The first adult decision I made, like many at age 18, was to apply for college. I excelled at math and business. Naturally, on the advice of my school guidance counselor, I applied and got accepted to Humber College.

It only took a few months before I knew this was not the career for me, and I switched to child and youth work. Years later, this led to a diploma, a slightly higher paying job at Youth Without Shelter, and a pile of debt. During this time, I maintained a CSR position at Cash Money, which helped finance my college years an served as my main source of income for a decade.

Sadly, neither of these jobs allowed me to thrive. I simply survived. By the time I was 29, I had accumulated $25,000 of unsecure debt, had a $20/hr. office job, and was fighting for .50 cent raises, with no pension and poor benefits. I found this job brought me more stress than joy. The reality is, we spend more time at work than we do at home, and with the prospect of 35 years of employment before retirement, I knew it was crucial to find a job I loved.

In 2017, my best friend Matt purchased a home and wanted to complete renovations. Both of us at the time were what you would call “green” when it came to construction. With the help of YouTube, friends, and Google we replaced kitchen cabinets, renovated bathrooms and completed an unfinished basement. It was through this process that I discovered I loved working with my hands. I felt empowered and proud of each new thing I completed. This started me on my new journey to becoming an electrical apprentice.

Fast forward to March 2021. I have successfully completed my first year as an electrical apprentice and I am counting down to when I can call myself a third year.

I am now 32 years old and have paid off over half of my debt. I'm making more money than I made in any of my previous positions and have a job that I love.

As an apprentice it is my job to learn, ask questions and grow with each day. Over the past year and a half, I have discovered a lot about electrical work and built my self-confidence. For the first time in my life, I had true independence. Being in the skilled trades has given me the confidence, skills, and community to complete any work tasks or tackle home projects. No two projects are 100% alike and inevitably I learn something new almost every day I go to work. Because of this, I have developed the courage to try new things, fail, stand back up, and repeat until success.

Confidence is built by competence and this is the winning formula. Car repairs were never something I would consider before, yet now I have the basic skills, confidence to try and have an invaluable community of extremely intelligent people willing to help. It is liberating to be able to fix your own things — it saves money too.

Additionally, electrical apprentices with the IBEW have great health benefits and great pay. For the first time in my life my job will provide a pension. All these aspects lead to my independence and my sense of financial security. I now have a job that I am passionate about and gives me that chance to thrive, not just survive. I wish I could encourage more young people to get out and experience the world.

Get your hands dirty and find your passions! Far too often we get stuck behind computer screens and phones, lost in social media trying to live life through other people’s experiences.

I am blessed to say this journey has also led me to become an ambassador an advocate for the skilled trades. This allows me to combine my passion for people that I found while being a child and youth worker with my new love for the trades. I have been fortunate to be able to do podcasts, be a guest speaker, panelist and run workshops through OYAP for youth in the effort to try to educate and spread awareness about the skilled trades. I hope that by sharing my story I inspire others to see if the skilled trades are right for them. I ultimately hope to encourage people everywhere to try to find a career that they are passionate about and to live a life they love.

About the author: Shannon Tymosko is a second year electrical apprentice with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Worker (IBEW) Local 105 in Hamilton, Ontario.

From Surviving to Thriving: A Path to Paying Off College Debt

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