“It can be okay if your first plan doesn't work out. You'll find something. It'll be okay.” That’s what Red Seal Chef Rebecca Marshall found out. She grew up mid-Vancouver Island and moved to Victoria nearly two decades ago. While she originally wanted to go into engineering, a semester at the University of Waterloo showed her that wasn’t her path. When she came home, she worked as a dishwasher and worked her way up in the kitchen, learning new skills. With the encouragement of a chef, she started culinary school at Camosun College while apprenticing under him.  

Marshall’s progress was quick because the hours she had already worked before becoming an apprentice counted towards her five thousand hours. Once she had her Red Seal, she applied for a scholarship to become a ship’s cook, a role which required her to take courses in marine emergency duties and marine advanced first aid. Upon completion, she was able to land a job working four weeks on, four weeks off. She cooks three meals a day for a crew of twenty, making a good living and leading her own department. She enjoys the work-life balance, something she didn’t see other chefs having in restaurants. It was hard at first, but she gained the skills she needed.

When she was in high school dreaming of engineering, Marshall was focused on academics and never considered the trades. “I thought that's not for me, that's for students who can't get the grades. That's why you go into the trades. And that's a huge misconception. I really wish that I had been exposed to more women in the trades who are out there being electricians, who are out there being carpenters, who are out there being project managers, and all the different careers that are in the trades,” she reflects. Her hyperfocus on academics left her burnt out and she wishes she had more balance.  She’s relieved she turned it around. “I'm really happy with where I am now and the life I'm able to provide for myself now,” she beams.

Marshall’s glad there’s more visibility around women in trades now. These days, she does talks to contribute to it herself. She didn’t realize that trades careers are STEM careers and she thinks back to how she picked her first university program, confiding, “I never gave much thought to, ‘Will I enjoy the type of work that I'll be doing day after day after day?’ I am honestly happy to say that I really love the work that I'm doing day after day after day. It's not what I expected for myself when I was in secondary school or before. But man, it's really comforting to know that I enjoy my work. I love that I get to do that every day.”

“I'm not a super passionate foodie, or I don't consider myself a passionate, fiery chef, but I just enjoy prepping and making food every day. It's just awesome. It's just fun. I count myself really lucky to do that. And then have time to pursue other passions when I'm at home,” she continues. That flexibility is why she encourages youth to check out the Coast Guard College to find opportunities for themselves.

Now that she has a job like this, Marshall is able to have the energy to take care of herself, going for a walk, run, or go to the gym when she gets home from her shift. She also enjoys taking on projects at home or going on trips. While she’s away, she’s found ways to move her body at the gym, walking, running or cycling. She also enjoys downtime reading, studying, and socializing. Finding discipline has taken time and maturity and she balances that with flexibility and grace.

Growing up, Marshall did triathlons, but university saw her letting go of her athletics in favour of academics. After university, her self esteem took a hit and she didn’t take care of her body by moving it like she used to either. Working in low paid jobs, she was exhausted and she didn’t have the discipline to care for herself the way she needed too. After she struggled for years with anxiety and depression, a family doctor stepped in to help her and she was able to get back to taking better care.  

By making more intentional choices about where she worked and how she got there, Marshall was able to incrementally improve her wellness and lifestyle after being stuck in unprocessed grief of perceived failure for a long time. Turning to alcohol to numb the pain, she wishes she had reached out to counselling instead. She encourages people to try counselling and she shares about her journey despite her discomfort.

“It was people in my community that were recovering out loud, and that were really open about it, that encouraged me to so it's uncomfortable, and it's scary, it's not something you enjoy talking about. But I think I owe that to people coming up behind me or anyone else who is living a life that they know that they have more potential unfulfilled, and making that choice for yourself is so intimidating. It's such a hard hurdle to get over. But once you're on the other side, and you make that decision for yourself, or you pick yourself up after stumbling and keep trying, it just gets so much better,” she shares.

If she could give a message to her younger self it would be,

“Where there's a will, there's a way and if you have an idea, perseverance will get you there. If it doesn't get you there, it's gonna get you at least somewhere and you might like that somewhere even better.”

Her first plan didn’t work out, but Rebecca Marshall found something and it was more than okay. It was fabulous. When engineering didn’t turn out to be a fit, she found her place as a Red Seal Chef, cooking for a ship’s crew, and free to pursue life’s adventures. She’s serving up meals and truths about careers in the trades, recovery and what can happen if at first you don’t succeed and what she brings to the table is good for the soul.