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Path Found
Path Found is the podcast for anyone who’s ever asked, “What now?”
This show explores the real, messy, and inspiring journeys people take to find fulfilling work—and themselves. From pivots and side hustles to mentorship and major career changes, Path Found reveals what college never taught and counselors never said.
Path Found
The Midlife Rollercoaster
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Leon Kazandjian never had a linear career, and he’d tell you that’s the point. The son of a car mechanic, he grew up taking things apart just to understand them, a habit that survived a mediocre school record and a teaching degree he abandoned almost immediately.
What followed was a reinvention marathon: an aircraft mechanic’s license earned with a 4.0 and a Golden Wrench Award, a year at Raytheon, two weeks at LAX, two and a half years running a gold-prospecting store in Pasadena, and nearly two decades inside California’s correctional system, where a job he thought was counseling turned out to be guarding a juvenile facility. He worked his way from correctional counselor to chief engineer, keeping a 1939 institution and its 8,000 residents supplied with water, power, and steam on a shoestring budget.
The last three years brought the sharpest turns: an early retirement under pressure, a chaotic startup, a hospital HVAC job, a park superintendency he loved and lost, and finally, through the same networking that carried him everywhere, a role as an MEP coordinator building data centers, reading blueprints for the first time in his fifties and thriving.
The thread running through all of it isn’t a job title. It’s the five-year-old on the floor, sticking his finger in a light socket, certain there had to be something inside worth understanding.
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Real stories of pivots, side quests, and scenic routes that inspire new possibilities.
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I was a guard. I was literally a juvenile prison guard. Pepper spray, tap proof vest, handcuffs, everything. When I thought of it being a counselor, it was anything but a counselor. It wasn't a counselor.
SPEAKER_00Hi everyone and welcome to Pass Down, the podcast about the real, messy, unexpected journeys that lead us to the work we love. I'm Monica Argandillion, and every week I talk with someone who story proves that there's no single right way to build a meaningful life. Most people spend a career climbing one ladder. Leon Kazangian built his by taking every ladder apart to see how it worked. Aircraft mechanic, gold mining store manager, prison counselor, chief engineer, park superintendent, six jobs in three years, a degree he never used, and a curiosity that started at five years old with a finger in a light socket. This is a story about the skills nobody teaches you in school and the quiet confidence of a person who knows he can figure anything out. This is Leon's path found. Hi Leon.
SPEAKER_01Hi.
SPEAKER_00We have to start out by saying we've known each other for 26 years, we've been married for 21 years. I know your story. And I think it's a really interesting one. And so now it's time for you to share that story. You know, it's kind of interesting that both of us have not had very linear paths. So as I start with everybody else, what were you like as a kid?
SPEAKER_01My dad was a mechanic and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. And as a kid growing up, I was interested in how things worked and I liked taking things apart. Otherwise, I was a pretty normal kid, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, so I had that to deal with.
SPEAKER_00What did you like to do?
SPEAKER_01I really liked to figure out how things worked. And I recall when I was about five years old looking at a light bulb and trying to figure out how does this thing work? And I just remember being on the floor and unscrewing the light bulb and looking inside the light socket and not seeing anything. And I said, Well, there has to be something in there. And I stuck my finger in there and I got electrocuted. And I really didn't know what had just happened. I said, huh, that was weird. And I did it again. And next thing I know, my mom is screaming and running into the room and was shocked. So yeah, quite literally.
SPEAKER_00Were you a good student?
SPEAKER_01No, I was not a good student. I was not interested in anything, and school was just something that you had to do.
SPEAKER_00And you were interested in taking things apart.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was interested in how things worked. And yeah, you gotta go to school. And but school did not interest me, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_00So your parents, did they have a degree?
SPEAKER_01My father was a car mechanic and owned his own shop. He owned his own shop. And my mom worked at the elementary school because both my brother and my sister were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. So in order for her to, you know, stay with us, keep an eye on us, she got a job as a noontime supervisor. So she was encouraged by the staff that said, if you're interested in teaching, you should, you know, get your degree. And so yeah, she ended up going to school at night. And after about 10 years, she ended up getting her degree and became a school teacher.
SPEAKER_00So you were not very good in high school, you graduate. Did you know what you wanted to do?
SPEAKER_01I did not. I was interested in a little bit in law enforcement, and I got a position with the City of Glendale Police Department, and I was going to school at the time. So I had graduated high school. I was going to Pasadena City College, pursuing my AA degree. And that was because a friend of mine was going there. And I decided, well, if you're going to PCC, I'll go to PCC also. But at the same time, I got a part-time job at the City of Glendale Police Department. And I did that for a while thinking that I might possibly go into law enforcement.
SPEAKER_00And what happened to that?
SPEAKER_01I was really young. I was in my early 20s. And a lot of the older officers said, don't rush into this position. They said, go to school. And they said this job will be here, but first go to school, get your degree. And they had told me that, you know, they were in their mid-40s now, and they were going back to school to get their degree because that's how important it was to have that bachelor's degree. So I took their advice and I decided to quit. And I ended up transferring. I was done with my associate's degree at PCC and I transferred to Cow Poly Pomona.
SPEAKER_00So, you know, you weren't a good student. You're at the community college. Did it click for you then? Were you more interested? Did you find something you were interested in?
SPEAKER_01No, not really. Again, I was taking classes. I was really interested in Spanish. At one time, I was thinking about being a Spanish teacher, and I took six classes of Spanish. I mean, I took it all the way from Spanish one to Spanish six. And then there was a conversation Spanish, but I really enjoyed learning Spanish. I enjoyed linguistics. And looking back, I could have pursued that, but at the time I didn't. I was more interested in working with my hands. And I wanted to, you know, see what else there was. And I didn't have a good clear direction. I didn't have any knowledge of what I could have done if I had gone into linguistics or Spanish. It was I didn't have any guidance. So I didn't pick that path.
SPEAKER_00So you end up at Cal Poly Pomona. What do you major in?
SPEAKER_01So I'm at Cal Poly Pomona. I have no idea what to major in. And the first thing that comes to my mind is, well, my mom is going into teaching and she has the summers off. And I said, Man, that's incredible. I would love to have the summers off every year. And I ended up going into teaching and I I pursued a degree in liberal studies.
SPEAKER_00So that's not anything with your hands.
SPEAKER_01No, again, not not just, I was thinking vacation. I was thinking three months off and thought, yeah, that's what I wanted to do.
SPEAKER_00All right. So you graduate, you end up in a teaching credential program. Are you liking it? Do you become a teacher?
SPEAKER_01I got into the teaching and I absolutely hated it. I I just remember being in doing the student teaching, thinking, what did I get myself into? I absolutely hate this. And needless to say, I I couldn't stand it. And not that I couldn't stand it, but it wasn't for me. And I ended up dropping out.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so now what?
SPEAKER_01Oh, it was shocking. I was like, oh my god, what do I do now? And I met you and you helped me discover that, hey, pursue your dreams. And I went into decided to go back to school and get my aircraft mechanics license.
SPEAKER_00So how old are you about at this time?
SPEAKER_01I was probably 24, 25.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So teaching's out. You have your degree though. You go get the aircraft license, the mechanic. How long does that take? And is was that it? Was that the the job that landed?
SPEAKER_01So the program was two years and I absolutely excelled in it. I I got a 4.0 in the entire program. I ended up at the end of the program, they had this golden wrench award, and I ended up getting the golden wrench award. And I was so proud. I was so happy. And I was off to a career in aircraft maintenance and repair.
SPEAKER_00Okay. You're not doing that today. So what happened?
SPEAKER_01Nope. I ended up working for Raytheon for about a year and got to build my experience and build my skills. I then was looking for a higher pay and I switched over to working at LAX and I worked for Garrett Aviation. And I just realized at that moment where I was like, yeah, I don't think I want to do this either.
SPEAKER_00And how long were you at Garrett?
SPEAKER_01I was at Garrett for two weeks.
SPEAKER_00So I'm going to interject here because I remember getting the phone call saying, I hate this. And I told you, well then quit.
SPEAKER_01Yep. You told me to quit. And I said, Are you sure? And he said, Yep. If you don't like it, don't do it. And I gave my notice and I decided to leave.
SPEAKER_00You know, and part of that, you're in your 20s. Yes. You're you're about uh 27-ish around that time. And you know, why that was the time to make changes. Yeah. There was not a lot of commitments, you know, there's no kids, there's no mortgage. And to me, those are the years where you really need to try different things.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you're right. And you know, I just I was at a my I didn't have a car payment. I had the old jet ed that I was driving, and it was paid for. And yeah, rent was cheap. And we said, well, let's let me do something else.
SPEAKER_00And then what but that wasn't easy either. So this is where it gets frustrating.
SPEAKER_01I ended up working at a a friend of ours had a a gold mining store, and she uh needed help to run the store, and it was almost like perfect timing. And I said, Hey, I'd love to help. And I ended up running a gold mining and prospecting store in Pasadena for a little while. It was great. I had a blast running that small business. And here's, you know, again, I have no experience in gold mining, no experience in retail, but here I am running this store and learning the equipment, selling the equipment, and I had a blast. It was a great about two and a half years of running that small store.
SPEAKER_00So not a career.
SPEAKER_01No, but it bought me time. It was a path that, you know, I was making money, I was paying my bills and learning skills, learning practicing my Spanish, but it was it was like you're like you had mentioned, your 20s are all about exploring and figuring things out. And I was doing that.
SPEAKER_00And then what happened?
SPEAKER_01The store ends up closing because that was the end game for that store. It was I was just helping to run it until she could sell the building. And so then I needed to find a job. And I'm driving on the 210 freeway one day, and a big green bus passes by, and on the back of the bus it says CDC is now hiring.
SPEAKER_00What's the CDC?
SPEAKER_01The CDCR is the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. And I just remember going home and applying, and I just remember telling you, hey, I'm gonna apply to be a correctional counselor. I I figured it was perfect because here I have my teaching credential. I had my teaching background, I was comfortable working with youth, and I thought, wow, this is this is perfect. I have uh, you know, I have the skills to do this job, and it's gonna, it's a good state job. There's benefits, you know, insurance, uh, pension, and yeah.
SPEAKER_00And you go to training, which is all of how long?
SPEAKER_01I I get hired, and and they saw that I had a degree, and I said, Oh, you're perfect. We're gonna make you a correctional counselor. I was ecstatic. And they gave me a uh an academy date, and in November of 2007, I ended up driving up to Stockton and I'm in the academy.
SPEAKER_00And for how long?
SPEAKER_01It was three and a half months.
SPEAKER_00Three and a half months to be a counselor. What did you think you were gonna be doing?
SPEAKER_01I thought I was gonna be sitting behind a desk and just counseling, you know, the wards and because this was for the juvenile. This was for the juvenile side, yeah. And I thought, wow, this is great. I'm gonna be helping, you know, young young adults out. And little did I know what I was getting myself into.
SPEAKER_00So what did that job really I was a guard?
SPEAKER_01I was literally a uh juvenile prison guard. Pepper spray, uh, stab-proof vest, handcuffs, the whole everything. When I when I thought of being a counselor, it was anything but a counselor. There was no counseling.
SPEAKER_00So you actually were looking into the future, and maybe you saw the writing on the wall, but you leave that job, but you don't leave corrections.
SPEAKER_01So when I got into the position, I was with my my my facility for about two years. And while I was there, I networked and I made friends with the maintenance guys, and I asked them, I said, Hey, what do you guys do? And what's your position and and how do you become what you're doing? And they told me, they said, Hey, you know, we're we're facility engineers. And I said, Oh, I'd love to do that. And they asked me, well, what do you what do you know about maintenance? I said, Well, I have an aircraft mechanics license, and my dad was a mechanic, and I've been fixing things all my life. And they looked at me and smiled and they said, We're we're looking for a uh a new hire. And next thing you know, I'm interviewing for the position.
SPEAKER_00What position?
SPEAKER_01And that was for a stationary engineer.
SPEAKER_00Stationary engineer. In the meantime, that juvenile facility closed.
SPEAKER_01Yes, so the juvenile facility ends up closing, which was perfect timing for me because they had about 800 staff and they all got displaced all over California. So wherever the open positions were, they you know, that was where you were gonna go. Lucky for me, I had switched over to maintenance and maintenance remained on at the facility.
SPEAKER_00So, how long are you doing that?
SPEAKER_01So I was at that facility for about a year and a half, and I absolutely loved that position. I got to fix things, I got to be outside, I got to, I work with some incredible staff, and I I just remember waking up thinking, wow, I I I I'm getting paid to actually do this. This doesn't feel like a job. I absolutely loved it.
SPEAKER_00What changes or what happens?
SPEAKER_01The facility ends up going from a warm shutdown to a complete shutdown. So they had to get rid of, you know, they they eliminated the staffing. But lucky for me, again, I was in the maintenance side now and they had given me another option. They said, well, there's two other facilities next door. Which one would you like to go to? And they said the CIM, which is a California institution for men, has a 410 work schedule, and that was enough for me to say, hey, I'm going where there's a 410 work schedule. So I ended up transferring and began working at CIM in about 2010.
SPEAKER_00And you stayed there for how long?
SPEAKER_01I was there for almost 15 years. I worked my way up to chief engineer, and I was chief engineer for approximately five years, and it was an incredible experience because we went through COVID, we went through numerous, numerous issues as far as there was a water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant. You have 8,000 inmates, and you have you're responsible for everything to keep the water flowing, the toilets flushing, the lights on, the air conditioning working, the refrigeration, the steam. It was an incredible challenge to keep a 39 facility running on a shoestring budget.
SPEAKER_00So, and as you like to often say to your kids, anything mechanical canon will fail? No. How long were you in prison?
SPEAKER_01Oh, I always joke. I always tell people I spent almost 20 years in prison. And yeah, that's my icebreaker when I meet people. And then they look at you like, what?
SPEAKER_00So what happens?
SPEAKER_01I ended up becoming stagnant. I had done that job for such a long time. I just it almost started becoming as though I wasn't doing anything new anymore. I would look at the calendar thinking, oh my god, 10 more years to go and I'm out of here.
SPEAKER_00And but you weren't leaving.
SPEAKER_01No, I was stuck because of the the pension. I didn't want to leave.
SPEAKER_00Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_01And we they sometimes call it the golden handcuffs because you have that much time in and you're, you know, you you just you can't leave. You're stuck. I I decided I'm gonna, I'm gonna retire. I'm gonna do early retirement and quit.
SPEAKER_00Now, for the first time in years.
SPEAKER_01It was scary. It was scary. 20 years of of doing the same job, same, you know, having that comfort. It was a comfortable rut that I was in. And now all of a sudden I was like, oh my God, what do I do? And two kids, all it was vastly different than being in your 20s and being able to quit and say, Well, I'm gonna do something different.
SPEAKER_00So what happens?
SPEAKER_01So it just so happens that a a friend came over to buy Girl Scout cookies and we said, Oh yeah, I just you know quit my job. He says, Well, that's perfect timing. And I we were like, Why? He said, Because I need your skills to help a startup that we are doing. And I can't go into the details because I did sign a non-disclosure agreement, but I will say that because of my skills in a water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, because of my skills in keeping things running, whether it be electrical, plumbing, mechanical, you know, equipment, anything you name it, that he decided, hey, we need you for your for this project. And I became a project manager. And it was probably the craziest, stress, most stressful job I had ever done because of the unorganized nature of how they ran their business. And every five minutes the directive would change. And it was pretty far away. It was about a three and a half hour drive, and I was commuting twice a week to go to this location in order to run this operation. And I did that for almost a year, and I decided, oh, I can't do this anymore.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was a mess.
SPEAKER_01And one week they would tell you, okay, you're gonna work here in this location, and the next day they would say, Well, we need you to take a flight to New Mexico, we need you to take a flight to Detroit, we need you to take, and that was really difficult with kids and just in general. I was not used to that.
SPEAKER_00So you quit.
SPEAKER_01I I decided, yep, I can't do this.
SPEAKER_00I mean, it was it was bad.
SPEAKER_01It was bad. And you quit, and now and then I was in looking for jobs, looking for work again, and because of my skill set, I applied for a couple of HVAC positions, and I ended up getting picked up uh City of Hope Hospital as a HVAC engineer, and I did that for six months, and you know, it wasn't a terrible job, but again, it was not helping me in a sense that I was not I was bored. I have been doing this type of work for so long that there was no challenge fixing air conditioners, fixing steam equipment.
SPEAKER_00And this was hard because you also took a massive pay cut.
SPEAKER_01I took a massive pay, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Because we you just needed a job.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you start over again sometimes.
SPEAKER_00So, all right, so you're there for a few months. You're still looking though for other people. Still looking.
SPEAKER_01I'm still looking, but now I have work. And so I applied to County of San Bernardino, and I got another position as again as a HVAC repair guy. And this time I took even a larger pay cut, and I just remember you being mad at me. You're like, Are you crazy? Why are you taking this job?
SPEAKER_00And I this was different than being 27.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I told you and I said, because there's way more opportunity. So working for a large county, there's hundreds of positions, and I said, I need to get my foot in the door, and then I'll be able to find something else that better suits me. And I pretty short time in in less than a year. I went from an HVAC repair guy to a park superintendent.
SPEAKER_00And how did you like that?
SPEAKER_01Oh, I loved it. I loved that job.
SPEAKER_00So we're now on like job number five in three years.
SPEAKER_01In three years, yes. So I loved that job. I was working outside. I was responsible for a 1400-acre regional park, and it was a blast because it was conservation work, it was customer service work, it was still fixing things, yeah, as far as doing the maintenance for the facility. I had a staff of teen, and I had staff that were eager to learn and and some staff that were not. And some staff that did not want to be there and did not like my management style and my my goal to fix things and to revitalize the park. I I was I was on a mission to fix that park up. I was hired. I remember during the interview, the the director telling me, We we picked you because we know you could get things done. And there were staff over there that were 20 years in that position wanting this job, and they didn't get it because of my background. When I worked with the facilities, they had known that I was self-motivated and I loved fixing things, and I and I still do.
SPEAKER_00So the the bosses, the heads up, the people in charge of you were super happy with you.
SPEAKER_01Super happy. The director, the so uh the associate director, super happy.
SPEAKER_00So something happens.
SPEAKER_01The staff hated me. The staff not all of them, but not all of them, but I was there to work, I was there to get things done, and I was messing up their their cha-cha. I was holding staff accountable. I had people calling in sick, and I was marking them on attendance, and I was holding everybody accountable because calling in sick, like consistently. Consistently, or or people every Wednesday, and yeah, I mean, chronic calling off on the days that they were supposed to be at work and which put a burden on the other staff. Absolutely. It put a burden on everybody because we didn't have enough staff, and all you needed was one person less, and it was just 10 times the amount of work for everybody else. So, but I was being a boss again. I was being a boss, I was holding staff accountable, and I was making a lot of progress. My my director was happy, the associate director was happy, my supervisor was happy. I mean, I I was making things happen.
SPEAKER_00So you're talking about this in the past tense because you're not there anymore. Do you want to talk about it yeah?
SPEAKER_01Let's get into it. So I had staff that worked really Hard and then I had staff that did everything in their power to not work at all. My schedule was Sunday through Wednesday. And then during the second shift of Wednesday through Saturday, when the other were working, they when I wasn't there, they didn't work. And I found out that there was these couple of guys that would take the truck and they would go park. It was a very large facility. So they would go find a spot and hide and sit in the truck for eight hours with the air conditioning on and either be asleep or be on their phone. And had other staff tell me this.
SPEAKER_00So what did you do?
SPEAKER_01So me being me and the guy that knows how everything works and being the air conditioning guy, I said, okay, well, if they want to sit in the truck for eight hours and and not help everybody, I'm gonna unhook the air conditioner. And I pulled the fuse out of the air conditioning system and yep, no air conditioning for them. And they filed on and they filed on the union. Word got out that, oh yeah, Leon pulled the fuse, and apparently it was the most heinous thing that I, you know, it was ever done. And so they said, either quit or we're going to fire you. And I said, Okay, I I take full ownership. Yes, I did what I did. I fessed up to it, and I thought maybe they would, you know, give me a second chance because I was honest with my mistake and they didn't see it that way, and they let me go. Or they offered me to to leave. So yeah, I took it. I left.
SPEAKER_00And your immediate supervisors didn't think it was gonna be that out there.
SPEAKER_01They were sad. My my my my supervisor, the associate director, was just they were floored. They did everything in their power to save me, but human resources thought otherwise.
SPEAKER_00So here we are again.
SPEAKER_01Yes, so this is four.
SPEAKER_00This is number six. Number six? So this is so now we're at the beginning of this year, 2026. That happened in January.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So what's next? So again, you know, I start applying for jobs, and I got again, so my background, I have a degree, I have a ton of experience doing maintenance, repair, operations, facility management, customer service. I apply for a couple of positions and I got a couple of interviews, and I got actually two of the positions I I know for sure I I would have gotten them. And there was one was a facility position again, the other one was another position with a steel fabricating mill.
SPEAKER_00I have to say, you know, a lot of people who lose their job or who are looking for jobs don't get as many interviews and callbacks as you did in such a short period of time. And I think that is because you have this really incredible skill set. I mean, you one, you have the degree and you have all the mechanical.
SPEAKER_01I have a contractor's license, I have an aircraft mechanics license, EPA 608 refrigerant license, I have Haswhopper certification, I have asbestos lead certification. I have so many certif certifications and my skills that I've done from working on airplanes to refrigeration to large buildings, small buildings, new buildings, old buildings. I have an incredible skill set.
SPEAKER_00And and I think for someone who was not very interested in anything in school, but you did have interests, right? From that time you stuck your finger in that light socket, yes, taking apart everything at your, you know, in your house, your toys, whatever. And you built on that. I mean, you followed when you could fix something, when you could build something, when you could weld the curiosity.
SPEAKER_01The curiosity is still there when our microwave died, and I was like, nope, we are not throwing out that microwave. And I was adamant, I said, I don't know anything about microwaves, but I'm gonna figure this thing out. So it was a six dollar switch for that microwave. And yeah, I that's the that's the fun part. And I I didn't get that in school. School doesn't teach you that. That was an interest that I ended up pursuing on my own.
SPEAKER_00A couple of the interviews you got were because of people you knew. So yes, a lot of networking involved. You know, you've established all that. So what are you doing today?
SPEAKER_01So I end up getting a position with a general contracting firm, and I am a MEP coordinator.
SPEAKER_00Which means what?
SPEAKER_01So it's a mechanical, electrical, plumbing coordinator. So think of it as a project manager, but I only deal with buildings and or or should I say construction, and I deal with the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing components. So I'm working for a construction company, and we are building one of the things that we build are data centers. And it has been a very steep learning curve for me, but I have been thriving in a sense that the nuts and bolts are the same, but I'm learning the new process of the construction and the as far as how things, how things are planned, how things are are structured. Everything starts with with with the blueprints, and you need a C plan, which is their your issue for construction. Then you need your P, which is your issue for permits, and how to share your team's meeting screen. Yes, yes. So yeah, technology is I never got to utilize technology to the fullest, but now technology is so important. So I have a pretty steep learning curve.
SPEAKER_00Do you like it?
SPEAKER_01I I love it. The days I I go there in the morning and I I look at my watch and I'm like, oh my goodness, it's where did the day fly? And it's time to go home. It's been it's been a lot of fun. It's been a lot of work, long hours, but I have an incredible team that helps me. And it's it's a really fulfilling, challenging position that I'm in right now. And I felt good about taking this position because of the challenge. A friend once said, if you're ripe, you rot, but if you're green, you grow. And I I'm in a position that I am very green in, and I am learning every day, and my skill set is expanding even more. So now I have construction. Now I I could read blueprints. Now I could conduct Teams meetings with 25 people on it. I could, it's, it's, yeah, it's been it's been a lot of learning, it's been a lot of fun, but at the end of the day, I'm I'm I'm just really satisfied with what I'm doing.
SPEAKER_00So it's been a roller coaster.
SPEAKER_01It has, it's been an adventure. I never thought in my 50s I would be having this kind of like midlife crisis. It's not really a crisis, but it's a midlife roller coaster of careers.
SPEAKER_00So looking back now, knowing what you know now, what would you go back and tell your 20-year-old self?
SPEAKER_01Ooh, that's a hard one. I would say be interested, go with what you what you love, because if you do what you love, you'll never you'll never work a day in your life. And looking back, I I probably would not have gone into teaching. I probably would have been better off going into engineering if and if somebody had told me, hey, if you're interested in how things work, look in engineering, look into uh you know you know mechanical design, look into electrical design. I didn't have that. I I just pretty much did what I thought, you know, okay, I'm supposed to do this without really having anybody mentor me and you know tell me otherwise.
SPEAKER_00So what advice would you give young people then today, a college student or someone similar to you in high school is kind of lost, doesn't care about anything, but maybe has these side interests. What would you tell someone?
SPEAKER_01I would say try things. I would say take the chance and try something and don't be afraid because the skills that you're gonna learn are going to carry carry you to the next position. The fact that I could be an MEP coordinator for this construction company right now is because of all the skills that I have learned that I have honed over these years. I'm coming into this position new. I'm not a proficient in construction, but I know the nuts and bolts. I know how things work, I know how things are supposed to go together, and that's what is allowing me to be successful in this position. And I would tell young people try these things out and and learn these skills. And when you go apply for another job, they're gonna look at that and say, wow, you ran a water treatment plant. Oh, you you know how to fix airplanes, you know how to replace a switch on a microwave. I mean, these are the skills that that are going to carry you. And and don't be afraid to learn things that you don't know.
SPEAKER_00Put yourself out there.
SPEAKER_01Put yourself out there, absolutely. Work hard, ask questions, show up early, stay late. And yeah, I think if you are interested in in what you're doing, then it's just you're good, you're gonna love it.
SPEAKER_00It all falls into place.
SPEAKER_01It all falls into place, exactly.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you. Thanks for sharing that very nonlinear path.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, totally nonlinear and uh a little bit of a roller coaster ride.
SPEAKER_00And it's been fun to be on it with you for the last 26 years.
SPEAKER_01Aw, thank you.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much for listening to Pascal. If anything we talked about today connected with you or gave you a new perspective, we'd love to subscribe, left it with you, like it's a new connection. And if you're on your own path, navigating the unknown, making a pivot, or simply figuring it out as you go, just know you're not alone. The route may not be linear, but there's always a way forward. I'm Monica in Dunia, and I'll see you next time on Pascal.