Jared McVeen, Sci ’06, is the first to it he’s a terrible cook. Fortunately the new Calgary resident can afford to enjoy restaurant meals on a daily basis, thanks to the substantial salary he earns working in the booming western Canadian economy.
“I had always enjoyed visits to Calgary, and I moved out here because I wasn’t getting a lot of interest from Ontario firms, and I heard the pay here was above and beyond what I might make in Toronto,” McVeen said.
So the struggling grad took a leap of faith and headed west. Within days of his arrival, the Simcoe, Ontario native found a lucrative job as an evaluation engineer for McDaniel & Associates.
“It was really amazing, actually,” he said. “I just went for it, everything fell into place, and I’ve never looked back.”
This Calgary convert is only one of hundreds of recent Queen’s graduates who have relocated to Calgary because of a hot job market and a thriving economy driven by the oil and gas industry.
Many easterners have never visited the rodeo-loving western metropolis, but these days, Calgary has more to offer than cowboy hats and pick-up trucks.
In 2006, the city’s population broke the one-million mark, and Calgary boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 3.2 per cent. For many new graduates, that alone makes Calgary the place to be.
McVeen said many of his friends ventured west after finishing their degrees. He added that the difference in income between those who left and those who stayed in Ontario is remarkable.
“The friend I know who makes the least as an engineer in Calgary is making much, much more than the friend I know making the most working in Toronto,” he said. “BMWs and Mercedes are commonplace around here, the night life is great and you can tell that this city has expendable income right now.” McVeen said there was more to enjoy in Calgary than nightclubs and restaurants.
“I always loved coming out here to ski. The nature here is something that Ontario just can’t stack up to,” he said. “This is a youthful city, and it’s an exciting place to be.”
Sports cars and serious salaries aren’t the only changes to Calgary’s landscape. New construction dominates the city skyline, but still can’t keep up with the demand for new space.
Although McVeen managed to find a well-located and modestly priced apartment to share with two roommates, he said buying a house is out of the question for most new city dwellers.
“The housing market is ridiculously expensive, especially if you want to live near downtown,” he said.
In 2006, the average cost of a home in Calgary rose by 26 per cent to more than $350,000. Although a home in Toronto is similar in price, Calgary saw only a five per cent increase in average housing prices last year.
McVeen got lucky, but many Calgarians are suffering from outrageous rent hikes. Alberta is one of three provinces without rent control, meaning housing costs can continue to climb without limit—many tenants experienced rent hikes of 30 to 40 per cent last year.
Jim Campbell, manager of the western division of the Queen’s office of advancement, is responsible for helping recent graduates find work. He said he has observed a noticeable trend of Queen’s alumni migrating to Calgary in recent years.
“I tell people, ‘if you’re in Calgary for 24 hours and you haven’t found a job, you must be hiding,’” he said.
Campbell estimates of Queen’s graduates in 2006, approximately 70 of 400 Applied Science graduates and 150 of 1,500 Arts and Science graduates moved to Alberta within the last year.
“Not only are Alberta natives leaving Ontario upon graduation to return here and work, but easterners are coming out as well,” he said. “There is a very large influx of students, not only in oil and gas, but in other professional sectors as well.”
Michael Clarry, ArtSci ’89 and president of the Calgary branch of Queen’s Alumni, moved to the city from Toronto in 1993.He said although Calgary has grown since then, the lifestyle is still more laid back than anything big-city Ontario can offer.
“The city has expanded, and I have seen changes in the pace and atmosphere,” he said. “But I still prefer this life to life in the east. You’ve got the mountains nearby, and things feel more laidback.
“People just seem friendlier.”
Clarry said the alumni branch has grown significantly since he took over three years ago.
“We’re at 3,700 strong, which is around a 10 per cent increase since I became president,” he said. “New graduates for a lot of that, definitely.”
All the talk of booming industries and BMWs makes Calgary seem like the paradisical Shangri-La for new grads, but Clarry is quick to point out that with every boom must come a bust.
“The nature of oil and gas is very cyclical, and people who have lived here for many years the busts of the 1980s, when work was hard to come by,” he said. “A job is a sure thing now, but what about in three or four years?”
Western companies are actively seeking Queen’s graduates to staff their growing offices, still, said Paul Smith, director of Queen’s Career Services.
“Queen’s has a solid national reputation, and firms want our students,” he said.
Oil and gas aren’t the only industries seeing major growth. In fact, the industries’ influence has ebbed in recent years, with white-collar sectors like tourism, medical research and finance adding diversity—and cash flow—to Calgary’s downtown.
“Certainly, it isn’t only engineering students benefitting from the development out west,” said Smith. “Grads from every faculty are seeing many more opportunities than even five years ago.” And Calgary isn’t the only hot job market for new grads to consider. Smith said 2007 was the best year on record for Queen’s graduates finding work in Canada.
“In 2006-2007, we had double the job postings as the year before,” he said. “baby boomers are retiring, and that means good things for graduates.
“I expect 2008 to be even better.”
Whether job hunting brings students to Calgary or not, Smith suggests those on the cusp of graduation think long and hard about what they want out of a career, and the city they call home.
“Students need to prepare themselves for this high-demand environment,” he said. “Sit down and think about what your priorities are, not only with work, but with your lifestyle and your living arrangement.”
As for McVeen’s advice to Queen’s students wondering what to do after graduation, he would probably tell them to take a chance out west.
“I would definitely suggest to someone that coming west right now is a good idea,” he said. “Just take a shot at it, and there are so many opportunities out here that it’ll probably be worth the risk.”
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