Where it all started!

As a 16-year-old, who just finished high school with his first real diploma in his hands. I had a lot of ambitions, and I thought that the path that I designed and dreamed about since a kid would be easy from now on. Little did I know what the universe has prepared for me. But, let us focus on the moment, they were so many routes that I could have taken, but I had to resume them to two choices. It seems like it's not a lot, but as an ambitious adolescent, I had to cut all of the other paths and give myself the two only possibilities, that could lead me to my dream career.

Choice 1 : Go to Montmorency College?

Choice 2 : Work and save up money?

Go to Montmorency College?

The first alternative that I came up with was to Apply to Montmorency College, in financial services and insurance technology and study for 4 years straight. Which was stressful on its own because nothing guaranteed that I was going to get accepted.

Choice 1 : Work hard and get the best grades!

Work and save up money?

My second alternative was taking a gap year, and working full time at my student job, which is being a team leader at McDonald's. The goal of this choice is to save money to pay for my college and university, which will lead me to not work or to work less when I go back to school.

Choice 1 : Saving enough money!

Work hard and get the best grades!

I got accepted to Montmorency. College was a brand-new experience for me, the workload was huge. Time management was hard at the beginning, since I had a job, and I was working out a lot on the side. I tried my best to get straight A’s. Which I did in some of my classes, but in some of my courses, I did a cursory job. But because of the time management skills that I have acquired, I was able to pull off a passing grade in all the courses that I feared. After 4 great years (I purposely choose to not finish within three years, to give myself the time to understand every course that I had), I graduated from Montmorency College. Now, I can apply for a job that will lead me to a career as a financial advisor.

Choice 1 : Get my first REAL JOB at Desjardins!

Saving enough money!

I didn't end up choosing this option, since I got accepted to my dream program. So, I had to work while I was studying, which was one of the hardest things as a student. It helped me so much to get better with time management because I had to make time for my homework and study, but at the same time I had to make the best schedule at work that would let me do that.

Choice 1 : Managing work and school?

Get my first REAL JOB at Desjardins!

It has always been my dream to work for a bank, especially one that has both fields that I have studied, my desired employer must have a finance department and an insurance department. I am now officially a trainee, after the greatest job interview of my life, where I felt welcomed and needed. I started training in the finance field and after three months I switched to the insurance department. I did my on-the-job training so that I could learn the ropes. Which was extremely hard at first, I nearly quit. It was so much different from the theory that I learned in my courses, I found myself in the real world, and I felt that I was not well-equipped. But I was extremely lucky because my colleagues shared their stories on starting a new job, and they gave me so much good advice. One of my colleagues in human resources has asked me what my next goals in my profession are and which is my favourite department. I couldn’t make up my mind. Which should I choose?

Choice 1 : Finance department!

Choice 2 : Insurance department?

Managing work and school?

Managing work and school, was a hard thing. But it's one of the greatest lessons that I have learned, I became more responsible with the time that I had in one day, I tried my best to not procrastinate since that could cause me to be late in my studies and work that had a due date. My best advice is to get an agenda or use a calendar on your computer or phone, to stay up to date with all the work loads or else it will be too overwhelming.

Write a choice here.

Finance department!

I chose the first of the two options. Now, I am a financial advisor. Basically, I help people manage their money. Since I work in proximity to my clients and I try to find the best advice for them, this job requires overtime and a good knowledge of English. So, all the information that I have learned in my college English courses came in handy to communicate with my client and even to understand some of my resources (websites and articles). Despite the office politics, I try not to get sucked up in some work drama and office intrigues. Sometimes, I feel like I am the only one of my colleagues who work and try his best to meet our goals. One day after a difficult week at work filled with drudgery and alienation, my boss asked for some advice. To try to motivate the team and give more challenging tasks, to try to bring everyone close together. I put myself in his shoes and advised him to make regular meetings, with brunches or breakfast so that we can discuss our goals for the week and make strategies. Something that he didn't really appreciate because he felt like I was trying to tell him what to do or even that I was trying to steal his job. While he was the one asking for advice, that led me to one of the hardest decisions of my life because I had to choose between my mental health and the bad working environment where I didn't feel welcome anymore, even if it were my dream career.

Choice 1 : Continue and not feel happy?

Choice 2 : Quit and try to find a new opportunity?

Insurance department?

When I was a trainee in the insurance department, the on-the-job training was like a jail sentence, it was the longest three months of my whole life. I didn't enjoy the dynamic between me and the client, it really felt like a transaction, I prefer being more helpful to a client. Overall I am glad that I had to experience that and know early on in my career that I don't like that side of this profession.

Write a choice here.

Continue and not feel happy?

Continuing in this environment of work, wouldn't be the best advice I could give myself. It became an unhealthy workplace with all the gossiping that my boss was initiating. If I continue, I wouldn't be able to overcome all the situations and the ambiance. Basically, I wouldn't be happy.

Write a choice here.

Quit and try to find a new opportunity?

I have decided to quit, after an argument that I had with my boss since he didn't like the advice that he asked for. After giving my two weeks, I now try to find a new opportunity. I now try my best not to be sad, but it is really difficult, it was my dream company, and now I don't know much about any other company, which makes my research hard. I think I am just going to take a break and take some time to travel.

Write a choice here.