Do you think you will
face discrimination if
you choose this type
of career?

Apprentice
Motor
Vehicle
Mechanic

You're likely going to own a car someday. Charlotte Costley wasn't content to just own one, she wanted to know how it worked, and how to fix it when it didn't! “I was always fascinated by cars and I really wanted to work in the trade.” In her job, she works mostly on cars - keeping them running and fixing things that go wrong. “This means that I deal with any problem that is mechanically-based, anything from general service to winterizing a vehicle. I seldom work on the body of the car.”

“You don't have to be muscle bound to do this type of work. You need a bit of strength, but mostly, you need to have some creativity and ingenuity to think around situations and save yourself some strain.”

A good way to get involved in mechanics is to try to work for a mechanic after school or in the summer. “The smaller the shop the better. Even if you just help out by doing chores, you will be getting used to the work environment. Even hanging out with people who work on vehicles helps.”

“I believe that the auto mechanics field is a good place for women. Everybody owns a car and half the population are women. There is a stereotype that women don't know what is going on, but that's not true. Women just want to deal with someone who talks to them on their level without just rattling off a bunch of technical terms.”

“I like the independence and security that my job gives me. It's a good feeling knowing that I can drive anywhere in the Yukon and if I have a problem, I can get myself out of it.”