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One‑Minute Meeting with James Martin

Posted by Communications, Marketing & Creative Services on December 7, 2021 in Community Highlights

Three questions, each answered in 150 words or less. One-Minute Meeting is a quick and easy way to get to know more about your colleagues, new and old. Learn how you can nominate someone at the bottom of this post.

Today's meeting is with James Martin, who is Program Manager, University Preparation in the Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Dal?

Having the opportunity to work with so many creative and dynamic people this past year is one of my favorite things about working at Dal. In such a short period of time, I have seen the impact that our Faculty has on the lives of working professionals and learners. It makes me extremely happy to be a part of their learning experiences. It is also quite refreshing to know that there are so many opportunities for employee professional development both within my own faculty but also across the university.

What’s the most surprising thing we might see on your resume/cv?

I think that the most surprising thing people would see on my resume was when I worked as a housekeeper at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel in Alberta. It was by far one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve had. Growing up in rural Newfoundland, I was very fortunate to have very supportive parents. I took time off to work right out of high school and worked tirelessly as a housekeeper to afford my passion of traveling the world. There was a famous public picture that circulated of former President Barack Obama when he greets a custodian with a fist-bump. That image resonated strongly with me and my experience as a housekeeper. I have the greatest respect for custodians and the hard work that they do each day.

What’s the strangest job experience you’ve ever had?

I think that the strangest job I ever has was when I worked part-time as a photo lab assistant and having to work with old-fashioned chemicals to develop people’s personal photos. Eventually we upgraded to a machine to do the work in a fraction of the time. Some days I felt like a chemist, while other days I felt that I was prying into people’s lives through their photos. Very strange job experience indeed.

Now, nominate someone you'd like to see on One-Minute Meeting.

Is there someone at Dal you'd like to know more about? Email today@dal.ca to suggest them for a One-Minute Meeting. Please provide contact information for the person you are nominating and let us know if you are comfortable with them knowing you nominated them (in case they ask). We'll then send the nominee an email seeing if they'd like to participate.