February 18|2008

Dear Jancy:  I am currently studying advertising (communications) in a well known good university here in Brazil. In about a year I should be graduating and I'm considering moving to Canada. I'm concerned about whether I'd be able to find a job there with my Brazilian degree. Should I consider further studies in Canada or should I just go looking for a job? If I were to continue my studies, where would be a good place? And is there any way (suggestion of where/how) I could start looking for a job before moving up there? I am fluent in English and also speak Portuguese, French and Spanish with a little knowledge of Italian. I'm not exactly sure which area I'd like to work in, though lately I've been leaning towards copywriting. Thank you in advance.

It's all about the portfolio. Your degree, your languages are way down the list of what really counts (although fluency in English and French are definitely an asset). Whether or not you need to continue your education in Canada will depend on how far you get with your book in Brazil. With only a year left and still no certainty of which creative road to take, we suspect you won't have a killer portfolio yet in either stream. Most good programs for art directors and writers concentrate on the skill for 2 years or more. If you land in copywriting, the strongest program in Canada is probably Humber in Toronto. http://postgraduate.humber.ca/11621.htm

You will quickly see if you need more experience in school when you start showing your portfolio to agency creative directors. The awards shows reveal the best agencies in Canada---look at websites for Cannes, The One Show, Communication Arts, D&AD, the Creativity Awards, Clio's, Art Director's Club of New York. Canada's big shows, The Marketing Awards marketingmag.ca/magazine/current/marketing_awards/article.jsp?content=
20070329_69281_69281
and the Bessie Awards (for television) http://www.tvb.ca/bessies.htm
show you the best of 2007 from a national perspective. You can look for agency websites from there, and try emailing your work to their CD's for starters. Getting local perspective first makes a lot of sense. If the Brazilian agencies think you still need more education to have a book that will get you a job, they're probably right. Brazil has a strong advertising profile---you would do well to get a job at a good agency at home. Note that your English needs to be just about perfect to get a job in Canada, or French in Quebec. If you're not there yet, we suggest you start your career at home. It's hard enough to break into advertising without needing to learn a language and understand a new culture on top of everything else. You will also have to deal with immigration (assuming you aren't already a citizen)---the agency that wants to hire you has to make a case to the government that you are better than the Canadians they could have hired. Impossible? Not at all. But know it's a process. if you really want it, you can make it happen. That's what Nancy did 20 years ago when she moved up from the U.S.