Osedea portraits: through travels, reflections, and ambitions with Charles Ste-Marie

Embark on a journey with Charles Ste-Marie, a passionate individual whose experiences range from captivating travels across continents to navigating the ever-evolving landscape of the tech industry. As a dedicated member of the Osedea team, Charles shares his insights, reflections, and ambitions, providing a glimpse into his personal growth journey and the dynamic intersection of technology and human connection.

Which trip has had the biggest impact on you?

Finding the one trip that impacted me most is challenging. I believe each journey holds its value and brings something different from the last (or the next). My personal goal is to always be curious and open to discovering new countries and continue traveling.

Recently returning from a month in Vietnam, my first experience in Asia, I loved exploring this beautiful country. The breathtaking landscapes, rich history, and local cuisine captivated me. I recommend everyone to visit and appreciate the splendor of Halong Bay and the harmonious chaos of Hanoi.

In 2018, I spent four months in New Zealand, my first backpacking trip, and I loved every moment of it. Growing up listening to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, exploring the natural landscapes of the films and admiring the greatness of this beautiful country remain among my most cherished travel memories. It's rare to find a place where you can climb a snowy mountain in the morning and end up with your feet in the sand on the beach by the end of the day.

What aspect of your work at Osedea excites you the most and why?  

The human aspect of my work is what excites me the most. Engaging in discussions around new projects with entrepreneurs, exploring new avenues for outdated technological solutions with beautiful Quebec and international companies, and daily exchanges with my colleagues connect me with one of Osedea's key values: "the important thing is to evolve together."

My role involves exploring innovative projects, with the ultimate goal of providing our clients with a superior technological solution.

If you could change one thing about the tech industry, what would it be and why?  

At Osedea, we have the opportunity to discuss and explore a variety of technological innovations daily. However, I find that there are many barriers to entry for someone without extensive technical knowledge, despite a strong desire to learn. It's challenging to navigate through all technology spheres (especially with the rise of artificial intelligence).

My advice for someone like me, who may not have a technical background but has a desire to learn, is to remain curious, ask questions, and pursue some training (I completed the AWS Cloud Practitioner in 2023, which was an excellent way to gain a better understanding of the cloud universe as a whole). For more technical individuals, reaching out to those eager to learn and sharing your knowledge is the best way to move forward together.

What's the best lesson you've learned from a professional setback?

Throughout my career, there have been moments when it seemed like all the right doors were closing in front of me, and the opportunities I had hoped or worked so hard for were now inaccessible. A few years later, with a step back, I realized that just because one door closes doesn't mean I should stop working; on the contrary, that's when the right door will open.

It's through these "professional setbacks" that I developed an interest in the sales world and started working in young startups (MySmartJourney and MonClubSportif), where I learned a lot and honed my skills. These two jobs and the lessons learned from them allowed me to make the leap to Osedea almost two years ago.

What's your fondest memory at Osedea so far?  

The OsedeaFest organized in the fall of 2023 is undoubtedly one of my fondest memories at Osedea. This two-day festival organized by our activity team was a great success in bringing everyone together, strengthening our bonds, and creating beautiful team memories. On the last day, an Amazing Race was organized in the Saint-Henri neighborhood, where Osedea's office is located. For nearly 4 hours, we were divided into teams of 4 to 5 people and had to complete a variety of challenges. I'm already looking forward to the 2024 edition!

From a work perspective, my month-long stay in France for Osedea was a golden opportunity. Combining international travel with my work has always been a personal and professional goal of mine.

What's the latest skill you've developed and how has it enhanced your work?

In recent months, I decided to further develop my skills in various areas at Osedea. I had the opportunity to work more on Boston Dynamics' Spot robot, so I set out to have a better understanding of Spot's different use cases and payloads (equipment that can be placed on the robot, such as a thermal camera, a lidar, etc.).

Specifically, the last training I took at Osedea was "Introduction to Generative AI" offered by Google Cloud. With the rise of AI and Generative AI, I wanted to have a better understanding of Generative AI as a whole and the different services offered by Google Cloud. More informally, I enjoy taking the time to discuss with my more technical colleagues to have a better understanding of our projects.

Where's your favorite place to find inspiration?

I've always loved working in cafes! Working 100% remotely from Quebec, stepping out of my house and settling into one of my favorite cafes allows me to be truly productive and tackle my to-do list. With several virtual meetings every day, blocking out a focused time in a cafe allows me to work without interruption. It's a way of optimizing my productivity that I've always valued, whether during my studies or now in my daily life at Osedea. Being a big coffee fan, it allows me to combine the useful with the pleasant.

What's your greatest professional ambition for the future?  

I potentially would like to teach or give back in some way. Having been a hockey coach for a long time and more recently one of the coordinators of the University Laval's Commercial Missions program, I realized that I had a lot of fun and interest in sharing my knowledge and seeing improvement in young hockey players or students. In an ideal world, I would find a way to mix my interests in teaching, international experiences, and technology in a role. I'm not in a hurry to achieve this goal; for now, I have the desire to be in the field and learn every day, whether through training, professional experiences, or my colleagues around me.

What excites you most about the future of the tech industry?

The tech industry is constantly evolving, and the future is hard to predict. To me, that's the most exciting aspect of this technological ecosystem, that innovative ideas are growing everywhere and becoming more accessible (Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Robotics, etc.). At Osedea, we make it our mission to be at the forefront of trends and to test these innovations. In Quebec, I'm excited to see the growth of our technological ecosystem. Over the past few years, I feel there is a desire to innovate, stand out, and continue building a technological ecosystem that is encouraging for startups, SMEs, as well as medium/large companies looking to optimize their technological processes. If I had to make a prediction for the coming years, I feel we will see an explosion of quantum innovations, growth in the battery ecosystem, and a continuation of projects/investments in AI.

Would you swap roles with a colleague at Osedea for a week, and why?  

It has never crossed my mind to change roles at Osedea. What immediately appealed to me about our sales approach at Osedea is that the priority is always to bring exciting projects to our team. To meet these expectations, we must work closely with our colleagues from all departments to qualify, filter, and select the best projects. I feel lucky to be able to interact with my colleagues in AI and software engineering for one project, while the next conversation may focus on designing a new solution. If forced, I would switch to being a developer on our Spot robot. I find it extremely concrete as a use case and there is a "field" aspect to it that I really appreciate.