 Practically Speaking
George Brown student uses her Emergency Management Certificate to land a dream job
For Sonia Singh, the motivation to pursue further education was simple: One word. No.
“I went for an interview at my former place of work to become the Emergency Management Co-ordinator; I thought I nailed it, but I didn’t get the job,” says the 42-year-old. “I wanted to make sure there were no excuses the next time I applied for a job.”
Sonia already had a university degree and on-the-job experience as a health inspector – a role she held during both Toronto’s SARS crisis and the city’s power outage in 2003 – but she knew she needed more.
“In order to get a job in emergency management, you need to speak the language of emergency management,” she says. “I wanted to learn from people who worked in the actual positions and draw from the experiences of those in the field.”
In September 2006, Sonia began taking Continuing Education courses at George Brown’s School of Emergency Management. And it was a perfect match right from the start.
“The best way to describe George Brown’s program is to say it’s practical and it’s taught by people who know their stuff and have been there,” she says. “In other words, it was exactly what I was looking for – and it played directly into the way I learn.”
Emergency Management Concepts and Principles Sonia remembers, offered the perfect basis for her School of Emergency Management experience. It allowed her to get the most benefit from the practical experience offered in other courses like Hazards and Risk Assessment, Terrorism and Crisis Communication and Information Management.
Because group settings are mandated in the classroom, it was also necessary for Sonia to work on her interpersonal skills and her ability to resolve personality conflicts – critical skills when working as part of an emergency management team.
“In addition to basic emergency management knowledge, George Brown provided me with practical experience, and that gave me immense confidence,” Sonia says. “After finishing my certificate, I knew I could do the job. I knew I was the best candidate.”
In June 2007, she completed her certificate, and, a month later, she landed her current position as the Emergency Planning Co-ordinator for a major health unit in the city, where her focus is on pandemic influenza and communicable disease.
“In the interview, I relayed the knowledge I acquired while at George Brown, and I was offered the job almost immediately,” she says. “I know I got the job because I had practical skills, which were backed up by lessons and instruction on how to apply them in the field,” she says.
Sonia credits George Brown with preparing her for real life on the front line.
“If you want to learn from professionals in the field, practice applying principles in realistic settings and get an idea of what it’s like to work on the scene, this program is for you.”
Return to:
|
