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Please explain yourself. If you are conflating QoL with salary then sure but I've heard stories of Canadians moving from Ontario to the Bay Area and their opini

Please explain yourself. If you are conflating QoL with salary then sure but I've heard stories of Canadians moving from Ontario to the Bay Area and their opinions on the move are mixed.

refurb 11y ago
I don't know if I'd say the quality of life is 50% lower, but some of the reasons I prefer the US: (1) higher salary, (2) lower taxes [though this depends where in the US you move to], (3) you tend to work at HQ [better projects] rather than some satellite office, (4) more access to the latest tech [Amazon/Netflix is pretty bad in Canada], (5) more entrepreneurial/driven people [again depends where you move], (6) generally lower COL. I know people will bring up healthcare, but I would argue if you have a high-paying job in the US, you never really worry about going bankrupt due to healthcare and you get access to some of the top physicians/hospitals. Now don't get me wrong, Canada has a lot going for it. I think Canadian cities tend to be run better and this shows up as being safer and cleaner. Canadians also tend to be nicer and because they are 100% committed to the rat race, they tend to be less high strung and competitive. Overall, I had to move from Canada since there weren't any jobs in my home town. I could have move to Toronto (3 hr flight) or I could have moved to the Bay area (3 hr flight). I'm the same distance from family, so why not go for the bigger opportunity? Final disclaimer: this is my own opinion. Obviously some people will look at the US and go "yuck". Live where you want to live. It's all good.
- miguelrochefort 11y ago
  (7) Cost of living [everything is much cheaper in the US] I agree to every single of your points.
- stuxnet79 11y ago
  Thank you for adding your perspective. What's bothered the Canadians I have talked to who have made the move is not so much stuff like money, taxes etc. It is more general culture shock e.g. witnessing the amount of income inequality present in American cities / overt racial barriers ... etc. Canada is a lot more egalitarian. But from what you've said it seems like making the move to US is a good idea if you want more money and more opportunities. Hopefully I will be able to make the move soon. I am pretty ignorant of how the visa stuff works though and assuming I don't make it to the big tech companies I don't know how I'd be able to walk a middling startup through it. It seems like it would generally be easier for these startups to hire Americans. If you have a blog where you've shared your experiences on the move I'd be very interested in reading it because this is a subject that's been in my head for a while.
  - refurb 11y ago
    Canada is a lot more egalitarian. I think a lot of that depends on your personal experiences. There aren't really "ghettos" in Canada like the US, but there are very poor areas, just like US cities. They just tend to look a little less rundown since I think city gov'ts in Canada tend to work better. Like I said in my original post, it all depends on what's important to you and that can change over time. If you've decided the rat race isn't for you, then Canada is a great place to live. Stability, good social services, etc are in abundance in Canada. To each his own. As for my immigration story, I never really put it down in writing. Even though you're Canadian, it can be a real slog. You have to stand in line just like every other immigrant, although you do get some benefits (like TN visa) that other countries don't. But when it comes to a green card and citizenship, it really isn't any different that other countries. If you want to read up on it, just google, there is a ton of information out there. If I were you, I'd give it a go using a TN visa. As long as you have a degree in certain fields, all you need is an offer letter from the company. You can get the visa at the border.

Please explain yourself. If you are conflating QoL with salary then sure but I've heard stories of Canadians moving from Ontario to the Bay Area and their opinions on the move are mixed.

refurb 11y ago

I don't know if I'd say the quality of life is 50% lower, but some of the reasons I prefer the US: (1) higher salary, (2) lower taxes [though this depends where in the US you move to], (3) you tend to work at HQ [better projects] rather than some satellite office, (4) more access to the latest tech [Amazon/Netflix is pretty bad in Canada], (5) more entrepreneurial/driven people [again depends where you move], (6) generally lower COL. I know people will bring up healthcare, but I would argue if you have a high-paying job in the US, you never really worry about going bankrupt due to healthcare and you get access to some of the top physicians/hospitals. Now don't get me wrong, Canada has a lot going for it. I think Canadian cities tend to be run better and this shows up as being safer and cleaner. Canadians also tend to be nicer and because they are 100% committed to the rat race, they tend to be less high strung and competitive. Overall, I had to move from Canada since there weren't any jobs in my home town. I could have move to Toronto (3 hr flight) or I could have moved to the Bay area (3 hr flight). I'm the same distance from family, so why not go for the bigger opportunity? Final disclaimer: this is my own opinion. Obviously some people will look at the US and go "yuck". Live where you want to live. It's all good.

miguelrochefort 11y ago
(7) Cost of living [everything is much cheaper in the US] I agree to every single of your points.
stuxnet79 11y ago
Thank you for adding your perspective. What's bothered the Canadians I have talked to who have made the move is not so much stuff like money, taxes etc. It is more general culture shock e.g. witnessing the amount of income inequality present in American cities / overt racial barriers ... etc. Canada is a lot more egalitarian. But from what you've said it seems like making the move to US is a good idea if you want more money and more opportunities. Hopefully I will be able to make the move soon. I am pretty ignorant of how the visa stuff works though and assuming I don't make it to the big tech companies I don't know how I'd be able to walk a middling startup through it. It seems like it would generally be easier for these startups to hire Americans. If you have a blog where you've shared your experiences on the move I'd be very interested in reading it because this is a subject that's been in my head for a while.
- refurb 11y ago
  Canada is a lot more egalitarian. I think a lot of that depends on your personal experiences. There aren't really "ghettos" in Canada like the US, but there are very poor areas, just like US cities. They just tend to look a little less rundown since I think city gov'ts in Canada tend to work better. Like I said in my original post, it all depends on what's important to you and that can change over time. If you've decided the rat race isn't for you, then Canada is a great place to live. Stability, good social services, etc are in abundance in Canada. To each his own. As for my immigration story, I never really put it down in writing. Even though you're Canadian, it can be a real slog. You have to stand in line just like every other immigrant, although you do get some benefits (like TN visa) that other countries don't. But when it comes to a green card and citizenship, it really isn't any different that other countries. If you want to read up on it, just google, there is a ton of information out there. If I were you, I'd give it a go using a TN visa. As long as you have a degree in certain fields, all you need is an offer letter from the company. You can get the visa at the border.