Mark Intertas [B.A.Geog.(Adv.), 2012] is currently interning as a Sustainability Research Analyst for the UM - Office of Sustainability.

He has always been interested with environmental and social issues, mostly influenced by the books and documentaries he likes to read as well as the classes I took with Kristina Hunter, Jill Oakes, and Bonnie Hallman to name a few. 

He found that his program gives students opportunities to find employment related to their field of study whether they are in the co-op program or not and that this allows students to practice job hunting skills, such as resume writing, and  interview tactics.

During his program Mark was hired by an NRI grad student as a Research Assistant to help collect data. This initial environment-related work experience helped him get other jobs such as with the City of Winnipeg's Urban Forestry Department first as a student labourer then as a Forestry Technician Assistant. He has also worked for Manitoba Water Stewardship as an Assistant Data Technician.

Mark describes his career path as "meandering but very informative". He credits the diversity of courses that he took with providing a lot of experience as well as  the different environment related summer jobs that he held. He cites the program for preparing students for intensive research, analysis, writing reports, and presenting findings and that this has prepared him for his current position and understanding the issues. In his career he meets and collaborates with a lot of people from different backgrounds and occupations which has also increased his understanding.  Mark's advice is to "Always dream big, plan ahead, and keep your focus. Typical summer jobs like working in a restaurant or grocery store is not a bad thing and I have done this myself. However, they do not increase your network of environment practitioners nor provide you with essential knowledge and experience. This means that, as a student, you should always look for a summer or part time employment that is related to your chosen career path. Related summer and part time employment makes your resume more attractive for the next employer as well as increases your knowledge and skills related to your career path".