Many people who work at Metro Transit take on new responsibilities and roles throughout their careers. Career Tracks highlights the paths employees have taken to their latest assignment and where they see themselves going next. Read more on the Riders' Almanac blog.
How did you begin your career with Metro Transit?
Before joining Metro Transit, I was a personal care assistant for my brother, who is paralyzed in the legs and lower body. I learned through other Metro Transit drivers that Metro Transit had great benefits, which was attractive to me. I applied and got hired in 2007.
After six months, I moved to maintenance where I worked as a fueler/helper for a year. I transferred to Public Facilities and ran maintenance routes on both rail and bus. During this time, I gained the reputation as the go-to person for everything.
What were your career goals and what steps did you take to achieve them?
I took some LOD classes, but my primary goal was to learn about locations and maintenance of everything in the system. As a floater, I was training people. It was something I was good at. My supervisor would approach me and ask if I could train new individuals. It helped that I knew the system and what needed to be done. I was a lead for a year and a half, and then became Public Facilities Maintenance Supervisor in October 2020. I now manage about two dozen people, primarily rail floats with shifts between noon and 8 p.m. and on weekends.
What advice do you have for others who want to take on more responsibilities or different responsibilities?
Be willing to learn, be a go-getter, and do things others aren’t willing to do. We have so many bus rapid transit lines lining up in the future and there are opportunities to move up because of that. At least 100 more people are needed just in Public Facilities. There’s always room to grow here.