What are your main responsibilities or activities in your current position?
My current tasks include ensuring environmental regulation compliance, encouraging and implementing sustainable practices, and monitoring water and wastewater quality. Additionally, I am responsible for overseeing environmental initiatives at nine federal prisons in BC with a staff of three Institutional Environmental Officers.
How does your current work relate to your graduate degree?
It relates most closely to my M.Sc.(Planning) degree because the prisons are like small cities which must be managed sustainably.
What do you like and what do you find challenging about your current position?
It is an unusual and challenging place to work especially since environmental sustainability is not part of the core mandate.
Is your current career path as you originally intended?:
It has been interesting and challenging but not what I had envisioned for myself. I would have liked to have a job in agri-environmental policy research and development, but I have been unable to find anything for which I am qualified.
What motivated you to pursue graduate work at UBC?
A desire to learn more and to contribute to society in a meaningful manner.
What did you enjoy the most about your time as a graduate student at UBC?
Camaraderie with my fellow graduate students and professors.
How did the graduate degree at UBC help you achieve your career and/or personal development goals?:
What key things did you do, or what attitudes or approaches did you have, that contributed to your success?
I refused to be a failure. When I failed my first year of UBC I felt terrible for myself and for my parents. I never wanted to feel that way again. I studied hard and I studied smart. I figured out where my weaknesses were in studying and improved my study habits. It doesn't take a genius to get a university degree, it takes a person with dedication and commitment.
What is your best piece of advice for current graduate students preparing for their future careers?
I feel like I should say that you should study something practical, but I can't. Follow your heart and study what excites your brain. On the practical side I would suggest you try to find a job in an area related to your studies while you are going to school. Even though working while you are going to school is challenging it can actually make you a much more efficient worker. I was raising two kids, working two or three jobs at a time, and I managed to complete all my degrees within pretty reasonable time frames (5 years for the BSc(Agr), 3 years for the MSc(Planning), and 5 years for the PhD).