Welcome to Brazen Careerist!

About Me

I’m Emily, a 25-year-old British expat currently living in chilly Winnipeg, Canada. I have an enormous, insatiable passion for lots of things in life, including being a proud indie kid, keeping up with UK music, TV and listening to BBC radio, graphic design, art, theatre, and creativity in general – though my heart forever belongs to the written word. I have a keen interest in psychology and the human mind, personality types (INFJ) and understanding how and why we interact with each other the way we do, as well as the intricacies of the human heart, and the ways in which we perceive ourselves. I’m an eternal optimist – no matter how hard things may seem, I believe there’s a reason for everything that happens, a choice of reaction, and a learning experience in the toughest of challenges.

I spent a big chunk of my life living a life I didn’t want to live; being around the wrong people, and most notably allowing myself to be controlled by fear and an anxiety disorder, not being my true self, and being afraid to push myself out of my comfort zone. In the past year or so, I made the decision to get out there and do everything I was ever afraid of, and now I feel like I’ve really found who I want to be, and the people I want to be that person with. I’ll continually push myself to grow, even if it is hard – I want to gain experience and confidence. That means there’ll be goal lists floating around here every so often. It’s not an easy thing to be able to look back and say I allowed myself to be controlled by things over which I have no control – but if someone stumbles across my blog, and feels inspired to challenge themselves, push their boundaries and see how life can change… it’ll probably be the most rewarding thing in the world.

Right now I’m continuing this journey through life and falling more in love with the wonderful things the world has to offer, and fighting to change the things it doesn’t. I’m exploring my spirituality and purpose in this world, all sorts of amazing new music, diving into incredible books and continuing my love affair with the arts. I’m a huge music lover, education advocate, and animal enthusiast… the list goes on. I’ll take love over hate any day, and work towards a better future rather than dwell on problems of the past.

For work, the shortest answer is pre-employment skills. I work for a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping the lives of those in need. I take care of a little advertising, marketing and design, training and job coaching, but the biggest part of my job has become developing curriculum and teaching classes on topics ranging from employment expectations to self-awareness, and writing resumes and cover letters for people pretty new to the workforce after not having the best breaks in life. I love this job for moments like one which will stick in my mind forever – after writing a resume for a lady, she took one look at it and started beaming, exclaiming “now I really feel like somebody”. We help an enormous variety of people, and being a part of something that really changes people’s lives is incredibly fulfilling. A year ago I was petrified at the thought of public speaking in staff meetings, let alone standing in front of a class, teaching and training, but I’ve learned that the desire to help outweighs fear every time.

There will always be a soft spot in my heart for William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, Neil Gaiman, Mervyn Peake and any other master of the English language that leaves me feeling lucky to have been alive to see such beauty in words. I ramble on here about lots of things, but I secretly love to write fiction. I’m definitely a HUGE nerd. I love to curl up with a good book and occasionally wish I had my own personal TARDIS. (I actually did have one, at my wedding!) I’m a sci-fi geek extraordinaire, and bloody proud of it – I have a home-made WoW Night Elf costume, wore a comm badge to my wedding ceremony and entered my reception to the Doctor Who theme. And I may or may not have travelled to the US solely to go to a Star Trek convention.

One of my biggest beliefs is that every single person can make the choice to live the life they want to – happiness isn’t about the right circumstance, it’s about the right attitude.

Phew! High five if you’re still reading!

Work History

• Opportunities for Employment
• Facilitator/Interviewer/Advertising/Administration
• January 2009 to Present

• I am currently on my fourth position within the same company, having started as Receptionist and worked my way up through roles in administrative support, advertising, design and marketing, and currently curriculum development/workshop facilitation. I perform a variety of administrative tasks, develop all marketing materials, write curriculum, and conduct training sessions for participants in the program looking to improve their employability in the job market.

• A Paperwork Pro, Inc.
• Office Manager/Graphic Designer
• April 2006 to December 2009

• I was the Office Manager and Graphic Designer for a secretarial print shop offering word processing, graphic design, and print services. I designed a range of products from business cards to brochures, menus and invitations to large-scale signage, as well as writing résumés and cover letters and typing a variety of documentation.

Education

• University of Winnipeg
• English, Psychology
• 2003 - 2005

• Kelvin High School
• High School Diploma with International Baccalaureate Certificates
• 2000 - 2003