I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I enjoy my job because it allows me the flexibility to put my family first. I work with two other graduates from Loyalist and I currently sit on the Building Sciences Advisory Committee at Loyalist. This involves dealing directly with clients and local planners. Primarily I do drafting and calculations for the field crews but I also look after severance applications and sketches in all four municipalities in the area. I have been here ever since and plan on being here indefinitely. where I had done a co-op placement while in college. When it came time for me to look for a job, the first phone call I made was to Watson Land Surveyors Ltd. We packed up and moved from Pickering to Belleville. With both of us being from small towns, it only seemed right. This benefited both the company and me.Īfter getting married (I met my husband while attending Loyalist College) and having children, we realized we wanted to raise our children in a small town. It is no surprise that computers are a valuable tool in today’s job market and I was periodically sent on courses to upgrade and improve my knowledge. I was able to use the computer skills I had learned at Loyalist and adapt them to the specific drawings that we prepared in this office. Although time has passed, I still keep in touch with my former boss there.įrom there I went to Stantec Consulting Limited for about three years and worked in the drafting department. I learned a lot and was able to draw on the field work skills obtained from Loyalist College while working in and around the City of Toronto. Being from a small town this was quite a change from me. Immediately following graduation, I was employed at the City of Toronto in the Survey and Mapping Department. “I enjoy my job because it allows me the flexibility to put my family first.” Jennifer Matthews, Survey Technician, 1997 You never know when you may need a favour from your past employer or how your paths may cross in the future. Our motto is: If the employee is happy, the employee will stay.įinally, the advice my father gave me – if you must leave, leave on good terms. I have been given the opportunity to further other career goals while working here. Almost everyone who currently works here are Loyalist graduates. We all feel strongly about educating students in the work place. Watson Land Surveyors offers placements to Loyalist students. It may be hard for a young person today to understand employment perks that may become invaluable to them in the future. We, the employers and employees, have grown together, raised our kids together and have become friends. I never work weekends and I have been able to raise a family in a small, safe city without the threat of having to move. If I have to leave for appointments during the day, I am accommodated. There are other benefits to a career other than monetary value. Most importantly – BE NICE! Everyone you will meet will know someone who knows someone you know. Show respect to the owners and senior employees and look for ways you can learn from them. Understand that if there is no profit in your company, you might be out of a job. You need to learn life skills within your work environment, such as getting to work on time, learning how to become a team player and learning to recognize how valuable your position can be within an organization. Don’t expect that you are going to walk into the perfect job after graduating. Always look for more ways to continue learning, whether from your co-workers or night classes. To prospective students considering the Architectural Technician program at Loyalist I would say – never stop learning. The college then rewarded me with six years of part-time teaching contracts. I took many night classes, in-house training and completed the facilitator’s certificate online through Loyalist. In the next year I’m considering university to obtain my CGA. I come to work every day and never know who will walk in with the next exciting project. All the math components that I learned back then, I still use daily. Computer Aided Drafting is what we use now. I don’t draft anymore but have taken on the role of office manager. For the first five years I completed land surveys using the drafting skills I learned at Loyalist. I started working at Watson Land Surveyors 21 years ago and I expect to be here ten years from now. “I have been able to work and raise a family in a small, safe city.” Donna Baker, Architectural Drafting Technician, 1984
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