So I had a phone conversation with the executive producer of CBC New Brunswick and he said: “Yeah, get on board, we just need curious people!” And I said: “Great, that’s me, boss!” I’d never done a story before, I had no experience writing or editing, and they said, “Go out there and come up with a story.” Even though I had no experience, somebody said to me, “Write to somebody in small markets and say,Hey, I want to do a story, give me a chance.'” And I said: “Well, it worked for you” at the Humber, where I didn’t have a resume. When you get services, you talk directly to Heather Hiscox: you talk to the host, you think about how you can do this interview with the guest you booked, and it’s just a cycle. Allison Chiasson dropped out of Western University before becoming a CBC journalist. Back at Western, Allison hosted a talk show on campus called “The Big Purple Couch.” Editor’s note: This interview was originally published in 2016, and while some hiring processes have changed, the general advice on getting started, climbing the ladder and getting hired as a CBC reporter remains the same. I didn’t think she would get academic probation and spend the next year trying to figure out what to do with her life without a college degree. I thought one day someone would realize that I was a fraud and that I didn’t belong here, but you can’t tell me I didn’t work hard. You work to get guests to the host, like you did at Fort McMurray. I took the initiative to find a new guest at Fort McMurray who was there at the campfire, who saw something or saved people. So I went to my early high school years, and I loved going to college, and I did some homework and got bad grades. And I thought, “Well, this gives me another year of academic experience.” I took a demo to Humber and explained, “Look, I don’t have a license, but this is exactly what I want to work on.” I tried to find other ways to find more time to work on the Big Purple Couch.