The Porch Light Was Our First Connection

By Shelley Bellefontaine, Western REN Connector Program Lead

What growing up as a Gen X’er in rural Nova Scotia taught us about community, careers, and the power of knowing your neighbours.

Remember when we were kids?

Long before anyone talked about career networking in rural Nova Scotia, we were already doing it, simply by knowing our neighbours.

We’d head outside in the morning, find our friends, and disappear for hours. No cell phones. No texting. No GPS tracking our every move. Our parents generally had a pretty good idea where we were, and if they didn’t, someone else’s parents probably did.

We rode our bikes, explored the woods, played in each other’s yards, and drank water straight from the garden hose or the brook that ran beside your lawn (until we saw the water spiders!)

And when the outside lights came on, we knew it was time to head home.

For those of us who grew up in the countryside of Nova Scotia during the ’70s and ’80s, life was pretty simple. We didn’t have hundreds of online friends, but we knew just about everyone in the neighbourhood. We knew who lived up the road, who worked at the garage, who owned the fishing boats, who could build the fishing boats, and whose mother made the best homemade bread (mine).

Back then, we were connected. Not through technology, but through community.

It’s funny how things have changed, eh? Today, we can connect with someone halfway around the world in seconds, but we might not know the talented professional living just down the road.

So, that gave me pause…

In a world where we’re more digitally connected than ever, have we lost a little of our ability to connect with one another?

We’re Not Short on Talent Out Here

One thing I know about rural Nova Scotia is that we’re certainly not short on talented, hardworking people. We have people who can build boats, repair machinery, manage complex operations, write software, design websites, run successful businesses, and solve problems before the rest of us have finished explaining what went wrong.

We have tradespeople, engineers, accountants, healthcare professionals, educators, entrepreneurs, technology specialists, and skilled workers whose experience would be an asset to just about any organization.

We have young graduates coming out of our local NSCC campuses and Université Sainte-Anne with fresh skills and new ideas. We have experienced workers with decades of knowledge. We have people who’ve worked across Canada and around the world and have chosen to make Western Nova Scotia their home.

And then there are those folks who can seemingly do just about anything. You know the ones. They’re the people everyone calls when something breaks because somehow, they always figure it out. Yes, indeed, there’s an awful lot of talent tucked away along our country roads.

The problem isn’t always a shortage of skills. Sometimes, it’s that the right people simply haven’t met one another.

Think about that for a minute.

Somewhere in Digby County, there might be a talented IT professional looking for their next opportunity while a business 20 minutes away is struggling to find someone with exactly those skills.

A skilled tradesperson in Clare might not know about an employer in Yarmouth who would welcome an introduction.

A recent graduate in Barrington might have the qualifications and ambition to build a terrific career, but no idea who to speak with to get started.

And the employer? They might be asking everyone they know if anyone knows someone.

Sound familiar?

Finding Work in Rural Nova Scotia Isn’t Always Easy

Finding meaningful employment here can be challenging, even for highly qualified people.

Unlike larger urban centres, we don’t have hundreds of employers within a short drive. A position that matches your experience might come up only occasionally.

And a 75-kilometre commute isn’t quite so appealing when you’re travelling dark country roads in February, particularly when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Public transportation is limited in many of our communities. Having a reliable vehicle is practically a necessity, and the cost of getting to work can take a fair bite out of a paycheque.

Then there’s the fact that not every opportunity is widely advertised.

Some businesses rely heavily on word of mouth. Others are so busy running their operations that recruitment becomes something they deal with when absolutely necessary.

And in smaller communities, we sometimes make assumptions.

We assume there aren’t any jobs available. We assume all the good opportunities are somewhere else. We assume that if an employer were looking for someone, we’d have heard about it.

But would we?

The truth is you can live in the same community as someone who could help advance your career and never cross paths professionally.

That’s a missed opportunity for both of you.

Remember How We Used to Find Things Out?

Before Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and online job boards, how did we learn what was happening around us?

We talked to people.

At the grocery store. At the rink. At the bank. At the Seashore. At community events.

Someone’s uncle knew someone who was hiring. A neighbour heard a business was expanding. A friend introduced you to a manager who was willing to give you a chance.

I’m not suggesting we throw our smartphones into the drink and go back to the days of rotary telephones because technology has opened tremendous doors, particularly for those of us living in rural communities. We can work remotely, learn new skills online, and build professional relationships far beyond our own backyards.

But there’s something technology still hasn’t replaced.

The value of a genuine conversation between two people.

A LinkedIn profile can tell you where someone has worked. A résumé can tell you what they’ve studied.

But sitting down with someone, hearing their story, learning what motivates them, and recognizing their potential?

That’s something else entirely.

And I think those of us from Generation X understand that particularly well.

We grew up in an analogue world and built our careers through an enormous digital transformation. We’ve learned to adapt, embrace technology, and keep moving forward.

But we also remember what it was like when relationships were built face-to-face.

We have something pretty valuable to offer the next generation of workers: our experience, our networks, and our willingness to make an introduction.

So, What’s a Connector?

This is where my work with the Western REN Connector Program comes in.

The idea is wonderfully simple.

We introduce people who are looking to build their careers, called Connectees, to established local professionals, called Connectors.

That’s it. Two people having a conversation.

A Connectee might be a recent graduate, an experienced professional looking for a change, or someone trying to better understand the opportunities available in our region.

A Connector is someone with professional experience and a network they’re willing to share.

No complicated process. No expectation that the Connector will provide someone with a job.

Just a conversation about an industry, a career path, local employers, or perhaps an introduction to someone else who might be helpful.

Sometimes those conversations lead to employment opportunities. Sometimes they lead to another connection, valuable advice, or a new direction.

And sometimes, simply having someone take an interest in your future can make a difference.

To My Fellow Gen X Professionals: This Is Where We Come In

Many of us are now at a stage in our careers where we’ve accumulated something incredibly valuable.

Not just experience.

Connections.

Think about the people you’ve met over the past 20, 30, or even 40 years.

Former colleagues. Employers. Business owners. Suppliers. Customers. Community volunteers. People you’ve served alongside on committees or boards.

That’s quite a network!

And while we might take those relationships for granted, to someone just starting their career, that network could be incredibly valuable.

You don’t have to be the president of a company or a senior executive to become a Connector.

You might be a tradesperson who knows the industry inside and out. A supervisor who understands what employers look for. A small business owner who knows practically everyone in town.

You might simply be someone who remembers how difficult it was to get that first break.

What if you could make that journey a little easier for someone else?

An introduction costs nothing but a little time.

And who knows? You might discover someone whose skills, enthusiasm, and ideas leave you feeling pretty optimistic about the future of our region.

Let’s Bring a Little of That Old-Fashioned Country Spirit into the Digital World

I think there’s something special about growing up in a place where people looked out for one another.

Where someone would stop to help if your car broke down. Where neighbours shared what they had. Where people understood that a community was only as strong as the people who made it up.

That spirit is still very much alive in Western Nova Scotia.

We just need to make sure we’re carrying it into the way we build our workforce and support the people who want to work and live here.

Because when a skilled person finds a meaningful opportunity close to home, that matters.

It matters to the employer who gains a valuable employee.

It matters to the individual who can build a future without leaving their community.

And it matters to our local businesses, families, and the overall economic health of Western Nova Scotia.

We spend a lot of time talking about workforce shortages, recruitment challenges, and the need to attract talent.

Those are important conversations.

But let’s not overlook the incredible people already living in our own communities.

Before we go looking farther afield, maybe we should get to know who’s living down the road.

One Conversation. One Connection. Who Knows What’s Next?

If you’re a professional working in Digby, Clare, Yarmouth, Argyle, or Barrington, I’d love to invite you to become part of our Connector community.

Share a little of your experience. Tell someone about your industry. Make an introduction when you can.

And if you’re someone looking to grow your career, expand your professional network, or discover what opportunities might exist in Western Nova Scotia, I’d love to connect with you, too.

We can’t promise a job. But we can help you meet people, learn about our local industries, and build relationships that might lead somewhere worthwhile.

After all, those of us who grew up racing home when the outside lights came on learned something important long before the internet arrived.

The best connections have always been about people.

Let’s keep that going.

To find out more about the connector program, visit https://westernren.ca/connector-program/ or email Shelley: sbellefontaine@westernren.ca