Tiquila Dawson
Oncor
TX USA
"If you want it bad enough, you’ll work hard enough to get it."
Career Roadmap
Tiquila's work combines: Environment & Nature, Engineering, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Associate's Degree
Industrial Systems - Electrical Specialization
Texas State Technical College
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I started working at a Kohl’s distribution center and became the first female mechanic.
2.
I didn’t know much about mechanics, so I enrolled in school at Texas State Technical College to learn more.
3.
My original plan was to complete a mechanic certification program.
4.
When Oncor, an electricity distribution and transmission company, visited the school, I inquired what it would take to get hired and learned that I would need a two-year degree.
5.
I ended up switching my program to pursue a two-year associate degree in applied science with an electrical specialization.
6.
At that time, I was working in the HVAC field but I was underpaid, so I gladly took Oncor’s offer to join the company through an internship.
7.
After starting at Oncor as an intern, I was hired on full-time in December of 2021 and am currently working as an environmental material specialist.
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My family was poverty-stricken growing up, which made life difficult and stressful. We lived in a trailer house with no running water. Our electricity and gas would get shut off often.
I struggled with alcoholism by the time I was about 13 or 14 years old. My family was struggling financially, I had been molested, and felt I had to take on a lot as the oldest of three. Alcohol was a way to cope.
After graduating high school, I started a cycle of going in and out of prison. July of 2022 marks ten years since I've been home with no problems with the law!