- In her twenties, Chelsea racked up $30,000 in student debt after dropping out of three different uni courses
- As an academic, her family expected her to eventually get a graduate degree
- But one day, her brother suggested she become a train driver after hearing Metro Melbourne wanted to recruit more women
- Chelsea figured it would help her make more money instead of spending it, allowing her to pay off her debt
- Chelsea Taylor explains how becoming a train driver put her on the right track to buying a home within two years
Standing in the kitchen with Mum and my brother, I had a minor meltdown.
“I feel like I’m having a quarter-life crisis,” I unloaded to them.
It was April 2019, and aged 23, I had already dropped out of three different university degrees and racked up $30,000 in student debt.
Read more: Divorced and feeling frumpy, this mum cycled around Australia!
First, it was exercise and sports science, but I wasn’t as sporty as the other students.
Then it became nursing, but after 12 months, I didn’t love it enough to warrant the job’s demands.
I switched to teaching, which was going well until I had my first placement and discovered I didn’t like hanging out with kids.
“Why don’t you become a train driver?” my brother, Aarron, suggested. “I saw on the news that Metro Melbourne wants to recruit more women.”
Train driving was an occupation I’d associated with old men and not on my radar.
But I figured I’d be making money instead of spending it, so I decided to give it a shot.
Following my application, I was required to undertake an online personality quiz.
Passing this, I was invited into Metro Melbourne for a maths and literacy examination.
Each progression made the prospect of becoming a train driver more tangible and exciting.
The next stage was a computer reaction time test to assess my performance under pressure.
Thank God I played all those video games as a child! I thought.
In December 2019, I received an email informing me that I’d been accepted and would commence training in the new year.
I was over the moon!
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Mum asked when I told her.
As an academic, she had always imagined I’d pursue a graduate career.
“Yeah, why not?” I responded.
I was starting to see that degrees aren’t everything.
Frustratingly, the outbreak of COVID meant that my training couldn’t begin until September 2020.
In December, I finally got behind the control panel of a train.
With a qualified driver beside me, I put months of training into practice and set out from Flinders Street Station.
Having actual passengers on board to deliver safely made me nervous, but after a few successful trips, the nerves faded, and I began to enjoy my work.
One morning, I walked through the train yard, marvelling at the vast locomotives.
I can’t believe I drive these, I thought, smiling.
Knowing I was an integral part of the city’s day-to-day function felt good.
A bonus to my new-found career was the salary. By pulling overtime, I’m able to make over $160k a year!
Since starting two years ago, I’ve not only paid off my entire student loan, but I’ve also bought my first house.
I feel incredibly lucky.
Mum can’t believe what I’ve been able to achieve in such a short amount of time.
“I’m so happy for you, Chelsea,” she told me.
She can see how content I am as a train driver.
It might not be the career I, or anyone else, had imagined for me, but now I’m onboard, I’m in it for the long haul.
