See It, Dream It, Do It: How 25 People Just Like You Found Their Dream Jobs
See It, Dream It, Do It: How 25 People Just Like You Found Their Dream Jobs
Female heavy equipment technicians are rare, and Lenna speaks openly about the gender-based bias she has encountered. Instead of backing down, Lenna was motivated by these experiences to show her competence and prove her naysayers wrong.
A heavy equipment technician’s workday varies. Some days they are in the shop working on equipment and other days they get called to do a repair in a remote location like a mining camp, since breakdown can happen anywhere and at any time. A lot of problem solving is required for this job because if a technician doesn’t have the part needed, they have to figure out another way to get the machine running.
Working as a heavy equipment technician is physically demanding work that requires attention to detail. People who work with large pieces of machinery have to be aware of their surroundings to ensure they don’t get injured.
See It, Dream It, Do It: How 25 People Just Like You Found Their Dream Jobs takes a look at 25 different careers and what is needed to get into those careers. Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac profile someone in each of these careers and how they ended up where they are.
The careers profiled in See It, Dream It, Do It go beyond the stereotypical positions and show the breadth of what you can do for a career. Rather than a police officer, there are profiles for a forensic artist, a private investigator, and a park ranger. Teaching careers include coach, fitness trainer, and skydiving instructor. Paleontologist, cave microbiologist, heavy equipment technician, funeral director, charter captain, and equine therapist are some of the other careers profiled. The variety is amazing and shows many potential career paths for readers.
Each career profile includes information on how each person became interested in that career and how they acquired the necessary skills and credentials. For anyone interested in the general area but not that specific career, there is a segment called “Spin-Off Jobs” that lists two or three related positions. Don’t want to be a coach? How about an equipment manager? Or an outdoor adventure guide instead of a park ranger? This segment allows even more careers to be included in the book.
The career profiles include other segments, such as “Why not try”, which includes suggestions for ways to gain relevant skills or find out more information about a career. Some profiles have a “Pro Tip” that provides additional information about the skills required. The profiles also have “Living the Dream” or “Inspiring Individuals” which give a brief overview of a person with a related career.
An extra section at the end of See It, Dream It, Do It presents the different jobs required to make the book. This is followed by a section on different types of employment experts and where to find them. The book concludes with a short section on different ways you can gain skills or find out information about potential careers at any time in your life. All of this combines to provide a wealth of information to readers about some of the careers available and the people who work in those areas.
Each section is enhanced by Scot Ritchie’s illustrations, including his portraits of the team that created the book.
See It, Dream It, Do It shows the variety of careers available and how some people found themselves in those careers. With tips for acquiring skills and additional information, See It, Dream It, Do It is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to think and dream about what their career could be.
Daphne Hamilton-Nagorsen is a graduate of the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.