As CUC’s wayleave coordinator, Sheera Gooding plays an important role in bringing power and streetlights into local communities, and the mother-of-three says she is pleased to be part of Cayman’s progress.
“I am excited to come to work each and every day just because I am so welcomed. I am so included,” Gooding told the Cayman Compass.
Her job involves collecting easements for CUC to place their infrastructure on a customer’s property.
Meant to be
As Gooding marks her third anniversary with CUC this month, she says it’s almost serendipitous that she would end up working with a power company as she was named after She-Ra, the powerful princess.
“My sister picked that name for me and now I so happen to be working in the ‘power’ company,” she said, laughingly.
Gooding started her career in the hospitality field, and prior to joining CUC was the engineering supervisor at the Grand Cayman Marriott where she had worked for almost 10 years, which she said was a wonderful experience.
At that job, she said, she supervised a team of 14, which mainly consisted of men.
She said when she decided to make the switch to CUC she knew it was not a field that many women ventured into.
“I, myself, was quite hesitant in applying for the wayleave position as this was quite foreign to me. However, I am more than ecstatic I have followed my heart and stepped out of my comfort zone. I have grown and learnt so much in these past few years,” she said.
Charting a new career
She said when she applied there were many male applicants she had to compete with for the post, so when she got the job, “I felt extra privileged.”
Once she stepped through the doors of CUC, she said she found her second home.
“They welcomed me with open arms, and I’ve never felt any different since I’ve been there,” she said.
Gooding said she enjoys her job and though there are few females in her department, she never felt like she was “out of place”.
“Just being able to have that level of respect and being able to come into work each day knowing that you have people that are there for you, that they’re willing to assist you no matter what,” she said.
She said that environment has made her stronger.
Working with CUC has also enabled her to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
“When I’m at home I can focus solely on my family, and [CUC’s headquarters at] 457 North Sound Road, is my home away from home,” she said.
CUC encourages colleagues to strive to be better not only on the job but also personally, she added.
“They do this by providing us with various amounts of training such as first aid, customer service, road/fleet safety, security awareness etc., to name a few. All at the company’s expense,” she said.
No easy task
Gooding said her job can be relatively easy as many in the community generally agree to have CUC infrastructure on their property.
“I would say the only thing that I might have encountered is dogs,” she said, adding that though they are taught how to handle animals it can be a serious safety issue.
She described one such incident.
“There were no dogs in the property [I had gone to],” she recalled. “I went to the door [and] knocked, but apparently there was an opening at the door where the dog could run out and this dog came and rushed at me. I didn’t know what to do besides run… I ran to the gate and I managed to get out before the dog got to me,” she said.
Gooding said the team is provided with dog repellants and they are looking at other safety measures.
However, she urged those with aggressive animals to advise the public by placing a beware sign somewhere on the property to ensure no one is seriously harmed.
Gooding said she wanted to encourage Caymanian women to think outside the box when it comes to careers, and consider the electricity field.
She said there are other jobs besides climbing poles and checking lines.
“I encourage any female who may want to enter this field to aim for the stars and never allow anyone to discourage them from excelling. Always remember success begins with you. You are the driving force and the steering wheel to your own success,” she said.
Even though hers is a male-dominated field, Gooding said, “There’s no way that I think I would ever want to leave CUC. I love it. I love the job.”
But she did note that her favourite job is being a wife to her husband Merl McCoy, and mum to her children Merlangelo, Szmeera and Metaio.
This story is part of a Compass series in the run-up to International Women’s Day on 8 March. If you have a story idea for this series, please email [email protected].
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