The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
When Judy Schmidt first entered the world of banking, she never imagined it would become her one and only career. "My intention originally was to try it for two years and then try something else," recalls Flin Flon's Scotiabank branch manager. Now three decades later, there's no other field she would rather be in. It was back on May 4, 1976 that Schmidt joined Scotiabank as a senior deposit accounting clerk, an entry level job that involved manual calculation of interest and writing up deposits to client accounts. "Computers were just coming into the banking industry back then, so very little was actually online. It's nothing like it is today," she recalls. Schmidt traveled from Winnipeg to Portage la Prairie to Balmertown and Red Lake in Ontario as she worked her way up the banking ladder. She became a branch manager when she was transferred to Flin Flon in 2000. Like many before her, she soon fell in love with the community. 'Unique' "I really find Flin Flon unique," she said. "It's a beautiful area to live in. I find the people very accepting. There are some communities that are quite closed and when you go into them, it really takes a while to break in, but not in Flin Flon. You walk down the street and people say hi to you. They're very friendly and very welcoming and that whole attitude just carries into a lot of different relationships that you have." Just as she has no regrets about her Flin Flon transfer, Schmidt is pleased to have remained in a career she finds both interesting and satisfying. "There are a lot of different types of jobs in banking," she says. "Mine has been mostly in branch banking, but there are lots of other opportunities. I've had the opportunity to live in different communities. I've met a lot of really great people and had the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life Ð I've really enjoyed that variety." As for the future, the native of Elm Creek, Manitoba (near Winnipeg) doesn't have any retirement plans just yet. "You never know what's down the road or what's around the corner, so you just have to enjoy every day, and I'm enjoying today," she said.10/5/06
