A Jack-Of-All-Trades With A Not-So-Linear Path

When I was asked to share the path that led me to Middle, many memories came to mind. Film studies, several years working for a B2B publisher in the automotive industry, two babies, a pandemic… 

Was it a linear path? Not at all. 

The beginnings of an unstoppable jack-of-all-trades

You see, I’m a jack-of-all-trades. In more precise terms, we usually refer to multipotentiality to describe those people whose interests span several fields.

I’ve always been like that. In the dance troupe when I was in high school, I switched to the student newspaper and discovered a passion for writing. At the same time, I experienced for the first time website creation and the beginnings of what we could call graphic design. 

Two years in CEGEP. Nothing very exciting; a passion for the history classes of my D.C.S. in Social Sciences. Then the big question: where was I going to settle down after graduation to continue on the university benches? But more importantly, in what field? 

I remember sending three applications to Université de Montréal. My choices were the Bachelor of Communication Science and the Bachelor of History. As for the third choice, my guess is that it wasn’t that interesting, because I can’t remember what it was. You see, it’s been a few years and my memory isn’t always the best…

Both choices were to train me to become what I wanted: a journalist.

Before starting the last year of my bachelor’s degree in Communication Science, I spent a month in Newfoundland and then applied to Concordia University, where I enrolled in a major in journalism and a minor in film studies. 

The common point of all these years of study? All this time, I was writing.

Film reviews, covering music concerts, theater plays, soccer and hockey games… 

A jack-of-all-trades, as I said.

Entering the job market and the beginning of a promising career

At the end of my studies, the job market was slightly different from what it is today. Mainly because the labour shortage was not as trendy a term as it may be today. I continued to freelance while sending my resume everywhere.

One day, I found a job offer for an editorial assistant. Finally a position that didn’t require a minimum of 5 years of experience. I got the job and slowly worked my way up. Editorial Assistant, Print Production Coordinator, Production Manager – Web and Print… and finally, after returning from my first maternity leave, Operations Manager. 

I was passionate about the industry: magazine publishing, in a world where print journalism is losing the war to the digital world, was a dream come true for someone with my background.

And then… SURPRISE!

One day, out of the blue, COVID appeared. My daughter was 22 months old, we were about to buy our first house, everything was going according to plan at work, and I had lots of exciting projects to look forward to. 

But the global context decided otherwise. The world came to a standstill. The focus shifted to our family, which grew in early 2021. 

My maternity leave was coming to an end just as the government was talking about offices reopening for good and masks not being mandatory in public places.

Then one day, a message from Karelle appeared in my LinkedIn inbox: Hi Joanie, I’m Karelle, the Founder of Agence Middle. I’m very curious to know if you’re looking for a job now or soon…? 

And the rest is history!