Who is Ronet Johnson?
I am a 26 year old self-taught baker, travel enthusiast, soca lover, blogger and foodie who has a love for volunteering and event planning. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance and hope to obtain a Master’s degree in the foreseeable future. As a lover of new ventures, I started Roni J’s Treats, a small cupcake business, back in 2018 while pursuing my career in finance. Most recently I started Bim Foodies, a foodie blog, with a friend.
If there were no restrictions, you would find me on a plane frequently, exploring the world and experiencing new foods and cultures.
What does a typical day for you look like?
Fridays and Mondays are the only constant days, as valuations of the mutual funds are done for every end of week. The rest of my days include anything from the calculation of fees to reconciling the fund accounts. I try to put in at least 3 days of exercising during the week and my daily unwind includes spending time with my dog, cooking or catching up on my tv shows.
How do you maintain work-life balance?
During my time away from the office you can usually find me hanging out with my JCI family/friends (preferably at any place involving food), planning an event of any scale (at the moment a class reunion), at a soca event, “window shopping” for flights or trying to finish a blog topic I may have started.
How important is volunteerism to you as a career professional?
For me, volunteering helps bring a sort of balance to life. I have been involved in volunteerism from the time I was at secondary school so it only felt natural for me to continue as I got older. I have always been passionate about assisting the less fortunate and the community any way I can. I got involved with JCI Barbados in 2015 after a friend invited me to a workshop called Project Mission Empowerment.
What made JCI stand out for me was the chance to give back to the community while having the opportunity to develop myself as an individual. Since then I have held multiple roles in the organization from committee roles, such as Committee Treasurer and Chairperson to roles on the Board of Directors, such as Secretary and Vice President, each allowing me the opportunity to create change within the community and plan events.
We have job seekers who are interested in pursuing your line of work. Any advice?
Be you! Employers look at qualifications, as well as your personality and manners. These qualities can also set you apart from the competition. In addition, each environment in the finance sector is different so be willing to adapt to your surroundings.
If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
No dream is out of your reach so never be afraid to try. I remember while pursuing my degree I came across a post from a well known mutual funds company and I dismissed it, thinking that I was not qualified enough to be accepted by the organization. I never thought that I would end up there, but my dream became a reality. Maybe if I had been more proactive in pursuing my dream it may have happened a lot sooner.
