“As a teacher, you have to be able to communicate and be flexible, diligent, humourous, and easy going,” says Mark, who is also the school’s head baseball coach.
“I applied to all the school boards looking for a position. The best way to be successful is by showing that you can quickly immerse yourself in the school community and that you can be more than just a teacher.”
Prior to landing his teaching job, Mark held three jobs. First, he worked as an Editorial Assistant for TSN, monitoring sporting events assigned to him. He then cut it into a highlight pack for Sportscenter and wrote the script for the on-air talent to read.
Second, he worked as Producer of the OUA Show for the FAN 590. He booked all of the guests for the show and wrote the lineup for the host. Before working for the station, he was an intern there from May to December 2004. During his internship, Mark covered and reported on the following sporting events: Euro Cup 2004, Canadian Swimming Olympic Qualifying, Toronto Argonauts practices, and Toronto Raptors pre-draft workouts.
Finally, Mark worked in customer service for WestJet where he was in charge of the initial check-in, dealing with customer complaints and issues. He also did all of the boarding calls.
“You must have great communication skills, you must be organized, and you must be able to think quickly and be able to handle any situation which may arise,” says Mark, who has a diploma from Humber College for the Accelerated Journalism program.
Mark has worked for many different employers in many different capacities. He worked as a Communications Assistant for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food where he conducted briefings for Ontario’s former Minister of Agriculture and Food Helen Johns among other duties.
He worked as a clerk at the Beer Store where he was responsible for balancing the store’s finances and inventory, performing opening and closing procedures, computing payroll, and training new employees.
He worked as a Customer Service Representative for TD Canada Trust, processing day-to-day banking transactions for customers, balancing the money in the bank, and helping resolve customer inquires and concerns.
He has also worked at CKHC 90.7FM in Toronto as Host/Producer/Creator of Show Host for Overtime, a live half-hour weekly sports show. He created segment themes, edited interviews, and lined up guests for the show.
“Do as many things as you can,” Mark says. “And network with people. Most people that you know will do anything they can to help you out. Do not be afraid to ask questions.”
If he could do anything differently, he would have taken journalism and politics instead of general arts.
“Make sure you are doing what you love,” he says. “You must be persistent. Nothing is going to be given to you. You must work hard and put in your time."