From Sociology to the National Research Council: Chanel’s Career Journey
Chanel Fortin graduated in 2024 with a B.A. Honours in Sociology (Social Justice Stream) and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She is currently doing her M.A. Sociology part-time at Carleton while working as a Project Management Coordinator at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). During her time at Carleton, she worked a range of jobs, including four co-op work terms as a Student Employment Programs Assistant with Career Services and a contract role with the Accessibility Institute. Here, she shares insight into her pathway to government and the steps that landed her where she is today.
You went from the sociology program to working in several roles at Carleton as a co-op student and contract worker. Now you’re a Project Management Coordinator at NRC. Were you always hoping to work in government? How did that journey unfold?
That’s right, I certainly kept myself busy in my undergrad. My co-op was at Carleton’s Career Services, following that, I worked contract at Carleton’s Accessibility Institute in parallel with a special project at Career Services. I also worked as a Research Assistant for one of my Sociology professors a couple times. I was not always hoping to work in government. At the time, I was mainly exploring opportunities in the non-profit sector because I felt it was the best way to work directly with communities. I thought the municipal government would be a good fit as well, but I was a bit skeptical of the federal government. I wasn’t totally sure if, from a national level, I’d have the opportunity to engage with communities and make that direct impact I was looking for. I felt I made positive impacts on the Carleton community during my role at Career Services, which really solidified this desire to continue to make a positive impact.
In terms of starting at NRC, I was in my last year of undergrad, and I attended the Virtual Winter Career Fair. I decided to go into some booths and chat with a few representatives. One of those booths was NRC. I had a nice casual conversation with an HR representative, I uploaded my resume and didn’t think much of it, as I had been unsuccessful in obtaining federal student positions in the past. About a month later, I got an email from the representative, saying she appreciated our conversation and thought I would be a good fit for a role they were about to post. I met the Director, who was hiring for the role, for an online meeting, then went on site for a visit and interview and was offered the job. I started about a week after finishing my degree. Had I not gone to that career fair and introduced myself to employers, I likely would have not had this opportunity.
Many students worry when their degree doesn’t have a clear pathway to a specific job. How did you identify career opportunities that matched your skills and interests?
The truth is that relatively few degrees have a clearly defined career pathway. Engineering, computer science, nursing, teaching; those are specialized areas, it’s generally clear what careers those programs prepare you for after graduation. In the humanities and the social sciences specifically, I think we have a unique position where you can really carve out your own path. It’s what you make it. For example, in sociology, I could work in labour relations, policy, health and safety, program management, community engagement, research, economics, urban planning, public relations, international relations, social work, and many other fields. It is up to you and the electives you choose and the topics of your research papers to decide what you’re going to focus on. One thing I appreciated about sociology was that it exposed me to many different social issues and sectors, which helped me identify areas I genuinely cared about. One strategy I used was I looked back at my papers and projects to see what topics I tended to lean towards. I noticed I mainly focused on three areas: Indigenous-Canada relations, gender-based violence, and accessibility. I then researched what jobs exist in these realms. Next, I did some networking via cold connecting with people on LinkedIn who had jobs I found interesting. I had a few coffee chats with folks at the City of Ottawa, and some non-profits. Over time, things became clearer as to what jobs exist out there and in which sectors I should be looking.
What transferable skills from sociology have been most valuable in your work, even in roles that weren’t directly related to your field of study?
As a sociology student, you develop highly transferable skills. Assignments and projects throughout sociology require you to perform research and data analysis, use your critical thinking and problem-solving skills to examine social structures and group dynamics, and communicate and report your findings for different audiences. In every job, you will need to practice these skills. Personally, I find for my current job, I am really good at problem-solving. A large part of my role is identifying operational inefficiencies in research or project management processes, brainstorming solutions, and implementing improvements. Sociology taught me to look beyond symptoms and understand the systems creating those challenges. Another big part of my future career path at NRC is driven by my expertise in sociological analysis. Specifically, being able to turn data into strategy, into a story. Sociology gives you many opportunities to conduct your own qualitative and quantitative research projects, which are huge for companies and organizations. There is so much data flying around but the data doesn’t mean much unless it has context. As a sociologist, I find I am very good at taking our research projects and communicating the socio-economic impact they have on Canada. Impact studies are something my research centre really wants to focus on and so I am working towards a role more geared to that.
What role did co-op, contract work, or networking play in helping you get where you are today?
Co-op and contract work are 80% of the reason why I secured a job immediately after graduation. The other 20% came from networking, strong academic performance, and being able to demonstrate those skills through research and work experience. Every “entry level” job requires relevant work experience. While that expectation can seem unreasonable for a new graduate, it’s not impossible to meet. Co-op was the main reason I chose to study at Carleton. Other universities didn’t offer it for sociology at the time. It was a complete game changer. Co-op and other student contract gigs are an excellent way to learn how to be a worker and how to work in corporate/office environments. There are many unwritten rules, workplace dynamics, and systems you have to get familiar with that are just part of most work worlds. All of these experiences helped me get to where I am today.
You’re pursuing a master’s degree in sociology while working full-time. Was that always the plan or were there recent elements that contributed to that decision?
The decision became much clearer after I started working at NRC. I always knew I would do it alongside a full-time job and not full-time right after undergrad because I did not want to slow down the momentum I’ve built in my career thus far. I’ve been in my current role for almost three years now and I’ve been inspired by the research conducted at my research centre, Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering. They work closely with communities, Indigenous communities, municipalities, provincial governments, other federal departments, and industry. I started finding opportunities to join some projects to see what community engagement work I could contribute to, considering my skillset and background in sociology. There are currently no social scientists on the team and while we do have an engagement team, there is no one dedicated to these specific projects. The project managers, who are also the engineers, have been taking on aspects of the community engagement role themselves. It’s a huge gap that’s not filled. A big part of effective community engagement is consistency. With Indigenous communities specifically, it is even more important to have the same people representing these projects to build meaningful long-term relationships. So, for my role, my boss and I sat down and discussed my future and what I’m interested in. She suggested I could transition into engagement but because of the type of classification the role would be under, I required a master’s degree. So, I did some research on master’s programs in Ottawa that would help me best with this and found that sociology offered me the most flexibility to expand my learning to climate change courses, northern courses, etc.
Is there anything you think students should know about the career journey that you wish you would have known?
My biggest piece of advice is to start building experience and relationships earlier than you think you need to. Don’t expect things to fall into your lap just because you have an undergraduate degree. The reality is that the job market is competitive. Don’t wait until your final year to think about your career. Seek out co-op opportunities, volunteer work, research positions, student leadership roles, and networking events while you’re still in school. One of the most valuable experiences I had at Carleton was taking a First-Year Seminar course, which helped me build a relationship with a professor that eventually led to a research assistant position. That experience opened doors and showed me how important it is to connect with people and put yourself out there. Career fairs, networking events, and even informal coffee chats can lead to opportunities you never expected. Looking back, many of the opportunities I’ve had came from relationships and conversations rather than simply submitting applications online. As technology continues to change how we apply for jobs, the ability to build genuine connections and communicate effectively will only become more valuable.