My Journey. One Step at a Time.

From arriving in England with one sports bag, very little English and no work experience to working in aerospace manufacturing. A career built through persistence, practical experience and continuous learning.

In May 2014, I arrived in England with one sports bag, very little English and no work experience.

A friend had told me he could help me find a job.

There was no job.

There was a small empty room with a carpet, and I got a mattress four days later.

His advice was simple: take the landline, find agency numbers and start calling.

Eventually, I got through to one agency. I managed to say a few words, and then I heard a Polish-speaking voice.

“Come to the Jewellery Quarter at 6 am tomorrow, register, and I’ll take you to work.”

I lived about five miles away, on the other side of Birmingham. I didn’t know the city.

I had an old Nokia with no internet and a tablet with an offline map. No navigation. Just street names.

So I left home at 3:30 am.

It was dark, and at almost every turn I stopped to check the street name and make sure I was still heading in the right direction.

Google now says that walk takes around 1 hour 50 minutes.

I reached the agency at 5:59.

That first job was packing vacuum cleaners.

It didn’t last long, and it isn’t on my CV.

But it was the first step.

Learning English was part of the journey

At the time, speaking English was one of my biggest weaknesses. I could read and write much better than I could actually hold a conversation.

From there, the path developed gradually:

Production work → Machine operation → CNC machining → CNC setting → CAD/CAM programming → Aerospace manufacturing.

Along the way, I worked at IAC Group, Carter Retail Equipment, Dual Metallising, Dana Axle UK and ABL Aluminium Components.

At ABL, I progressed from operating CNC machines to setting them and programming with CAD/CAM.

And in September 2024, ten years after arriving in England with very limited spoken English, I earned my British Council CEFR B2 qualification — Upper Intermediate.

One step led to another

My professional journey developed through different roles and manufacturing environments:

• 2014–2016 — IAC Group: Machine Operator, JLR Tier 1.
• 2016–2017 — Carter Retail Equipment: Machine Operator, manufacturing.
• 2018–2022 — Dual Metallising: Machine Operator, vacuum metallising.
• 2022–2024 — Dana Axle UK: CNC and assembly, axle production, JLR Tier 1.
• 2024–2025 — ABL Aluminium Components: CNC Operator, aluminium machining.
• January–July 2026 — ABL Aluminium Components: CNC Setter and CAD/CAM Programmer.
• Since August 2026 — Mettis Aerospace: CNC Machinist, aerospace manufacturing.

Every stage gave me something different: practical experience, new responsibilities, technical knowledge and a better understanding of manufacturing.

Learning alongside work

My development did not stop when I finished a shift.

I continued studying alongside work, building knowledge in digital manufacturing, AI and leadership.

My learning journey has included courses and certificates from organisations and institutions such as:

• University at Buffalo
• Google
• IBM
• Microsoft
• University of Cambridge
• Vanderbilt University
• University of Illinois

I still study alongside work, and that is also why I started Practical Manufacturing AI — to share useful shop-floor knowledge and explore where new technology can genuinely support manufacturing.

Still building

Today, I work as a CNC Machinist in aerospace.

Looking back, the journey was not a straight line. It began with a long walk across Birmingham before sunrise, an old Nokia, an offline map and a first job that isn’t even on my CV.

I built this path one step at a time.

And I’m still building.

Who gave you your first chance at work — and do you still remember them?

#CareerJourney #CNC #Manufacturing #Aerospace #PracticalManufacturingAI