A Brief History of Me:
I am a 25-year-old McMaster graduate, currently enrolled in the public relations program at Mohawk College. I originally went to school for economics, assuming that understanding the economy would lead me into a career that would guarantee me a high income, and therefore, life satisfaction. On the side, I developed an interest in psychology, human history, philosophy and technological development, as they all seemed to be intimately connected to the economy and how it came to be.As I learned about the economy, it became increasingly clear that times were getting tough, and money was becoming more and more difficult to earn. Following the path of linear footsteps ahead of me, I set out to find myself a job at a place I knew would get me closer to the things I needed in life - somewhere I could go to develop a career that would earn me more money over time, leading me to comfort and happiness. With these goals in mind, I obtained a job at the lowest level of the finance industry as a bank teller in the middle of downtown Hamilton's historic city center at Scotiabank, Hamilton Main.
For the last two years of my adult life, I have been incredibly privileged to interact with every individual human being that walked through our doors at Hamilton Main. Standing at the marble countertop with 50-foot ceilings overhead, I have had the opportunity to represent the values and commitments that Scotiabank embodies. From my wicket, dressed in a shirt and tie, I have gained the experience of intimately discussing finances with nearly every demographic in the core of downtown Hamilton. I have had the chance to communicate with everyone from our millionaire business clients, lawyers and entrepreneurs, to the homeless men and women on the street, trying to change coins into bills.
I've sat across from mothers and fathers trying to decide whether they're going to pay their phone bills or buy food for their families, and I've chatted with successful businessmen as they decide what type of convertible luxury car to buy for their summer vacation. I am incredibly lucky to have had the experience of interacting with every demographic in a highly professional atmosphere while helping a wide range of people manage their lifeline to personal happiness, satisfaction, and well-being; money. I consider this my most important educational experience.
I quickly realised that waking up every morning to manage other people's personal finances wasn't as exciting and fulfilling as I had imagined. I was much more interested in who these people were, what they did, and how they spent their time. I've had an interesting time learning how to talk to each of them in the most efficient, effective and coherent ways. I've learned how to end a conversation to get the line moving, and how to calm situations when energies get too high (as they often do when people are dealing with money). Above all, I've learned the art of being trusted, respected, and professional in all of my client interactions.
I went into the bank thinking I would discover what high-level finance path to take on my way up the corporate ladder. Instead, I realised that effective communication was the service I was best suited to provide, not financial planning.
My interests:
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leisure time is spent absorbing as much information about the world and body I inhabit. I enjoy listening to TED talks during my morning meal, starting my day with a new lecture on a topic I may have never heard of or thought about before. As I go about my day, I frequently check in with the rectangular slab of glass in my pocket that connects me to the aggregate knowledge of humanity, and the constantly developing political, social, and technological worlds. I read as many articles as I can on emerging technologies,
I enjoy watching movies at the theater, but other than that, I try to limit the number of narratives I consume. There is already an ongoing, real-world narrative that is exciting enough for me.
The internet has placed in front of us a sea of infinite information. It would be impossible for one human being to read, watch, or listen to all of the information online. There is more content being created every second, and we are given the task of sorting through which information is relevant to our lives. This is one of the most important skills I've learned to develop in an age of unprecedented access to information. I could try to catch up on episodes of TV shows or play any number of video games that my friends have recommended, but I prefer to take in any information that provides lasting value to my life, rather than temporary enjoyment.
In the time I have spent reading, educating, and learning as an extra-curricular pastime, I've been able to piece together an emerging pattern about human nature & where our species may be headed. The last 10 years of life have been mindblowing in terms of technological advancement & progress, and there are no signs of it slowing down. I feel as though my pastimes are preparing me for an exponentially developing world, and I plan on learning and developing and growing along with it to the best of my abilities.
I often think about how much easier it would be to follow topics other people know more about, like sports or pop-culture. It would be easier to find common interests with others if I kept up with the Kardashians or joined a fantasy football league. But I'm happy thinking outside of the box, and enjoy looking at life's bigger picture.
It's a good thing my professional experience as a bank teller, despite my uncommon areas of interest, has allowed me to remain skilled in the art of small-talk. It is my hope that staying educated, informed, and involved in large-scale social initiatives will allow me to contribute to the greater good of the communities I'm involved with in the future.
A short list of some of my hobbies and interests:
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| One of my woodburning pieces |
- Exponential growth
- Anticipating and adapting to change
- Philosophy
- Health and nutrition
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Sensory deprivation therapy
- Lucid/Conscious Dreaming (https://iwinks.org/)
- Brain-optimization through diet
- Supplementation
- The future of virtual realities
- Augmented reality and how we will soon interact with holograms (Microsoft Hololens Demo)
- Social and political initiatives for the environment
- Futurism and transhumanism (Singularity University)
- Nanotechnologies
- Keeping up with Google's top engineers & their predictions (founders of Singularity University)
- Sustainable/green energy initiatives
- The 3D printing revolution
- Music
- Art (woodburning and graphite sketching)
- Nature
The list goes on...
Generally, my areas of interest are helping me to be as
prepared and optimistic as possible for an unknowable future in which change is the only guarantee.
What skills have I learned?
Working at Scotiabank, I have honed my skills as a professional communicator, being able to speak to any member of any demographic with confidence while being entrusted with some of their most personal and private information. With Scotiabank rolling out their online banking platform more aggressively, I have also had the opportunity to help reluctant bankers set up and start using our mobile banking systems.As a bank teller, it's easy to see why some people might fear technological change and growth. My job is one that is quickly becoming obsolete. People can pay bills, deposit cheques, transfer funds, and manage their investments all from their handheld device. Aptly noted in an article by the SingularityHub, one of the websites I frequently surf to learn about exponentially developing tech trends, "our children won't know the difference between a bank teller and a chimney sweep".
The pursuit of knowledge is endless, and it can be difficult to narrow down which information is relevant to our daily life. Rather than letting myself become overloaded with useless information, I've developed the ability to stay focused on the things that help me on my journey to self-betterment and success.
My greatest skill is foresight, which I, unfortunately, cannot validate until we're able to see how the future plays out. Thinking about socio-economic events and what might influence the future, such as job loss due to technological advancement, or how some people may react to driverless cars and robots, motivates me to learn more and be better prepared to react to change with a calm and educated perspective.
I have been following emerging technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality, and learning how they will start to become ubiquitous parts of our everyday life. I believe this is a skill, since having a grasp of what will be popular in the future is a personal and professional advantage in the present.
It is validating to see companies using emerging technologies that I have been following for years. I am convinced that virtual and augmented realities will be popular platforms for entertainment, advertising, and education in the coming years. Though the technology has been written about for many years, it has only been about 6 months since the first companies have started to integrate these platforms into their marketing strategies. Below is an example of a 360-degree Gatorade commercial, one of the marketing advancements I've been anticipating for years.
Where Do I plan to be in 1, 5, and 10 years?
One year is a reasonable amount of time to make a calculated guess on where I will be and what I will be doing. In one year from now, I will likely be working in the public relations field, in a low-level position, learning the ropes of public communication.Beyond one year from now, there are too many variables for me to consider in terms of professional development & cultural progress. I have spent the last few years of my life learning that success in the future will be based on my ability and willingness to adapt to change. I plan to never stop learning, growing, and developing, which makes it difficult for me to see 5 years into the future. However, my open-ended and open-minded path is one I can comfortably and confidently walk down.
This very well may be my last year of formal education, in the Mohawk College PR program, but I am nowhere close to finished learning. I hope that in the near future, all of what I have learned and consumed will help me to contribute to the endless sea of knowledge and content.
