My Struggling Days As An International Student In Canada. Keep Going & Never Lose Hope!

I was a new immigrant in Canada in 2017. I never felt like giving up because I was well prepared for what can happen and knew how difficult things can go wrong. I had read many blogs and forums to get as much information as possible and be prepared.

Still, after I came here, there have been times where I would question myself if my decision was right or if my struggle will ever end. Here are a few instances where the struggle seemed real and hardest in Canada:

1. When I couldn’t get a part-time job even after submitting my resume to at least 50+ stores.

2. When I got my first job to sell credit cards to people. They would only pay me if I make a customer i.e sometimes, I would work for 9 hours marketing the “good services” of my credit card company and only get paid $20 as I could only make one customer.

3. When I got a job in a beer factory where I had to move beer / cold drinks bottles from the conveyor to the packet which was very fast paced. You work for 2 hours and get 15 minutes break. Sometimes, we would get very bad scratches on hands from the caps of beer bottles and we will be ridiculously tired once the shift is over.

4. When I would leave for a factory shift at 6 pm and would do the shift from 7 pm - 7 am and come back home at around 8 am, then sleep a little, finish any of the group assignment or project, cook food or just eat some fruits and leave again at 6pm for another shift. We’re badly tired during this phase.

5. When I finally got a good part-time job but didn’t have a field job and it seemed impossible to land one with the high competition. I would work for 7 days a week doing two different jobs with college and assignment work and my internship too.

6. When I finally got a field job and it was hard for me to handle the stress level and fast paced environment as I was a fresher.

Point is every time I was put into an environment I was not experienced with, I struggled. But then you realize and see that every single student or immigrant around you does the same and goes through the same pressure. Then you start to think less, care less for the future and just focus and getting it through the day. Somehow, you learn to deal with the shit and things keep getting better.

Hope this answer helps. I have no intention to scare or demotivate anyone and just pointing out some of the hard phases. I had some great experiences too and learned awesome things as well. To name a few:

1. I traveled alone to the US all on my own and it was one of the best trip of my life.

2. I worked with entrepreneurs, met some great people and learned how they started their business, what they went through, and how they are running a successful business.

3. I partied a lot with friends and once I had a streak of attending a club for five consecutive weekends. This was a very new experience as we in India stay very conservative.

4. I made some very good friends from other cultures.

To sum it up, there is no good or bad. Its all about dealing with the hard things and enjoying with the ones which make you happy. :)