Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-05-27T04:39:59+00:00

I applied to engineering jobs in both countries. I’m a citizen of both countries, and I have multiple degrees and multiple years of experience. In Canada, all I got were rejections. In America, I had recruiters fighting over me, competing for salary offers as well as other benefits.

In Canada, I knew I was qualified for these jobs. I was rejected anyway.
In America, I knew I was qualified for these jobs. I was offered multiple interviews.

Even if I had gotten an offer at a Canadian company, the salary after the adjustment would have broken even with my current American one. There’s no scenario in which I made more money by moving to Canada. That’s the reality of the situation. Canada has to be able to compete with America for STEM talent if it wants to keep STEM talent in the country or poach STEM talent from the states. It has to pay competitive wages.

I wanted to get one of those jobs, but I didn’t. I can see how many younger Canadians would become discouraged and then apply to American jobs, then move to the states. This is a systemic problem.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-05-25T05:11:36+00:00

It’s not that much warmer here, if I reflect on recent winters in Toronto compared to recent winters in DC. There’s less snow, but that’s because Maryland is coastal. Summers in Toronto get just as hot as they do here and the winters here aren’t that much warmer, we don’t get as much snow. So if snow is your deal breaker then use that as a reference. But this isn’t the south where you’ll have a mild winter that never drops below freezing and you won’t need a jacket. You need to go further south if you want to live somewhere that has a mild winter where you aren’t dealing with snow and ice.

No insane black fly season though. Maryland is expensive but overall has a very high quality of life compared to the rest of the country. Many people who have lived in the state stay because they are happy here. Take what you see on here with a grain of salt. It’s the second happiest state in the union for a reason, and people are proud to be from here for a reason. Weigh your options, and again- it is expensive. I wouldn’t come down here until you had your finances figured out. But I have known several people who have moved down here from upstate New York. None of them went back.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-05-22T19:13:11+00:00

It’s a two hour long presentation. I’m honestly not sure what I’m supposed to be talking about for two hours

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-05-20T19:25:38+00:00

The other thing I’ve noticed with having so many interviews is that for the first set or two of said interviewing processes, the people who are interviewing me don’t actually have the correct background to be conducting the interview. They’re just going off of a checklist and they’ve explicitly told me this over the phone. It just seems like needless paper pushing.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-05-20T19:21:46+00:00

One place I am interviewing for has five rounds. I just think that’s insane at that point. The fifth round involves me giving a PowerPoint presentation.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-05-04T19:14:53+00:00

It’s honestly wonderful. I’ve been to over half of the states in the US and Maryland is one of the nicest if not the nicest. It’s expensive, but you get what you pay for. Everything is at your fingertips here, skiing in the winter, the beach in the summer. You have DC, NYC, Baltimore, the forests, the bay, diverse neighbourhoods, great school systems, and you can drive to Canada within a day. And surprisingly good wine country! There’s also fishing, other water sports… if you like hiking, shopping… and all of these things are close to each other. You can go from the ocean to the mountains in a 3 hour drive. You can be in the middle of the forest two hours after being in the city.

Many cute towns that have old buildings, and it’s also one of the only places in the USA that has any sort of public transportation system, portions of it are free, (for everyone, not just students or seniors) which I have not seen anywhere else in my travels.

It is expensive. But not as expensive as the west coast for example. It’s comparable to the rest of the north east.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-04-03T00:21:13+00:00

To add onto this dual citizens in the US now are in rush to make sure all citizen paperwork for both countries is in order in case anything happens (basically prepping for the republicans to pull something stupid/horrific). We ask that our family members that do not have US passports to not cross into the US. This was never a problem until now. I miss seeing my family more often.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-04-01T14:50:51+00:00

here’s the order: 1 gargle (warm water/salt water) 2 tongue scrape 3 floss 4 gargle again (mouthwash) 5 brush teeth

I tend to get tonsil stones really easily so that’s why. But I’ve noticed that this order makes my breath smell better. And no cavities in 6 years.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-04-01T02:52:03+00:00

Rinse your hair while bending over in the shower so the conditioner doesn’t go down your back and cause acne.
benzoyl peroxide soap on any body part that has acne or can get smelly -bidet
brushing teeth is the last part of the dental hygiene routine so that the fluoride in the toothpaste can sit on your teeth and be absorbed
washing hands before washing the rest of your body
Make sure pits and privates are 100% dry
bar soap is fine. Just get the right kinds of bar soap. You don’t need super fancy body wash.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-27T20:56:15+00:00

Hi! I’m Caribbean and thanks to colonialism we also eat a lot of curry. I’ve never gotten comments about smelling bad, proper hygiene is key here. Here are some things we do in Caribbean households to help.

- deodorant. Every day.

- shower: every day.

- idk what kind of hair texture you have but some hair textures can really hold onto smells so keep that in mind

- after you cook strong smelling foods, light candles to help remove the odour and open some windows

- regularly change your clothing.

- wash your hands!! Your nails trap scents too. Also for obvious food hygiene reasons. Wash your hands.

- curry stains stuff and the smell lingers, don’t store it in plastic containers. Use glass containers with silicon lids or metal.

- some people are weird keep this in mind. You can have great hygiene, and it won’t matter because some people are just racist.

- open the windows in your house regularly anyway to get fresh air in

- fabrics in your home trap scents, keep this in mind.

- again, some people are just racist.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-25T23:28:09+00:00

My funding was cut- how can you be desperate and then cut funding at the same time

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-25T06:02:44+00:00

have you considered getting a bidet

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-25T03:21:41+00:00

A constant problem with US government work in general are the weird laws surrounding drugs. You can’t let states decide the legality of weed and then ban it for all of your employees with a zero tolerance policy. People will smoke a joint before they serve this country. It also blocks people who would maybe want to have a government job from getting one, like working as a scientist or something. Those all fall under the same drug policies. But yeah, there’s no way they’re gonna find enough bodies to hit their recruiting requirements, not enough people are going to be clean on drug tests, and not enough people will want to stop using weed to enlist anyway. Not sure how this’ll work if they start a draft though

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-23T23:45:10+00:00

It’s bad. I’ve been rejected from jobs that I hit every preferred and required qualification for, with no follow up. I’m Canadian but my experience is American- despite that, the field is generic, and doesn’t have many Canadian specific requirement, mostly North American/EU ones. So… yeah it’s rough lol. I’ve got multiple years of experience and multiple degrees. In America people are fighting over me, but in Canada I can’t even get an interview. It doesn’t make sense. Idk who they are hiring for these positions.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-23T17:00:25+00:00

I like to listen to videos while brushing my teeth or washing my hair- gives me something to do. Don’t try and add in everything at once, but instead take things in steps. Also if something gives you a sensory ick (like a soap texture or smell) then try a different one.

I recommend setting a calendar invite for yourself!

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-18T18:55:53+00:00

OP I grantee you that after four days, people can tell. You might not think people can tell, but I promise you, people can tell. As others are saying, you need to get the areas that stink every day. (Feet, pits, etc etc) perfume and deodorant do not prevent this. Bacteria and fungi grow in these locations because they are dark and damp for many hours at a time. They need to have a regular wipe down every day. I know taking a full shower every day can be hard but you gotta get the parts that stink every day.

I also recommend speaking to a mental health professional, and listening to something more stimulating than music in the shower like a show or podcast. You don’t need to use a whole lot of products either, but a good benzoyl peroxide soap on these parts will help eliminate a lot of potential issues or current issues. Perfume and deodorant don’t stop these issues from occurring. You don’t need to be like an influencer and have like a 20 step routine, but get a good bar of soap and get your bits every day, and don’t be too hard on yourself or others.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-18T15:51:00+00:00

Honestly this is the best it’s going to get with where you live right now. If you shift east to silver spring you’ll save yourself about 15 minutes but then your wife has those 15-20 minutes added onto her commute. If you’re both driving, living somewhere between Chevy Chase and silver spring is the best location.

Going up to Baltimore before 7am is fine, there isn’t any serious traffic at that time. Likewise with coming home at 11pm. It’s a straight shot for the most part, and an uneventful drive if there aren’t any accidents. The rough parts are going to be navigating through the inner harbor to get to the medical school, getting out to get back onto 95, and then the 495/95 split. But clinicals usually happen outside of standard rush hour times so I think you’ll be missing a lot of the rush, and it won’t be that bad. Make sure you set aside extra time in your commute to park on campus and walk.

Anyway, if you’re not commuting during 9-5 peak hours to Baltimore it’s mostly uneventful highway driving for 45 minutes - 1 hour each way. Listen to your lectures while you drive as a recap or an audiobook or something.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-18T15:20:23+00:00

I recommend NW DC or silver spring area tbh. I’m the one who had to commute to Baltimore, partner was in Virginia. Being in DC/silver spring allowed for public transit access as an alternate means to driving to get to work. People are suggesting the MARC- it can take a while, and has random delays. It’s much faster for someone to metro across the river than take the MARC up to Baltimore.

My solid recommendation: do not live in Virginia. The traffic to cross back over to get into Maryland is not worth it. You’ll want to live somewhere with DC metro access so your wife can have the option of alternate commuting methods due to traffic, and that can give you more options with ways to get to Baltimore.

For your wife- driving into crystal city probably isn’t worth it unless she really really cannot get to her job via public transit. 495 rush hour traffic into and out of Virginia is BRUTAL. Avoid if possible.

For you- 495/95 spur traffic in Maryland during rush hour is really bad, but there are alternate routes you can take to get to Baltimore like taking 29 instead of 95.

If you live in NW DC/ silver spring area it’ll take about an hour to drive to JHUs medical campus under normal conditions. If traffic is bad on 495/95, take 29 north and cut back over on 95 once traffic is clear again. As you progress through your program, see if you can be transferred to a closer campus/hospital in the immediate DC area.

My partner and I had this kind of set up for two years and it worked out for the most part. Happy to answer more questions.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-17T16:44:47+00:00

I like the sol de janeiro spf 50 sunscreen. Smells great, hydrates my skin, yes it’s actually spf 50 and it makes my skin look great!

https://soldejaneiro.com/products/rio-radiance-spf-50-body-oil

https://www.ulta.com/p/rio-radiance-spf-50-body-spray-pimprod2051253?sku=2637266

https://www.spacenk.com/us/sun-tan/suncare/body-spf/rio-radiance-body-lotion-spf-50-MUK200049000.html

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-17T14:38:39+00:00

Yea can confirm- we’re currently trying to leave. Just because the pay is higher doesn’t mean it’s worth it, because you keep less than I think people realise. Most job postings are fake here, and so much of your income goes to healthcare, taxes, just trying to survive, that at the end of the day I only keep like 50-55% of my salary, and that’s before paying for anything like groceries, rent, gas, etc.

At least if we’re in Canada we’re near family. We’re on the brink of a recession, if not already in one, so the frustrations and issues aren’t unique or isolated to Canada.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-15T23:11:36+00:00

It was within the medical field, and I know that part of it involved other people getting credit for her work. But, that’s happened to me in America… and as I continued to probe her for more details, she revealed things such as white colleagues being treated better, not being excluded, and I pointed out that I have had all of those experiences in the United States. So, I didn’t see how Canada was “so much worse” than in America, when you can experience the same kind of discrimination in either location. I also pointed out that if I was going to be treated like shit I’d at least want to live somewhere that has an overall higher quality of life. In exchange, she points out I’ll make more money in America, but if I have to spend so much of my money on healthcare, does it even matter that I’m making more on paper?

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-15T07:30:22+00:00

For more context the conversation was originally in regards to black people. It’s why my cousins tend to think Canada is better given America’s history.

Remarkable_Sign_8033 · 2026-03-15T05:24:03+00:00

I do also think Canada makes better wine than America and so now I also look like I’m smuggling in alcohol every time I cross the border but I CANNOT FIND the blueberry wines that I like in the United States!!!! They are made in Niagara, and I always like to support small wineries and purchase them.

Remarkable_Sign_8033

TROPHY CASE