On Wednesday, March 14, three professionals in environment-related fields offered career advice to students interested in pursuing similar careers after graduation. The professional panel session was part of the Career Planning Services’ (CaPS) Green Careers Week, a three-day event featuring over 15 different non-government organizations and a dozen speakers from the field of environment. 

Geneviève Paquin (B.Eng. ’11) and Sonia Voiceson (B.Sc. Ag.En.Sc. ’11), both recent graduates from McGill, shared their experiences and described how they discovered their interests as undergraduates.

Paquin’s exchange at the University of Western Australia shaped her interest in water shortages, and she completed multiple internships in the field. She believes students need to be more proactive in applying for internships by staying well-connected and having a good network of friends and family. 

“Finding the first internship is very hard because you don’t have a lot of experience,” she said. “But you have to be aggressive. The main way to get internships is by contacts.”

Paquin reminded students to not give up and to learn from their first real work experience.

“Once you have completed your first internship, even if it’s not the one you like, you can always take something away from it and use it when applying for your second internship,” she said.

Currently working as an intern at SUCO, Voiceson explained why she had difficulty choosing between two different job opportunities. 

“I had the decision to make between having a stable government job and an internship for 6 months in Nicaragua, and it was difficult,” she said.

After explaining the challenging decision process, she told the audience about the uniqueness of the internship abroad. 

“How many times can you go to another country and work for 6 months?” she asked. “It is a unique opportunity.”

Voiceson went on to explain how the internship in Nicaragua has allowed her to apply what she learned in school to the real world, and at the same time, have face-to-face contact with the local population in attempting to solve their water problems. 

Sophie Daubisse, a director of L’Autre Marché, a local organization focused on bridging the relationship between farmers and consumers by co-ordinating farmers’ markets around Montreal, stressed the importance of putting your skills to work. 

“I think the new generation of students have amazing theoretical knowledge, but need to find and identify their skills to put into projects,” she said. “We need new ideas, new juice, and that is exactly what my company is looking for.”