The University of Ottawa (U of O) student who begged for a job and got one has quit said job and is starting a non-governmental organization.
Joanie Raphaelle Dantica spent two days in May begging for a job outside the Rideau Centre while she was unemployed and on the verge of being evicted from her home.
She landed a job as a housekeeper as a result of panhandling, and found a new apartment.
She was supposed to move in on June 5, but was unable to because her prospective landlord asked for a $2,500 down payment at the last minute, which she could not produce.
“I was very sad about this. I had nowhere to go and I found myself homeless, after all,” Dantica said.
With nowhere to live, Dantica quit her housekeeping job and moved in with her mother in Montréal.
That week, she found another place to live in Ottawa.
“It was Monday, so Tuesday I shipped out to Ottawa. I went. I paid the rent. I got the keys. Wednesday I signed the lease. And I was all like, ‘Yay! I have somewhere to live in Ottawa now! If only I had a job,’” Dantica said.
She said she was unable to return to her housekeeping position, and feeling tired of job hunting, she decided to start an online jewellery business, edit essays, and provide French tutoring.
Dantica said she is also starting an NGO that will help youth find jobs. She said she hopes it will be up and running in September.
Overall, Dantica said that she’s been “traumatized” and “disillusioned” by the job hunting experience.
Despite not making much money, Dantica said she prefers entrepreneurial employment so she is in control of her paycheque.
“I’m doing something I enjoy and when you get down to it, I do manage to make ends meet at the end of the month,” Dantica said. “It looks very unlikely but by the end of the month I do manage to get everything together so obviously I must be doing something right.”
