Hey mate, fellow saffer here, or ex-saffer anyway. I was one of the lucky ones, my family moved to NZ when I was younger, and now I live in Australia. I'm about to get into farming myself, and having lived in urban areas for my whole life, I have barely any skills or knowledge useful for farmwork. But I'm willing, eager and able to learn, and right now I'm giving someone an extra hand on their farm, working for free for now as way of training up and doing something I'm increasingly becoming more interested in, and this is while working a desk job. I work the farm in my free time. But that's me, depending on what you want to do with your life and how young you are, there are many options.
You've mentioned Canada, but don't forget Australia and New Zealand. Australia is similar to South Africa in many ways, which is perhaps why I enjoy living here more so than in New Zealand. Both countries are great though, and both have their pros and cons. My family originally tried to get into Australia, but we did not have enough immigration points, and so next choice was NZ, which was luckily easier to immigrate to. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas if you're interested. Have a look at the long term and immediate skill shortages, and hopefully you fit one of the skill shortage options. If not, look at online training or going to university or trade school, or if you have the money, could even apply for a student visa and study in NZ or elsewhere. Trades jobs (i.e. electrician, mechanic, plumber, etc) as well as Agricultural jobs are currently shown on the shortage list, as well as IT jobs. You can also move to Australia once you have your NZ Citizenship due to the SCV (Special Category Visa) agreement between the two countries, which allows citizens from each country to live and work in the other country with certain benefits and without the need to apply for a visa.
If you want to stay in South Africa, or while you're still there, maybe look at joining Suidlanders? I'm quite into the idea of prepping and homesteading, so they appeal to that side of me, and as Stefan says, it's important to find your tribe. If SHTF, wouldn't you want to be part of a community that has prepared for just that?
If you have any questions, let me know. Stay safe and good luck!
