MOOSE JAW — For over a decade, Robyn Dutertre worked 18-hour days seven days a week to pay the bills, but desired a change and made the “scary” decision to return to school.
Dutertre, 42, spent 21 years as a professional chef at a child-care centre in Saskatoon, while she also worked as a server/bartender at a sports venue for 13 years. Her schedule included working from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the daycare and then 4:30 p.m. to roughly 2 a.m. at the sports centre.
The motivation to switch careers occurred when the federal government introduced $10-a-day daycare, which saw child-care staff receive a pay raise but not for support staff like Dutertre.
“There wasn’t going to be any growth for me, and I was tired of working two jobs, and it didn’t look like there would be an end to that if I were to stay at my current position,” she said.
“So then I just re-evaluated what I wanted to do and I wanted to have a work-life balance … .”
Dutertre quit work to determine what she wanted and whether continuing in the food industry was a good fit. She realized she wanted to do something different since cooking no longer brought her joy.
So, driven by her passion for professional sports, she applied to be a game-day entertainment director with the Saskatoon Entertainment Group.
However, she did not receive the position since she lacked the qualifications. This prompted her to research the skills she needed, where she discovered the sport management specialization within Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s two-year business diploma program.
Dutertre began studying in January 2024 through Sask. Polytech’s Continuing Education online stream, then transferred to the Moose Jaw campus for the in-person courses. She is now in year two and expects to graduate in June.
Dutertre will be one of several students to discuss the decision to return to school as an adult during Sask. Polytech’s “Return to Learning: Alumni Panel and Info Night” on Tuesday, March 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Besides the panel, attendees will also learn about programs and in-demand careers, connect with graduates to hear how the institute changed their lives and discover why it’s never too late to start.
To attend, click here to register.
Dutertre said it was “a shock and an honour” to be asked to speak, while she thought it would be good for other adults to hear her story.
She noted that she was apprehensive to return to school — she had never created PowerPoint presentations before — since changing careers “was definitely scary,” but she hoped others learned that finding a new career could open more doors and bring new joy.
The mature student recalled attending an open house at Sask. Polytech’s Saskatoon campus and learning that that location offered tourism recreation, but not sport management.
“And I just thought to myself, if I’m going to blow up my life … let’s go and do it,” Dutertre said, noting it’s never too late to switch careers.
Continuing, she said she wants to work in a professional sports league — “I want to go big, so go big or go home” — but didn’t think the tourism recreation program could help her achieve that. However, taking the sport management specialization has prepared her for those future pursuits, including learning about partnerships, sponsorships and forming connections.
Duterte said it’s easy to become too comfortable in life, so this good decision helped change her life trajectory. Moreover, the program has given her many opportunities in the sports world.
This past fall, Dutertre was one of two students selected to volunteer during a Grey Cup event in Vancouver that the Canadian Football League Players’ Association hosted; she thought it was “super cool” to work with the association and with athletes. Meanwhile, she has worked with several sports organizations and businesses in Moose Jaw and Saskatchewan.
“… I think if I had gone with those online courses out of the (United States as first planned), I wouldn’t be having the same experience,” she added.
For more information about Saskatchewan Polytechnic, click here.
