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Interested in school again - a lad's tale

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Pavel arrived in Dublin from the Czech Republic when he was two

years old, with his mother and sister. After primary school, Pavel went

to the Holy Family Community School in Rathcoole but did not like it

much.  

Back then, he did not feel he had the potential to go to third-level

education. In general, he had no interest in school, and very few

subjects motivated him.

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Believing that the books were not for him, at 16 years of age, Pavel

started working in Capital Switchgear during his school holidays,

mid-term breaks, Saturdays or any free time he had.   

He started doing some work assembling cables on the panels until

he was moved to the Materials and Materials Fitting last year.  

His initial motivation to work was to have pocket money.

He soon realised he was enjoying the technical aspects of it.   

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3 pivotal moments that changed his life 

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When talking to Pavel, he points at three pivotal moments that changed his life.  First was the discovery that there had been many engineers and doctors in his family history. That got his interest, ”if they had done it, why not me?” he asked himself.

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Secondly, and key, was his guidance and SPHE teacher, Ms Perry.   She encouraged him to study engineering after pointing out the high scores achieved in the aptitude tests. He was a natural, she said.   

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And finally, the constant encouragement and motivation from Stephen Cullen, from Capital Switchgear. He remembers Stephens words to him: “We want people that will work hard, but more importantly, you will progress in Capital the more you study and train.”

 

Momentum and feeling of worthiness 

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He had an innate interest in his past, he listened to his mentors, and his natural hardworking abilities led him to self-belief. He would study hard, sit the leaving cert and trust that he would get enough points to go to college. 

Today Pavel is in 1st year at TUD (Technological University Dublin), studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Mechanical Engineering with a view to completing with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering. He is still working any free time at Capital Switchgear while playing soccer for Rathcoole FC and the TUD football team.

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He summarises the change in him from “working to make more money to a future working in something I want

and like in the field of Engineering”.

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To all the youngsters in similar situations 

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What would you say to the young kids in secondary school who might be struggling to study or feel they are not good enough for further education?

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“Push yourself to choose what you like to do. Listen to the advice that is coming your way and follow your instincts. Have a purpose, enjoy it and follow it.

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