How WFWE Spent Their Summer Vacation
What I learned from Workforce WindsorEssex
By Mohammad Yahya, New Beginnings, summer student placement
"These past six weeks have been more than I could ever ask for in preparing me for the working world and getting me to think about my future. I walked in to New Beginnings thinking that I already had my life set because I knew that finance managers and finance clerks make a lot of money. So, saying that I wanted to become one made me think that I didn’t have to give my future much more thought.
But, after assessing the work environment at WFWE I learned that I could have my cake and eat it too. I could get a good job and have fun or be engaged in the community while I make good money too.
The biggest thing I learned from this was how good my city actually is! It sounds simple, but I honestly have more respect for Windsor as a city than ever before, simply because I now know more about it.
I am very thankful for realizing all I have this early in my life, the way I see my city and how I have to look and prepare for my future has all changed after this 8 week program and especially this 6 week placement."
With a presentation written from the heart and amplified by an energetic work-ethic, Mohammad was invited to speak during both a closing workshop held by WFWE for the New Beginnings "Summer Jobs for Youth" program and for the youth themselves during their graduation Friday.
Mohammad was kind enough to allow us to re-post his speech for all to read here:
"Good Morning fellow leaders of tomorrow!
First off and foremost, I would like to thank New Beginnings and their staff for this opportunity; special thanks to Cassandra, Jessica and my Youth Outreach Worker, Ben.
Secondly, I’d like to congratulate each of you for making it through your job placement; we all now have valuable experience to put on our resumes to help us gradually get better jobs until we land the job of our dreams.
In my case I could not land a job anywhere, no-matter where I applied; simply because I had no real job experience to place on my resume. After I was unsuccessful with New Beginnings for the first time, I applied to nearly every job ad I could get my hands on, but none were willing to hire. Now that I was accepted into New Beginnings I promised myself to make the best out of anything they gave me. The good thing was that I didn’t have to try too hard to make the best out of the situation because I got placed in an environment that exceeded my expectations for a first job. I was placed in a business environment that emphasized collaboration, teamwork and proper business etiquette. I will take these skills to my next job and utilize to them to excel.
Another important factor that contributed to the success and growth of my placement was the team I worked with and their everlasting passion to help inform about and improve our community. I would like to personally thank my WFWE team members Veronica, Michelle, Donna, Denny, Tanya, Lijuan and last but not least my mentor Fabio; who was more than just a manager to me because he took it upon himself to mentor me and eventually became my friend. At first I had this mentality that a business job is the safest and most secure kind, but I also thought that it was the most boring, like crunching numbers and filling out reports upon reports to no end, just to make money. But from this experience and the team members I worked with I realized that a job could be twice as fun and ten times as rewarding if you actually enjoy what you are doing.
What I plan to do with my future remains to be a complete mystery, but one thing for sure is that I plan on treating my job as a second home to achieve a sense of happiness that I can build on with friend and family support.
I was asked to share how I spent or where I invested my earnings. A fair warning though, I am not the best example so don’t model your savings plan after me. The things I did with the money include: helping pay for a family trip to Canada’s Wonderland, getting my G1 driver’s license, buying my first car and saving a couple hundred bucks for books for University.
I would like to end with a somewhat familiar quote that goes off what I was trying to say earlier, about enjoying what you are doing, especially in the career you choose.
And the quote goes:
'As soon as I got out high school, I was dying to go to college.
As soon as I got out of college, I was dying to get married.
As soon as I got married, I was dying to have kids of my own.
As soon as I had kids, I was dying for them to grow up and leave.
As soon as they left, I was dying to retire.
Now that I’m here, dying in the retirement home, I realized that I forgot to live.'
So remember to live in the moment and enjoy what you do.'"
The WFWE team would like to thank New Beginnings and Mohammad Yahya for making this a summer we won't forget.
For more on this story, here's The Windsor Star article featuring Mohammad, "Summer jobs build character, change attitudes" by Doug Schmidt
Short URL: http://www.workforcewindsoressex.com/?p=3348
