At the end of my time at university, I found myself with a simple choice: stay away from home or come back to Prince George? I’m sure that many of my fellow millennials from Prince George can sympathize with this dilemma – perhaps some of them are even struggling with this question right now!
Ultim
ately I chose to come back home, and while the going wasn’t always easy, I honestly have no regrets about my choice for one simple reason: getting involved in this city is as simple as showing up willing to work.
The ability to grow my career
The sad truth that everyone learns after investing enormous amounts of energy in job searches or interviews in metropolitan areas is that the competition is stiff and the distance from the front desk to the executive office can be almost infinite. Even getting a foot in the door at a company that didn’t make your top ten list of potential employers can be a Herculean task.
By contrast, Prince George is called the volunteer capital of Canada for a reason – people who live here love to give back abundantly. Every project in this town runs on volunteer power: from small church choirs to fundraisers for cancer survivors to the success of the 2015 Canada Winter games, volunteers make this town hum.
What that means in practical terms regarding employment is that you can actually get to know business owners and senior managers face to face almost immediately simply by showing up and participating in community events. This is a huge advantage, especially when you consider that many people in large firms in large cities still haven’t met their most senior leaders!
Volunteer opportunities
And of course volunteer activity in this city is a great way to become part of community. My own experience with volunteering in Prince George has lead t
o some very cool experiences, like sitting on the Board of Directors for the College of New Caledonia and helping other organizations through my membership in the Knights of Columbus.
Prince George’s greatest advantage is that it fosters a business culture that promises you real growth in your career and a personal interaction with management in every industry. That’s probably why so many people continue to stay in Prince George even after “getting started” – the personal touch goes a long way and the diversity of experiences available is just incredible.
In the end, I’m happy I chose to come back home and invest my time into Prince George. The return on that choice has been greater than I could ever pay back. I hope you choose to make Prince George your home as well. You won’t regret it!
