With family in the transportation industry, training in policing and a passion for a psychology, Derek Rostron never thought he would find himself in the trades.

ABOUTTHIS CONTENT: This story was produced by the Edmonton Journal’s editorialdepartment as a result of Careers: The Next Generation’s interest in thistopic. The organization was not given the opportunity to put restrictions onthe content or review it prior to publication.

The path to occupational enlightenment, however, has been paved with sheet metal for the fifth-year apprentice.

Rostron studied policing before working as a courier in Calgary, but it was when he decided to go to university to study psychology that a buddy intervened to offer some friendly advice.

“He suggested the trades instead of a career in the psychology field, and I knew he worked with furnaces and seemed to really like his work, so I started calling around looking for a job in the HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) field and was given a job in sheet metal, which is very similar,” says Rostron, 31.

Sheet metal workers design, fabricate, assemble, install and repair sheet metal product, and Rostron is currently working as a supervisor at a high-end condo site in Calgary, where he oversees construction and installation of the heating systems.

“I like that it is basically like a giant puzzle, but there can be many ways to achieve the end goal,” he says. “I also like co-ordinating with other trades in order to make my system work properly.”

Rostron isn’t alone in having entered a trade with no prior experience or exposure.

Leanna Chaisson knows what it’s like to build a career from the ground up as well.

She worked in the cable television industry before apprenticing as a recreation vehicle (RV) service technician.

Her life was changed after an impromptu visit to an open house at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

“I wandered around and looked at everything and nothing was really catching me, and I was actually walking out when I saw the RV technicians,” says Chaisson, 29. “I bought my first RV when I was 24 to travel around to baseball tournaments and stuff, and I really liked it and was curious about how it all worked, so I knew I’d find it interesting. After talking to the instructor at SAIT, I was doing interviews at RV dealerships the next morning.”

Leanna, who works at Sunridge RV in Airdrie, says the work so far has been challenging and fast-paced, but she feels as though she is really good at what she does.

“I’m now going into my second year, and I feel like I have proven that I am serious and I can do this,” says Chaisson. “I’m proud of the fact that my work helps other people make awesome family memories.”

She looks back at her decision with great satisfaction.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I walked into that open house with as much confidence as I could muster, and I didn’t leave until every question I had was answered,” she says. “If you want to do it, you have to go for it, and you can’t let inexperience stop you.”

GETTING STARTED

Where do you begin when you don’t have an “in”?

— Explore a trade through the Registered Apprentice Program (RAP) if you are a high school student. You get work experience as an apprentice while earning credit toward your diploma. Students may also enrol in a career and technology studies course.

—Visit a “try-a-trade” booth at a Skills Alberta competition.

— Check out websites, such as tradesecrets.alberta.ca; alis.alberta.ca; and tradeupalberta.com.

— Visit an Apprenticeship and Industry Training field office. They employ consultants qualified to discuss careers in the trades. A list of locations is available at tradesecrets.alberta.ca.

— Enrol in a pre-apprenticeship, pre-trade or pre-employment program at post-secondary institutions such as NAIT or SAIT, where courses and labs are offered, and in some cases, training can be applied to an apprenticeship.

Network. People who are already employed in the trade are a great source of information.

Source: Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education