Doing What She Loves

Like thousands of school-leavers she went down the university path. But after a year of studying for a sports related degree Hannah realised it wasn’t what she envisaged it would be. 

Instead, she realised her real passion lay in the automotive industry not in years of study and debt - all she needed to take the next step was confidence in herself. 

“I knew I always enjoyed cars and wanted to work on my own cars, but I thought I am a girl, and I am not going to be seen the same as guys in the industry,” Hannah says. 

“I was doing a bachelor of sport, health and education, the complete opposite to what I am doing now,” she says. 

Cars had been a hobby and a passion while at school. Hannah helped friends work on their cars but being part of the motor industry wasn’t on her radar. 

Hannah was straight up with her parents and told them university wasn’t working for her, she wanted to get into the automotive industry. 

So she ditched university and with encouragement from her family and friends and began the search for an automotive-related career. 

“It was something I had always enjoyed so I went and worked with family friends and enjoyed it even more,” she says.

Mum’s the word 

“Then I saw Auto Supper Shoppes were hosting their academy at one of the trade nights and my mum encouraged me to go along,” Hannah says. 

There she met Rob Wilson, owner of Albany Auto Supper Shoppe, and with his encouragement she took the plunge and signed up for the 12-week course. 

“I met Rob from the academy and he gave me so much confidence to back myself to become a mechanic and do what I love,” she says. 

“One question he asked me was whether cars were a hobby, or a passion, and he said if it is a passion for you, you’re never going to lose your love for them and that will be what drives you at the end of the day.” 

Going to the academy Hannah says gave her a firm platform to begin her apprenticeship and over the 12 months she covered most of the basic things needed to get started on the workshop floor. 

“Coming into the industry everyone has been super welcoming and no one has cut me off and said you can’t do it because you’re a girl.” 

And her dedication showed. Within the first six months she had finished all the practical work for the level three certificate, which usually takes up to two years. She is now well on her way to tackling level four and becoming fully qualified in the next two years. 

And the drive to be great at her job isn’t going to stop there. She has her sights set on adding to her qualifications. 

“I never wanted to do electrics at the academy but when I got around to doing it, I loved it and smashed out that module the fastest.” 

“After I have completed my apprenticeship, I want to go and do my electrical apprenticeship in automotive as well,” she says.

Taking on her first project

Before taking up her apprenticeship Hannah took on her first project car, a Mazda 323, around a year ago, and loved getting stuck into changing the exhaust and servicing it. 

That car is now sold and next in line is a Toyota MK2. She plans to rebuild the engine in it or possibly prepare a replacement one. 

Doing the hands-on work is the greatest enjoyment and is instrumental in building knowledge and understanding of how things work. 

“It was really cool to work on because it was a carburettor engine, and it was great to learn about the older system and I think what fascinated me was how everything works together to make something that we drive and use every day and getting my hands dirty and fixing it myself,” she says 

Earning money to learn and follow a passion has been a nice surprise for the North Shore native and she is thankful for the opportunity. 

 “It still shocks me that I am earning money to do something that I love doing, it doesn’t feel like work to me, no one wants to wake up and dread having to go to work.” 

Which rings true to the old adage: Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.