On the very first day I started working for my dad, he handed me two encouragement cards. I kept them with me in my work folder and would sometimes read them when I’d need a pick-me-up.
The one card that resonated with me the most during those hard days as an apprentice or working on a construction site and feeling completely isolated, was a poem called Believe in Yourself. The author was not typed under the poem so I can’t credit the person who wrote it, but the words have been an encouragement for me not only as a plumber, but as a mother and a writer and a dreamer.
Believe in yourself
And in your dream
Though impossible things may seem.
Someday, somehow,
You’ll get through,
To the goal you have in view.
Mountains fall and seas divide
Before the one who in his stride,
Takes a hard road day by day
Sweeping obstacles away.
Believe in yourself
And in your plan
Say not – I cannot – but, I can.
The prizes of life we fail to win
When we doubt the power within.
No matter what your dream job is, there will always be hurdles.
Some of the biggest hurdles for women in construction are getting the opportunities to work as an apprentice in the first place.
Once you secure that job, it’s then proving you can do the job and you have what it takes to complete your apprenticeship. After you get your license, it’s then working out where you want to plant yourself for work. In that time you might choose to have a baby, which adds another obstacle to the dream job because sadly, pregnant tradies are, dare I say it, judged and seen as an inconvenience to the company. It’s part of the hesitation some companies hold when offering an apprenticeship to a woman and it requires a full blog post because it’s an issue young female tradies will face at some point.
So if you are an apprentice, and you are finding it hard to keep the dream alive, believe in yourself. You have the capacity to not only finish your apprenticeship, but to start your own business or work your way up to a management role.
Last week my devotional book shared this quote with me and I think it will encourage you too.
“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” Author unknown.
Don’t be surprised if you’re having a hard time as you work towards your dream trade career. Believe in yourself and keep showing up each day because when you get through that difficult situation or season, you will look back and be thankful that you got through. The path is not guaranteed to be straight and easy when you work towards your dream job.
What’s the biggest hurdle you’re facing right now in your career?
