OT: Jobs in Ottawa

[JD1]

If you have any brains in your head, an ounce of ambition and are unilingual then government is torture. I've been around the feds for 25 years. You can use the words job and unilingual in the government in this town but you cannot use the words career and unilingual in government in this town. The government of Canada simply has no career opportunities for unilingual English in this town unless you can pick up your second language on the way. You will top out at a level after 7 or 8 years and that is it. No more advancement. Doesn't matter how much you know or how good you are.

That said, if you can pick up your second language, there is lots to do in government. There are lazy people everywhere (more than in private sector) but you can easily avoid those types and get your teeth into both interesting and necessary work.

 

[CanadianHockey]

To other posters in the government

How do you like it?

Both my brother and father worked almost their entire lives in the government; my dad was a diplomat from the 70's to 2006 and my brother currently works in IT for the Office Commissioner of Official Languages but has worked for the government since around 1998 and they offer very different views on government career

My brother says that right now it's a giant mess and that it is rather painful (he has to lay off people and he really has a hard time with it being at the top of his list) but my dad really enjoyed other than having to deal with other lazy workers (which is true of any job)

I've been told I should seek out a better job at the government since I'm bilingual, studied polisci and generally "get government" but I have huge reservations about how things are looking these days: it would make sense for me in a way since job security is nice, the pay is good, pension and benefits but I can't help but think that the inertia that is inherent to government will drive me bat**** crazy since I'm much more focused on efficiency than procedure.

One of the reasons I'm considering bailing on Ottawa is that, in this town, it's government or bust (unless you want to start a business, but these days starting a business in Ottawa seems like a silly idea unless you've got lightning in a bottle): I'm gonna be 30 in January and the time to make some important life decisions is coming, if I stay here it's going to be for a government job.

I'd like some other people's take on real government work and how it is this days: my brother and father absolutely hate everything about the Federal Conservatives (I'm no fan but I'm not as partisan as they are) so I'm a bit suspicious about how they see it.

My dad hates it, although he's in the CF and works at DND, so it may be a little different than your average public servant.

His primary complaints are with individual contracting, which he thinks is a waste of money, because contractors get paid more to do the same job. He also hates government contracts for equipment and supplies - takes too long to get equipment or financing because the government has to go through a bidding process every time. On top of that, you run into compatibility issues because different companies will win bids for various components of the same project (ie one company runs the network, another provides hardware, a third does software, instead of one company providing all three).

 

[MainDotC]

I know someone who works in the Ministry of Finance and one time he told me "some days I just send a few emails and that's my entire work day."

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

A company won the bid in our local government to do the print management and put in new printer hardware for the county and they are dreadful. Worst company I've ever seen.

 

[Rals]

As an auditor, I deplore all your stories of government inefficiency.

 

[FuriousSenator]

I know someone who works in the Ministry of Finance and one time he told me "some days I just send a few emails and that's my entire work day."

As someone who worked for 2 years in the federal government while in school (various internships and such), this does happen; but there are other days where you can't even think straight you have so much work to do.

The thing people don't realize is how insanely cyclical government work is, and how subject to internal/external budgets it is.

You may work your ass off in April, only to have your project canned in September ahead of the Q4 budget, then you have an off period where less work is done before the next budget is released and you have new work to do. Some days of the year you'll send a single email, some days you'll send a hundred.

I guess all jobs in the world have this dynamic, but in the government, it seems particularly acute.

 

[member 137785]

I'll agree with everyone who says you are limited in your advancement if you don't know French. Even computer programmers generally top out at a CS-02 level, even if you're the best programmer in the world, because to be a CS-03 you (usually) have to be a "manager", and every employee has the right to speak to their manager in the language of their choice, even if there are no employees under you who speak French!

That's why the best programmers leave to become consultants, and then go back and do the same work for more money, and less politics.

They don't care if you know Java or C++, just if you know French.

 

[canadiancreed]

I'll agree with everyone who says you are limited in your advancement if you don't know French. Even computer programmers generally top out at a CS-02 level, even if you're the best programmer in the world, because to be a CS-03 you (usually) have to be a "manager", and every employee has the right to speak to their manager in the language of their choice, even if there are no employees under you who speak French!

That's why the best programmers leave to become consultants, and then go back and do the same work for more money, and less politics.

They don't care if you know Java or C++, just if you know French.

Pretty much sums up the IT world in Ottawa. Something a friend of mine told me in the mid 2000's comes to mind.

A level folks go to Silicon Valley
B level folks become consultants
C level unilinguals go to Toronto/Alberta/Vancover
The rest join the government.

I've never concerned myself enough to verify if that's true or not, but as someone that's experience the "French > skill" cutoff more then once, it wouldn't surprise me if its' true.

 

[dumbdick]

Government is way too big to try to pigeonhole it with labels. There are fast-paced engaging fun jobs, lazy boring paper pushing jobs, and absolutely every shade in between. If you want a good job in the government, you can find it, you just need to do your research. If anyone tries to describe how things are for everyone working in "the government", they don't know what they're talking about.

 

[Back in Black]

Jobs in Ottawa?

He's not in Ottawa anymore???? ha-ha

 

[MainDotC]

Jobs in Ottawa?

He's not in Ottawa anymore???? ha-ha

 

[CanadienShark]

This is good to know. I'm in my second year of university, but first year at U of O... perhaps I won't be sticking around after my degree, since I'm not bilingual.

 

[Step]

I work for the O.P.P. in a Provincial Communications Centre (Dispatch/911) and we're always hiring. I'm civilian.

Here's the link: http://www.opp.ca/ecms/index.php?id=286

Pros:

• $28.50/hour starting
• I'm 13 years in and I'm at $86k/year
• Interesting (and difficult) job
• Cool people, good work environment
• 12 hour shifts, so only work 13-14 days a month
• We hire both bilingual and english-only peeps

Cons:

• It's in Smiths Falls
• Crazy hours (dayshifts -> 07:00 to 19:00 and nights -> 19:00 to 07:00)
• Have to work weekends/stats/xmas if your scheduled

If you have any questions, lemme know.

 

[FuriousSenator]

I work for the O.P.P. in a Provincial Communications Centre (Dispatch/911) and we're always hiring. I'm civilian.

Here's the link: http://www.opp.ca/ecms/index.php?id=286

Pros:

• $28.50/hour starting
• I'm 13 years in and I'm at $86k/year
• Interesting (and difficult) job
• Cool people, good work environment
• 12 hour shifts, so only work 13-14 days a month
• We hire both bilingual and english-only peeps

Cons:

• It's in Smiths Falls
• Crazy hours (dayshifts -> 07:00 to 19:00 and nights -> 19:00 to 07:00)
• Have to work weekends/stats/xmas if your scheduled

If you have any questions, lemme know.

Looks like a pretty solid opportunity. Bookmarking for reference. I'm out of the country, but I may look into it when I'm home!

 

[Ron Jeremy]

If you're unilingual, you chance of a fed job is cut in half. Should you get in, your chance of advancement beyond a level or two above entry level is between slim and none. Any job in communications that I have seen is bilingual.

 

[CanadianHockey]

If you're unilingual, you chance of a fed job is cut in half. Should you get in, your chance of advancement beyond a level or two above entry level is between slim and none. Any job in communications that I have seen is bilingual.

Depends where you are, some Departments will pay you to learn French if they see upper management potential.

 

[trentmccleary]

People are giving you good advice here. It boils down to the same things:

1) learn french
2) learn some other skill that doesn't involve government
3) leave Ottawa

Your chances of improving your career path without 1 of those 3 things changing are extremely limited in this city.

 

[testinz]

I'll agree with everyone who says you are limited in your advancement if you don't know French. Even computer programmers generally top out at a CS-02 level, even if you're the best programmer in the world, because to be a CS-03 you (usually) have to be a "manager", and every employee has the right to speak to their manager in the language of their choice, even if there are no employees under you who speak French!

That's why the best programmers leave to become consultants, and then go back and do the same work for more money, and less politics.

They don't care if you know Java or C++, just if you know French.

This might not apply to all departments.

At least in certain department:

Manager is MG 06, which is equivalent to CS-04.

CS-03 is team lead or technical specialist.

Most people start full time French training when they become Manager (a.k.a French becomes a requirement at the Director level)

 

[Smash88]

Plus it's not like it's peanuts. At PWGSC you can get up to 90 or so thousand per year before you need to learn french, and by the time you get there, they will pay you to take french lessons.

It really depends where you are too, in my division we are 12 and only 2 of us are bilingual...

 

[KidKarlsson]

I work for the O.P.P. in a Provincial Communications Centre (Dispatch/911) and we're always hiring. I'm civilian.

Here's the link: http://www.opp.ca/ecms/index.php?id=286

Pros:

• $28.50/hour starting
• I'm 13 years in and I'm at $86k/year
• Interesting (and difficult) job
• Cool people, good work environment
• 12 hour shifts, so only work 13-14 days a month
• We hire both bilingual and english-only peeps

Cons:

• It's in Smiths Falls
• Crazy hours (dayshifts -> 07:00 to 19:00 and nights -> 19:00 to 07:00)
• Have to work weekends/stats/xmas if your scheduled

If you have any questions, lemme know.

I have a few questions Step. I sent you a PM, can we chat?

 

[MainDotC]

I work for the O.P.P. in a Provincial Communications Centre (Dispatch/911) and we're always hiring. I'm civilian.

Here's the link: http://www.opp.ca/ecms/index.php?id=286

Pros:

• $28.50/hour starting
• I'm 13 years in and I'm at $86k/year
• Interesting (and difficult) job
• Cool people, good work environment
• 12 hour shifts, so only work 13-14 days a month
• We hire both bilingual and english-only peeps

Cons:

• It's in Smiths Falls
• Crazy hours (dayshifts -> 07:00 to 19:00 and nights -> 19:00 to 07:00)
• Have to work weekends/stats/xmas if your scheduled

If you have any questions, lemme know.

Do they run any type of a criminal / background check? For instance, if someone was cited for unlicensed operation, uninsured motorist (eventually it turned into a plea of uninsured motorist only and a fine). I mean I don't know if that stuff is really even relevant if your job is to answer emergency calls and dispatch.

 

[Step]

I have a few questions Step. I sent you a PM, can we chat?

Absolutely, I usually check in a few times a day.

 

[Step]

Do they run any type of a criminal / background check? For instance, if someone was cited for unlicensed operation, uninsured motorist (eventually it turned into a plea of uninsured motorist only and a fine). I mean I don't know if that stuff is really even relevant if your job is to answer emergency calls and dispatch.

Send me a PM

 

[FuriousSenator]

Do they run any type of a criminal / background check? For instance, if someone was cited for unlicensed operation, uninsured motorist (eventually it turned into a plea of uninsured motorist only and a fine). I mean I don't know if that stuff is really even relevant if your job is to answer emergency calls and dispatch.

Not that you would do anything like that, but you're just curious.

 

[MainDotC]

I live in upstate NY (google maps: Morrisville, NY) hence I would not be cited with those offenses in Ontario. Truly inquiring on behalf of a friend.