A shift in career
Before becoming a student at Mohawk College, Madi spent time on the “other side” of postsecondary education as a staff member.
“I actually worked in postsecondary recruitment,” Madi recalls.
While she found success in her previous career where she worked in the recruitment department for different colleges and universities, Madi knew it was time for a change.
“The recruitment landscape was rapidly changing, and I just didn’t really like it anymore,” Madi admits.
Already possessing a wide range of soft skills and business skills, Madi wanted to round out her skill set by further developing her technical skills. Madi was also looking to go into a career that would allow her to make a positive impact in society on a larger scale than she had before.
This led her towards pursuing a job in the renewable energy sector — and Mohawk College’s Energy Systems Engineering Technology program.
“The renewable energy industry is rapidly growing,” Madi explains. “I wanted to contribute to society in a different way. So, I did kind of a 180 in my career.”
Starting fresh in sustainability
Not only did Madi become a student again after working a full-time job for six years, but she also moved across the country from Nova Scotia to Hamilton. This was worth it for Madi, as it gave her the chance to start her new career through taking the energy industry-recognized Energy Systems Engineering Technology program at Mohawk College.
For Madi, Mohawk was the perfect place to not only learn the technical skills she needed to know, but also to practice those skills in labs that reflect real-world work environments.
“Mohawk really did become the obvious choice because they’re really well known for their research and lab spaces, which is where I knew I would be spending a lot of my time as a technology student,” Madi says.
While working with renewable energy is something that Madi says is interesting, the main thing she wants to focus her career on is energy management and efficiency.
“It's the easiest way to reduce our carbon footprint,” Madi remarks. “Helping facilities reduce their carbon footprint by using renewable energy but also through sustainability practices is something I'm super interested in.”
The Joyce Centre for Partnerships & Innovations
Mohawk College provides a special learning opportunity to Madi’s specific career goals in the form of The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation.
The Joyce Centre, a net-zero carbon building, is a feat of sustainable energy engineering, being the second building in Canada to receive a Zero Carbon Building - Design certification from the Canada Green Building Council.
“Having access to this building has been super interesting,” Madi says. “Learning about net-zero buildings, it’s a cool thing to have at our fingertips.”
For Madi, The Joyce Centre is a chance to see not only concepts that she is learning about be applied in a real-world setting, but it is also proof that her career goals are within her reach.
“This is hopefully going to be my bread and butter,” Madi comments.
Supportive staff and students
Throughout her time at Mohawk, Madi has made strong connections with both staff and students.
Madi became good friends with a fellow student in the Energy Systems Engineering Technology program, bonding over not just the course material but also shared experiences, beliefs and values.
Madi also says that Mohawk’s staff, from the volunteers greeting students on the first day to her program’s faculty, have been nothing but kind.
“There are so many instructors in my program that are incredibly intelligent and are so passionate about teaching and helping students,” Madi says.
Open House
From her time working in postsecondary recruitment, Madi knows just how valuable it is for future students to go to Open House events.
“It really does give you a chance to physically go in and see the lab spaces, sometimes even work with the equipment, and chat with those professors that are super engaged,” Madi says.
Many of the other benefits to coming to Open House may not be obvious at first. Along with the “big picture” stuff like:
- Learning more about your program
- Meeting your professors, and
- Exploring your classrooms
Open House also helps you become familiar with the “day-to-day" parts of student life such as:
- Figuring out where the campus gym is
- Learning how to book tutoring sessions, and
- Finding out about different food options on campus
Madi’s advice for any future Mohawk student, whether they’ve accepted their offer or are still planning to apply, is to take advantage of the opportunity to truly get to know Mohawk College.
“You need to come to campus to get a feel for it and there’s no better day than Open House.”
Posted 10/15/2024
