Honestly, it wasn’t even a tough call: grinding back-of-house in a chaotic, high-end restaurant kitchen, or learning how to inspect and fix lifts? No contest. I chose the lifts.
When I first started at Liftec Express about two years ago, they wouldn't let me anywhere near a lift unless I was glued to my qualified engineer partner. Honestly, those first few months working in the shafts and standing on top of lift cars? Absolutely mind-blowing. Somehow, I managed to escape the classic apprentice hazing: nobody sent me to the van for a "long stand," though I totally would have fallen for it if they tried.
The team here is great. There’s plenty of banter, but everyone takes the job seriously. The other engineers have completely gone out of their way to teach me the ropes. Lately, I’ve been diving into traction motors, gearboxes, and in-shaft motors. It’s wild how compact the new in-shaft tech is compared to the massive traditional motors you see in the old motor rooms.
Lately, my partner has been helping me level up on hydraulic lifts and, just recently, control systems. More on that in my next post!