The Job Market Is Tough
It has been a month since I’ve arrived in Norway with the mission to find an engineering related job, but no luck so far.
It seems like every job here requires at least a master degree plus a few years of experience, regardless the ability to speak fluent Norwegian. I get how the education here is free1, so looks like everyone is happily getting their master degree. However, the tuition fee in Canada is ten times higher than in Norway2 which means not everyone can afford university, let alone doing a master. Some friends I know even work several part-time jobs just to save up enough money before the enrollment date for upcoming semesters, not to mention it’s difficult to keep up with school while being exhausted by work. Anyways, it is kind of like a drawback to be a non-EU foreigner who wishes to work in Norway.
Although I still have five months of time before UDI’s so called skilled-job-seeking permit expires, I really need to get my job before Christmas because I don’t want to spend this Christmas and New Year ALONE at home and UNEMPLOYED. It would suck big time if it comes to that :(
A friend of mine was asking me this morning “If it is so hard, why not going back to Japan or staying in Canada with us?”Â
Because I like Norway, despite I’m currently unemployed :P
1: The textbooks are not free.
2: According to the report from Higher Education Strategy Associates.
