This week I was very excited to be asked by the co-ordinator of the Future Shapers program (the community leadership program I completed in 2024) if I’d like to be one of their learning partners this year. An awesome part of the FS program is to match up each participant with a local learner partner (normally alumni of the program) as another opportunity to create meaningful connections within the community.
These pairings can vary depending on the cohort but I was lucky enough to hit it off with my learning partner and really valued the time and energy they contributed to our catch ups. It was an important and meaningful part of the program for me so being asked if I would like to be a learning partner is a great honor. I’m chuffed. Now I have to film a quick intro video explaining who I am and what I have to offer as a learning partner.
Coincidentally these questions are something that I have been regularly asking myself lately. Who am I and what do I have to offer? Changing careers from full time, freelance graphic designer to STEM educator/STEM program Co-ordinator has highlighted some interesting things about myself that I hadn’t really considered before now.
One of the unexpected side effects of encouraging students to choose STEM pathways has been a feeling of ‘missed opportunity’ for my own young self. When I was at school there were two paths: University or not University. I was a rare student who went to University but not because I showed huge academic promise but because I was ‘good enough’ at drawing. I barely got the marks - in fact I think I had to get some kind of special exemption to get in.
Back in 2000 my options were slim but so was my motivation. If I was a highschool student today there are so many more opportunities to engage in so many more careers. If you’re not academically inclined, most schools now offer alternative pathways and have teamed up with local TAFE to offer apprenticeships in industries like building, automotive, plumbing and hospitality to name a few.
The Girls In STEM and Boys in STEM programs we run at the Tech School are all about exposing young people to different STEM careers and if you show glint of interest we have industry partners we can connect with for work placements and internships. There are camps and clubs and extra classes we can suggest and LOTS of companies have their own graduate programs that will help guide and support young people into the industry.
Yesterday we had such a day at Gekko Systems, a hugely successful Ballarat company that designs and builds mining equipment. We meet every kind of engineer you can imagine. The first half of the day we toured the facility and the second half was spent soldering our own micro controllers to temperature and humidity sensors. This activity alone would’ve got me really excited about becoming an electrical engineer when I was at high school. It was hands on, messy, dangerous in parts but in the end you had made a programmable temperature and humidity reader. Most of our 24 students created something they were really proud of.
I couldn’t help but think that if I’d had this type of exposure to industry as a student, I’d probably want to become an Engineer. If I actually wanted to work towards something like that then I would’ve had more reason to get better marks in school. Who knows - maybe I’d still be a shit student and not try as hard as I could but there was very little in the way of aspirational careers if you weren't smart enough to be a doctor or a scientist when I was at school. I don’t know anyone in my year at school who became an Engineer though. It just wasn’t a popular option.
This feeling of ‘missed opportunity’ has obviously coincided with discovering the ability to empower students who are at the very beginning of their professional careers. Being able to facilitate these experiences is incredibly rewarding. I see bits of myself (younger and current) in all of the students. So much of what we do at the Tech School is finding that interest or spark and nurturing it, protecting it so it can grow into something that will add purpose to a young person's trajectory. No pressure of course…
When I think about who I am and what I have to offer my ego gets in the way. Sometimes I want it to be known for being me. Who doesn’t? I’d comfortably admit that it’s my ego that keeps me showing up every week to write this blog. These mini moments of relevance in your day are an addictive privilege. However when I consider what I ‘want to’ offer, I’d prefer to talk about my ability to facilitate and support others.
My last few weeks at the Tech School have proved that my impact is more ‘one to one’ and linked to the success of others than to my own personal accolades. I love this realisation because it removes the pressure for me, personally, to be the measure of my own success. This is not to say that I haven’t achieved huge and magnificent feats and have many more ahead of me but hopefully they’ll be a side effect of helping others rather than me being in the spotlight.
This leads nicely into my rejection letter from The Design Conference this week where I’d self-nominated to be a speaker. Admittedly it was the nicest rejection I’ve ever had but at the end of the day it was about getting bums on seats and having a no-name from Ballarat tell some wild, almost unbelievable story just didn't make the cut. I certainly didn’t envy the organisers as the quality of self-nominated speakers to sort through would’ve been tough.
I wasn’t surprised at all by the outcome but I was still proud of putting my hand up in the first place. Having thought a fair amount about what I offer, I suggested to the organiser that I might be able to assist in a part of the conference that didn’t pan out last year. There was a great idea about somehow giving attendees a way to show each other that they were here alone or part of a group. Maybe like a sticker on the lanyard that tells people - hey, I’m here by myself, so people like me can go say hi.
It might surprise you to know that designers aren’t always the most forthcoming of people. Sometimes it's easier to be a lone wolf looking cool and mysterious than actually introducing yourself to a group of strangers. I on the other hand will talk to anyone and genuine love being able to link up people with each other. If I can attend the conference as some kind of friend ambassador that would be amazing. Needless to say the organisers are stoked. What will it look like? I have no idea. Will it be awesome? Absolutely.
Who I am and what I offer is always evolving. It should as we develop/forget skills and the demands on our time change. When I had 6 years straight of babies to school age kids whilst running a couple of businesses there was very little capacity for anything that wasn’t necessary for survival. You also don’t know what you don’t know so this new experience of working at Tech School has revealed some strengths I didn’t know I had. Who I am will always be ‘Jess Kelly’ but what I offer will hopefully grow and morph as I do.
