IEC is the way to go pal, I have just been accepted through that route, stopped with my friends in Alberta in May, applied to CIC before I left, two weeks later I got an invitation to apply for a work permit and got accepted about 3 weeks later, gonna come over in September and let nature take its course! All I needed to do it write a resume, fill in a form about my immediate family and get a police check and scan the relevant documents they wanted and pay the $200 fee. Really is that simple! I am 28 with no dependants so there the way I went. To be honest, I think it was probably harder to apply for the police check than a work permit. Worth a try buddy, you got nothing to loose and lots to gain!