Career Roadmap
Rashad's work combines: Engineering, Technology, and Building Things
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Day In The Life
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
His father was a mechanic in the Air Force and continued in that field after he left the military; inspired him to “get his hands dirty.”
2.
He ended up following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a mechanic in the military, which is where he learned the basics.
3.
While there, he had the opportunity to work on tanks, Humvees, MRAPs, and the “Stryker”, a 19-ton, eight-wheeled armored vehicle.
4.
Even though he has a background in automotive repairs, when he got a job at Ryder, he admits he found it difficult to learn some of the diesel mechanics.
5.
Says that learning how to repair a diesel engine has been one of his biggest accomplishments because it was something he never thought he would be able to do.
6.
He never had any formal college or vocational education and says that lacking those basic skills has made his career journey more difficult.
7.
Enjoys the opportunities that the diesel industry gives him to learn new things and challenge himself in new ways.
8.
Believes that the vitality of the auto and diesel industry make it one of the best jobs there is—as a mechanic, “[that job] is never going to go away.”
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I'll never be able to repair a whole engine.
How I responded:
I started out doing oil changes and never thought I would learn to fix engines. Working at Ryder, they gave me the training I needed and helped me to advance so that I could gain new skills.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
It took awhile to learn the basics of diesel mechanics, but through the training at Ryder, I evenutally caught on.