Describe a typical day in your current role.

Every day is different! I always start with breakfast at the office and answer emails I’ve received overnight (from people based in different timezones). After that, my day could involve anything from developing new trainings for the team based on their needs, delivering trainings to people in other teams, helping others to design trainings, etc. Although usually it’s a combination of these and more!

What are the main tasks, responsibilities, and skills required to do your job?

I am responsible for developing trainings that support new hires joining our team – helping them understand our business and the job they’ll be doing. I also develop trainings for those who have been in the team for a long time – so that they can stay on top of changes happening in the industry and continue to develop themselves. In terms of skills, my job requires: organisation, planning, structure, creativity, passion, ability to teach others, problem solving.

What’s your favourite thing about your job?

I’m passionate about education and helping people, so I love developing trainings that help people do their jobs better – making their lives easier! I also love the creative process of planning, creating and launching a new training – it’s a lot of fun for me! Plus I get to work with people from lots of different parts of the business – people who are experts in the training topic – so I’m always learning new things.

Who or what has most influenced your career direction?

My dad. He’s always been very supportive of me, encouraging me to pursue my passion and motivating me whenever times got tough. I’ve always found it very helpful knowing that someone I love and respect has my back.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Yes definitely. I work 9 to 6 and make sure to have lots of personal activities set up in the evenings – meeting friends, learning to play an instrument, relaxing with a book or a series, etc. My career affords me the opportunity to do nice things outside of work, for which I’m very grateful. Working at a large company has also enabled me to work on lots of interesting projects and with different teams – as well as giving me the opportunity to move into a completely different career, from customer support to full-time training.

What subjects did you take in school and did they influence your career path?

I’ve always believed that if you’re doing something you love, the success part will take care of itself. I applied this principle in both school and college – studying a random range of subjects in school (accounting, French, biology), and then philosophy and French in college.

What was your favourite subject?

My favourite subject in school was French – I loved watching my progress over the years and felt such satisfaction out of learning to speak it!

What is your education to date?

I have a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in French and Philosophy. I’ve developed my professional skills ‘on the job’, through working with people more experienced than I was.

What aspects of your education/experience to-date have proven the most useful for your job today?

Studying philosophy at college greatly developed my ability to think critically, to always ask questions when something doesn’t make sense, and to solve problems. This questioning, problem solving mindset helps me ensure that everything we include in our training programs makes sense to a learning audience.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

If you’re interested in a job like mine, you need to be creative but also very structured and organised – in order to communicate a clear message through the trainings you produce. But I didn’t leave college 5 years ago knowing what I was going to do. My career has evolved, and continues to evolve, over time – and I bring parts of all my previous roles to what I do today.

What kinds of work experience would help someone looking for a position similar to yours?

I worked with an experienced training designer (also called ‘Instructional Designer’) for 6 months – this really helped me develop the skills I still apply today.