Alison Garwood Jones

From Research Assistant > Podcast Host > Communications & Knowledge Translation Officer

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Megan Fleming knows this first hand. She is the Communications and Knowledge Translation Officer at CanPath, Canada’s largest population health study.

In early 2022, Megan’s face popped up on my Zoom screen as one of 40+ learners enrolled in the Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media (2875) course I teach at the University of Toronto’s School of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS Connects). From the beginning, she was clear why she was there.

With a newly minted MA in Health Promotion from Queen’s University, Megan wanted to make the leap from an administrative role to her first job in her chosen field. Her ongoing research was showing that the job she wanted hadn’t been posted yet, and she wanted to be ready the moment it dropped. Her faith in the process was beautiful.

Over the next three months in class, Megan took the time to study the playbook for the most current best practices in digital content creation and distribution and applied them to Holding Healthy Space, a podcast she created.

This blog post from the SCS website shows the steps Megan took to prepare her skills for her new job and a new future.

Megan’s story highlights the role continuing education can play when we try to balance our personal career goals with evolving technology and emerging job roles. Her dream job appeared just as she was finishing the course.

As an instructor, I love seeing how students create valuable digital assets in class that can become the stepping stones … no, the jetpacks that thrust them into brighter, more fulfilling careers.

Way to go, Megan!