My first post on this forum, let’s see how helpful it can be
I completed by degree in mechanical engineering this year in January from NUST.
Currently I’m employed in a company for two months now. It gives good learning experience, but the pay is around 25k and salary growth rate per year is extremely sluggish. This is quite low from my expectations. I’m not whining or anything, I am well aware of the job crisis in Paksitan and how fortunate I am to land on a job so soon. But still I aspire to achieve more success financially. Therefore, I have decided to do masters from abroad after 1 year of job experience.
That being said, I have narrowed down my choice to these countries: Canada & Germany
Now here comes the big question. Which country should I pursue for masters???
My goal after completing masters is to land on a job in that country, and stay there for at least 5-10 years before coming back to Paksitan.
Everyone just says what he heard from someone else that Germany is the number one for mechanical engineers.
But I would really like to know from people who have lived either in Canada or Germany or both. What do they have to say about this?
Anyone else who has good knowledge regarding my question is also welcome to share his/her opinion.
Hmm.. Someone from the two mentioned places will be in a better position to give you an advice. But just curious, why not US bro? I'm sure you can get the visa and the colleges arent that bad either
Germany man. If you are good in your domain you'll get plenty of job offers, also you have whole Europe to find a job. Find good place to do masters, with good lab/professor and you'll be good to go.
Germany hands down! Apart from everything else already mentioned.. if you plan on living there for 5-10 yrs, means wife which means kids... germany is a much better place to raise em and raise a family.
BUT, learning german would be a must. Tackle that hurdle, and it is a smooth ride.
Opens up all other european countires to you too...
was in similar boat couple of years ago so i would share my reasons to chose canada over europe. Plus i would share my reason NOT TO CHOOSE canada for any engineer (other than IT)
I wanted to get immigration so i chose canada. Getting immigration in Canada WAS easier 3-4 years ago.
Language barrier, It was easier for me to merge into a community which speaks english
Muslim community. I could be wrong here but what i learned that there is better and bigger community in Canada (GTA area) compared to Germany.
IT Sector. Given that US is the leading IT market with big companies working there, I wanted to somehwere which can help me move to US (if i want to)
Now why i wouldn't recommend Canada to any engineer
Canada has this policy that for every good engineering job you need ot have a certificate called PENG. Now, you can't get that PENG unless you have 1-2 years of engineering experience (in canada) and you wouldn't get an engineering experience since you don't have PENG. So at the end, you would have to struggle a lot in the starting years of your carrier here.
Engineering jobs in GTA are hard to get. Your best bet is Alberta
Canadian has issues of hiring foreign qualified graduates. To get a better job you might have to do some masters degree from here. You can do college diploma as well but then you wouldnt be any different than anyone else who has done college diploma after grade 12
Let me know if you have any queries about Canada as a student or so.
But after completing masters from Germany. Would I need any certification similar to the one MustafaQuraishi mentioned for Canada (PENG), to get an engineering job in Germany?
You don't need a P.Eng to get a good job, but as a foreign graduate from an unknown school it may be a pseudo requirement. The easiest thing to do for you, in Canada, would be to do a 1 year Masters in Engineering to get a good school on your resume. A Masters in Science is generally considered more prestigious though but it can take longer.
In general, engineering is more lucrative in North America. My starting salary was higher than most engineers make after 3-5 years of work experience in Germany, and I don't even have my P.Eng yet. Canada also provides greater access to the headquarters of bigger companies based in the US. And lastly, you and especially your kids, will have access to the startup hubs in North America. There has been an explosion in engineering graduates starting their own companies. Waterloo, Toronto, and Calgary (not to mention Boston and Silicon Valley) are all technological hubs with some really cool companies, often started by international students.
On the other hand, Europe seems to have more research centers, often nationally funded. Your best bet would be to apply to get into the best university possible and worry about the job later. I would think though, based on international rankings, that schools like U of T and McGill carry more weight overall, while several Canadian schools rank in the top 50 world wide for engineering rankings. I don't know much about where German schools rank.
My starting salary was higher than most engineers make after 3-5 years of work experience in Germany, and I don't even have my P.Eng yet
I'm curious about a few things. Did you do Masters of science in Engineering from Canada before you got this job? If so, then from which uni?
Or did you apply for immigration as skilled worker?
I'm curious about a few things. Did you do Masters of science in Engineering from Canada before you got this job? If so, then from which uni?
Or did you apply for immigration as skilled worker?
I didn't immigrate so my case is different. Engineering degrees are considered Honours Bachelor of Applied Science. You would have to do a Master of Science (research and thesis defense) or a Masters in Engineering (1-2 year, basically like undergraduate where you take more classes). You can't do a PhD after a masters in engineering (as far as I know). The ME is useful to get a good school on your resume. I know someone from Pakistan who did just that, then found a really good job.
The university in Canada is less important domestically because almost every university is considered relatively equal for finding a job provided you have good extracurriculars and grades. I have interviewed people and I can tell you first hand that grades matter, but not as much as your ability to work with, and lead people. University of Toronto and University of Waterloo are generally considered a cut above the rest but UBC, Western, Queen's, McGill, McMaster, Calgary, are all good. People from "lesser" known universities in Canada also regularly compete for jobs with graduates from the list above but those are the schools I would suggest for you.
You might even consider not applying to UBC because it's not in Ontario (where most companies are based) or Calgary (oil jobs).
I don't know how hard it is to stay in Germany after getting a masters there. Will you be able to get a job there without being a citizen? On the other hand, Canada is an easier country to immigrate to. Places other than Toronto give you better acess to jobs too, though cold weather is of course a factor.
I don't know how hard it is to stay in Germany after getting a masters there. Will you be able to get a job there without being a citizen? On the other hand, Canada is an easier country to immigrate to. Places other than Toronto give you better acess to jobs too, though cold weather is of course a factor.
lots of my friends who did masters are working in Germany/Europe. But again, most of them are in IT field.
On the other hand, a friend of mine did masters here in Canada (mechanical engineering) and struggled to get a job in Toronto for 1 year. Then he moved to Alberta and now he is earning ~6 figures.
IT is a different ball game altogether! Yes, people do get great 6 figure jobs in Alberta, but not everyone likes it there!
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lots of my friends who did masters are working in Germany/Europe. But again, most of them are in IT field.
On the other hand, a friend of mine did masters here in Canada (mechanical engineering) and struggled to get a job in Toronto for 1 year. Then he moved to Alberta and now he is earning ~6 figures.
Germany hands down! Apart from everything else already mentioned.. if you plan on living there for 5-10 yrs, means wife which means kids... germany is a much better place to raise em and raise a family.
BUT, learning german would be a must. Tackle that hurdle, and it is a smooth ride.
Opens up all other european countires to you too...
I don't get the learning German part. There are so many desis here who supposedly studied English back in the motherland, but their command of the English language is mediocre at best. I am supposed to believe that a person can just take a few lessons in German, and then take master's level classes and do well? This includes highly technical discussions with your teachers and classmates, and speaking confidently in interviews. I have studied with students from China and Vietnam. They may know their class material, but they severely lacked in the spoken English department. Goras in class simply couldn't understand them.
Learning German at that level seems like a 3 -4 year thing with complete immersion. That is how people learn proper Spanish in the US. You can learn conversational Spanish by hanging out with Spanish speakers. However, anyone serious about Spanish has to immerse themselves in an environment where proper Spanish is spoken (and not Spanglish), which often includes spending a year or so in Mexico or South America with an educated host family.
