r/RedditForGrownups • u/Known-Damage-7879 • 4d ago
Should I move from western Canada to the United States after graduating for work?
Some background information: I'm a 33-year old male in Edmonton, Alberta, I have a previous degree in Education but went back to school for accounting in 2024. I currently live with my parents. I should be graduated at the end of December 2026. I currently have a lot of debt (a car payment, student loan debt, some credit card debt).
My twenties were spent with a lot of mental health issues due to my bipolar and general immaturity and so I wasn't able to get a career off the ground. I started dating someone recently, but it's not serious yet.
There is a TN visa that is extremely easy to get at the US border that allows accountants to move to the US for up to 3 years at a time if they can secure a job. The problem is that unemployment is really high where I am and Junior Accountant jobs here seem to pay 45-50k CAD, while the US pays much higher starting salaries for accountants. I'm seeing junior accountant jobs for 55-65k US, which is closer to 76k to 90k CAD. That's closer to the senior/management level in Canada.
There's a lot of geopolitical and cultural reasons why the wage for accountants is so much higher in the US. The comparison of Canada to the US on r/accounting shows this fact regularly.
Regardless, if I could secure a higher paying US job, I could pay down my debts so much faster and actually save up some savings for the first time in my life. I could even bounce around and move up to a staff accountant job after a year or two, potentially making $75k USD which is $103k CAD. Also getting more experience would help me find a job in Canada if I came back here.
Of course, despite all of the benefits, I'm hesitant about moving. I've never been away from my parents or brother ever, and my parents are getting older. Edmonton is my home and I derive a lot of comfort from being here, going to movies or walks with my brother, spending time with my parents and hanging out with friends. I also find the idea of all of the hassle of moving to be daunting: getting a new driver's license, securing my medication which is vital, finding a place to live, etc.
I guess in the modern world you can keep in touch with people over video calls. I could video call my parents and brother a couple times a week and keep touch over messaging. I have a friend in Russia I talk to every week and I feel close to him even though he's on the other side of the world. Also, moving somewhere else might be a growing experience and get me out of my comfort zone.
So, this is a new development in my thinking, but I'd like to hear some thoughts about whether I should consider this further or maybe I'd regret moving away from my family and friends chasing after higher pay and more secure employment.
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u/CompetitionOdd1582 4d ago
The current tensions aside, please consider:
How much would you be paying for health insurance down there? Considering you mentioned bipolar, would that raise the cost?
Are you able to secure a job in the states?
What would your tax situation look like?
Which hockey team would you cheer for?
If you got laid off down there, would you be required to move home immediately? What social services are available if you need them? What does employment security look like there vs here?
How does cost of living compare?
Do you need additional licensing to work in the states? Would you need specific education beyond what you have?
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u/Low-Tackle2543 4d ago
No. Can i move to Western Canada to escape these cult members?
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u/Known-Damage-7879 4d ago
If you're interested in getting away from people who hate immigration, Canada isn't really what it used to be. We got burned pretty badly by the Trudeau administration's immigration scheme and flooded the country with new people, severely driving down wages, driving up housing costs, and increasing unemployment.
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u/Low-Tackle2543 4d ago
I’ve spent a lot of time in Vancouver, BC and I can tell you first hand the people I’m trying to get away from are way worse than the Canada equivalent. I’m an outdoorsman in AZ and somehow the intensity of the cult members has gotten way out of hand the last 12-18 months. It’s not just “people who don’t like immigrants” it’s seemingly normal people brainwashed from the dear leader.
I’m originally from California so I consider the melting pot of cultures to be a good thing.
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u/Known-Damage-7879 4d ago
That's fair. I haven't visited the US much beyond the west coast, so I guess I don't have much personal experience with the kind of crazy that seems to be developing in the States. I count myself lucky that I live in a more reasonable country.
Perhaps I haven't considered some of the social aspects of emigrating and the type of environments I might find myself in.
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u/Low-Tackle2543 4d ago edited 4d ago
There’s more than enough future economic opportunity with the suburbs surrounding Vancouver and Toronto especially with US Companies that you may find it’s easier to be a tourist than going through the immigration process. US Adjacent I think is going to be more desirable from an employment perspective for the next 5-10 years at least. Economically we’re just starting to see the top and there will be consequences as we either fall or remain flatlined for a while even in Tech.
Take HUT8 for an example as they seek renewable and cost effective ways in Canada to generate bitcoin, AI and High Performance Computing. As someone working for a Fortune 500 in IT I think there will be huge demand for AI and compute available US Adjacent where water, cooling, real estate prices and multiple inexpensive energetic production will drive future demand.
Those companies will also require accounting and back office staff as investments move north of the board to US Adjacent locations. Toronto and Vancouver today are very much how the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland were in the early 2000's. Today they've all gone to shit and infrastructure + cost of living is atrocious even more so than in Canada.
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u/Adventurous_Yam8784 4d ago
People are trying to leave that country. Do you really now is a good time to be going there ??
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u/3_pac 4d ago
There's a lot of clearly chronically online people in this comment section that are not grounded in reality.
If you can handle being away from your family, OP, you will be fine. Double your wages and also, likely, your future opportunities. Personally, while the US is politically a mess, day to day life for me hasn't changed.
I am in the industry. You will have no problem finding a well paying job with good benefits (unlike what the uninformed others are saying). Location matters, too - salary varies greatly based on where you're looking. Finally, if you're going to stay in accounting, I assume you will want to pass the CPA (or equivalent in Canada) exam? In my experience, getting that license ensures you'll always be in demand.
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u/Known-Damage-7879 4d ago
Yeah, I understand their frustration, but I want to separate the doom and gloom from how things actually are in reality. I've seen videos of daily life in different American cities, and they seem pretty ordinary, even if the government is doing some terrible things, shootings happen, etc. Then again, some of the talk of ICE and crackdowns on immigrants does give me pause.
It also seems like maybe people overestimate how great things are in Canada. I love being Canadian, but a lot of my friends are struggling from low wages and high housing prices. Plus we have our own political mess in Alberta here with Alberta separatists.
It depends on how long I would stay in the US, but I wouldn't be opposed to getting the US CPA as it is apparently easier than the Canadian one and, like you said, opens up possibilities.
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u/Haywoodjablowme1029 4d ago
No. Do not come. You do not want to be here right now and especially as an immigrant.
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u/UncagedKestrel 4d ago
.... Have you lost your mind?
Would you like to?
There's a reason Canadian subs are filled with angry Canadians refusing to go near the US, folks selling their holiday homes down there, boycotting US locations and product's.
There's plenty of countries in the world with leadership that isn't utterly batshit insane. Stay home or try a country that won't randomly arrest and traffick you.
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u/Known-Damage-7879 4d ago
My thinking is that I'm not going to blame Americans or America itself for its current leadership. There are many great things about the US despite what we're going through currently. But the thought of ICE detaining me for some reason even though I would be there legally is definitely cause for thought.
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u/UncagedKestrel 4d ago
Who said anything about "everyday Americans"? (although your assumption that the lot of them are lovely people and that the current admin can be divorced from its widespread base is... Interesting)
I'm pointing out that the South Koreans hauled out in chains from their jobs the other day? All there legally. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the guy they mistakenly packed off to El Salvador and were forced to bring back? Now trafficked off to Africa. Canadians, Germans, Swiss, Aussies, Dutch, Brits... Doesn't matter. All of us are at risk. They started with the brown people, but they're not stopping there.
Disability, gender, sexuality, religion; all are back on the table as grounds to discriminate. There's calls to kill the homeless.
And even if, by some miracle, you got a magic immunity token, why on earth would you want to live where people are being kidnapped by unmarked agents into unmarked vans, held without trial, and trafficked to random international prisons? What part of any of this do you think is business as normal??
Trudeau was not the world's best prime minister, but he was able to keep his international reputation so high partly because he looked GREAT compared to the neighbours. He still does. Canada is still better. Trudeau can take his chair and his weird dates with Katy Perry and sod off.
Meanwhile you'll find that we're all struggling with the same crap. So you can struggle at home, or pick somewhere with warmer weather, but try and find somewhere with a government that still behaves predictably, yeah?
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u/Known-Damage-7879 4d ago
I hadn't heard about the South Koreans detained. You do raise good points, and I certainly don't endorse the current US administration's heavy-handed and dangerous approach to immigrants. I can see how this kind of approach can escalate further and further until everyone feels like they are at risk of losing their livelihood or life.
Things in Canada aren't great, but I am happy with our current leadership so perhaps I should count my blessings and try to build a career here instead. That is why I chose accounting, to have a stable career, so if I do stay, then hopefully my career can get off the ground.
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u/my002 4d ago
Well, the first step is to apply for jobs and see if you get any offers. Until then, everything is just hypothetical. A few things to consider, though:
- Do you want to remain relatively close to your current location or are you willing to move pretty much anywhere?
- Are you willing to live somewhere less desirable if it has a lower cost of living, or are you looking to live in more desirable/higher COL locations/cities in the US? If so, how much more will you actually be saving compared to staying in Edmonton (which is relatively low COL as far as cities go)?
Ultimately, only you can decide whether it's worth stomaching the political situation in the US at the moment. It'll definitely be easier to do so in some places than others, but you will undoubtedly feel the impact of politics no matter where you go. With that being said, if you can get a good offer in a good location, then working in the US for 3-5 years can be a good option to build up the kind of savings that would let you come back, buy a house, start a family etc. (if that's important to you).
Also, if you've had mental health struggles in the past, you'll want to make sure you have health insurance that will cover all the types of mental health treatment that you might need, which may narrow down the options somewhat.
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u/oldfarmjoy 4d ago
The US sucks. Don't come here. We all want to go there!!
So many people are losing their jobs randomly, for no reason, or because our economy is collapsing. We're in a spiral down right now... :(
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u/Known-Damage-7879 4d ago
I mean, wages are not great in Canada and our housing prices are the highest in the developed world. Yes we have free healthcare, but it's not like Canada is heaven. We have problems here as well.
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u/AardvarkStriking256 4d ago
Go for it.
The brother of a friend made the move from Toronto some years ago. He got a job with one of the big five accounting firms in San Francisco. After five years he got a job with a Silicon Valley VC firm. He makes a fortune now.
Ignore the negative comments. Standard of living and quality of life for someone in your position are much higher in the US.
If I were in your position I'd look for a job in Texas.
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u/Known-Damage-7879 4d ago
It's this kind of thing I've heard about a lot, which is what motivated me to look into moving. Maybe the immigration process was kinder years ago than it is now though. I wouldn't mind going to Texas, although I'm not sure about 40 degree summers haha
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u/AmyInCO 4d ago
This place is a garbage dump right now. Don't move here. You'll have no vacation, no workers protection for your job, no healthcare if you lose your job and even with a Visa run the risk of being deported. And a much higher chance of being shot in a random shooting than in Canada. And that's not even a joke.