Is Calgary all it's cracked up to be?

[ippielb]

So, my girlfriend is looking at getting a new job and wants to relocate to Calgary for it. I have driven through it and went to Stampede a couple times but never spent any amount of time there. Is it really all it's cracked up to be there? I have heard that there's so many jobs there for trades and equipment operators but it seems it's not what you know it's who you know. I'm a heavy equipment operator but i've worked on the rigs and done labor positions, how is the pay and opportunities there? Right now I'm getting paid under $25 an hour to run Grader, loader, and drive truck, I would rather use my skills in equipment then trip pipe again. How much different is Calgary then Regina(nearest big city to me)?

 

[pistonbroke800]

There is lots of jobs to be had. I don't really think its a who you know thing either. I think most operators are $30 or more around the city. I have been to Regina many many times and I prefer Calgary but that's just me. Its a pretty clean city and is a close drive to lots of cool things. Always a nice option when you can day trip sledding in the mountains.

 

[ferniesnow]

I've lived in a lot of places and some of them were pretty small. They were all what ever one made them. It is in your hands what you do and what you get out of it!

IMHO, there is no comparison between Regina and Calgary. Calgary wins by miles and miles......

 

[ippielb]

I like that idea of day trips to the mountains. The increase in pay would be a bonus as well.

And yes, the only reason i'm hesitant to leave is because of the family farm. I'm attached to it and i don't know what i will do with my cattle.

I did try to apply at teck coal for a while to try and get on as a haul truck driver but it never panned out.

 

[Trashy]

I moved here 6.5 years ago, born and raised Edm.

I like looking out my back yard and seeing the Rockies.

2 hours away from CNP
2.5 hours away from Fernie and Elkford
3.5 hours from Golden
5 hours from Revy

I'm a manager in a drywall/spray foam insul company. The wages are very competitive to your experience. From what you have said, you could be in the 30-35 buck/hour range. But it depends mostly if you can back your bullchit, just like it is with any other company.

I don't like the winters...... -20 to +5 to -10 to +15 to -10 all in 1 month. Local snow has been very good here. But it is bald ass prairie, and no trees

 

[ippielb]

I moved here 6.5 years ago, born and raised Edm.

I like looking out my back yard and seeing the Rockies.

2 hours away from CNP
2.5 hours away from Fernie and Elkford
3.5 hours from Golden
5 hours from Revy

I'm a manager in a drywall/spray foam insul company. The wages are very competitive to your experience. From what you have said, you could be in the 30-35 buck/hour range. But it depends mostly if you can back your bullchit, just like it is with any other company.

I don't like the winters...... -20 to +5 to -10 to +15 to -10 all in 1 month. Local snow has been very good here. But it is bald ass prairie, and no trees

That kind of weather has explained out winter this year. But more so the range from -40 to -5, and then -20 to above zero, we have had 2 or 3 spurts of spring like weather where it has melted away almost all of our snow. Where i'm from there is no tree's so thats not a big deal. Try bald prairie, with zero hills, flat as a table. That's where i'm from. I like the idea of being close to the mountains, but the people factor is what i will never get use to, i hate people. Retarded drivers give me a great deal of stress. I've heard Calgary is bad for that. When i went i went during Stampede and drove through in the wee hours of the morning, so it went from bumper to bumper on deerfoot, to hitting the green light madness where you go all the way through calgary without hitting a red! That was golden. Regina you hit every red light no matter when or where your going.

I don't like to spin my tires, I don't want to sound cocky or make myself sound like i can't operate, but i can hold my own on everything i operate, so i hope the pay would reflect that. I am in a union here and no matter how much effort i put in, and how good the job looks, if someone has 1 day more seniority then i do, and there's an opening for a position with higher pay, even if he's a dipchit, he will move ahead rather then me.

 

[Trashy]

That kind of weather has explained out winter this year. But more so the range from -40 to -5, and then -20 to above zero, we have had 2 or 3 spurts of spring like weather where it has melted away almost all of our snow. Where i'm from there is no tree's so thats not a big deal. Try bald prairie, with zero hills, flat as a table. That's where i'm from. I like the idea of being close to the mountains, but the people factor is what i will never get use to, i hate people. Retarded drivers give me a great deal of stress. I've heard Calgary is bad for that. When i went i went during Stampede and drove through in the wee hours of the morning, so it went from bumper to bumper on deerfoot, to hitting the green light madness where you go all the way through calgary without hitting a red! That was golden. Regina you hit every red light no matter when or where your going.

I don't like to spin my tires, I don't want to sound cocky or make myself sound like i can't operate, but i can hold my own on everything i operate, so i hope the pay would reflect that. I am in a union here and no matter how much effort i put in, and how good the job looks, if someone has 1 day more seniority then i do, and there's an opening for a position with higher pay, even if he's a dipchit, he will move ahead rather then me.

IMHO......Unions have done their thing for ALL of us, now they are just useless!!!! but that is my opinion..... It doesn't matter what big city you live in, stupid drivers are stupid drivers!!! I drive around Calgary for a better part of the day, every day. Between 10am and 2pm is bliss..... the people on the road are usually for work, or going to get groceries.
I do like living here, I won't deny that.

 

[ippielb]

IMHO......Unions have done their thing for ALL of us, now they are just useless!!!! but that is my opinion..... It doesn't matter what big city you live in, stupid drivers are stupid drivers!!! I drive around Calgary for a better part of the day, every day. Between 10am and 2pm is bliss..... the people on the road are usually for work, or going to get groceries.
I do like living here, I won't deny that.

Unions have their bonuses and downfalls, but mine is absolutely useless. I'm glad there's hope for me to not hate it if we do decide to relocate, my girlfriends really leaning towards moving there for starting her new career. Her brother knows a lot of people so that gets her foot in the door. Only problem for me is i don't know a soul west of Regina, or east of Estevan. I guess you can say i'm kind of a home body.

 

[dale+shan]

You can expect an increase in pay, BUT expect a huge increase in living expenses. Your rent or mortgage payments will be substantially larger.

 

[KatMan]

Interesting choice of words, "cracked". Inner city is getting bad. I left my car unlocked in front of my house once. They went through the car, took my change. Fine. Then proceeded to smoke crack while in my car, in front of my house. How did I know? They got so cracked up they left their crack pipe on my seat. Thanks dude, don't think I'll need it. Maybe they just wanted to experience the luxury of getting high in an 02 grand prix. i may never know.

Found another pipe behind my garage along with needles et. Over the years.

And I don't live in Dover, i'm SW of downtown.

 

[Trashy]

You can expect an increase in pay, BUT expect a huge increase in living expenses. Your rent or mortgage payments will be substantially larger.

No more than St. Albert is, but yes..... it is more to live here, to a degree. Your wages should reflect on the cost of living. The average home in Cowtown is $450,000.00

 

[Trashy]

Interesting choice of words, "cracked". Inner city is getting bad. I left my car unlocked in front of my house once. They went through the car, took my change. Fine. Then proceeded to smoke crack while in my car, in front of my house. How did I know? They got so cracked up they left their crack pipe on my seat. Thanks dude, don't think I'll need it. Maybe they just wanted the experience of getting high in an 02 grand prix. i may never know.

Found another pipe behind my garage along with needles et. Over the years.

And I don't live in Dover, i'm SW of downtown.

17th Ave & 14th St ???

 

[KatMan]

Good job, you just about nailed it.

 

[Trashy]

Good job, you just about nailed it.

Thanks

 

[ippielb]

Interesting choice of words, "cracked". Inner city is getting bad. I left my car unlocked in front of my house once. They went through the car, took my change. Fine. Then proceeded to smoke crack while in my car, in front of my house. How did I know? They got so cracked up they left their crack pipe on my seat. Thanks dude, don't think I'll need it. Maybe they just wanted to experience the luxury of getting high in an 02 grand prix. i may never know.

Found another pipe behind my garage along with needles et. Over the years.

And I don't live in Dover, i'm SW of downtown.

Sounds just like north central Regina, i work in road construction and i did back alleys for a few years and you'd be disgusted to see the things we find. Every crew is issued a sharps kit, we usually found at least one needle in most alleys. Some were more interesting, St. John's Street and 5th Ave the alley to the north west, found 35 condoms, and the lower part of a female made out of rubber... Once incident we had was some guy huffing propane watching us dig out his alley, took 3 days for him to snap and then come out with a knife, cops took him away, then heard on the news a little while later a guy was huffing propane in the airport parking lot in his car, cops came, he went to light a smoke and blew all the windows out.

No more than St. Albert is, but yes..... it is more to live here, to a degree. Your wages should reflect on the cost of living. The average home in Cowtown is $450,000.00

That's what i was hoping was an increase of pay would counter the higher cost of living, for my job here, the cost of living has gone up more then out raises, so in reality we are falling behind.

Good job, you just about nailed it.

Sounds like people from regina when we talk about north central.

 

[tmo1620]

I moved there in 03, lived there until half way through 06, very expensive and big city to live in, wasnt out of the ordinary for me to drive 60km one way to visit a buddy or to go to work. Nice city as far as cities go, clean, nice people and close to the mtns which is nice, but IMO thats where the pros stop. The city is super spread out and I found I spent far to much time driving places, rent is very high and home prices are up there as well....... not alot more than other cities in Alberta but will be lots more than Regina. Wages are better than Saskatchewan but not that great in comparison to the rest of Alberta. I more than doubled my wage by leaving Calgary to work in the same field here in whitecourt. While I lived there I put an average of 45-50,000 km on my vehicle a year and thats with mostly city driving, I barely get that in two years now and I travel around way more than I did before, so vehicle maintenance costs go way up as well as fuel consumption. I still go back to visit family and friends once a year and by the last day there Im ready to get the hell out of that city, my gf grew up there and even she cant stand being there for any amount of time, shes ready to leave after a couple days

 

[mlipiec]

I grew up about an hour north and just bought my first house there, in my opinion the small towns in between calgary and red deer are where you should look. Much cheaper housing and still close to the city for when you need it, cant stand too many people in one place haha

 

[Trukker]

^^^^I agree you can live outside Calgary cheaper . Loved Sasky grew up there but would never look back. Way more opportunity long term here in my experience .Housing costs in Regina not that far off Calgary anymore and cost off living is no more than Regina . Probably harder for you to make the decision to make new roots .