Education

Making the leap to studying mechanical engineering was not a natural thing to me, as I grew up in a family where neither my dad nor my mom had any academical education. My father graduated several courses as a mechanic and took several other complementary courses but getting a formal academic education was nothing that was discussed at dinner table, in the family or was encouraged while I grew up.

But living in Sweden without my family, with no special future ahead, I came to the notion that it’s time to take the step further, even if I had no graduation diploma from my high-school. That is essentialy because the rest of life was more lucrative than finishing my technology-line high-school with good grades.

What was more lucrative?? Yes, working with tractors, and off-season at the mechanical workshop, fixing bikes and scooters, and escaping the screaking boredom of high-school.  Hands-on stuff meant much more than any degree of compliance with rules and doing what everyone else did, or going to class, where nothing seemed to make any difference.

So, in Sweden, as a grown-up, I had to take most of high-school from the beginning.

High School degree, or at least grades in nature sciences, was the first step. I had already learned some Swedish while taking driver’s license previously (The Swedes didn’t take my Israeli driver’s license, for light truck, tractor and heavy motorcycle very seriously), so it was time to complete the my grades in high school Swedish, English, physics, math, chemistry and biology, in order to match the grade minimum for getting a nature science university degree.

Finishing that in the first year gave me the choice to either...

• complete the necessary courses (math, Swedish etc) and take the “Högskoleprovet” (a psychometric test, stretching over 5 hours to get a sort of “neutral” assessment of sorts, disregarding schooling)

• If I don’t get in to a preferred study, I would continue my high school program with several more subjects, until reaching a full high school competency

I got excellent grades for my high-school courses in natural science, which gave me some ego boost, after barely having finished school in Israel (hey, I was obviously bored out of my mind…). It was much more fun as a quasi-grown-up at 28 years than as a teenager, and my interest peaked, partly thanks to the teachers, mostly because it was interesting, especially Swedish literature, math, chemistry and biology.

Getting good grades seemed somehow easy.

I took the Psychometric test, the so-called in Swedish “Högskoleprovet” and got just above average (after 2 years in Sweden, mind you) which was “upgraded” by a little, thanks to an extensive work experience, including a 3-year army service.

My grade was high enough to get into the mechanical engineering program at the Mälardalens Högskola in Västerås, which made me move from Uppsala to Västerås.

What would I study if I were to choose? Either I have a few talents, or perhaps I seem to have difficulties choosing which talent I should groom, and what I want to be when I grow up. My variety of skills has never been easy to gather around a common thread. Or perhaps I haven't grown up yet?.. 

You see... Many people tread on a path of life without ever acknowledging what a luxury it is to just start off with something. I didn’t know what my area of expertise would be, or become, and kick start my professional journey right out of the box…

Or perhaps I have managed just that?? Time will tell.

The timeline of a career is not always straight. I have had the destiny to move around, in different countries, try several different things and build my wandering spirit and my virtues through varying experiences and life phases.

At least every time when “my box started feeling too small” I have had to reinvent myself, and especially when my destiny bit me in the butt, I came out of the cocoon and turned into a slightly different, more encompassing personality.