You're better off finding a way to make it financially for CU and make moving to Europe a longer range goal. I moved from Colorado to Italy and still have my home there. Even though I was asked to move by the company I work for, the process wasn't easy.
It would be illegal for you to either live in or work in the countries in Europe (or elsewhere) without obtaining a visa that allows you to live and work here before you come. Right now, the economy is not good and there are not many jobs available. The best opportunity is probably in the healthcare field. EU citizens have the right to live and work freely within the EU, others cannot automatically live and work here.
My direct experience is with Italy where I've been living for the past 12 years. The site for visas here in Italy is:
http://www.esteri.it/visti/index_eng.asp . The site has links to the application, the additional information you need to supply in order to get the visa and where to apply. It also includes education visas which are somewhat easier to get than work visas. You can find similar information for other countries on their consulate websites.
A work permit is separate - you cannot apply for that yourself. The company has to apply and they have to be able to demonstrate that there is not a viable EU candidate for the job. As a result, jobs for foreigners including Canadian or US citizens are pretty much restricted to people with special education, knowledge, or experience ... and you would have to be able to speak the local language. Right now, as noted above, the best bet would probably be something in the healthcare field. When I moved here, it was through a transfer of the job I was already doing in the US to the Italian office. Even so, it took 8 months to put all the paperwork in place to apply for a visa.
It's useful to check the expat sites for information about living and working in the places you might be interested in:
http://www.expatsinitaly.com/http://www.escapeartist.com/http://www.expatica.com/ You can find other sites by searching for "expat" and the name of your target country. You need to look carefully into the economics of the move.