Federal.

Currently working for the Federal Government for Co-op, though I'm not based in Ottawa. I did go there for my orientation, though, and it was pretty awesome.

What department and position is this for?

In the perfect world, I am happy to be with the BC gov't for a career. BUT they do not have a bridging mechanism for students. So it's a gamble.

If I work in Victoria, I will just go home every weekend. It's better than paying $600 every month to fly back for long weekends like what I am doing right now. :p

at the end, I want to score a permanent position, I don't care whether it's Federal or Provincial.

then do you want to move to Ottawa permanently? It's not like it's an unlivable city, a few millions would agree with me on that.

It's like if Pixar hires me down in Cali then it's fuck yall Vancouver time. Not like they do but just sayin'.

I wouldn't say it's 99%. Many of my colleagues in the capital are unilingual and they have relatively decent positions, like EC-5 and PM-6.

It can depend on the department as some more are more "English" than the others.

If you compare relatively similar positions in the federal and provincial government, the federal one pays a few thousand more per year.

Ottawa is a "nice" city to raise a family in, but it's a pretty lame city for a 20-something. At least you are close to Montreal, so I'd be spending my long weekends there.

Strictly speaking about location, Ottawa is nowhere near as beautiful as Victoria. :D

Maybe I should rephrase my situation a bit more. I am currently working in the Federal government already. It would be

1. Extension in Ottawa for the same position (federal)
2. New position in Victoria (provincial)

BC

The people in the thread have mentioned the pros and cons. I think you need to assess what's important to you:

- Long-term career prospects
- Being close to family
- Starting your own family
- Salary
- Lifestyle

If I were in your position, I would choose neither option and instead look for a federal position here in Vancouver. (In fact, this is what I did.)

I picked BC.

Since I am working in Ottawa already, I think it would be beneficial for me to see other parts of the government.

^ Really a no lose situation, IMO

Pros and cons for each. I was in a reverse situation like you a few years back when I was in coop. Either take an extension with BC gov or new position with fed gov (slightly lower pay, 37.5 hour workweeks compared to BC's 35). Mine were both positions in lower mainland though, chose the feds since I wanted more networks and to see a different side of things.

I'm indeterminate now with the feds. If you were looking into coming back to vancouver to work I would have suggested staying with the feds. With possibilty of bridging for coops, term hires, and internal jostings you can look for BC. I think it might have been easier going that route. My 2 cents.

I probably would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes. Goodluck on your new position!
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sure sounds like a great idea

lol

Yea, it does sound weird to work for only 35 hours a week. Bridging program is what I am looking towards, but there's none available right now, so I might as well go elsewhere and gain more experience.

There are big recruitments in the Fall for economists (my field), so I would imagine that having experiences from 2 places is better than putting my all my eggs in one basket.

I am not letting RS decide my future, I just want to see if people have any experiences to share. :thumbsup:

:thumbsup:

I'm coming back! :D