Monique - Chippy
Ladies in Trades was fortunate enough to sit down with Monique recently. Monique has just started her apprenticeship in carpentry and is absolutely thriving in the field. Her journey to get here is inspiring and rewarding. Monique has shared her story with us at ladies in trades and we are incredibly excited and proud to now share it with you. We hope Monique’s story inspires many to follow their dreams.
My name is Monique, (most people call me Mon) I’m 25 years old, grew up in the Sutherland Shire NSW, and about to start my 1st-year apprenticeship in Carpentry with MATTBUILD. From as far back as 13 years old, I can remember wanting to be just like the boys (if not better). My love for carpentry started in my year 7 woodwork class at Port Hacking High, however, it quickly ended there as this was not an encouraged career for females. This lead me to find other career and work avenues to explore but never really feeling like I had found what made me happy to go to work every day. I was actually on shift as a community support worker (disability) when I walked past a job site and saw another female chippy framing a house. I spoke to the woman onsite just for advice and she was super helpful, which gave me that extra nudge to take the leap.
I didn’t wake up and just change careers, there were many concerns in the back of my mind that held me back for different reasons. I was concerned about what my family may think. I’ve always been the one to help dad around the house, but the possibility of him not approving of the career change was one of the biggest factors. My nerves surrounding the issue were unnecessary as he was super supportive along with the rest of my family. The other hurdle I faced was the struggle of being on apprentice wages as an adult. We all have bills to pay and lives to live, although for anyone that doesn’t know there are mature age apprentice wages to help support people making changes later in life. The next hurdle; who would pay a woman with no prior onsite experience, mature age apprentice wages? After speaking with a few of my close friends and family I had made up my mind, no more putting aside what I really want and so the journey began. I told my partner about what I wanted to achieve and with her support, we booked my White Card, and started researching local building companies within the area. I was looking for a company with a good reputation not only with the quality of work but also good people.
I had simply either messaged on Instagram or sent out an email and all had either just hired first-year apprentices or had no response at all. I won’t lie this really deflated my confidence as well as also having no experience onsite so I knew it was going to be a challenge, but in the back of my mind, I just needed a phone call, and that way I could really express my passion for getting into the industry. A few days went on and I got a reply from a company. One of the companies which I didn't think I'd hear from, due to being so successful, so you could imagine I was extremely excited when Matt reached out. They are a local, fast-growing company, and I had only heard good things. Although his response was the same having just hired a first-year apprentice, he told me to give him a call. By the end of the chat he offered me some labouring to see how I’d go and if he couldn’t find room within his company, he would do his best to point me in the right direction. This was exactly what I needed, and I figured if it didn’t work out it was all experience for the next opportunity. It was a win–win for me.
Within the first day of working with them, I was convinced this was the company for me. A great balance of work hard, play hard culture, and just a great bunch of people, who took the time to explain and teach me things along the way. I knew this was my shot so I essentially worked my ass off to show how bad I wanted it (and also give the other guys a run for their money). By the 3rd day, I was offered a full-time apprenticeship and I don’t think I slept that night, I was beaming! Just goes to show if you want something bad enough, go and get it. I would definitely say this opportunity has been my greatest achievement so far, and I start my First Year Apprenticeship in 2022 with MATTBUILD. Working in a male-dominated industry can be a struggle at times. However, I am my own worst critic. Everyone at MATTBUILD is there to get the job done no matter who you are. If you show up, show you’re interested, ask questions, get your hands dirty then it shouldn’t matter how you identify. I know this isn’t always the case and I have been lucky to land a job with a company that is so inclusive and progressive.
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will”. Along the journey so far there have been times where I really doubted myself, and my ability. A perfect example of this and how I overcame it was having no experience and one other big weakness in my mind was that I couldn’t drive a manual. Instead of throwing my hands in the air and just saying ‘oh I can’t drive manual’. I asked one of the boys from MATTBUILD to take me for a lesson and to make it more challenging... I asked to go in the work tipper. Smitty was more than happy to teach me and after 1.5 hours driving around a cemetery, I can now drive the manual tipper. Side note/dark humour: Smitty’s exact words for the cemetery lesson was “well everyone there is already dead so you can’t kill anyone”. It only took my willingness to learn and a quick lesson from one of the boys and I was off, and every chance I get I ask to take the tipper. Back yourself, if you don't know how to do something you can always learn!
If I can help or show just one person that they can do it too, then I’ve already achieved what I wanted and more, and at last, I am finally happy every single day. This is why I started my Instagram to be able to inspire anyone and everyone to break barriers, crush disbelief and just go for it. I’m stoked to say I’ve already had people ask for advice which has put more than a smile on my face. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be happy, so just give it a go. If anyone ever needs advice or wants to pick my brain I will always be here to listen and encourage anyone to do this! Follow my journey @chippymon_
