This month The Professional Edge chats with Raelynn Jackson, Engineer-in-Training, chemical engineer working as a process engineer working for Mosaic at Esterhazy K-2.
Tell us about your personal and professional background.
I was born in Saskatoon but my family moved to Sherwood Park, Alberta when I was young. I came back to Saskatchewan for university and graduated from the U of S in 2016.
What brought you back?
I had always planned to live in Saskatchewan and a lot of my family is here.
Why did you choose to go into engineering?
I have known this is what I want to do nearly my whole life. When I was eight, I started telling everyone that I was going to be engineer. I always loved science and math. At the time, I thought mechanical engineer – I wanted to work on planes. But physics didn’t excite me in high school and I decided I liked chemistry better. I had some very good chemistry teachers who drew me to that side.
What was your biggest challenge in college?
Like everyone, I was surprised by the big leap in workload from high school to university. This was particularly true for me since I took some extra classes.
What was your first job after university?
My first job after university wasn’t in engineering. I worked at a housing development as a landscaper for eight months. After that, I was hired on at Mosaic as a chemical technician at Colonsay for about seven months and then moved into my current role as an applied process engineer in Esterhazy.
What do you feel was your single greatest accomplishment as an engineer/geoscientist?
Getting an engineering job! I did a lot of physical work before I got one and interviewed many times before being hired by Mosaic. It definitely made me appreciate the opportunity to work in my field.
What are your interests outside of work?
I am active in CrossFit, both as an athlete and a coach. I spend most of my time outside of work in Esterhazy at the local CrossFit gym. I also have my grade 10 Royal Conservatory piano, so I sometimes enjoy playing and have taught students over the years.
Have you ever met anyone famous?
I was a competitive dancer as a kid and once had the opportunity to take classes from hip-hop dancer Stephen “tWitch” Boss from So You Think You Can Dance and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He’s a guy who built himself up from nothing so he was an inspiring role model. In our classes, he was genuinely eager to help and give back to young dancers.
What is your favourite vacation spot?
Flotten Lake in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park. Each summer my extended family camps together there and enjoys the outdoors.
What is your favourite book?
The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer, naturally. It’s cooler than it sounds.
What do you do for professional development?
Mosaic offers many internal professional development opportunities. For example, I’ve taken off-site courses in project management and technical writing. I also spend time catching up on professional magazines.
Who has had the greatest influence on your life and career?
For my life, my parents of course. My dad was the director of operations, region for United Rentals Canada and he always put forward an insane work ethic. He passed that work ethic on to me and continues to encourage me to always strive to go to the next level. My mom was a teacher who instilled in me the importance of constant learning and the ability to coach people. She taught me that it’s just as important to be able to explain what you know as to know what you know.
For my career, I can’t focus it down to one mentor because there have been too many. I have been very fortunate at Mosaic and otherwise to work with many accomplished professionals. Likewise, in university, I had some excellent professors who positively influenced me during my degree.