Citizen Pyesetz

[pyesetz]

I got only 100% on my citizenship test (because there are no extra-credit questions).  Now I have to wait 1-3 months for the oath-ceremony.

This was a long time ago.  And this was even longer ago.

Now if only I had a Canadian job!  Recently I went to a seminar on SR&ED.  Half the attendees were CEOs at local startups.  I was the only job-seeker.  After the seminar, one of the CEOs gave me a job interview.  A few days later I went for an interview with that company's chief engineer, who is a hard-ass about deadlines.  I thought, "I do not have the health-points for this job".  They wanted device drivers to connect Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to an ARM development board.  I could probably do the work, but I'm just not enthused about working on that team, for no pay, and maybe a share of the booty in six months when the venture-capitalist vultures show up.

Maybe I should be looking for a later-stage startup that already has some VC funding and won't remind me quite so much of working on a pirate ship.

Comments

[loganberrybunny.livejournal.com]

I actually remember commenting on that 2004 post! It's been a long time, but congratulations!

[pyesetz]

Thanks!  Unfortunately, the link to Google Groups for the conversation with warren_wolfy doesn't look quite right anymore.

[shiver-raccoon.livejournal.com]

Woohoo, congrats, eh!

I've had to do some SR&ED stuff... figuring out how much of my time a year ago was involved on a certain subcomponent of the project. Fortunately, I keep good timesheet records, but it still seemed pointless.

[pyesetz]

SR&ED is Canadian socialism at its best!

[shiver-raccoon.livejournal.com]

Yeah; I'm sure that my company spent more time applying for the tax credits (including hiring an expensive brand-name accounting firm to advise us) than the value of the tax credits received.

[pyesetz]

80% refund of qualifying expenses is potentially a *lot* of money!

[shiver-raccoon.livejournal.com]

It's that high?! Ok, I didn't know that.

So, let's see...
my tax dollars go to the government, who give them to my company for SR&ED work, who then pay my salary. So part of my money comes back to me, with everyone taking their cut along the way.

Wouldn't it be easier just to lower my taxes instead?

[stuffedwithfluf.livejournal.com]

Hey, you failed to mention that I also got 100% on the test AND I finished before you did. :)

[pyesetz]

Okay, "Wifey studied a lot more but got the same score.  Also, she got to spend more time waiting in the lobby."

[shiver-raccoon.livejournal.com]

So what questions do they ask?

I've no idea whether I could even pass the test :-)

[stuffedwithfluf.livejournal.com]

20 questions VERY similar to the ones you will find on this practice test:
http://www.yourlibrary.ca/citizenship/

That's the test I used to help prepare for the real thing.

[shiver-raccoon.livejournal.com]

But those questions are all about politics; Canadians don't care about that! :-) Maybe they should have more important questions, like:

1. How much does a double-double at Tim Hortons cost?
2. What day of the week does the weekly Canadian Tire flier get published?
3. When do hockey playoffs start?
4. What is the name of the boring season after hockey finishes, and before the next season of hockey starts?
5. Can you open an RRSP with Canadian Tire money?

Now *those* are more useful to know.

Congrats to both of you!

[xolo.livejournal.com]

I tried the practice test (and could apparently become a Canadian citizen). One of my questions was:

8. What is Canada’s national winter sport?
a. Golf (in Florida).
b. Nordic skiing.
c. Lacrosse.
d. Hockey.

[pyesetz]

Most of the questions seem to be more about parsing English than reciting facts.  For example, "lacrosse" is one of the national summer sports, so the issue is whether you notice the word "winter".

[(Anonymous)]

I think I'd go for:

e. Complaining about the weather

[xolo.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!