The Connections We Make
July 24, 2014 10:38 am Leave your thoughts
This is just going to be a mini blog post, but I felt the need to bring something up that I figured not many of the other Green Dream interns would be able to write about. I’m currently studying forest management at the University of Alberta, and have been gaining experience in the industry over the summers. Doing this, I have met all kinds of people who have come from unexpected backgrounds. It doesn’t matter who they are, they are all amazing people. Foresters, and everyone else working within the industry, are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Complete strangers in the office will come up, say hi, sit down and start talking to me. Where else can you have a perfectly normal conversation with a total stranger and not feel uncomfortable in the slightest?
My supervisor this summer is especially good to me. He puts in copious amounts of effort in order to ensure that I’m getting the most out of my summer. So far he’s sent me off with almost half of the other people in the office, allowing me see what they do on a daily basis. I didn’t even have to ask. He, along with the rest of the industry, genuinely cares about the young workers that are just getting started.
The average age within the industry is increasing all the time. Workers are getting older and retiring, but only a handful of us young folk are coming in to replace them. The vast wealth of knowledge contained within the industry risks being lost if it’s not passed down. People like my supervisor are doing their best to make sure none of this valuable experience is lost. This is for everyone within the industry, for being such wonderful people. I am especially thankful for my supervisor this summer, Conor O’Donnell.