Stay in Ottawa

A personal update: I’ve decided to stay in Ottawa.

I’m now looking for a full-time, permanent role in Ottawa or remotely across Canada.

Weeks ago, my plan was to move to Toronto.

Why? Because I work in tech, and there are more roles and opportunities there. It was a practical decision.

But Ottawa was where I wanted to live. Toronto was where I thought I needed to go.

Last month, an NGO leader reached out to me about a role, even though it did not match my background. It made me realize: oh, maybe I could stay in Ottawa and find a path that was not the traditional one.

Then, OINP released a new work stream where locations outside of the GTA get extra points. This reinforced my thinking.

During my trip to SF, I also felt that if everyone is chasing the same place, maybe in the long run it is good for me to keep my energy outside the bubble and stay close to the real world.

After I came back, some executives reached out to me. That made me think maybe there is a place for me here, perhaps not only in a standard product role, but also in a role helping local companies and organizations adopt AI.

On my birthday, I was reminded that my friends and the community I have found here want me to stay, too. I also love being close to nature here. I can walk out of my home and be somewhere beautiful within minutes.

All in all, I decided to stay, and I signed the lease.

Honestly, this is a bold decision. There are still a lot of uncertainties.

So I am asking for help.

If you know of a role I should explore or someone I should talk to, please let me know. An introduction would mean a lot.

You now have Joe to help.

Ottawa is underrated.

I updated my /cooperation page to make the kind of role I’m looking for more concrete. It shows what I can take ownership of and what I’ve already built.