No one’s career path goes exactly to plan, and mine has taken me to places and industries I would never have imagined it would. I completed a certificate program in Computer Networking at Red River College in 2010, only to immediately fall into the transportation industry in a completely unrelated job role for several years. However, when the opportunity presented itself to continue my post-secondary education, I knew that I wanted to return to Red River College.

I have always found ways to draw on my experiences at Red River College no matter what I’m doing. RRC instructors do an amazing job of making each course relatable and relevant to the “real world”, and they also provide opportunities for students develop and hone the soft skills required in the workforce today.

My advice to students considering enrolment in the Business Administration program would be to look beyond just the program outline and course syllabuses. There are endless extracurricular opportunities at RRC that will help you grow as an individual and a leader. Try your best to say yes to every opportunity to get involved inside and outside of the classroom. Your effort in this regard will repay you exponentially.

The Intercultural Mentorship Program allowed me to learn about the lived experiences of someone from a completely different culture, which was not something that was accessible to me having grown up in a small rural Manitoba town. Serving as a representative on the Red River College Student Association gave me an opportunity to advocate on behalf of my fellow students and learn about how the college environment operates behind the scenes. Participating in the Applied Projects extracurricular course gave me the opportunity to work on a real-world marketing project for a local non-profit organization.

I secured a job offer three months before graduation thanks to the First Impressions Recruitment Event (FIRE) which allowed me to interview with several employers of choice in the industry I wanted to work in.

As I prepare to return to the college for a third time, this time in a continuing education program, I am confident that Red River College will once again help me learn skills that will help me reach my new goals.