Ab_Normal

I'm from the Pacific Northwest. Should I even contemplate applying for a job in Edmonton? I realize that it'll be a fair bit colder (and probably windier), and with proper insulation I can deal with that. But how are the elementary schools? And my husband wants to know how tolerant they are of VW microbus drivin' hippie freaks.

Thanks.

never been there

I won't deny that it's a prairie town, which will definitely lack the visual appeal of somewhere closer to the coast. It's flat. Waaaay flat except crossing the river and it sprawls. People are OK, it's a civil service/part-time oil town which gives you a more urbane crowd than Cowgary. You won't be the only VW microbus drivin' hippie freaks. 3 or so hours' drive will get you to Jasper, which is quite VWMDHF-friendly and way gorgeous.

Ab_Normal

gracias! Mr. Ab will be happy to hear that.

I prefer my horizons unobstructed, so that might not be a problem, though I'm not a true midwest flatlander (i.e. I like some elevation on the far horizon). Sprawl isn't good, though - I'd prefer someplace with good public transportation.

ex-idaho

Abs it looks I am not the only Spokander looking to head north of the border. I have been looking for work in the Vancouver area for a couple of months now. I think now that they won the Olympic bid my prospects may pick up.

Good Luck on the job search

Kilted Canuck

Its slightly less harsh than here (smack dab in the middle of the prairies), since there are no large bodies of water to moderate the temp, the summer's can get up to the high 30's to 40's (Celsius, not F; it's not that cold in Canada!), but the winters can get as low as -40 (C or F, no matter how you look at it). Its alberta, so there's no PST (around 6 or 7% everywhere else in canada). It has a fairly good transportation system, plus the West Edmonton Mall, and a good education system.

Godot

But it's still Edmonton. It's too far from the snow for me to ever consider living there. Assuming I go back at all, if I don't go back to Calgary, I'll probably end up in Montreal.
But Edmonton! Even Saskatoon is better than that!

Ab_Normal

Yeah, but it's a job writing computer games. I finally got to put "25 years experience playing and game mastering role playing games" on a resume, which, to me, makes the whole thing worth it.

Ab_Normal

I'm used to those summer temperatures, but, wow, those winter temps - brr! If this happens, I'd best get Mr Ab some really good insulation...

erm, what's PST?


edited three times to fix tags - more coffee!

Walross

Godot wrote:

Screw you! . Seriously though Ab, take it from someone who has lived in both Calgary and Edmonton - I prefer Edmonton. It does get bloody cold here in the winter, but the summers are (usually) nice. We have an absolutely gorgeous river valley, a wonderful University, festivals year 'round (including the largest Fringe festival in North America - 2nd largest in the world), a vibrant theatre community, a diverse population that tends to be slightly more liberal than the rest of Alberta, etc etc. Plus we have Bioware - one of the best game software companies in the biz (I take it this is who you are applying to?).

Oh, yeah, PST is Provincial Sales Tax. We're the only province that doesn't have it, though we are saddled with the eternally unpopular GST (Goods and Services Tax), which is 7%.

I hope that helps. If you have any specific questions about Edmonton, ask away, or feel free to PM me.

Ross

Ab_Normal

Thanks, Walross! Yep, I'm applying to Bioware... it's more of a spur-of-the-moment lark than anything, but I can still hope. (I'm sooooo tired of writing client/server database applications... read the record, display the record, capture changes to the record, write the record... yawn.)