Pursuing Her Lifelong Dream at W.E. Brown

Seven years ago, Jessica Pritchett began to dream about becoming an electrician, but put her goals aside to care for others. Despite all odds, her unwavering passion led her to pursue that dream at W.E. Brown years later.

Her whole life, Jessica has been passionate about fixing things and discovering how they worked. However, pursuing a career in electricity was considered too unconventional by many around her. After seven years of working and raising her family, she learned about an opportunity at W.E. Brown that inspired her to take a leap of faith and follow her dream.

Today, Jessica is working as an apprentice and helper–she contributes to the W.E. Brown team while learning from her coworkers. Seeing her at headquarters, you would never question whether or not this job was the right fit. Her calm and confident demeanor makes it hard to believe she has only been in the profession for six months.

However, the road to find her home at W.E. Brown was definitely not easy or straightforward. She explained, “I had a lot of hesitation about doing this because I do have three kids, and others weren’t enthusiastic about this as a career choice for me. The difficulty wasn’t in finding the motivation, but justifying venturing out to do something I had never done before. There was a lot of potential for failure. I wasn’t very good at math, and science wasn’t my best subject, so I came up with a lot of reasons why I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

When Jessica finally began to follow her dream, the idea of jumping into a new career at this stage in her life was still daunting. “I still doubted I could find a company that would take me on with no experience. But then I heard about the apprenticeship opportunity at W.E. Brown, and a friend told me it never hurts to try.” This was exactly what she needed  to hear, because she decided to apply shortly after.

Describing her first day at W.E. Brown, Jessica said, “the day flew by so quickly for me. It started with them bringing me in and talking to me about my personal goals and what I could contribute. I got to go around with the service manager for my ride along, observing and helping with maintenance and diagnosing issues. I was able to get a good feel for what I would be doing on a day-to-day basis in this field.”

Her conclusion at the end of the day changed the trajectory of her entire life. She revealed, “I loved it, I really did. At that moment I knew I had found what I wanted to do.” While Jessica discovered her perfect fit, she acknowledged there is still a lot of training ahead of her. “I can’t say it’s not hard, because there is so much you need to learn. But everyone has been so helpful and supportive, I never feel ashamed to ask questions,” she said.

Jessica’s family has noticed a positive change in her since starting her new job, and now support her fully. “I like to visit my mom and show her what I learned, and she likes that I can come over if something isn’t working and fix it,” she laughed. Thanks to the support of her family, friends, and coworkers, Jessica is working full speed toward her goal. For those in a similar situation, she left a piece of advice:

“There are no real boundaries besides the ones you make for yourself. If you truly believe you can do something, there is no reason not to try. Look to those who encourage you and help you grow, because they  are the ones that stand behind you no matter what.”

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