PhD in India, security guard here, made right move

Source: Toronto Star

A university professor from India, Vijay Bhosekar never thought he would don a security guard uniform and walk his beat in malls and condo buildings in Toronto.

But that's what the gregarious 49-year-old agricultural scientist has been doing since he arrived here in April 2005.

The pay, just above $10 an hour, is meagre but Bhosekar is taking it in stride while enrolled in courses to upgrade his skills and acquire credentials to be a certified environmental practitioner and earn a professional designation in agrology.

"My view is, relative to other survival jobs, this job can give me better exposure and networking opportunity to meet different people," said Bhosekar, who had taught at his alma mater, the University of Agricultural Sciences, Hyderabad, for years. "The job is quite interesting. The thing about Canada is, I don't feel I lose my dignity. People respect me for what I do."

Bhosekar and his wife, Vaishali, an elementary school teacher, came to Canada so their only daughter, Meghana, 19, could get the best education. She now majors in environmental science at York University.

"I felt I was well qualified for a lot of jobs with my line of work and expertise," he said. "But it was a horrifying reality when we got here."

It is unfortunate that people from other countries come to Canada and cannot qualify for the same jobs as in their homeland, mostly because of skill set and language. However this is the right attitude because the parents came to Canada for their daughter, not for themselves. Being a security guard in Canada may have a higher wages than a doctor in alot of other places. The goal is to work hard and get by so that the daughter has all the opportunities possible in Canada that she would not have in India.