Coming to Canada is both an opportunity and a sacrifice to me. It’s an opportunity because I thought I would have a bigger chance to wider my career path. While it is also a sacrifice because you have to leave everything behind from the country that you came from and that includes a livelihood and a profession. I had a small business back home and profession as a Community Development Practitioner, but everything changed when I decided to move to Edmonton where I found myself starting all over again and creating new paths of success in my chosen field.
The quest started when I first looked for an organization that could help me continue my passion in serving marginalized people within the society. This brought me to Catholic Social Services which advised me to engage myself into the Canadian culture and job market which I would learn later on at Bredin Centre for Learning. At Bredin I immersed myself in all the training and developed skills and strategies on how to be professional in my field all set in a competitive Canadian job market. After all my training and the assessment of my Bachelor’s degree through IQAS through the services at Bredin, I felt on the one hand that I was ready to apply for a job but I was still lacking expertise if I wanted to pursue my career in Canada as a Community Development Practitioner.
I was later introduced to ERIEC by my Settlement Councillor at Bredin, and I attended an information session at ERIEC. During the session, I was so amazed by what the Career Mentorship Program offered by ERIEC – the program will provided not only practical information but also practical and proven hands-on strategies given by an experienced mentor in my field. I was so fortunate to be chosen as one of the participants in their program and was well matched with my mentor who is a Career Practitioner and works at one of the largest immigrant settlement agencies in Edmonton. Throughout our mentorship sessions, we accomplished a lot of activities – I have tailored my resumes to fit the job descriptions, I have learned different strategies and etiquettes to practice my interview skills through mock interview and on site interview practice, and I have improved my networking skills in the different functions and events, which has given me more confidence in relating with others and making my way into my career journey.
The door opened for me when there was an opportunity available with one of the immigrant settlement agencies. I readily applied for the job and was so happy to get it. I am very much thankful for my mentor Eun Jin for her insights and her story that gave me more motivation to go through the process and once again I can apply what I have learned and experienced through the years of giving service to others. ERIEC has also placed a significant role in weaving everything together for me to reach my career goals. I know that I am still in the journey of creating my success in my field and I have made significant progress. No matter how long it will take to reach my goal, what important is my little daily successes that will help me to make it through to my ultimate goal. Today, I am ready to share my story and pass it forward to others who are willing to listen and be mentored.