Our Story: Why we made the move...
(Information supplied on this topic is from experience only, and in no way reflects policies, regulations, or laws from either Canada, USA, Manitoba, or Minnesota).
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Our Story: Why we made the move...(Information supplied on this topic is from experience only, and in no way reflects policies, regulations, or laws from either Canada, USA, Manitoba, or Minnesota). |
Why Leave?
What made us leave well paying jobs, a decent life, and nice house in Winnipeg, and move
to The Twin Cities? Lots of big things, some little things, and the desire for a change in
scenery.
First the big things I guess. I will give you a little background on myself (Neil) and my wife (Brenda). We are both Computer System Analysts - myself in the field for about 10 years, and Brenda just a few years. I studied at the University of Manitoba and Red River Community College. I have worked at three great computer related jobs in Winnipeg since finishing school. Each job was very satisfying from both a work fulfillment perspective, and a salary perspective. Brenda finished her two year diploma course at Red River, and had also been working in the computer field for the past few years.
As both of us are in what you can currently call in an excellent career choice - jobs are plentiful - with competition for qualified and experienced computer people very high. Like many of you do, we read the newspaper, watch TV, and read various trade journals relating to our field. We kept hearing more and more "If you are in the computer field, move to the states".
First Contact - The Phone Call
Well, I received a phone call from a fellow Winnipeger, living in Minneapolis in early
January of 1998. Of course, he made Minneapolis sound like a paradise - decent housing,
good schools, climate a little warmer (ie longer summers, shorter winters), decent cost of
living, and yes - MUCH lower taxes. Brenda and I were currently loosing about 49%
of our paycheques to taxes - UIC, CPP, and whatever else the government could take off our
cheques. It seemed the further we got ahead (ie got paid a little more), the higher
percent we kept losing from our paycheques.
Brenda and I contacted by phone one of the many computer consulting firms in The Twin Cities - the one recommended by our Canadian friend currently living there. We talked and e-mailed back and forth, trying to come to terms with what kind of jobs we could have in The Cities. The consulting firm was planning a visit to Winnipeg in late February of 1998 (one of their many semi-annual treks to Winnipeg to try a steal some more Canadian computer talent). We agreed to meet with them at one of their "job Fairs" held in a Winnipeg downtown hotel, in a conference room rented out for their week of recruiting.
Another Winnipeg to USA Job Fair
We arrived for our meeting. To our surprise, there were probably about 25
"candidates", resumes in hand, meeting with this company's recruiting team. Our
interviews went well, and in a couple of days, we were invited to spend a few days in the
Twin Cities area to look around, and of course visit them at their offices. I wondered to
myself, how many of those 25 people that we saw also having interviews are also now living
in Minneapolis?
Our Visit to The Twin Cities
During our visit (airfare/car/hotel paid for of course!), we noticed something very
different. The city was alive. The infrastructure was in great shape. Highways and
freeways everywhere - gardens, parks, restaurants abound. The list could go on and on. Did
you know that the unemployment in the Twin Cities and surrounding area is around 1%?
(My opinion - but it will never get any lower, because you will always have that 1% of
people who will always be "between jobs", or simply just don't want to earn a
living!). For the computer related fields, there is such an extreme shortage that they
refer to it as "negative unemployment"!
We also had time to quickly look around, and signed a lease to rent a town-home - we were not comfortable buying a house in such a large city, and only having a couple of days to decide. Mentally, we wanted to be there! (hindsight: good decision!)
In short, my wife accepted an offer by that consulting firm that arrived in Winnipeg a couple of days later, nearly doubling her wage in Canada. Just think, her take-home pay would be double, and then again, paid in US dollars! This for a two year diploma course and a few year's experience!
I decided to pursue some different employment opportunities, and flew back to The Twin Cities (again, all expenses paid) a couple of weeks later our first visit. I had 6 companies (for a total of 11 interviews!) scheduled for three days. It was going to be a busy three days. For each of the companies, I was basically interviewing them. I was wined, dined, and taken out so many times I was loosing track of which company was which!
Five Offers?!
Upon my return to Winnipeg, I had received five offers of employment within the next two
days. I waited a few days - until Friday, and negotiated a signing bonus and relocation
package, and committed myself to one of the companies. My offer also almost doubled my
Canadian wage, but after the income tax difference - it did double the take-home pay, and
of course also, in US dollars. I discovered the Americans pursue job candidates a little
differently. If they want someone, they react - they also know how to negotiate. (I
remember job interviews in Winnipeg where you would not even receive a "Thank
You" letter. Companies would call you in about three weeks, and be surprised that you
had taken an offer elsewhere.)
The Preparation
Things were in pretty high gear! So many things to do. Sell the house, pack, organize
movers, get personal affects in order, get banking and finances in order, investigate any immigration visa requirements, do
a major throw-out. (you wouldn't believe the junk you collect until you have to move!)
Fortunately for us, the previous year's Spring Flood evacuation (we lived in St. Norbert)
had caused us to do a major cleanup before, so the packing and cleaning was at least a
little easier.
The Move
Move day came. It was May - nice and sunny outside. We chose to pack ourselves, so
basically all the movers were doing was loading up the van, and wrapping some furniture
for us. What was once a full house, was now empty in a many of three hours. A final
cleanup, lock up, and turn the keys in to the lawyers. Considering we had no advance work permit, or visa, crossing the border and
obtaining our work-permits was a breeze. Literally, a 15 minute process!
What's it like here?
Things are overall, great! No city is perfect. We accept that. However, Minneapolis is
thriving. (Actually, Calgary is thriving, Edmonton is thriving). What happened to
Winnipeg? Why is Winnipeg having a problem moving into the 21st century? One major factor
is there is a lack of excitement about living there, causing people like Brenda and I to
look elsewhere.
Winnipeg is still going to be the cheapest place in Canada or USA to live when it comes to housing. Has anybody asked why? Why - when I bought a house, lived in it for eight years, built a deck, finished the basement up - could I only sell it for the same amount that I bought it for? Because people (the professionals, the ones with good jobs, and nice houses) are leaving Winnipeg. There is a flood of houses on the market - and it won't stop. Look around! Why is housing getting expensive in Calgary? Because of the mountains? Nope - look at what the cities have to offer. We are living here, in the Twin Cities not because we decided "let's move to the Twin Cities". We decided that we wanted out of Winnipeg. We then looked at alternatives. Calgary, Edmonton, BC, Minneapolis. We knew what Calgary, Edmonton, and BC had to offer. We then looked at the Twin Cities. We were blown away. True, our profession (Computer Systems Analysts) is a hot commodity right now (hopefully it will last past Y2K!!!). But people here working at McDonalds are getting $9.00/hour plus medical/dental benefits!
Anyways, enough gripping. We will still visit our parents and friends back in Winnipeg. Our parents have a cottage in the Lake of the Woods area that would be worth a million dollars (US$) if it were here. Hopefully, they will still let us visit them!
Neil and Brenda.
Please feel free to contact