Why I Turned Away From Academics and Pursued a Labour Intensive Job

Hello YCR Readers, let me walk you through a coming-of age story. A written account of my most recent controversial life choice which left my family reeling, my friends confused, and my own values/independence challenged.

We will start in the year 2019 when I, a grade 12 high school student with a GPA of 93%, decided to apply to the University of Ottawa. As I loved keeping up with current events, challenging social norms and killing most peoples will to live, I decided that political science was the way to go. The University of Ottawa resided in our nation’s capital and thus was my top choice.  With a GPA that was far above the requirement I was quickly accepted, and my academic life persisted. I ran along with what was expected of me to fulfil my family’s vision of success.

As an immigrant from the United Kingdom, academia was drilled into me. As most children of immigrants will understand, you are here by the blessing of your parents and expected to fulfill the hopes and dreams of all your ancestors. So, three years later when I made the decision to drop all my courses and start a career as a tire technician, all hell broke loose.

Yes, you heard that right. I completed two full years of university online during the covid era but dropped out after experiencing the world of politics in person. I could not deal with the inauthenticity of politicians I had once looked up to.

I have always had the belief that if you are going to university and taking on debt, you need to have a clear plan to pay it off. My degree led me to the world of politics, I have been and always will be fascinated with the way the world is governed and dictated. It was my passion and in turn became my career goal.

This all changed when I arrived in Ottawa, and it was a wake-up call to say the least. Talking with politicians who presented themselves as leaders and intellectuals but failed to live up to their persona in person was disappointing. I had to reconsider my future plans. Could I go into a field where I would work alongside or for people who didn’t practice what they preached? Could I manipulate my language past the point of authenticity to sway a vote? Could I stand for a party which contradicted my own beliefs? The answer was decidedly no. So I asked myself, why was I studying Political Science? I didn’t know anymore.

I had rent to pay, I had cats to take care of, I had bills. What was I going to do now? And here my friends, is where I turned to mechanics.

I’m not entirely sure what came over me when I decided to pursue mechanics. Skilled labour had never enticed me before, but perhaps I had just never given the sector a second thought.

It happened rather fast, but alas most decisions I make in my life go this way. What I knew for certain was the political scene was not where I wanted to be and therefore my motivation for staying in university was lost.

So, I dropped my courses, got a job at a garage on the outskirts of Ottawa’s suburbs and began my new life as a full-time blue-collar worker. The reaction from friends and family went poorly to say the least.

I would like to preface this by quoting my parents “You have never expressed an interest in cars; why would you work in a garage?”.

I regret to inform you all that this was completely and utterly true. Cars were and are not my passion. My reasoning? I want a job where I can work, learn life skills, and earn qualifications. The only type of job which seems to allow for that nowadays is blue collar work. I had never considered any skilled labor job up until this point, perhaps because I am a girl and it is a traditionally masculine field, or perhaps because I had prejudice against those not in university or maybe it was because I never considered these jobs equitable to the standard white-collar role.

I will clear this up now. Blue collar work is not pretty. It is a different level of difficult. The first week at this garage was a huge wake up call for me to the general industry.  The training at my first job was non-existent. I was frequently exposed to harsh chemicals without any personal protective equipment. My arms and face were stained black at the end of each day, my body ached from the physical labor, day in and out, whilst the pay was indeed mediocre. Yet still, I loved it. The feeling of utter exhaustion after a 10-hour shift, the learning and pushing myself to my limits (both physical and mental) was euphoric.

After listening to my parents’ warnings, I found a new job at a more regulated garage, but my learning came to a halt. I was protected, trained, and understood most tasks required of me, however, with the safety of the shop came regulation. I could no longer shadow head mechanics or try more challenging tasks. In this new job I felt relatively safe and protected, but a new challenge was presented by my work team.

If you do not understand male behaviour I would openly suggest working in a garage. As I morphed into a flower on the wall, I was able to hear the bias and prejudices flow, free of societal constraints. I listened to lewd comments referencing female customers, observed pornographic images hung on a wall and experienced a blatant disregard for my bodily autonomy.

I will say this now, before this job I never considered nor thought to label myself a feminist. But the behaviour still tolerated and encouraged shocked me. Now I could understand the warnings of my family and the weariness of women going into this field of work.

In saying that, I do not paint all skilled workers with the same brush. My team for the most part were wonderful people, but their views were old fashioned and it broke the bubble I had been living in. You learn quick as a woman in the skilled trades that you have to be assertive and confront problems head on.

After dropping out of university I felt overwhelmed with the weight of expectation placed upon me. How was I going to make my family proud? How would I live up to their version of success? Would I be living below the poverty line all my life? The blue collar sector gave me options I never thought possible. I was able to work my way up the ladder on skill and work ethic all learned through hands-on work.

I am not suggesting everyone must do what I did, but we need to promote and educate the future generations on ALL jobs available to them. We need to show those who choose a different path to the academic one, that they are just as valuable and respectable as those in white collar roles. Your life is not over if you choose the un-paved path.

I took this job as a regional ambassador with YCR for the summer because I wanted a taste of how my life could’ve been had I continued with university. Although I do miss my steel toes, I am happy with the further perspectives I have gained working this job. I have grown to understand the benefits of both fields and feel a well-rounded respect for both.

Although I may not go back to mechanics, I am happy for the opportunity it gave me to remove any prejudices I once had and grow my respect for blue collar workers. It has allowed me to understand just how undervalued skilled labor is in comparison to the standard white-collar role.

To conclude this written piece on my tumultuous life. My experience in the trades has opened my eyes to the hundreds of jobs out there I never considered. I hope to continue to work with YCR to educate young Canadians on all jobs available to them and encourage the public to value blue collar workers just as much as those in white collar roles. I hope to bridge the gap between the industries, whilst I continue my search for the perfect job. With the vast choices available to me no longer limited by academics or societal judgment I’m sure I will find it.

 

 

 

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