Mia Scalabrin moved to Montreal in February. In May 2023, she graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelors of Science in mathematics. Upon graduating, she was not sure which career path to take.
Mia and her fiancé soon after spent 5 months in New Jersey with her family. They explored NYC, while her partner finished his Masters and she waitressed in Hoboken. In the New Year, they decided to make Montreal their new home. Mia wanted to become fluent in French, and her partner was born and has family here. Mia wanted to take advantage of this musical city, either by joining a band or performing solo piano at restaurants on the weekends. Her main goal however was to get her foot in the door of her professional career. Her lack of work experience and uncertain career path made this a challenge, but with the help of YES she accomplished her goal.
YES: When did you start your job search – career journey and what were some of your goals when you started?
Mia: I started my job search at the beginning of January. My goal was to find an entry-level role to kick-start my career journey.
YES: What stage are you at now? What have been your greatest achievements?
Mia: I am happy to share that I have accepted a job offer as a Junior analyst at True North Marine!
YES: What were/are your biggest struggles?
Mia: I found that I struggled staying positive and patient. I did not feel that I was a competitive applicant since I do not speak French and do not have much work experience.
YES: What was the problem you were experiencing before you came into YES?
Mia: Before joining YES, I was not 100% sure what career path I wanted to take. I have a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. I was debating going the finance route, maybe becoming a financial analyst or an actuary, and I was strongly considering studying for a CFA designation.
YES: What did you find as a result of using our services? What was the best thing about it?
Mia: My employment coach at YES helped me realize what career path I actually wanted to pursue. I discovered that I want to be a data analyst, and one day maybe a data scientist. She had loads of helpful advice as she helped me brainstorm different places to apply to, helped adjust my CV, helped me build my network, and gave moral support and encouragement while I waited for replies. Most importantly, she encouraged me to keep applying away at jobs. True North Marine’s job posting was only up for one week, and I easily could have missed out on this great opportunity.
YES: How do you feel about the service you have received from YES?
Mia: I think that the services at YES are extremely beneficial. Having a professional employment coach guide you through the daunting job search is very reassuring. Looking for work is stressful, being able to talk to some about it helps more than you might think. Their workshops are great, I attended ‘Breaking the Class Ceiling: Women in Tech’ and ‘Set Yourself Apart: Tactics and Tips for CVs and LinkedIn’. Annalise also registered me with RBC Future Launch, where I was able to take LinkedIn Learning courses for free.
YES: Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share?
Mia: I definitely suggest taking advantage of the LinkedIn Learning courses. I completed multiple learning paths and they were a huge influence on my decision to pursue data analysis. I also got to practice my coding and excel skills which boosted my confidence while I applied for jobs. There are hundreds and hundreds of courses to take, make sure you check them out!
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