Shifting gears in careers

I grew up in northern Manitoba near a small town adjacent to a First Nations community. Life was challenging for all Indigenous people but more so for women and girls. In high school I was very quiet and shy, an early nerd prototype! I found I had a keen interest in Computer Science—which back then involved booting a computer from a cassette recorder. I graduated and attended university but I was not prepared for the change and had a difficult time fitting in. There were so many strange people, and I was overwhelmed. I could see the Computer Science students queued up at all hours of the day and night to get access to the computing resources. I didn’t think I stood a chance of getting the computer time I would need. It was too much for me, so I shifted my focus to life sciences. I realized after some time that I didn’t have a solid career plan and that I was racking up student debt at an alarming rate. I faced it head-on and decided to leave university and figure out exactly what I wanted to do for a living. As a freshly minted University drop-out I had to find work and started with the Manitoba Metis Federation on a short-term project. They liked my work and hired me to deliver subsidized housing programs throughout the local area. This involved being trained on home inspection, building codes, as well as some technical writing to draft specifications for home repairs. I felt a great passion for the work as I could see the direct and positive impact on the living conditions for low-income families and children. I had to log thousands of kilometers driving to rural and remote communities no matter the season or the weather. My productivity and effectiveness were recognized, and I was transferred to the main office in Winnipeg. From there I was asked to train my former peers and new hires on the work I had been doing. My peers and new hires were often older men, so this was sometimes a challenge as they saw me as a kid and a female to boot! This never once intimated me to stop, instead it fueled me to keep going.

I decided to shift gears, quite literally, and took up a life on the road. I obtained my Class 1 Air brakes license which meant I could drive an 18-wheel tractor trailer, and I did. For about a year I drove in a two-person team from Vancouver to Miami Florida, from Winnipeg to Milpitas and everywhere in between. It was a great adventure, and while I met a lot of good people, it was hard being away from home with friends and family. On the road, I came to learn about a six-month Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer course being offered by an Indigenous training institution. I jumped at the chance! We started with 25 adult learners and by the end there were only about 15 remaining. By the end of the course 4 of us had achieved the full MCSE certification and I was fortunate to find work in the industry as soon as I finished the course. Providing support to computer users really fed my desire to help people and I would happily share my own learnings with others. I continued to progress my skills set and after a 2-year stint as a contractor for Microsoft, and I was hired full time almost 10 years ago. What this taught me was that it is important that you feel engaged and passionate about what you are doing and to be ready to accept opportunities life sends your way.

I am so proud to work for this company not only for the impact we have with our products and services but for how it makes space for employees to celebrate and share their diversity. One way is through Employee Resource Groups (ERG), for me specifically, the Indigenous at Microsoft Canada ERG. As a co-lead, I know we have so much momentum and so many people who have raised their hands because they want to do something to improve the situation for Indigenous people. Microsoft Canada has started to align with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action 92. This is nothing short of amazing. Working here has provided me the opportunity to support something I believe in while having the flexibility to work around my home life. I live with my mother and my teenage niece. My mother is suffering chronic age-related illnesses, which means it is better if I can be in the same physical location and able to help when needed. Lifting others has always been my passion and I think is essential to my success, it should be a part of everyone’s success.