accounting don't really seem to go together to me as a new career. What is your degree in?

International Business. Yeah, I am still figuring out exactly what I want to do haha. Consulting is more of the long term goal. I am also considering getting an accounting designation. In short, I still need to sit down and figure out what the hell I want to do.
So, if there seems to be inconsistency and incoherence it's because there is

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Bonded

International Business. Yeah, I am still figuring out exactly what I want to do haha. Consulting is more of the long term goal. I am also considering getting an accounting designation. In short, I still need to sit down and figure out what the hell I want to do.

Consulting is a nebulous thing everyone wants to get into ... You need to find your practical skillsets that you can market to companies. What are your marketable skills? An accounting designation or other certifications would help.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Consulting is a nebulous thing everyone wants to get into ... You need to find a more practical skillset that you can market to companies. What are you marketable skills? An accounting designation or other certifications would help.

As for marketable skills, school (so not much there), a couple internships ranging from marketing to small business development, and my charming personality haha.

Yeah, exactly, I figure I need some kind of designation/accreditation and am still figuring out exactly what that should be. So far I looked into the CMA/CFA/CA designations as those are the ones I know. I also like tech, but I chose the wrong degree for that.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Bonded

As for marketable skills, school (so not much there), a couple internships ranging from marketing to small business development, and my charming personality haha.

Yeah, exactly, I figure I need some kind of designation/accreditation and am still figuring out exactly what that should be. So far I looked into the CMA/CFA/CA designations as those are the ones I know. I also like tech, but I chose the wrong degree for that.

Nothing wrong with marketing and business development in tech to apply your business skills with a technical skillset.

Go down to the U.S. and write the American CPA. Lifetime designation without annual fees and no need to schooling or 5 years of industry work like CA.

[Kybosh]

Personally, I wouldn't go near pursuing a professional designation until you've actually got some experience doing something (anything). If I were you, I would look for a role as a sales rep with a 2-3 year goal of taking on more business development responsibilities. Business development is where it's at. You get paid to talk to people and you don't deal with the junk that marketers deal with.

Business development is also something that literally every company in the world needs. You'll always be in demand if you're good at it.

[Hack&Lube]

Apply for jobs in both cities and see what call backs you get. Worse case scenario (aside from total rejection) is that you get an job offer you can't refuse moving for or have to spend more time away from the girlfriend for.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

Personally, I wouldn't go near pursuing a professional designation until you've actually got some experience doing something (anything).

Can I ask why you would say that? You are one of the few who has told me to stay away from a designation, and I am just wondering why.

Business development does interest me, I am just not sure how stable it is and if it has the ability to move me up, or if I will get semi-stuck and not be able to earn a higher salary later on because I lack an engineering/technical degree.

And thanks for the advice HacknLube and Kybosh

[Ozy_Flame]

Consulting is a broad field to get into - whether as an employee, a contractor, or self-employed. Either way, you need to become an expert in a particular field, and build up your knowledge, certifications, and business acumen. A degree is a good start, but as a consultant myself, consulting usually comes after about 3-5 years of experience if not more, and usually into your late 20's unless you're really good. For example in my industry, most business analysts become consultants in enterprise software and ERP after a few years; however, if you are smart enough to be a solution architect or a project delivery lead, you might get to get into pure consulting earlier. My lead and I graduated at the same time and are the same age; him from a tech college and I from the U of C business school. He knows way more than I do, and I hope to equal him one day in terms of tech knowledge.

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Can I ask why you would say that? You are one of the few who has told me to stay away from a designation, and I am just wondering why.

Business development does interest me, I am just not sure how stable it is and if it has the ability to move me up, or if I will get semi-stuck and not be able to earn a higher salary later on because I lack an engineering/technical degree.

And thanks for the advice HacknLube and Kybosh

For one thing, most designations require a certain amount of experience before you can even proceed. The most important thing though, in my opinion, is that you really have no idea what you want to do yet. There is absolutely no point in pursuing an designation that you might hate straight up.

Maybe I'm alone, but I think work experience is more valuable than a designation.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

him from a tech college and I from the U of C business school. He knows way more than I do, and I hope to equal him one day in terms of tech knowledge.

Yeah, kind of wish I did software engineering or something techy. Oh wells, I will have to scrape along with the rest of the non-science/eng people

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

Maybe I'm alone, but I think work experience is more valuable than a designation.

Depends what you're doing. If you're in HR for example, you'll get more opportunities across multiple agencies to get at CHRP designation. Same as getting an MCP or MVP from Microsoft as a tech consultant on platform solutions, for example. However, work experience certainly helps you get those easier.

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Depends what you're doing. If you're in HR for example, you'll get more opportunities across multiple agencies to get at CHRP designation. Same as getting an MCP or MVP from Microsoft as a tech consultant on platform solutions, for example. However, work experience certainly helps you get those easier.

Definitely. I admittedly don't know the requirements for all the designations out there. It just seems silly to jump into something that might cost time/money without knowing if you really want it.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

Definitely. I admittedly don't know the requirements for all the designations out there. It just seems silly to jump into something that might cost time/money without knowing if you really want it.

Yes, do your research first of course but there is nothing wrong with pursing a designation WHILE you are working. That shows your employers or potential employers that you have goals and have been constantly working toward them.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Yes, do your research first of course but there is nothing wrong with pursing a designation WHILE you are working. That shows your employers or potential employers that you have goals and have been constantly working toward them.

That was my plan. I only know the main ones though. Anyone know of any in demand ones that are a bit off the beaten path?

[Ozy_Flame]

One more thing, choose your industry / career path first. An employer that wants to retain you will usually make you aware of certifications to be had, and theres a good chance they'll pay for them too. If I can recommend one thing, don't spend your own money on certifications unless you plan to be self-employed. Let an employer do that for you, especially as you're just starting out.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Bonded

That was my plan. I only know the main ones though. Anyone know of any in demand ones that are a bit off the beaten path?

Have you considered freeing up your life by being a buisness owner? You should become a financial planner! I have a friend you could talk to, he is looking to expand into the Calgary market...

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

One more thing, choose your industry / career path first. An employer that wants to retain you will usually make you aware of certifications to be had, and theres a good chance they'll pay for them too. If I can recommend one thing, don't spend your own money on certifications unless you plan to be self-employed. Let an employer do that for you, especially as you're just starting out.

Unless doing that certification helps you land a gig in the first place. I know just being enrolled probably helped me land a good internship for the summer.