I fell into Mining accidentally. I started off in Chemical Engineering, but at the time Laurentian University only offered a two-year program. I was enticed to switch over to Metallurgical engineering in my second year with the promise of a co-op placement. I never looked back. Metallurgy was the right fit for me – it was practical, hands on, challenging and fun and I was able to work at four different mines and gain valuable experience before I graduated. It also offered financial benefits – I was able to graduate with money in my pocket and a much higher starting salary than any of my non-mining friends.
I love mining because of the people I have met and worked with during my career. I have worked with lots of really interesting characters over my 24 years in the industry and heard some crazy stories. I even had a boss who had scurvy while working at an isolated gold camp in Australia – he ate nothing but beans on toast for three months. I am lucky to have had some inspiring mentors (who I still count as friends) and worked with some amazing young individuals and this has been the best part of my job. My favourite experiences in mining have involved working with young people and watching them grow and mature into confident professionals and leaders.
Mining offers such a diversity of career paths. You can be anything you want in mining and earn a high salary doing it. I have been very fortunate to work in every stage of the mining cycle – from project planning and development, environmental permitting and community relations, equipment selection and sales, project construction and commissioning, operations (including tailings and water management), closure and decommissioning. I have also been fortunate to study in Sudbury – the best place on earth to study and do research in Mining – and then work all over the world, including Canada, Australia, England, the US, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. With Mining you have choices that you would not have in other fields… and it is never boring.