I am very fortunate to have my specific job

I love my job. I really do. Currently, I work as a senior officer with a program area in a Canadian federal department. I have been with the government for about 20 years.

I have done a few different jobs with the government but my work as a senior officer has been going on for more than two years in my current program unit.

What I like most about my job is that I know at the end of each week I have made a difference. Sometimes it may be small; sometimes it may be big - but it is a difference. It is a difference to a small company owner, or another headquarters employee, or a regional officer, etc. The work I do sometimes may be directly or indirectly related to what is going on in the news. Also, there is so much variety. One week I can be working on a project, then another week I can be working on a few small documents. Sometimes I have to do a lot of reading and analysis; sometimes I have to do many calculations while other times I may have to do some system related work, etc.

The files and programs I work on are tied to the country’s economy. Even if they are a very small percentage (or even less than 1%) it does feel good to know the connection. As a public servant my job and duty is to the Canadian public and I take pride in that. I try my best to ensure that I hold myself to a high standard for them.

Also what is cool is that often I get to know about different trends and different updates related to programs. I work on obtaining data that is useful and can help management in formulating certain decisions later. I get to read interesting documents and sometimes even compare them with programs in other countries.

A very important recent file was the COVID file. That impacted thousands of employees working in different areas. It impacted where I worked too and we had to do certain updates, prepare specific documents, etc. as a result of COVID. I felt that when something so unfortunate as COVID affects so many people, employees such as myself have to do certain work as a result of that.

I like working with my colleagues a lot. They are professionals from different fields so it is interesting to hear everyone’s inputs during meetings. Everyone has their own opinion and that is what makes working in a larger group or even mini groups more interesting.

My office is in beautiful downtown Ottawa. I like it there and I believe Ottawa has to be one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world. Taking a 15 minute stroll during my lunch break is one of the most favourite things to do on a work day.

I immigrated to Canada with my family more than 23 years ago. My family and I are originally from India. We miss India but have grown very fond of Canada. Working for the Canadian federal government involves a lot of honour and pride for me. So, working at my current job in the government lets me feel very good and happy. Each job has its challenges and so does mine. However, in doing my work on a regular basis, I feel a great sense of satisfaction as I can see how it contributes to the public good in Canada.

I have liked each and every job with the government in the last 20 years. However, the job I like the most is the current one. Overall, it has been the best experience for me. I have a good manager, good colleagues and very good colleagues. I look forward to working for at least a few more years for sure.