Tradesperson Spotlight - Niesz Koziol, Fourth-Year Electrician Apprentice
RMC’s blog series, Tradesperson Spotlight, features conversations with real tradespeople that get to the heart of what it’s like to work in the trades, and what drives their dedication to build the world around us and break down stereotypes.
Niesz Koz has certainly enjoyed a diverse range of places and experiences in her life – she was born in Poland, lived in Amsterdam until she was eight, then moved to Halifax into young adulthood, and finally has settled in Calgary. Professionally, she got a degree in building engineering, became interested in solar energy, then studied alternative, sustainable housing methods at the Earthship Biotecture Academy in Taos, NM. She’s now a fourth-year apprentice electrician and is loving the on-the-job challenges that come with her trade.
Niesz studied at Earthship Biotecture Academy - behind her is an environmentally-friendly, sustainable and off-grid Earthship home.
“On any site there is always something that doesn't line up or isn’t exactly how I expected, and it could be anything from the site conditions to the schedule. I’m constantly forced to think up new solutions, and then when I am challenged and I find a solution and everything works in the end, it feels really good because I’m like, ‘man, I overcame all those obstacles and now it's all good’. And then I’m better, whether it’s wiser or more patient, I’m definitely a better person in one way or another.”
This work ethic and ingenuity is a trait that Niesz carries into many aspects of her career. As a second-year apprentice working for a small construction company, she had the opportunity to lead a hotel renovation project that many people at her level working for larger companies wouldn’t have been allowed to do. “So, I was taking on way more responsibility than somebody in my position normally would, for better or for worse, because I wasn't getting paid more! But, I got to practice a lot more blueprint reading and doing quality control, and running a crew. So that was super beneficial.”
Because of her age and the fact that she’s a woman, she found that she had to constantly prove herself on site to her coworkers. She came up with a plan that would encourage teamwork and pride in her crew, while revealing a contractor’s unfounded discrimination. “I had this idea that I was going to get my guys to demo as much as possible in one day to show that we could work fast and get things ready for them to come in after us since he was always complaining that we were in his way. I told my guys that whoever demos the most rooms would get pitchers of beer from me at the end of the day. And they killed it! It was interesting because after that happened, that rude contractor started being so much more respectful to me.”
Being a woman in the trades can be occasionally challenging – over 60% of workplace discrimination victims are women. But this is changing with equity being demanded and enforced more. Niesz was happy to recently learn that there is OH&S (Occupational Health and Safety) legislation in place that protects workers from bullying and harassment. She also has noticed that as a lot of older construction workers are retiring, the younger leaders are taking a new approach to guiding their employees, saying “they treat new people well, they don't talk down to you if you make a mistake, they're not going to yell at you like people might've in the past”.
Not only have industry perceptions changed, but society’s view of women in trades seems to be getting more positive as well. “My grandma still thinks I should be a nurse, but when I had my little crew of guys working with me, we were out of town and one of their girlfriends came out to visit. She hung out with us a couple of times and I think the second time she said to me, ‘I just want to let you know that I told my friends about you and we think you're super bad-ass, and just so you know, you have a little fan club of women cheering you on’”.
While challenges seem to fuel Niesz, the best part of her job, she says, is seeing her projects come to life. “I think it's really nice to see a project from start to finish. Those are my favorite projects to do. Sometimes we do really quick, one-day little projects, but when I’m watching a project from the very start - when I plan out where I am going to put my boxes, how I am going to run my wire, and then see it all come to fruition - it's super exciting when we get to install the lights, test everything and everything works. I find it so rewarding.”
And though she’s very happy with the company she’s at now, she’s excited about the future. “Longer term, I want to come back to my roots of where my whole career started. I would really like to get more involved with sustainable communities, I definitely feel like I I'm being drawn in that direction.”
Finally, she has some advice for new apprentices:
• Keep things professional at work.
• Treat people well – “if someone’s being a jerk, take the high road”.
• Don’t take things personally.
• Be reliable – “show up early, call if you’re running late, communicate openly”.
• Find balance in your work and personal life – “overtime is great money, but you need a break too”.
• Get valuable experience first, then choose the type of work you want – “industrial jobs pay really well, but if you’re looking for work in residential or commercial projects you might have a harder time getting hired since the work is so different, so start with residential work first and get the experience, then go into the higher paying jobs”.
• Try to get hired by a small company – “then you're getting your hands on a whole bunch of different kinds of tasks and projects”.
• Make sure you feel good about your company – “if your company is putting undue pressure on you all the time, then I would start looking for another job”.
• Try to be very independent and gain a wide variety of knowledge to be hired faster.
• Stay fit and keep your body healthy – “do the right exercises so that your whole body is strong, and you have endurance so you can do your job better. And go get those massages, chiropractic or anything else you need - if you don't go now, you're going to be paying for it in the future, when you can't necessarily reverse it or change the wear and tear on your body”.
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