Company: Canadian Armed Forces

Position: Logistics Officer

Employed: Claudine Lee joined the Reserves in 2002, and transferred to the RegF in 2008.

Degree: Bachelor of Arts

How did you find your current position? 
I used to work at a bank. I studied Social Science at York University, and I always figured I'd end up in business or economics working at a company related in the business field. But while I was at school, I was also in the Reserves part-time working on the weekends and in the summer. After graduating university, I found myself unsatisfied working at the bank and started working at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre. Working full time as a reservist offered me a lot of opportunity and challenges, so not long after graduating I decided to join the Regular Forces.

Tell us a bit about your responsibilities.
I'm stationed at 8 Wing/CFB Trenton, Wing Operations in the Orderly Room. My job isn't always in the office. I go for courses, there's domestic travel, international travel, and field training. You can't do all that in the civilian world.
I'm in human resources management, so like anywhere else in civilian life there is paper work. But my duties go far beyond just that, I find the right people to do the right job to complete a mission. 
It's a very dynamic job where every day brings new challenges and opportunities to grow and learn as a soldier and trade specialist. In Trenton, I've had the experience of dealing with troops and ensuring that they have a balance of work and family. With the high operational tempo here, it's also important to keep a close relationship with the families of soldiers on deployment, ensuring they have the services they need. I'm also dealing with things such as contractors on base, security clearances, etc. On top of the daily office duties, I'm busy taking training and career courses, both to specialize more in my trade, as well as keep my basic soldier qualifications up to date. You never know what you'll be doing one day to the next.

What is the most challenging aspect of your position?
Leadership. I'm in charge of a section where I have to build a team to lead. What I'm working on has a great impact, there's a bigger picture here and every decision we make impacts that. As an officer I'm responsible for leading and training my team and every skill set I learn from courses and deployments helps develop these skills. It isn't like any other civilian administrative job out there. I lead troops. If I can do that well, then I go home feeling satisfied.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
You meet all sorts of people you wouldn't find elsewhere. I deal with the troops, contractors, civilians, and I even meet with soldiers' families from time to time. I interact with all these different characters, with different backgrounds, all over the country. I have to inspire these people, and help them adjust and understand the life of a soldier. It's an enriching experience, but it also really pushes you and you end up finding out a lot about yourself.

What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
It's different than at a private sector company. Being an officer in the Canadian Forces is about knowing how to lead. We're moving people and supplies around the world on tight deadlines and under demanding conditions. Being a leader here, I have to motivate, encourage, and find a commonality among all these different people to complete the mission. It's a very rewarding challenge.

What are your future career aspirations?
I'm looking forward to my next deployment, my next challenge. My posting changes every few years along with my duties ' there are so many fields in logistics. Here at Trenton, I'm working with people off-base, like families, contractors, members of the community. At another base, I may be working more on policy and staffing.  You're working for Canada. There are so many roles you can fill because it's a bigger picture you're involved in, and it doesn't get much bigger than Canada.

What advice do you have for students looking to land their first job?
This is not your typical office job ' you're a soldier first, your job description comes second. So if you want a change, a real challenge, and a chance to make a difference, you need to join. If you want excitement and personal fulfillment, join.
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