|
Guys...first of all i must confess... i don`t post a lot but lurk all day during work.
I want to update this blog because I'll be moving to Vancouver Canada next year and would like to share my experiences and ask for advice from my fellow TLiquidians. I know there are many Canadians on this site and i hope some are willing to share their wisdom with me 
You are probably asking... why is he moving to Vancouver ? Where is he living now ? When is my pizza done ?
Well apart from the pizza question, i can tell you guys where i was born and raised, on the playground where i spent most of my days. Chilling out, maxing relaxing all cool, shooting some b-ball outside of the school, when a couple of guys said "We're up to no good"...
Just kidding !!! 
I grew up in Switzerland and have been saving up money since i started working at a multinational company over three years ago. I never liked my job and was only in it for the money and traveling. The main problem were the working hours (11h a day... six days a week).
Since i was a kid i always wanted to be involved in a creative way in the computer entertainment industry. My first level design i finished at the age of 5... i drew a pretty detailed level inspired by the game "Challenge of the Ancient Empires". The size ratio was 1:1 and it spanned at least over 12 A4 pages.
![[image loading]](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs750.ash1/164111_1784851380195_1206828762_2076734_1407665_n.jpg)
Sadly no such industry exists in Switzerland... so if i ever want to work in that field, i will need to move abroad.
But how can I move to another country and work in a field I have no professional experience in ?!
well...
I`m lucky and can move since my dad is Canadian... so i don`t need a visa. On the other hand, the job-side looks very grim... I don`t have a cs major... or any other major to speak of, so i will be attending a "Game Design" program at the Vancouver Film School and hope to get contacts and a good Portfolio with which i will be able to apply at various companies. Once I'm in, I'll work myself up the ladder to a position i want.
The school is located downtown and i am trying to find my own apartment near there... I have no problem with a bus/sky-train commute... But would like to keep it below 20 minutes each way. Another one of my dreams is to live in a small condo style apartment block, but should not cost more then 1200$ per month.
Here are some other things i would like to know.
- what bank can you recommend ?
- what`s the broadband situation ?
- should i get a car ?
- what gym can you recommend ?
- healthcare ?
- what is your favorite night club ?
- where are the girls at ?
- where do i take those girls out on a fancy date ?
- anything else I need to know ?
Thanks !
eco
|
Canada9720 Posts
i don't live in vancouver, but a good friend of mine does, and i've visited there before.
- if you're living in downtown, central vancouver, ubc or kitsilano, you don't really need a car. i biked everywhere when i visited, and the bus system is reasonably good.
- at the time my friend was renting a nice 1 bedroom apartment in kitsilano for less than $1200. i'm not sure where your school is, but kits is a fairly posh neighbourhood, and is close to the rest of the downtown area.
- the girls are downtown and at the beaches  i didn't go to any nightclubs, but lots of hotties at the aforementioned places
actual denizens of vancouver can probably help you with better details
|
I can say for banks, it's really not a big deal I think they all offer similar rates and such. Any of the major banks are a safe bet, as they are all over the country. I'm sure there are also some local credit unions you could join as well. Some of the big banks are: RBC, BMO, TD, Scotiabank. Pretty much any of those would be good. As for internet, I'm not sure what it's like in Switzerland, but internet in Canada is not so great. You'll probably be looking at around $30 or so for ~5 Mbps  .
|
I live in Vancouver, Canada but i'm only 16 so i don't really know much. I'll try and answer your questions, for banks... there are a ton of them, but the most used (by my parents and friends) are either TD Canada or BMO (Bank of Montreal). The internet is okay but it costs a lot. Well not a lot but is mostly overpriced. Car, you might need one if your moving long distances everyday, but if not we have the bus and skytrain (subway in the air) Gym, no idea. Healthcare, FREE! Night club, no idea. Girls... shopping -__- (Metrotown in Burnaby [the city where i actualy live in] is one of the most busiest malls in canada with lots to offer.) Vancouver, is a hockey crazied city if you ask me. We love our Vancouver Canucks. Well some of us do.
|
I live near Metrotown, a few blocks from the skytrain station. Very nice location. If you can find a basement suite or apartment in this area, I highly recommend it, as it's just very accessible and most places aren't too sketchy -- we have, like, a miniature ghetto area, and that's it, really. Not a hard commute because of the skytrain, but it'll be closer to 30-40 minutes realistically including all walking and if you need to get on a bus -- which shouldn't be the case if I know my VFS campuses.
Skytrain gets you pretty close to most of the VFS campuses, comes every few minutes in most cases (late-night and holidays it's sometimes 5-10 minutes between trains, but that's pretty uncommon.) Car definitely not needed if you're just a student. Take that from someone who's lived here, both professionally with a hefty commute and as a student, for three years.
Broadband speeds are pretty good, but also fairly expensive. Sharing the bill with a room-mate makes it not so bad, though
As for health care, it's free (not including dental.) I don't know if you need a CareCard or not, though, and I'm not sure how you'd go about that regarding immigration/citizen status. I've been here my whole life, so I haven't actually thought about that 'til recently XD
I know VFS is a total rip for film-specific stuff (not including animation,) but I don't know about the video-game stuff. I'd be wary and maybe look in to some other schools in the Vancouver area, as we do have some great schools for that kind of stuff. I just know that I've been warned against VFS for a couple of things, so all I can vouch for is their animation stuff (which Capilano U is pretty good for anyway.)
Edit: I know a couple of people in the industry, so I'll get some input on where you should be looking. What specific field did you want to specialize in?
|
Car if you can afford it is good if you get a place or the school you're commuting to is away from the major bus lines or skytrain stations. The transit system, other than the big lines (99 B-line, all of the skytrain lines), is steady and fairly reliable, but you'll need to budget your time well accordingly if you're going to depend on it completely. Some of the smaller bus routes, especially in the morning, tend not to be 100% consistent (e.g. instead of every 10 minutes like on the schedule, they'll show up after 20 minutes with two buses)
Gym, dunno about the others, but I go to Steve Nash Fitness World and well, it's a gym, it works can't really complain.
I don't go clubbing very often, but it's my impression (compared to Hong Kong, where I was on exchange when I turned of age) that the night life in Vancouver isn't that huge. There's downtown, and there's metrotown, and that's about it. Keep mind though, Vancouver has a very active gay/lesbian/whatever community, so if you're the type to be offended by that, keep track of which areas you're going.
Downtown has plenty of fancy eating places. If you're going to spend the day out in somewhere more nature-y, Deer lake in Burnaby is pretty and Hart House is good. Otherwise, Granville island's got some fancy stuff too.
The weather here is awful. Just awful. Then summer comes and it's absolutely gorgeous every day and the beaches are amazing, and you're like "This isn't so bad." And then it rains the entirety of fall/winter and you want to cry.
EDIT: if you get a place near a skytrain station and the place is close to a station too, then don't bother with a car if you don't want to pay for it. Skytrain is very good.
|
I hear rumours that RBC is expensive to use. I recommend Scotiabank or TD.
As far as health care is concerned, it's really easy. Just grab your card and wait. You don't even need to bring money.
Also, I think 1200 dollars per month is enough to get you a really good condo.
|
yea, Sufficiency, but how can he get a card if he's an immigrant? Not sure if it's easier since his dad is Canadian, but still might wanna figure that out
I live in a small-ish but pretty nice basement suite with two bedrooms, one of them pretty big. $900 rent, including dryer/washer, not including heating. Pretty nice. I pay $450 of that, of course, then there's about $100 more in other bills on my side -- internet, phone, hydro. So, to be safe I'll say around $600 a month for one person.
|
Thanks for all the advice ! keep it coming !
I own a Canadian passport, but have no Canadian insurance card or anything like that.
Can I apply for one when I pay taxes ? In Switzerland we pay each month into one of various healthcare funds and depending on how much you pay, you get basic to maximum coverage.
I`m trying to avoid living in a basement or living with a roommate.... as I mentioned above I would like to live a few storeys above ground.
Internet sounds as expensive as in Switzerland.
I`m aware of the weather situation but not too worried since I don`t want to go hiking or anything like that, plus it`s easier to study and work if the weather sucks :D
@Cedstick
So the Vancouver FILM school is a rip-off regarding film specific stuff? Sounds really bad... Do you think it`s too expensive compared to what you get, or is it just plain bad ?! Do you have friends who have been there? I applied at VFS and got accepted... so there is no turning back for me. I`m atteding the "Game-Design" program... and that is the main field I want to work in. I don`t have illusions about the business, mainly I want to spend time with like minded people and work on projects on the side.
I would be glad if you could get me some more info !
|
Well, I mean, there are specific positions within any game company, so I was asking more regarding that, but I guess that kind of program gives you well-rounded experience in terms of writing, level design, etc.
I didn't mean to scare you, but with a lot of programs offered at "art" schools, it's considered a waste of money, because at some places they don't cover what is important: the hard-to-find technical experience. In particular, I bring up the Film stuff because it's a lot of creative-type stuff and logical practice they try and teach you, and not a lot of technical hands-on, which is what you actually want to go to school for. You can't teach creativity, and can only improve logical thinking so much (in my opinion.) Animation, on the other hand, has a lot of the technical stuff they show you in an efficient and succinct manner, rather than fumbling programs and learning it all yourself.
The VFS website has always been kind of vague in what exactly they'll be giving you hands-on with, so I'm not sure what the Game Design program is like, but I guess it does set you up for what to expect in terms of work-flow and mind-set in the industry, and as long as you're self-driven, you can apply your experience elsewhere when needed.
|
On January 02 2011 19:21 Cedstick wrote:yea, Sufficiency, but how can he get a card if he's an immigrant? Not sure if it's easier since his dad is Canadian, but still might wanna figure that out I live in a small-ish but pretty nice basement suite with two bedrooms, one of them pretty big. $900 rent, including dryer/washer, not including heating. Pretty nice. I pay $450 of that, of course, then there's about $100 more in other bills on my side -- internet, phone, hydro. So, to be safe I'll say around $600 a month for one person.
That's for him to figure out. Health care is a provincial matter so it depends on how BC deal with it.
|
Banks, well I'm not too certain about that, so I'll just skip that. Broadband, is good, you may want Shaw, or Telus. Doesn't really matter, both provide the same, around the same prices. Don't get a car, you can bike EVERYWHERE and the bus and skytrain allow you to take your bike along. Healthcare, FREE. Go to any hospital, as long as you have an appointment, unless it's a walk in clinic, and you don't have to pay. Only thing you need to pay for is dentists, can get a little pricy. Gym, you may want to find a YMCA, or something like that. For girls well.. There's a ramen place called Kintaro, really crazy good, but mostly for asians... Find girls at the beach. No clubs I really know as. Rent is quite low... I think that's all I can help you with.
EDIT: Right forgot about this, but the weather is TERRIBLE. Almost everyday throughout fall to spring, it will pretty much rain. Only summer is really nice, which is the time you want to be like, "hell yea, I live in Vancouver!"
|
don't want to be a sour sally, but from what i percieve you're looking at this in
a little too positive viewpoint. But this is a blog, so you would want to
convey positivity.
anyway, sounds like a really good plan. GL
|
Thanks again everyone for the awesome advice ! Don`t hesitate to add more:
These subjects need some more coverage:
- what is your favorite night club ?
- where are the girls at ?
- anything else I need to know ?
@ Whitesheep
Please elaborate...
|
Don't buy anything from Telus if you can help it. Get internet/tv/phone from Shaw and mobile phone from Rogers or such.
I can't help with Vancouver specific stuff (come and visit Victoria some time though, I'll buy the first round ) but the above applies all over BC.
|
I currently live in North Vancouver and my father does a side job helping landed immigrants and such.
VFS is a very, *very* expensive school. So is VanArts.
I realize you want to get into game design, but I cannot stress how fluff "game design courses" are. Schools mostly offer this to attract potential students, and the actual course itself and tactics school use can be questionable at best. Instead, if you go for a real computer science degree, you will have a much higher chance at landing a job in a studio in Vancouver. BCIT, UBC or SFU comes to mind. After you obtain a strong compsci major, then maybe think about going to "game design" school. This topic is quite publicized, you can google for the cons of game design schools. That said, VFS itself is a respectable school.
- what bank can you recommend ?
> Something with the best Student Plan. I use BMO.
- what`s the broadband situation ?
> Terrible. The recent situation with bandwidth caps, etc have made Western Canada one of the worst places for ISPs.
- should i get a car ?
> Probably. But it is not mandatory.
- what gym can you recommend ?
> n/a
- healthcare ?
> What about it?
- what is your favorite night club ?
> don't have one.
- where are the girls at ?
> ...
- where do i take those girls out on a fancy date ?
> ....
- anything else I need to know ?
> Unless you are rich, I would seriously reconsider getting a game design degree as your first major.
Also, how old are you?
|
Welcome to VanCity where rain meets more rain.
|
It is said that Vancouver is where all the S-Class girls are in Canada. Confirm or Deny in your subsequent blog posts please.
|
Ignore Cedstick about nightlife, it's pretty awesome. You just need to know where to go and have good friends to go with. He won't go with me. T____T Neither will my boyfriend, for that matter.
But, what I can say about Vancouver, since I live here:
- What bank can you recommend ?
I don't know how old you are, but if you're older than 19(which i'm guessing you are), most banks will charge you a monthly fee if you're not a student. If you're a student, they're usually free. TD Canada Trust is what I use, and I've never had any problems before.
http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/
My friend uses BMO, and she has never had any problems.
http://www.bmo.com/home
And my other friend who isn't in school, uses Presidents Choice Financial, because they don't charge you for an account if you're not in school.
http://www.pcfinancial.ca/
If you need a credit card, I know TD offers a Student Visa, BMO offers a Mastercard, and if you don't have any credit history or anything, Capital One offers a credit card for you too.
http://www.capitalone.ca/
- What's the broadband situation ?
I don't know much about the Broadband situation, to be honest. I use the internet, it works. It downloads, I'm pleased. Haha.
I think in certain parts of Burnaby(Cedric do you know anything about this?) you can get a faster, more reliable internet service that isn't available in many places in the Lower Mainland(the area around Vancouver, so Richmond, Burnaby, Surrey, North Van, so on). At least, that's what I've heard.
- Should I get a car ?
Question is, can you afford a car? Gas is getting extremely expensive, and paying for insurance can be a pain in the ass, especially if you're in school. No matter how much money you have saved, it's still ridiculous the amounts you'll spend.
We have an awesome public transit system, http://www.translink.ca/
It takes a bit to learn, but it gets you practically everywhere within a decent amount of time. It's almost easier to bus sometimes than it is to drive.
- What gym can you recommend ?
Depends where you live. I just go to the one at the Swimming Pool close to my house.
It's really about personal preference. =] Get a membership to somewhere like the Steve Nash fitness club(like Cedstick said) if you can afford it, and want to. It's pretty cool.
- Healthcare?
I don't know what you need to know about it, and I wouldn't know what to tell you if you're moving here.
It's generally free to go to a clinic, but you'll need to pay for prescriptions. You need a health card to get this, though. Some schools and jobs will offer benefits which include extended health care and insurance.
You need to look into it yourself more to find out what you need to do to get it.
Otherwise, it's generally fairly good, IMO. I just find doctors can be a bit short with you and try to get you done as quickly as possible, because there's always so many people waiting.
Oh, I just read that your dad lives in Canada after I read through my post and your post again. Health care should be no problem. Talk to him.
- What is your favorite night club ?
http://www.clubzone.com/c1/Vancouver/Nightclubs.html
I love these three;
Post Modern - http://www.donnellygroup.ca/postmodern/
Venue - http://www.venuelive.ca/
The Roxy - http://www.roxyvan.com/
And my favorite is Celebrities - http://www.celebritiesnightclub.com/
But it's a gay bar. >_>
Otherwise, you'll just have to go to a few and figure out which you like best.
- Where are the girls at ?
Your school, your work, outside, on the bus, walking around, at the mall, at the club, in the library. Every place you can think of, besides the male washroom(but I could be wrong), there are usually girls.
- Where do I take those girls out on a fancy date ?
Depends what you want to do with them. Generally going anywhere Downtown to eat is a good idea. Then there's movies, walking around Downtown.. You gotta really look and see what you'll like though. =P
- Anything else I need to know ?
Best shopping is going to be in Metrotown and Downtown, in my opinion. If you get the chance, go down to the States for a couple days and just check it out. It's fun to do.
For living, living Downtown can get INCREDIBLY expensive. So look into finding a roommate if you can. You can find 1 bedroom places downtown, but again, they're super expensive.
Most people I know who go to school Downtown live in Burnaby, or the surrounding Vancouver area. Commute can be anywhere from 10 mins to 45 mins, depends on where you live. You have to be willing to make the 45 min commute though sometimes, cause public transit does get busy, and sometimes you can't find the right place within 20 mins of your school.
As for VFS, it's an amazing school. My friend went there for Film and moved to LA as soon as he graduated and started working. He honestly loved it so much. So good choice. (:
Edit: My other friend I work with took the same program. He says,
It's a good program.
If you're not motivated, be prepared cause you're putting everything into this.
What you get out of this class is what you put in.
Don't expect the teachers to teach you anything specific or fantastic.
It's pretty much all-in. =P (I thought Starcraft immediately *_*)
But instead of luck all in, you need to have a strong foundation.
I just typed exactly what he said to me.
He also said, International students pay almost triple the amount students here will pay. Just an FYI.
Hope all goes well, if you need any more help just send someone here a message. (: I'm sure they'll be willing to help!
|
- what bank can you recommend ?
Coast Capital Savings is going to give you the best rates if you're just looking for the basics. Vancity is good too but there will be fees there as opposed to the $0 a month you will get at Coast Capital.
- what`s the broadband situation ?
Shaw is going to be the best in most areas.
- should i get a car ?
It depends where you're going to be living and how much money you have. Public transport is very good but if you're going to be living in Burnaby and want to be heading downtown every weekend it's not a bad idea.
- what gym can you recommend ?
There should be a community center within 15 minutes walking distance of most places (this might not be the case downtown) and they usually are pretty decent. They'll run you about $50 a month.
- healthcare ?
Free.
- what is your favorite night club ?
Just started going out to clubs this year so I can't tell you my favorite yet. In general i've been told the Vancouver nightlife is lesser than that of other cities, although i'm sure they're being compared to Hong Kong and Montreal which are both great.
- where are the girls at ?
Downtown.
- where do i take those girls out on a fancy date ?
How much money do you have? Vancouver is great for restaurants and you can get authentic food from pretty much every culture here. DineHere.ca is a great site for finding reviews on restaurants.
- anything else I need to know ?
Yes, a few things you should know.
1. Don't go into Surrey.
2. Don't get into fights downtown or anywhere else especially on the weekend; the people that are going to start shit with you are going to be from Surrey and they're going to get medieval on your ass.
3. Big gay scene in Vancouver and Davie st is basically synonymous with homosexuality. If you're not bothered too much by it clubs like 560 that are mostly gay can be great places to pick up hot girls. It sounds counter-intuitive I know but you'll see what I mean if you try it.
4. If you can afford it, live Downtown. If you can't afford that, live in Kits. If you can't afford that just avoid Surrey.
5. Vancouver is notorious for people being flaky (ex. your friend says he's going to hang out with you tonight but he doesn't show up and doesn't call) and it's also very hard to meet people if you don't have any friends, so make sure you know some people when you get here.
6. Lots of hot asian girls around but be careful at asian nightclubs, the guys there are usually very protective of "their women".
7. If you're into outdoorsy stuff like camping and hiking the lower mainland is a fantastic place for that. You're going to need some people to go with, some gear, and a car however.
On January 22 2011 08:01 The_LiNk wrote:
It is said that Vancouver is where all the S-Class girls are in Canada. Confirm or Deny in your subsequent blog posts please.
Montreal has better women and a better nightlife. Though for asian girls Vancouver is probably the only legit place in North America.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
