Chasing ‘the dream’ has changed
Brittany Flamank’s ‘wild ride’ led her to a career in federal politics
Brittany Flamank, 29, is a public servant with a master’s degree under her belt. She’s living what some consider the dream — a full-time job, with benefits.
While it might seem like the unicorn of the millennial job market, if you look really hard, move across the country, get some additional qualifications and are willing to work outside the field prescribed on your degree, it’s the kind of gig that is, at least, possible.
Flamank graduated with a music degree in her early 20s and had her mind set on a career in the arts, but found herself in an unlikely field — politics. She’s worked on Parliament Hill as Sen. Janis Johnson’s executive assistant for four years now.
“I never would have imagined I’d be working in politics with a music degree,” she said. “It’s been a wild ride.”
Flamank moved across the country to chase her dreams, something she says her parents or grandparents, based in B.C., wouldn’t have done.
Many have a bleak outlook about the job market facing millennials. In 2011, about 18 per cent of university graduates between 25 and 34 were working in occupations requiring only a high school education, according to Statistics Canada. One-third of workers with degrees in the humanities — those who had studied subjects such as history, literature or philosophy — were overqualified for their work.
“(The Canadian dream) that our parents had doesn’t exist anymore, said Flamank. “I don’t think it’s sustainable when it comes to large houses and everyone having cars.”
And, when the average income of a female fine arts graduate is $34,200, according to Statistics Canada, finances can look bleak.
According to the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals, the average monthly mortgage for a first-time home buyer in Ottawa is $1,591. About half of first-time buyers in Canada have a household income of less than $80,000.
But, says David Foot, a retired economics professor at the University of Toronto, who specialized in demographics, it’s not that you can’t have these things, it’s just that the timeline is being pushed back and can sometimes look out
This is part of an ongoing Citizen series on just what ‘the Canadian dream’ means to a generation of millennials with different expectations and priorities than their parents or grandparents. What is the dream for millennials? And can they achieve it?
of reach.
The dream millennials chase isn’t a replica of the Baby Boomer era — it’s a different kind of beast.
“You need to be creative, and you have to go where the jobs are,” Flamank said. “I’ve moved all over the country to try and grow my skills and just to leverage my career, and there’s been a lot of sacrifice.”
It’s not so much about what degree you get, she says, but how you use it in combination with your skills gained through volunteering, community engagement and self-teaching.
Flamank spent life after graduating from the University of Victoria with a bachelor’s degree in music, English and religious studies travelling through Iceland and working in various part-time and contract jobs across Canada, including a summer working at an art gallery in Banff, Alta., until she decided she needed to change her nomadic ways.
“I was just sort of floating around and I just sort of hit a breaking point,” she said.
Flamank moved back home at 23 to re-evaluate her life’s direction. She wasn’t alone. In 2011, Statistics Canada reported that 42.3 per cent of young adults between the ages of 20 and 29 lived at home.
“I think (moving back home) in 2010 made me realize I’m not just my degree,” she said.
“I have all kinds of skills and I can leverage them in all different environments and that’s essentially what led me to (work for Sen. Johnson).”
After moving back home, Flamank did what a lot of young millennials with bachelor’s degrees are doing — she went back to school to gain more credentials and practical skills.
Foot said that many millennials feel their bachelor’s degrees are just not enough — and indeed for many of them, they aren’t.
Flamank went and got a master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications from the University of Toronto. Thanks to the skills it gave her, she landed a contract with the university, and, through word of mouth, made her way to Ottawa and landed her stable job with Sen. Johnson.
As a young professional, Flamank shares an apartment with a roommate who shares her career ambitions. They even share a Costco card.
“We’re, like, the quintessential millennials,” Flamank said.
“We’re able to work together (as young people),” she said. “I think we’re going to start to collaborate more and it might mean a group of people pooling their money into one house, like how it used to be, like, 100 years ago.”
At 29, Flamank’s life doesn’t include a house or kids and is definitely not a replica of her parents’ lives, but it’s not a reality that’s particularly upsetting for her.
“I think for me, and for my friends, the Canadian dream is about being financially stable, having a career that you enjoy or friendships,” she said.
It means having close ties with your family, and building relationships with friends who form a family, she said, and it’s about building a country that’s equitable for everyone.
Flamank was saddled with student debt, something she’s still working to pay off. Ten years from now, she says, she doesn’t know what life will look like, but hopes that it might include a family and financial stability.
“I’m really excited to see what’s going to happen and how our city, and how our country will evolve.”