Embracing Unexpected Growth

On the precipice of a new year, the conversation of goals emerges all around us. Yet, I want to share a different narrative. My growth this year showcases the beauty of unintentional personal development and the unanticipated bonds that can form in its wake. Not all growth is planned, and that’s a good thing.

Capable VS Confident: How do we bridge the gap?

We often turn down opportunities or experiences because we aren’t confident in our abilities to execute them, even if we are (more than) capable. Yet, it is this awkward place outside of our comfort zone – between capable and confident – where we see the greatest returns. So, what’s the difference between feeling confident VS

Reasons to become a Diesel Mechanic

Reason one: Being a diesel mechanic is mentally challenging. On the surface, changing an oil filter or a tire seem like mind-numbingly easy tasks. But there’s so much more to being a capable diesel mechanic. And that’s because it combines numerous different trade skills. As a mechanic, some days you are a sparky because you’re

Bull Bars, Bonnets & My Height

I thought my small size was a disadvantage as a diesel mechanic. Yet, the longer I was in the trade, the more I realised I was wrong…

Travelling through Work Experience

Work experience was the sole reason I found an interest in a trade career. If I hadn’t signed up ignorant of what the experience was about, I wouldn’t have considered it. I’d had no exposure to the field of trades, nor had it recommended to me in any capacity. It was too far beyond anything

Reflecting on growth.

“The days are long, but the years are short” – Gretchen Rubin. There are different points throughout the year that cause me to pause and wonder and evaluate where I am and where I want to be. The start of a new year is one such point, and my birthday is another. I also feel this questioning

A Comment on Work Experience.

I was recently asked to make a short video talking about the value of Work Experience for my high school. It’s an exciting topic for me because Work Experience was a pivotal moment in my life. Due to the industry connection between my first employer and my high school’s Trade Training Center, I was able to

Do Not Suck It Up.

I learnt the hard way that ‘sucking it up’ doesn’t work. Not long term. Whether it is a physical or mental ailment, eventually all that hard work pushing through the pain will return. When it comes back, it won’t just knock on your front door, it will burst open the door and you won’t have

Becoming a Minority, a memoir.

It was never my intention to make myself a minority. I always had a chip on my shoulder about my upbringing – as does any teenager who gives up their weekends for their parent’s business – but it never drove me to intentionally seek uncommon pathways…

Qualified.

I am now a qualified Heavy Vehicle Technician, seven months earlier than my anticipated completion date, and work feels the exact same! Am I disillusioned? No. I knew it would feel like this. For the last three and a half years my identity has been ‘apprentice diesel mechanic’. I never called myself just a ‘diesel