I had the pleasure of spending time with Ms. Hunnisett throughout grades 10-12 in English. It was a unique experience. I had my older brother in the class for the first two years, so you already know I did what I could to stand out in my own way, usually through humour. There are two things I’d like for you to know about me, and these are both things that I had to find out about myself and learn how to take advantage of: I’m extremely competitive, and I like puzzles and problem-solving. I took Business at the University of Calgary, started as an “Entrepreneurship and Innovation” major; however, I quickly realized that although the subject is cool, I wouldn’t have a job after university, so I switched into “Operations and Supply Chain Management,” and that is what I graduated in. How did I know that was the right one? I didn’t; I kept my options open for as long as possible in case I wanted to pivot.

Currently, I’m working as the Inventory Control Supervisor/Analyst at PepsiCo Beverages at the bottling facility in Calgary. It’s a pretty neat gig, but man, am I burnt out. I was never good at pacing myself. Did I think I’d end up here? Not specifically, but I did have a feeling the analyst route was in the cards for me at some point. I’m good with numbers, and I’d be willing to say that I’m alright with people. Being in a manufacturing plant as an analyst is precisely what I thought it would be: glued to a computer with a billion numbers on it, and always in meetings. My favourite part about corporate is that the jokes are almost always a hit since no one expects me to joke around in a professional setting, which has really set me back in my humility classes. I’ve interned in other admin and warehousing roles before, which I believe may have played a part in getting the role I am in now. During my interview with the plant director I had him laughing a decent bit, and he said that was a huge proponent to my hiring. 

There’s a lot I’m still learning about careers and how to establish oneself to any degree. My preferred method is to reach out to people in positions that I want to be in. Whether it’s people in titles I’d like to hold or a financial situation I’m wanting to replicate, I am just looking for my yellow brick road. Turns out there isn’t a single road to get there – but I am starting to see patterns in these people who I’d regard as successful. They don’t stop. They find, as specifically as possible, what they want, and they pursue it like their lives depend on it (many times their lives did, talk about some real motivation). It stuck out to me, and I firmly believe that is how you win – in fact, it helped me win in school.

Despite my mom’s best efforts, I was somewhat of a slacker when it came to high school. I loved going there, but I just couldn’t get myself to do the work consistently enough to positively impact my grades. English was one of my worst subjects; I ended 9^th grade with a 70%. Begged my way for a shot at AP English in grade 10 because my older brother had done it, and I couldn’t be worse than him. He’s probably the only reason Ms. Hunnisett actually let me in, now that I’m thinking about it. Older students always said that the workload was more intense in AP, and that everyone joining shouldn’t be disheartened if their grades drop. I found out my reading comprehension was mostly dragging my grade, and Ms. Hunnisett was often providing after-hours support. So I went there with a goal in mind – there were ~7 genres of reading comprehension, and the top four grades in each genre would be taken in unlimited attempts. And that’s exactly how many attempts I used. I was there as often as I could be, burning through whatever I could. Ms. Hunnisett probably had to start reusing some excerpts because I was working on anything I didn’t have 100% in. It became a game to me, and I had no excuse to lose with unlimited lives. I ended English 10AP with an 84%. This was a turning point for me, where I began to ask the question, if you’re not playing to win, why bother playing at all? 

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of people to look up to and learn from. These were people whom I admired and who saved me from falling into the complacency of self. For my career, then, the path I wanted was something challenging in the same way, a place where I would not become complacent. Instead of narrowing down my options, though, this thought process opened me up to everything. Saying no was not an option; I’d learn what I needed to be successful where I found myself: Conferences, trade shows, car meets, business events, seminars, working positions, etc. Turns out you can get pretty far into some places by just behaving like you belong there; don’t give someone a reason to question it. Conceptually, this is also why you can get into any establishment by walking in with a ladder. The point is, I didn’t put myself above or below anyone, or any role. Simultaneously, you’ll have the humility to know you aren’t better than anyone but the arrogance to know that no one is better than you. 

I’m hoping to find new experiences in different industries. Supervisor/Analyst in food and beverage manufacturing has been great, but I’m falling into a plateau of being buried in paperwork. I’ll start offboarding and moving into something new, hopefully by the end of the year. I will say, making a career today is quite challenging and often a very disheartening process to go through. To land at Pepsi, I sent out close to 800 applications between October 2023 and March 2023. Before then, I had sent out a few hundred to get an internship with the Calgary Food Bank, and stayed there until I could find something else. It’s not easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.

If I could go back, I’d tell myself a couple of things. First, get your ass to the gym. I couldn’t list all the benefits of intense physical activity if it were all I wrote about in this; there are so many. Second, don’t stop reading. No, I’m not being cliche or cringe or whatever you kids say, put it in your day and enjoy the peace and quiet. Third, you’re never alone, and you’re always alone. Understand that you’ve got people around you who want to help, and let them help – similar to how you want to help others and are glad when they reach out. But also remember that you’re the one at the face of your problems – you don’t need anyone. Fourth – I know you like finding creative solutions, but sometimes there isn’t a problem to solve; but rather, a truth to accept. The sooner you realize that, the faster you get to move on. Last, you are responsible for finding yourself. You are at the helm of every decision and every reaction, and it is your obligation to own your choices, for there is no deeper betrayal than abandoning your own becoming.