i saw the obstacle. i imagined i stood at the edge of a canyon and what i wanted was on one side. the traditional means of getting where i wanted to go weren't going to work. they were faulty. so i had to start thinking outside of the box. last october i interviewed with ibew hoping to score an apprenticeship that would start me out towards my vision for the life i want to live. i approached it like any other white collar job i've had in the past, thinking that would be good enough to get in. i ranked well, but not well enough. so i re-evaluated my approach. i was going to get to the other side of that damn canyon.
on may 14th i got my chance to beat the obstacle. i dressed the part by eliminating my femininity: tan carhartts, green men's polo shirt, boots, no jewelry, no makeup, short nails. i prepped a portfolio: varying pictures of me holding tools (doing demo, making planter boxes, changing the muffler on my car, etc), resume, certificates of safety classes, job site evaluations, oregon tradeswomen graduation certificate. i knew the questions and i studied them.
as i sat in a giant union hall with 20 other people and waited for my name to be called, i cheered myself on to be strong, assertive and ready to fight for the position. when i entered the room to be grilled by a combination of 4 journeymen electricians and managers, i confidently walked around the room, shaking everyone's hand firmly and handing out portfolios showing how awesome i am. i sat in the chair ready to show them who's boss. the 15 minutes flew by. i answered each question concisely, making sure to make eye contact with everyone. as it came to a close, there was one more question. the token manager of the group said, "that was a great interview. were you coached?"
"no. i have been working hard for this. i want to be an electrician."
i walked out of that room with the biggest shit-eating grin on my face. i knew i had nailed the interview. it was one of the proudest moments in my life. now i just had to wait to see the results and get my rank.
three weeks late the letter arrived with my score and my rank, 1 being the top person. i was ready to see how i did out of the 350 people that had interviewed in two days. i stood on the porch both nervous and excited, not even taking the time to remove my bike helmet from my daily commute. i tore open the letter.
rank: 7.
rank: 7!
RANK: 7!!!!!!!!
i jumped up and down on my porch screaming with excitement. holy shit. i did it. i am a rocket ship and i blasted right over the vastness that is the divide between this college educated, white collar woman and entrance into the building trades. i know that a long, hard road lies ahead, but i truly believe one of the hardest things was just fighting for my chance to prove that i am a good, hard worker and will make a damn good electrician.
next step will be orientation and then starting a new job as an entry level apprentice. timing isn't completely certain, but i am guessing i'll probably start the two week orientation in july. i'll keep you posted.
i am so ecstatic am can barely contain myself.
