National Volunteer Week: Creating Opportunities to Give Back

For Carleton University alum William Jones (BEng/09), giving back through volunteering is a way to stay connected, build skills and create meaningful impact. Jones recently launched an entrepreneurship group for engineering students, creating new opportunities for alumni and industry experts to connect with current students and give back by sharing their time and expertise.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and your connection to Carleton.

A: I studied at Carleton. My path here was unique. I had a cardiac arrest at 17 years old and spent a month in the hospital after it happened. During that time I received all my university acceptances — Carleton University among them. I hadn’t seen the school but knew I wanted to chart my own adventure, so I picked Carleton and enrolled in aerospace engineering. I’m from Niagara Falls and after living in a small town, Ottawa was a fresh start.

I loved the campus and had a phenomenal time here. In my final two years, I got really involved in my program stream, aerodynamics, propulsion and vehicle performance, and built a strong foundation, both academically and personally. After graduation, I spent several years living and working in Toronto before moving back to Ottawa with my wife and family. I’ve recently returned to Carleton as an instructor, teaching Strategic Management, a fourth-year capstone course in the Sprott School of Business.

Q: What did your career path look like following graduation?

A: I graduated during the 2008 recession, so it wasn’t an easy start. I took a government job in an unrelated field before stepping away to travel and consider other opportunities. I then got hired as a junior aerospace engineer at W.R. Davis Engineering Limited, working on the hot gas wind tunnel. I later completed an MBA at York University and from there, moved into the medical device industry where I worked in various roles in R&D, product development, project management, as well as led a marketing team.

When my family and I relocated to Ottawa, I founded my own company and had since shifted to consulting when I came across the Sprott position. Throughout my career, I helped lead the commercialization of medical device product portfolios across the world with different teams and thought being able to share that experience with business students would be meaningful.

Q: Why do you think it’s important for alumni to get involved and give back to their alma mater?

A: Volunteering has always been a huge part of my life. I volunteered as a tutor with Pathways to Education, which provides at risk high school students with access to resources and supports to overcome barriers to education. I have also volunteered extensively with the Heart and Stroke Foundation as a public speaker at local and national events. It was a great way to hone my presentation skills.

I think a lot of alumni want to give back — they just don’t know where to start. Giving back doesn’t have to mean writing a cheque. It’s important to give back financially, but sharing your time and your knowledge is just as valuable. After founding my own start up, as well as through the other companies I’ve worked at in my life, I’ve gained a lot of business and engineering experience and insights to share, and creating this student group was a way to pass that on.

For students looking to get involved, I will always recommend exploring volunteer opportunities. Volunteering will help you build skills that you don’t get anywhere else and it also allows you to build connections to other people, which can help open doors professionally.

Q: What inspired you to start the Carleton Engineering Entrepreneurship Group?

A: I saw an opportunity. Some students have companies already, while others have ideas they want to turn into a company. They have all this energy and ambition, but not always the support or guidance needed to move forward. Entrepreneurship is not top down, it’s very much grassroots. Starting a student group felt like the right approach to bring people together and bridge the gap between academics and industry.

The Carleton Engineering Entrepreneurship Group recently held our first event, The Engineer’s Evolution: Scaling from Prototype to Product. Fellow alum, Thomas Fletcher, spoke to the group about his experience turning an idea into a thriving business. Over 60 students from 11 different engineering specializations attended, which shows the broad range of interest. The response from alumni has been incredible, as well. As a result of starting this group, I’ve had people I haven’t spoken to in years reach out and ask how they can get involved.

Q: What impact are you hoping this group will have on current students?

A: In the short term, I want students to feel supported — that they have a place to share ideas and ask questions. I didn’t get much guidance throughout my career so, I want to be able to provide connections for students. I can give advice and share my career experience, but it’s also great that I can connect them to their peers and a diverse group of speakers and experts. The more knowledge and exposure they can have to these potential paths, the more it can open up their minds to new things and new opportunities.