Apply to College.

I planned to be a police officer. The first step was to apply in the program of Police Technology at a college. I checked online all the colleges that offered that program, and my two choices was Ahuntsic College in Montreal and College of Alma in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. One would be so much closer of my family and my friends, and the other would allow me to live a great experience in a new area. Of course, I had to pick only one.

Choice 1 : Go to Ahuntsic College.

Choice 2 : Go to College of Alma.

Ahuntsic College.

I chose to apply at Ahuntsic College. I did not want to move out from my parents' house yet, so I decided to take the closer option. I filled in the form online, did the physical and the medical exam, and I got accepted. I worked all the summer, so I had a lot of money stocked in a bank account. I knew that I had to save up for when I would leave the house, but parties and bars at Montreal seamed so fun...

Choice 1 : Save up money.

Choice 2 : Go to parties and bars.

College of Alma.

I wanted to experience new things in my life. I wanted to move out and discover a new city where I knew nobody there. The best way to do that was to apply to College of Alma. I made a five-hour drive from my home town to Alma to make the physical and the medical exams. I succeed in both of them, and I got accepted. Then, I had two choices in front of me: go live in an apartment or go stay at my aunt's house that was not so far from the cegep.

Choice 1 : Move in an apartment.

Choice 2 : Stay with my aunt.

Move in an apartment in Alma.

I moved out in Alma in a small apartment not so far from the college. My roomie was a weird guy: he never cleaned his dishes and was continually playing video games. Even if I found him annoying, I liked having an independence. At school, my courses were interesting, but were demanding a lot of work. I made new friends and even a boyfriend. With some difficulties, I passed through the three years, and I had a diploma. I also graduated from the ENPQ, so it finally was the time to chose in which police force I would like to apply for a position.

Choice 1 : Apply for a job in the Sûreté du Québec.

Choice 2 : Apply for a job in the SPVM.

Rent my own apartment thanks to my savings.

After I had graduated from college and the ENPQ, I had enough money to rent out an apartment close to Montreal. I had worked a few summers between school years, and I had saved up a lot to be able to live comfortably. I did not have roomies, it was really my own place. I decorated all the pieces the way I wanted. It was the beginning of a new chapter of my life. The only thing that was missing was a permanent job, but I did not know if I preferred to work for the SQ or the SPVM. I had to make a choice.

Choice 1 : Apply for a job in the Sûreté du Québec.

Choice 2 : Apply for a job in the SPVM.

Go to parties and bars.

Every Tuesday night, I went out at a bar with my friends even if I had a class at 8 a.m. on Friday. I also went to different parties almost every weekend instead of studying. I waste the most of my money in alcohol, and I failed all of my courses. I had debts, so I had two choices: ask money to my parents or work for a dead-end job.

Choice 1 : Ask money to my parents.

Choice 2 : work for a dead-end job.

Stay in my aunt's house.

My aunt was very intrusive in my life. She was always asking where I was going and what I was doing. I had to be careful with the cleaning because she was so strict about that thing: only one dirt on the kitchen's counter made her go crazy. I was really tired of living there. That made my college's experience kind of bad. One day, in September of my second year of my program, she suddenly died. I was shocked, and I could not find anywhere to live. So, I dropped my program and returned to stay at my parent's house. I found a job at Walmart, but I hated it: there was no compensation package, and I got sucked up with office politics.

Choice 1 : Start again.

A job in the Sûreté du Québec.

After applying for a position, I got hired in the area of Montérégie. Of course, I had an on-the-job training at the beginning to help me to learn the ropes. I really liked the job, and I felt like I was making a difference in some people's life. After five years of service, I had the opportunity to be promoted as a sergeant. I hesitated between accepting or declining the offer.

Choice 1 : Accept the offer.

Choice 2 : Decline the offer.

A job in the SPVM.

I had an interview with members of HR. A few days later, I learned that I was hired. When my first day of work had come, I was really excited. As a trainee, I had to assist the other officer who was giving me an OJT. That allowed me to learn the ins-and-outs of the job. Unfortunately, after lunch, we were going on the place of an emergency call when a big truck hit us. My colleague was dead, and I had to be transported at the hospital. When I woke up the hospital's bed, I realized that I could not feel my legs anymore: I was paralyzed. That first day of work had ruined my entire life. But, there was still hope: I could work as a civilian employee in an office. However, it was not a stimulating job... So, I also thought about staying at home and benefited from social welfare.

Choice 1 : Work in an office as a civilian employee.

Choice 2 : Do not work, and live from social welfare.

Accept the position of sergeant.

It was a good decision. My salary increased, and I had more vacation's weeks. I even kept that position for 25 years. I liked my career, but I was starting to feel the drive of work, so I thought that it was time for me to retire, but I was still wondering if I should stay for another five years to have a bigger pension.

Choice 1 : Retire.

Choice 2 : Continue to work for another 5 years.

Decline the position of sergeant.

I declined the offer because I liked the position that I already had. Instead, that's one of my colleagues who got promoted. I was happy for him at the beginning, but I changed my mind soon enough. He was flirting with me even if I told him several times that I was not interested. He was so insistent about going on a date with him, and he was continually making jokes of sexual nature. Even if I denounced his misconduct, he still had his job. Me, on the other hand, I was not comfortable about that, so I quit. I shouldn't have taken that decision; that situation of sexual harassment ruined my career.

Choice 1 : Start again.

Retirement.

I had put aside enough money, and I had a great pension that allowed me to have a great retirement. Even if I had to pay for my mortgage, I still travelled a lot: I went to Italy, Spain, Japan, France, Grece, Brazil, and Irland. I have been traveling mostly during the winter, and during the summer I was spending some time with my family. I was in good health, and I was active, so it allowed me to enjoy my golden years.

Choice 1 : Start again.

Continue to work.

Two years after I had decided to continue to work, I was in a bad condition. I was mentally exhausted, and my body could not take it anymore. I had a permanent back pain, and I was always extremely tired. My doctor recommended that I retire earlier than I planed. I decided to do it without even thinking about money; only my health mannered. Basically, I had a boring retirement: I was always sick or hurt. Most of my last days of life were passed in a hospital or in a medical clinic. I should have retired earlier...

Choice 1 : Start again.

Ask money to my parents.

I had a serious discussion with my parents. I told them that I was in trouble. I had to pay my credit card at the end of the month, but I only had $33,48 in my bank account. They then told me that they would help me at the condition I go back to college. I had to decide: apply again in Police Technology to retake the courses I had failed and pay my depths or sign in the Canadian Army.

Choice 1 : Apply again in Police Technology.

Choice 2 : Sign in Canadian Armed Forces.

Work in a dead-end job.

I had been hired in a store that sells shoes. Every day, I did the same thing: searching for sizes of shoes in the back store. I hated it, there was no fulfillment. I was completely alienated, and I had no purpose in life.

Choice 1 : Start again.

Sign in Canadian Armed Forces.

After an interview and a background check, I was a member of the army. I completed a few missions, and I had an opportunity to become a military police officer. Should I stay a soldier or accept the offer to start to train to becoming a military police officer?

Choice 1 : Become a military police officer.

Choice 2 : Continue to work as a soldier.

Become a military police officer.

I took the good decision. It was an entertaining job. I did a lot of investigations about cases where people in the military organisation were involved. I also participated in different kinds of missions that allowed me to learn new things on the professional level, but also on the personal one. I even met my boyfriend in the work context: he was my partner at the start. After a few years of working together, we formed a couple. Then, he was not my colleague anymore because I got promoted and assigned somewhere else. Even if we were a bit far from each other, we were still happy. It was now time to think about retirement. I was thinking if I should already retire or if I should wait a bit longer...

Choice 1 : Retire right now.

Choice 2 : Continue to work.

Continue to work as a soldier.

While I was working for the Canadian Forced Army, I met my boyfriend who was also a soldier. We had a child together. His name was Bob, and he had a severe disability. Taking care of him was a huge responsibility because of his condition. It was impossible for us to both working full time, so I quit for taking care of Bob. I did what was the best for him, but it was not the life that I would have imagined.

Choice 1 : Start again.

Work in an office as a police civilian employee.

In addition to be paralyzed, I had a boring job. I was always sleeping on my desk. I had no purpose about going to work in the morning. One day, my boss had enough of my laziness, and he fired me.

Choice 1 : Start again.

Do not work, and live from social welfare.

At the beginning, it was fun: I was watching TV and eating popcorn all day long. After one month, I felt depressed, and I almost had any money to provide all of my needs. I was so miserable.

Choice 1 : Start again.