EMPR 240 – Introductory Blog Post
Hello, my name is Sarah and I’ve done a lot of kinds of work. My first “industrial” job was working at McDonald’s. Through the lens of my 13-year-old ideology, my new uniformed role marked my departure from domestic and manual labour (babysitting and a paper route) into the adult world of a steady paycheck. Working late evenings and early mornings afforded me all the clothes and music I could buy. A couple of years later, my entry into retail saw my self-perceived status rise from greasy-collar worker to that of denim-collar worker. My rise from casual babysitter to the denim class marked an early, and in retrospect, comically simple, formation of an ambitious drive that informs my actions to this day.
Today I’m a Human Resources professional returning to studies to finish the degree I left behind to follow my ambition. In this class I’m particularly interested in learning about the historical evolution of workplace governance and the human history that drove change. I’m also very interested in the history of social justice and how it’s so deeply interconnected with labour topics.
I look forward to working with you!
Sarah
Sarah Northrup 
HI Sarah thanks for sharing! I am currently working at Starbucks part time while attending school and the early morning can be rough but free coffee during exam seasons can be nice. Having a part time job at school is nice as it gives me some spending money. I feel the same way about starting as a babysitter to now working in the service industry. I have had a job of some sort ever since I was in grade 6, from babysitting to soccer referee, then camp councillor, then hockey timekeeper, camp director and now working at Starbucks. I am curious as to how you think this would help you in your Human Resource profession, and what encouraged you to returned to your studies?
Thanks
James
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Hi James,
Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself too! My time in retail taught me a lot about people and what makes them “tick”. I’m sure you can relate. You’ve held people-centric roles. This experience helped me enormously when I got into HR. Being able to problem solve, show empathy and relate to people are some of the things I bring to the job. I am coming back to finish my degree for my own satisfaction and sense of achievement.
I worked at Starbucks too. I was a manager and I loved every minute of it. My lack of attention to detail wasn’t a great fit for the role: I was pretty terrible at inventory and was responsible for the only Starbucks in Toronto to have run out of coffee! My career in HR has been much better suited to my strengths. Thanks for your thoughtful question!
Sarah
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