Shawn Wasacase: A good job with good pay starts with a good education

Shawn Wasacase works as a Process Operator at the Consumer's Cooperative Refinery Limited in Regina. He is a Third Class Steam Engineer and is one of the people responsible for the proper operation of part of the system used in the heavy oil refining process.

"I'm responsible for a very large area that includes five or six towers. I make sure it's a safe environment for the other people working in the area, like mechanics and construction people, and ensure that they're following the safety rules," he says. "We also ensure that product specifications for gas and oil are met according to the instructions of the refinery's unit engineers."

Shawn is member of the Kahkewistahow First Nation. He graduated Grade 12 from Broadview School and later went to work for the Yorkton Tribal Council. "While I was working, I took a Building Operators course offered by SIIT (Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology) and earned my Fifth Class Stationary Engineer ticket. When I began working at the refinery, the requirement was a minimum of Fourth Class so while I worked, I took a correspondence course from SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) to earn my Fourth Class."

Shawn also needed to learn the complete workings of two of the refinery's units within two years. Each unit had a manual of about 400 pages, and Shawn had to know them down to the smallest detail. This accomplishment inspired him to go another step further. "Then I went on to get my Third Class, just for myself, and I earned it within four months."

Shawn enjoys his work and finds it very rewarding. "I like figuring things out," he says. "To do this job, a person really has to know instrumentation well, how the control strategies work, how a control valve works, how to troubleshoot - it's a very complex job. There are times on the night shift where you spend most of the time just preparing for the next day, but every so often problems arise and you have to spend the night troubleshooting and fixing problems of a chemical or mechanical nature. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I'm able to figure things out and get things running smoothly again."

Shawn credits his success to his strong will and determination to receive an education. "I had a tough life on the reserve, but I believe that education saved my life. I tell kids that they should never miss school because it is the key to life, and to never give up because anything is possible, but there are sacrifices that need to be made too. I worked irregular shifts for years, and it was challenging because I'm a single parent, but my sacrifices paid off because now I have a good job with good pay and I'm able to set a positive example for my son."

Profile provided by Saskatchewan Job Futures.