| What industry do you work in and how would you describe what you do (your elevator pitch!)? |
| I work in the software development industry, and I spend my time working with clients to help develop better technology solutions for people who need to take time off to care for themselves or their family members. My focus is to find answers to common problems of claim management, introduce efficiencies into the processes and create a better experience for those who use our software every day. |
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What was your favourite subject in school and why? |
| I absolutely loved my science subjects. I was always fascinated with how the human body works and the amazing ways different organs and cells interact to form a whole functioning human being. I think there’s a lot we can learn about the complexity of the human body and its function that can be applied to daily life, particularly how different systems interact and rely on each other and how something seemingly simple actually has a very complex process underneath. |
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How did you get into your line of work? Can you talk us through a quick overview of your career path to date? |
| I started my career path as a case manager for a very small company, helping people figure out what benefits they were eligible for. Within a couple of years, I started to assist in working with new technology groups providing feedback on how a system was helping me manage my work and how it was hindering efficiency. Over the 20+ years, I started to work more closely with clients/organizations to help them establish their benefit program, implement their services and helping them solve for their day-to-day challenges. As my experience grew, I radiated more towards helping with design of systems, providing feedback and training people on how to use the technology that they had. I now spend majority of my time working on technology solutions and enhancements. One thing I can say helped tremendously is that I always |
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When do you use creative thinking and problem solving in your line of work? |
| I use it every single day! It is actually one of the things that I enjoy about my job. I love the daily challenge of figure out how to make small improvements that lead to big changes. |
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Any top tips for young people looking to get into your area of work? |
| I work with a lot of different people from all over the world and those people are often in various positions (both leadership, consultants, clients, IT, etc.), one thing I would recommend is practicing public speaking and professional writing/etiquette. It has been incredibly beneficial for me to be comfortable interacting with people from all walks of life and experiences. Being able to speak on various subjects and doing so in a comfortable and professional manner is key in building and maintaining relationships. The other tip is that if you say you’re going to do something, keep that commitment and follow through. Make sure that you are a person who keeps their word and follows through on the things they say they will do. |
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What is your go-to resource to help you with creative thinking and problem solving in work? – a website, tool; app or framework – whatever! |
| I like to read from a lot of different sources for inspiration and I also like to spend time on various social media platforms where people share ideas and life experiences. It helps me see the world differently and allow me to think about ways that people’s experiences can share the things we do in our life. |
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If you had the opportunity, what advice would you give your 16-year old self now? |
| Don’t be afraid to take big changes and big risks! When you’re 16, you have your whole world in front of you. This is the time to explore and learn what things you are passionate about and what things you would enjoy doing. This is the time to figure out who you want to be so don’t be afraid to try new things, you’d be surprised how much you might enjoy them. |
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