Critical Careers - Women Building Careers in Digital Infrastructure - Book - Page 33
“I still ask them questions every day because
that’s how I learn best. They’re always willing
to help, which makes such a difference.
That support gives me a lot of con昀椀dence.”
When you were younger, what did you
imagine your future might look like and how
does that compare to where you are now?
Who has played a meaningful role in your
development so far, and what impact did
they have?
When I was younger, I actually thought I’d go into travel and tourism. In
college, I wanted to become a 昀氀ight attendant, but COVID happened
and that changed my plan. But if I look back properly, I’ve always been
hands-on. Since I was little, I liked building things and 昀椀guring out
how stuff worked. I remember building a shed with my dad when I was
younger. I just liked using my hands, doing something practical and
seeing the result of it in front of me.
Honestly, the team on site has played a huge role in my development.
They were really the key to everything at the start. They saw how curious
I was, how many questions I was asking, and instead of brushing me off,
they took the time to explain things. They encouraged me to go for the
apprenticeship because they could see I genuinely wanted to learn the
systems and understand how everything worked.
When I started asking the technicians on site what they actually did,
and they explained the electrical work, the maintenance, the lighting,
the sockets, the heat pumps it really piqued my interest. What properly
sparked it was when one of them walked me through how the power
comes into the site, how it steps down through the transformers, moves
through the switch rooms, into the PDUs and then out to the customers.
At the time, I didn’t fully understand it, but it just felt like magic.
Now that I understand it all, it makes sense. But back then, it was that
moment of seeing something complex happening behind the scenes,
something critical and powerful, and realising I wanted to be part of it.
So my future doesn’t look anything like I imagined but in a way, it 昀椀ts me
so much better.
I still ask them questions every day because that’s how I learn best.
They’re always willing to help, which makes such a difference. That
support gives me a lot of con昀椀dence.
There was also one manager who really inspired me. He had started out
as a cleaner too, just like I did, and worked his way up. Seeing someone
who had taken that same path and built a career for himself made it feel
possible for me. He really pushed me to go for it and reminded me that
if this is what I wanted, I should commit to it properly.
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