"It Just Came Down To Perseverance": Megan’s STEM Pathway To Her Dream Career

"Today's a new day, what am I going to learn today?"

This post is presented in partnership with the WA Government.

Whether you’re just about to leave school or were a graduate a few years back, jumping into work or even a new career is undoubtedly tough. While it might seem like everyone else has got it all figured out, most students struggle to find their passions straight away.

Western Power Systems Technician Megan Feaver tells Student Edge she dropped out of high school, but went on to study Electrotechnology as a mature age student.

"I came out of high school at 17 and did a bunch of different things and then 10 years later decided to go back to study, so I had to really work hard at building my STEM skills again," Megan says.

Megan decided to do a pre-apprenticeship for the electrical trade, then moved into an apprenticeship while doing a Cert III in Electrotechnology.

As a Power Systems Technician, Megan describes how her STEM skills are constantly being built upon and how it has helped her succeed in her day-to-day work.

"You can apply the critical thinking that you gain from any sort of STEM industry to any part of your life," she says. 

And the learning doesn't stop here. Megan is currently studying a Diploma of Work Health and Safety to develop safety management skills. Following that, she plans to move into a Diploma of Electrical Engineering.

Megan is very passionate about aiding the progress of an environmentally sustainable energy future and wants to continue her STEM studies while growing her career with Western Power.

"Moving towards sustainable industries is definitely going to be the way ahead, and the STEM skills that we've got are only going to be more important as we move into those roles," she says.

"I’m glad I’ve come into the industry when I have because we’re on the cusp of change. This is such an exciting time to be part of it."

The idea of starting a new career might seem impossible but Megan has shown that if you find your passion you will succeed.

"I wish that I had someone come to my school when I was of the right age, 14 to 15, just to tell me what the options were when you left school, and [that] it wasn’t particularly just a uni pathway. Obviously for me, I’ve taken the VET pathway and that’s been amazing for me," she says

"I think that we definitely need to get that message out there that you can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it and especially in this climate of diversity in the workplace it is absolutely fantastic; I’ve come into my old depot this week and there are so many women here and it is so refreshing to not be one of the four women that work in a depot full of 300 blokes.

"Just make sure that you’re passionate about what you choose to do. You don’t have to only have one career. If you take something on and you enjoy it for a while and you want to try something different, there’s always time to change."

No matter what you want to do in the future, you will need STEM skills. STEM skills like problem solving, critical thinking, and working in a team are critical for jobs of the future. They can help you to design and use new technologies, solve important problems, help people, make a difference to society and protect our environment.

The Take 2 STEM campaign is about educating the community on the importance of STEM skills to ensure that all Western Australians are well-placed to take up new and emerging jobs. Follow the link for more great stories and all the information you need to get started in STEM.

This article was originally published on 10 July 2020.

Header Image: Take 2 STEM