When I was approached by Morris Balycky to speak with you this evening, I was honored and flattered. I asked Morris what was expected and he basically said, something along the lines of “impart some pearls of wisdom from your experiences”. Well, the good news for you is, this won’t be a very long presentation.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve reflected over my 30 some odd years in the workplace and on my education leading up to that. In doing so, I realized there were four main themes that kept cropping up which seemed to be a guiding force in my life: self-evaluation, self-discipline, self confidence and self-esteem. The fact is that you can’t achieve true self-esteem if you haven’t mastered the first three steps. The results are worth it.

I graduated from Concordia University with a joint major in English and Political Science. It was not a combination that had an obvious career direction. I’m sure my parents wondered what I would end up doing with this degree but they were supportive in letting me study what genuinely interested me.

I believed it then and I still believe it: study what you love rather than what you think will provide the best job prospects. It may take some time to find the right fit but if you’re passionate it will all come together. And as we have learned in recent years, the job market is difficult to predict. So choosing your educational path based solely on potential future income may not be the wisest choice.

I wasn’t a great student. In retrospect I wish I had put more effort into it. I was certainly capable of it and got by with a minimal of effort. You could get away with that back then. It was a different world. Most of my friends didn’t even go to university. CEGEP was seen as an acceptable point at which to transition from school to work. That’s not the case today.

Self-evaluation was a skill I hadn’t learned yet. It’s very easy to blame someone or something else when things don’t work out the way you’d like. When you get a lower grade than you expected on a term paper or an exam mark you’re not happy with, chances are you had something to do with it.

If you can take a long hard look at such situations and see what you could have done differently, it can make a world of difference. “Could I have studied a bit harder? Did I really have to go to that party on Saturday night instead of putting in a few more hours studying? Did I get enough sleep?” If you can be honest with yourself, you will do better next time. Every life experience should be viewed as a learning experience. That’s self-evaluation.

So, I had my degree English and Political Science. What to do with it? Let’s see, I loved reading, writing and research and I had a passion for politics. There had to me something out there. And there was but I had to be patient yet persistent. Patience is a virtue. Persistence can be exhausting.

So I took a job at Pratt and Whitney, largely because my parents both worked there and had some influence. Now, you should know that I am a huge fan of nepotism and networking. It’s very easy to let pride get in the way, but pride won’t pay the rent. Use every single contact and kindness that comes your way. No one would recommend you if they didn’t feel you were able to do the job.

My generation was raised with the understanding that when you finish school, the most you should expect is an entry level job. A lot of young people today have unrealistic expectations. You CANNOT and WILL NOT be in a management position straight out of school. If that’s your perception, you will be sorely disappointed.

I eventually landed an entry level job at CFCF-TV, now known as CTV Montreal. Again, this was due to the help of a friend who was already working there and arranged an interview for me. It was an entry level job, doing clerical work for one of the managers. I was fortunate that I caught the eye of the News Director (in the nicest possible way!) who realized I had more to offer and was up to a greater challenge. Within a matter of weeks I was working in the TV newsroom as the newsroom assistant. Without realizing it, my education and interests had brought me to the perfect place where I could begin to grow into a career in journalism and broadcasting, an unlikely place to end up since I had no training in communications or journalism.

My professional life evolved through a number of stages allowing me to make good living, to challenge myself personally and professionally, to interact with interesting people from all walks of life and to constantly enrich myself in the process.

I LOVED my job. I worked in the newsroom for a couple of years and then moved into the field of radio as a producer, also at CFCF. It was exciting, challenging and I thought it would last forever. Think again. The ugly words “budget cuts” meant I was out of a job I adored. I was absolutely devastated. I was young and had very little experience and was overwhelmed by the prospect of being unemployed.

So I cried for a couple of days (well more than a couple) and then the notion of self-discipline kicked in. Enough of feeling sorry for myself, it was time to concentrate on the skills I had learned and keep moving. I was persistent and within a few months was working as a newscaster and co-host of an hour-long magazine format show at FM-96 radio, which is now the Virgin Radio 96. So as a wise man (my Dad) has always told me “Nema zla Shchob na lipshe ne vyjshlo”. There is nothing bad that happens that doesn’t turn into a positive in the long run.

I continued with the process of self-evaluation. My husband would randomly record segments of my radio shows which I would listen to in order to see what I was doing well and what I could improve on. It’s very easy to get comfortable but that is a dangerous zone to fall into in any business, especially the media.

I have worked in private radio and syndicated radio and have moved my up through a variety of positions from producer to co-host to newscaster, journalist and talk-show host. I have lost my job twice, at least the second time I was older and had more job skills, but it was all part of a process that brought me to another level. Tough stuff can and should make you stronger and each time you get through it, your self-confidence is boosted. Been there, done that, rose above it, time to take on the next challenge.

The second time I lost my job at the age of 37 my circumstances were quite different from the first time. I had far more experience at this point and that brought a measure of self-confidence I didn’t have the first time. But I also had two young daughters and a mortgage to pay and I had to take a long hard look at what my next step should be.

The media in Montreal was changing and it was becoming obvious to me that a future in that business would be uncertain. So I had to consider a tough option: switching careers. It was particularly tough because I loved what I was doing.

So I contacted Concordia University, my alma mater, for whom I had done a brief contract job a year earlier.  I have always been fortunate being at the right place at the right time. There was an opening in the Public Relations Department to replace someone on a leave for a year and I jumped at it. It was a change in career but still connected to my previous world since I would be working in Media Relations. Although this career transition was not made by choice but through circumstance, it was the best thing that could have happened to me.

At Concordia I oversee media relations and act as the university’s official spokesperson. My main responsibilities are to promote the university, protect and enhance its reputation.  I manage a small team of former journalists like myself, in an extremely fast-paced and ever-changing environment. It’s exciting and wonderfully rewarding.

I use all of the skills I have developed including the contacts I have made in the media and elsewhere.

• My journalistic experience taught me to be factual
• My research experience taught to make sure I could determine what the facts are
• My writing experience has made be a solid writer, editor and proofreader
• My live radio experience has taught me to think fast, be quick on my feet and choose my words wisely
• My healthy relationships with the media have opened doors and allowed me to call in favors.

That’s another important thing: NEVER burn bridges. You will need every single contact somewhere down the road.

So, enough about me. Let’s talk about you.

I’ve told you about my experience. There have been many major changes and developments since my day. It’s a different world today. Is it easier, tougher or just different? I guess it depends where you sit.

If there is one landmark development that has occurred since I was in your shoes is the arrival of the computer and the web. They have absolutely changed our world and have redefined the way we function.

Certainly, access to information is easier. It has revolutionized the way we live, work and learn. Students can do their research and write their papers any time of the day or night without even leaving the house.  But remember that computers and all the other tools that have made so much information readily accessible, won’t make you an instant expert.

Tools make things easier, but just because you can buy a hammer and a saw at the hardware store, that doesn’t mean that you are instantly a master carpenter.  It takes years to master your craft whatever the craft might be. 

Your most important tool is your mind, your imagination, but you have to learn how to use it.  Imagination creates and shapes ideas.  Learn how to think.  Learn how to think for yourself. Just because something has been done the same way for ages, doesn’t mean that it has to be done the same way forever.

Great, original ideas can’t be downloaded from some website.  They need to be created.  Nothing worthwhile is easy.  It’s always been that way. It always will be.

As more and more qualified people enter the work place, the need to be creative becomes more apparent. A lot of first impressions are made via e-mail these days on online job search sites. Easy access to information as well as ever-increasing enrolment and graduation rates means there are a lot of intelligent, educated, motivated and marketable people competing for the same job. You have to figure out what makes you different and figure out the best way to communicate that to a potential employer.

Employers also have tools at their disposal that are new to this generation. Do you think any employer won’t think twice before hiring someone who has posted pictures of themselves online doing something foolish? Trust me…..they troll those sites.

Nothing is private any more. Social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube have made staying in touch with friends, sharing pictures and personal information quick and easy. But once you are out there, there’s no going back even if you want to. So think long and hard before you post anything. You never know who might come across it and how that could affect your future.

First impressions can last a lifetime and it can be extremely difficult to change a negative opinion. So always start off on the right foot. Speak with self-confidence but measure your words. Don’t appear too cocky or aggressive. It just won’t work.

Treat those around you with the respect they deserve. It will say lot about you and it will come back to you.

And never forget the value of the community that raised and nurtured you: the Ukrainian community. We are all here today because we are members of this Ukrainian community in Montreal.

Your parents or your grandparents arrived here in Montreal with nothing, with their suitcases and a few pennies in their pockets. They built this community, not for themselves, but for you. They built our churches, our Ukrainian schools (perhaps you’re not grateful for that right  now). They created youth associations like Plast and CYM, choirs and dance ensembles. They did this all for you and this community will support you.

If you ever fall on hard times, they will be here for you. Stay together and remember that this community is there for you. Always remember that without the efforts of you grandparents we would never have this.

Also think ahead. Someday you will have children of you own. Maybe your husband or wife won’t be Ukrainian. That doesn’t mean you can’t raise your children within the Ukrainian community.

My husband is not Ukrainian. But from the earliest days, he no only encouraged me but insisted that we raise our daughters within the Ukrainian community. He said “can’t do the Ukrainian homework with them, but I will drive them to Ukrainian school, to Plast, to Marunczak dancing”, and not only did he drive them, but all of their friends, home most Friday nights after dancing. So I wanted to publicly thank him for that.

In closing, I would like to say ideas power the world. 

Experience is a hard won treasure,

VALUES are the core.

Be influenced and inspired by the great ideas that came before you –STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS – but forge your own ideas.  BE ORIGINAL, but learn how to edit yourself.  Be your own fan, but also your own toughest critic.

Remember, true quality is timeless and it’s free.

Christine Mota
November 21, 2009