I've always enjoyed building things from scratch and seeing my work come together. Bricklaying has been the trade I’ve wanted to have for many years now but I never had the money to do the course. When I saw my friend, Leo, who is becoming an electrician through Beam, he told me about the opportunity and I said to myself “I can’t miss this!”
Three years ago, I was living in temporary accommodation. I had a friend stay with me briefly, but it was deemed I had a lodger. I went to court, lost the case and was evicted. After that, I tried moving back home but that didn’t work out so I began sofa-surfing at mate’s houses.
Being in this situation isn’t a choice and it’s not a good feeling. You’re just living from pay cheque to pay cheque, going from place to place and it’s never guaranteed you have somewhere to stay. I could end up on the street on any given night and if I’m honest, of course that’s scary.
Despite all that, back in 2015 I began work as a labourer - building a career for myself and ensuring I have a future. It was definitely the point my life started improving. I’ve got this far and now I’m just very motivated to succeed and achieve all my goals, including becoming a fully qualified bricklayer and having enough money to have my own place.
Next, I want to progress to working as a site manager and get the knowledge to be able to run my own small bricklaying firm. Having my own space and enough time to enjoy life to the fullest will be sweet! I really can’t just wait to get started.