At 24, Amanda Nicholls exudes youthful enthusiasm and easygoing self-confidence. But she's tougher than she looks.
Just days into her new job as an administrative assistant in the University of Alberta's Department of Psychiatry, I caught up with her following a meeting with Assistant Chair Scott Phillips.
Given the circumstances, I figured she might duck my impromptu interview request, or ask to delay it for a few weeks until she was more comfortable in her new work environment.
Wrong. Nicholls happily obliged, answering my questions about her personal background and her interest in working at the U of A with candour and good humour.
Nicholls, I soon learned, honed her no-nonsense communications skills at Derrick Dodge, a busy local auto dealership, where she worked for seven years after graduating from Edmonton's Holy Trinity High School.
"I started as a lunch relief receptionist, and I was also working at Mark's Work Warehouse in the evenings. Then I went travelling for a little while with my cousin, to Australia and Indonesia, and when we came back, Derrick Dodge offered me another job as a fleet clerk," she explains.
When an older colleague in the department subsequently retired, Nicholls was promoted to Assistant Manager, which gave her plenty of day-to-day exposure to sometimes fickle, demanding corporate clients as well as testosterone-driven male colleagues.
"You do have to develop a bit of a thick skin working at a car dealership. It's a male-dominant environment, so there's a lot of young men there and they can say terrible things. It's not always fun to listen to," she admits.
"Sometimes I was told that some of the guys hated the shoes I was wearing, that kind of thing. It was really just these insignificant, stupid comments that I'd hear. But that makes you a tougher person, and I needed that. It's not good if every little thing upsets you."
Nicholls' new position entails providing administrative support for a variety of faculty and programs in the Department of Psychiatry, including Dr. Beverley Stich, Resident Program Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Subspecialty Program; Dr. Alice Leung, Division Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; and Dr. Laura Stovel, Associate Chair-Education.
Nicholls will also provide administrative support for Grand Rounds and upcoming Fellowship programs in the Department of Psychiatry, as well as various other subspecialty programs.
It's a big load, but one that Nicholls seems eager to take on. In fact, she says she loves new challenges, and the opportunity to learn about the medical field.
That's why she chose to leave a secure but professionally limiting job at Derrick Dodge, and why she is eager to complete her program in Human Resources Management at MacEwan while holding down a full-time job at the U of A.
"I love the challenges here. I had reached my limit in my old position, to be honest, and I found my motivation for work was declining. This is a complete change, going from a car dealership to a medical environment. So I want to challenge myself and learn new things."
And what do her former co-workers think about her career change? They give her two thumbs up.
"I think everyone knew I was ready for a change. My old boss at Derrick Dodge was the most supportive person ever and he was just so excited for me. He said: 'You know what, I will never try to keep you here, you need to grow.' So everyone was encouraging. It's nice to have that kind of support system."
Nicholls also credits her father for inspiring her to make the leap.
"My dad is a short-haul truck driver now, but he did a total career change when he was 53. He was a heavy-duty mechanic throughout my childhood years, and he absolutely hated it," she says.
"But when my dad's parents passed away, he said 'You know what? Life is too short for this.' I think it really changed his perspective. He moved into the trucking industry and he absolutely adores it. It's hard in your 50s to make a total career change. I have a lot of respect for that."