The power of switching career paths: an interview with Matt Heywood

Work It: A UVic career exploration podcast

What you study is just a starting point: the possibilities are endless when it comes to what you can do with your UVic degree.

Emma and Katy chat with Matt Heywood, a UVic mechanical engineering graduate who is the founder of Heywood Academies, a local tutoring company that supports students in math, science and engineering.

Join us as we talk with Matt about:

• Trying out a wide range of career options in his quest for the right fit, including experiences at a start-up, with BC Transit, in a machine shop and now as his own boss
• Giving yourself space and time to figure out what you what to do for a career
• Becoming your own boss
• The value of trying jobs through the co-op program

…and much more!

Resources from this episode

• Heywood Academies
• The UVic Co-op Program
• Accessing career support

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• Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter
• Follow UVic Co-op and Career on social media

• (00:00) - Theme music
• (00:33) - Intros and welcome
• (02:38) - Introducing Matt Heywood, founder of Heywood Academies and UVic grad
• (03:09) - What's it like to change direction on your career path? How did you end up at UVic?
• (04:16) - How does the bridge engineering from Camosun to UVic work? What are the pros?
• (05:39) - What if you don't know what you want to do as a career?
• (06:39) - What drew you to engineering at UVic?
• (07:34) - How did co-op help you figure out what you wanted to do?
• (14:19) - Where did you work when you graduated from engineering?
• (16:05) - What made you pivot from working as an engineer to launching a tutoring company for engineering students?
• (18:26) - What is Heywood Academies? Who does it help?
• (23:13) - What have you learned about being an entrepreneur?
• (24:26) - What advice do you have for engineering co-op students?
• (29:01) - Rapid fire questions about your time at UVic