By Kira Kamateras
The last four months changed my life. From the perspective of a third year college student going on my work placement into the big brewing industry, I have seen my passion for the craft brewing industry grow. Sitting through hours of college learning about brewing, getting my chance to work with The White Hag Brewing Company, made all the puzzle pieces finally come together.
Through my three years in college, I was never certain that brewing would be the industry that I wanted to go into, having the doubt, “Could I do this for the rest of my life?” But by having the chance to see every step in a life of a brewer, learning new skills and putting action into what I had already learned on paper. I found my passion.
What college doesn’t tell you is that the work industry is far from anything they teach you in school. Everything you learn is the of the base of your future career. Going on placement allows you to have a quick glimpse into your future, making you work harder to finish your degree or open your eyes to knowing if it’s just not your right path.
Over my time with The White Hag Brewery, I was given the chance to work on all the different task forces. Going from working on communications and the online store to being on the brew team and helping with the brews, packaging their ever delicious cans and even working with their premium barrel aged bottles! This gave me the experience I never thought I would get so soon, gaining skills that a book could never teach me, and grew as a person.
Now I feel armed and ready to climb back into the brewing world once I’ve finished my college degree. I can’t wait to go back with a craving for more knowledge and work even harder to make sure that I can come back to where I feel like I belong.
Not one day went by that I woke up and wasn’t glad to be going into work. My personality grew because I was comfortable and happy, and gave me a confidence in myself wanting to be in this industry. Being a girl in a male dominated industry, I now feel confident being a part of it. Being bale to work in a place where you want to be, with great people in a welcoming home, you don;t work anymore, you just live as if it becomes a part of you. Like Marc Anthony said, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” And he was right.
Kira undertook academic placement with The White Hag in April – August 2020. To participate, or understand more about our placements and interships, drop a line to [email protected]
