Alum Profile: Dagmar Bay

We recently reached out to Dagmar Bay (alumna ‘96-’98) to ask her a few questions about her experience at the ‘Shop and what she’s doing now.

Dagmar as an apprentice.

Dagmar now.

What are you up to now?

After working for a few years on the building and rigging of tall ships, my husband Marco and I moved to a very small village in Switzerland just before the first of our three kids was born. There, we restored our own very old house,  I built a rowboat and a kayak for my own use on Lago Maggiore, and worked on some other projects, mostly house carpentry. Later, I got a degree in business administration and work now in the management of a non-profit organization that organizes different forms of daycare for children.

What was valuable to you about your experience at the ‘Shop?

Apart from the obvious learning of a trade, the Ashop opened my eyes to the fact that people can do great things if they set their minds to it. Growing up in Germany, we were told that before you could do anything, you need to finish your formal training and get some kind of degree. While in Maine, I met people who just started their projects with amazing results and I got to do the same thing at The Apprenticeshop: building some wonderful boats from lofting to launching, trying blacksmithing, woodturning, house remodeling, ocean sailing and so on. It made me really confident to try new things and learn new skills.

How do you use what you learned at the Apprenticeshop in your current work?

Seeing projects through from the beginning to the end, taking responsibility and getting along, living and working together with all kinds of people of different nationalities and backgrounds are skills that come very handy in my current job (or in any job), even though I’m not working with wood any more.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience at the ‘Shop?

Even though there were times at the ‘Shop that weren’t easy, with interpersonal drama, lots of discussions about how things should be done in the shop and in the house, changes in the management of the shop and so on, in retrospect, all this turned into opportunities for personal growth.