With Jennifer'as permission, I share important aspects of our correspondence over the past 24 hours.

I hope aspiring funeral directors are able to glean something from our sharing.

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Hi Randy,

I am a member of Connecting Directors also.

The reason I wanted to join the group is because I'm going to be starting school in the fall. I'm starting with the Funeral Service Certificate program through CCFS, and then for my second year will move into the Funeral Directing and Embalming License program. I don't have any history in the funeral biz, my family isn't in it or anything, but it is something I've known I have wanted to do since I was probably about age 6! I was the kid who buried all the dead animals in my back yard and would make my friends stand 'grave site' while I held a 'service'....I guess that's as good an indication as any that I should be a FD!
I live in Canmore, a community about an hour away from Calgary, and 15 away from Banff - right in the middle. There is only a very small, local husband/wife team owned funeral service here in town, and I have approached them already about getting some experience in the meantime.

Unfortunately, they aren't calling me or maybe they're not taking me seriously?! At any rate, I met with them and asked many questions, got a tour of the funeral home and spoke with the woman about her experience in the CCFS program.
I was not sure if I was going to attend MRC in Calgary or CCFS, but I am 99.9% sure I am going for the CCFS program now. Although in February, MRC has a FD Intro Course - a 2 day weekend course - and I have registered for that. I hope it will be helpful and educational.

Well, there you have it...that's my long-winded introduction! I wanted to join for networking and education...you're articles have been really interesting on Connecting Directors!

~Jennifer

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Jennifer;

Good luck on your journey. I am quite familiar with Canmore. I was born in raised in Stettler, located in Central Alberta, attended Mt. Royal College in the 60's, University of Calgary when it was called University of Alberta (Calgary Campus), married a girl from Rocky Mountain House and entered the funeral profession in Peace River, Alberta at Chapel of Memories (owned by Roger and Dee Winnicky). Oddly enough my wife and I live in Anmore, (just leave the ‘C’ off of Canmore) a small village up the side of Mt. Seymour, approximately ten minutes out of Metro Vancouver.

Don’t be daunted by your cool reception into the ‘volunteer to help’ aspect of the funeral profession. It is probably NOT going to happen for a number of reasons, mainly WCB issues surrounding injury on the job for a volunteer. I suggest strongly that you find another avenue.

Do they have a ‘reception room’ in conjunction with their small funeral home? That is the place to start volunteering your time as a hostess – set up/cleanup, serving coffee and treating their clientele like royalty.

If their establishment is too small to have one ‘on site’, scout around to find the restaurant, church hall or hotel that they recommend for receptions. Then approach that place to volunteer for funeral catering.

Find out all you can about the local cemetery they use and volunteer there – do anything - cleaning headstones for free if you can.

If the people you are romancing for an apprenticeship or job observe for themselves how interested you are and hear from others how interested and dedicated you are to getting into the business, there will come a day when they will need emergency help and will be calling you.

Get your drivers license and volunteer driving seniors around and become a familiar face around the largest nursing home in your area or establish yourself in the largest church in the area. The funeral home will soon see you as an asset to them. It will not be an easy ride, Jennifer, but if you persevere you will find success.

Imagine you are walking down a road when a huge DUMP TRUCK rounds the corner and runs over you. You lie there for a few minutes and get up and take inventory of your injuries when you hear a beeping, whining sound. The TRUCK is in reverse and backing up full speed toward you. It hits you full force. Again you stand only to see the ROGUE TRUCK heading toward you once again. Flattened, bruised and bloodied, you stand the third time to continue your journey – and guess what – that DREADED TRUCK is coming at you again.

It is so easy to just get off that road and choose another path going in a different direction, but if the destination you seek is located at the end of the road that is threatening to do you in, you have little choice but to endure the battering … and so it often seems when first attempting to break into this business.

I urge you to be proactive rather than reactive and soften the path to your destination by finding some way to show the owners in your area that you will be an asset to them. Think of the options I mentioned above. Volunteer at a community police station – the largest nursing home in the area at meal time - be creative and reinvent yourself. Meet the people the funeral home deal with and be able to drop names as references. You will soon be working for them if you persevere … take minimum wage and be happy.

Soon the ‘dreaded truck’ will exist only memory and you will be telling your story to others. One day you will be the mentor helping others break into the profession.

I wish you well on your journey.

I will post this correspondence in ‘Discussion Topics’ on Connecting Directors only with your permission. Please let me know if you would like to keep our correspondence confidential. Perhaps it will inspire other young people to get back up and keep walking after they have been knocked down by the ‘Truck of Life’.

Feel free to keep me informed about the direction your journey takes you and I am glad you find my posts on Connecting Directors such an important resource.
Randy

Wow Randy! Thanks for the wealth of suggestions!

You've made some great suggestions, which definitely make perfect sense. I will look into them as best I can. I do already volunteer at the local seniors home, so that's one down!

I have been told to prepare for a difficult journey in 'proving' myself, so this is not the first time I've heard that. And it does not deter me from wanting to pursue my career any less, no matter how difficult and frustrating it may be!

I certainly don't mind if you post the advice you gave me, I know I found it helpful, and all the better if it may help someone else on their path.

I'm sure you will see my posts here and there, asking questions and advice...I'd be happy for you to throw in your thoughts/experience whenever you can, with such a prolific career behind you, your advice is invaluable!

Take Care Randy!

~Jennifer