Redemption

I have not worked in geology since September of 2008, when I was voluntarily laid off by Aurora Geosciences in Yellowknife. A recruiting company had convinced me to head to Australia, despite the fact that the company in Perth that had been interested in me had rescinded their offer. Like most people, the recruiter probably didn't foresee that the global economy was a month away from near total collapse. I got to Perth in November and after a month and a half of job hunting ended up at a roadhouse in the desert with $40 in my pocket. Everyone there was confident I would find something locally, since the roadhouse was close to so many nearby mining operations. Well, that didn't happen.

As the recession worsened, I gave up on trying to find work in my field and decided that I would instead turn the trip into a backpacking adventure. 20 000km later I headed back to Canada with $30 and the word of our finance minister that the recession was over. To pay my student loans I worked part time over the summer, confident that after a month or so I would find geology work. As Christmas hit, I was at an all time low for morale- being unemployed does quite a number on one's self-esteem. Perhaps for all my schooling and experience, I was just a mediocre fake scientist. I stopped worrying about getting geology work and started to think of alternatives for my life. A welding ticket, maybe. That would mean more school, but at least I would have guaranteed work at the end. Maybe I should have tried a Master's degree, even though I was so sick of university.

After the new year I finally made a decision, which basically equated to "fuck it". I was living in my parents' basement, not doing much of anything but playing xbox and working part time just enough to pay my bills. I started exercising and committed to the fact that I may be there for a while. Instead of stressing about it all I embraced my situation and started making an effort to have a bit of fun. I stopped thinking of High Prairie as a pit stop and started to settle in. Of course, that is exactly when life decided to throw everything on it's head. All that anxiety, all that self-doubt of the last year and a half evaporated with one phone call. Someone had seen my resume on a mining website and contacted me. There wasn't even an interview (I have a feeling my references helped out in that regard); he basically asked when I was available and if I was happy with the salary and then I was hired on the spot.

The danger of identifying yourself by your profession is that if you lose that, then there is not much else to prop you up. I didn't think so when I was stuck in Perth with no job and no money, but I was lucky I got stuck in Australia during the bulk of the recession- at least there I was able to carve out a niche for myself that I was able to think back on positively during the last while. I was not just an unemployed geologist, but an adventurer, a hobo, an amateur mechanic, a scuba diver, and a bit of a nut. I am certainly a stronger person than I was when I first left university, For the next recession I will have a nest egg put aside and you'll find me in India, thanks... 0r South America; or Ireland.

-A.