A little over two years ago, we highlighted Jamie Twohig and his experience as a Beedie Luminary Mentor. At that time, Jamie was relatively new to our Mentor Program and a Project Coordinator with Beedie. While many things have changed since that first article, today’s blog shows that Jamie’s main piece of advice to students remains the same: “trust your gut feeling”. We thought it was about time to check in again and dive deeper into what Jamie’s been up to, what’s changed, and how things have been.
Today, Jamie is QA/QC Lead at Beedie. While his every day work life is filled with quality assurance and control, Jamie likes to spend his downtime in the outdoors by running, listening to music, or travelling where and when he can. In this short interview below, we chat with Jamie to get to know him a little bit better than before, and discuss building a new mentor-mentee relationship with Beedie Luminary Cain Tipton!
Hey Jamie. Let’s get right into it. Where does your passion for mentorship come from?
Jamie tells us that trust and mentorship actually go hand-in-hand. For Jamie, a mentor isn’t always someone who gives advice, but instead, it’s someone who’s just there to hear you out:
When I think of the mentors that I have been lucky enough to have in my life, I think of people that I trusted. I trusted them because they always had my best interest at heart. They were the type of people that never gave advice, but simply listened and provided space for me to express my thoughts, my ideas and my dreams, and maybe made a gentle suggestion here and there. They were the people that believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. These people led by examples of dignity and respect through their actions rather than their words.
For me, my mentors are my parents, my siblings, and some of my close friends that I’ve had for many years. And my mentors from my past would be my grandparents, my good friend/surrogate uncle, Barrie Ahern. Lastly, my basketball coach, Francis O’Sullivan.
So we know your mentee Cain Tipton (he’s so great). What’s your favourite memory with him?
Cain and I have known each other for only a few months, so the pool of memories is somewhat limited. We connect via. video call and I think my favourite memory was when we met for the first time. Cain’s positivity and enthusiasm was infectious! It was incredibly refreshing to meet someone so bright and ready to take on the world. Things that people should know about Cain is that he is very kind, thoughtful and smart. He has built a canoe! He seems to be naturally musically inclined since he can play multiple musical instruments. And he loves apple juice!
Go Cain! We’re excited to see how your mentor-mentee relationship grows from here. Now, can we ask you a few personal questions?
How would you describe yourself? What are three qualities that got you where you are today?
I am a positive person who is genuine, fair, empathetic and who doesn’t take life too seriously. I think it is important to find the laugh in a situation, to be kind to strangers, and remember we’re all in this thing we call ‘life’ together. The qualities that got me where I am today are my ability to build rapport with people, to help keep a team positive when things are tough, and to not be afraid to admit when I didn’t understand something or if I made a mistake.
Relationship-building and people skills are definitely critical in every aspect of life. Did you always know what you wanted to do? Or, how did it come to you?
My favourite subjects in secondary school were technical drawing, construction studies, and English. These lead me to a BSc in Construction Management, and ultimately into project management, and now quality assurance and control, in the construction industry.
Sounds like you were always on the right path… So, what was your first job? What was your biggest takeaway from that experience?
My first job was giving out flyers for a pizza restaurant chain to houses in several housing estates all around my hometown when I was 14. It was only for a few weeks one summer and I enjoyed it. As corny as it sounds, my most impactful take away from that job was just because others get away with being dishonest, it doesn’t mean you should follow suit if it conflicts with your own values.
Incredible. Switching gears here: where is your happy place?
I have a few! Either riding my motorcycle, running up and down mountain trails, bopping along at a music festival, or sitting in the evening sun by the ocean.
Sounds like you’re all about work-life balance and being outdoors. Is there a dream you have that you have not yet achieved?
Absolutely! A healthy work-life balance is so important and took me a few years at the start of my career to figure out. All work and no play is no way to live. Life is too short. A dream of mine that I have yet to achieve would be to visit either Colombia, New Zealand or Vietnam (ride the Ha Giang Loop!).
Can you share a fun fact about yourself?
I spent 6 months travelling through Mexico and Central America in a van!
Okay. Last one, promise! What’s your advice for post-secondary students transitioning into their professional careers?
Trust your gut, and listen to it. If you’re in a situation where you need to make a decision, and ‘the right’ choice just doesn’t feel right, don’t make that call at that time. Take some space, maybe sleep on it, and come back to it again. You will know the second time round if it’s what you want or not. What is meant for you won’t pass you.
Thanks for your time, Jamie. Hopefully we’ll see you in another two years!
Become a mentor today. Learn more here. #BeedieBright!
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