Passion for planes and a love for fast cars drive this GenZer

Apologies to ’80s aftershave brand Aqua Velva’s payoff line in advance, but meeting GenZer Kara Nithyakalayani Gordon is like an ice cold slap in the face.

Not because it’s in reproach, but because it’s refreshing. Here’s a young woman who has not set her eyes on a career TikToking or YouTubing or influencing. She prefers the workshop to screen time and real work to flimflam.

“I want to be an aircraft engineer,” she said. “Ever since I was little, I’ve been fascinated by how planes work. They weigh tons, yet they fly. The mechanics, the aerodynamics. It’s just fascinating.”

Gordon mapping out her route into industry

And she is intent on making her dreams come true even though she only left school last year. Gordon has already started mapping out her route into the industry, with plans to study, job shadow and work towards gaining hands-on experience.

“I don’t just want to learn about it in a classroom. I want to be in a hangar, working on real aircraft.”

She said she has been actively searching for internship opportunities and knocking on doors. And when she’s not on the hunt for opportunity, Gordon’s also learning about diesel engines.

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“It’s just cool to understand how an engine works,” she said.

“And I want to be the go-to person in my family when someone’s car breaks down. There’s something satisfying about fixing things, about understanding how every little piece fits together.”

She said she grew up around cars and racing culture and that influence has never left her.

Cars and racing culture influence

“My uncle wants me to participate to racing competitions,” she said. “Drag racing is such an adrenaline rush, and I love fast cars. I think it’s great to be able to work on them and also to see what they can really do on a track.”

It’s an unusual path, especially for a woman. But, who ever said stereotypes still have a place in the 21st century?

“If you’re good at what you do, that’s all that counts,” she said.

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“I know there are female engineers and mechanics, but it’s still not the norm. People expect men to do these jobs, but honestly, that just makes me want to do it more.”

And Gordon wants to stick around and fulfil her dreams in Mzansi. While her classmates want to cross the ocean, she is staying put.

“A lot of my friends are negative about South Africa. They want to go to Europe or the US, but I like it here,” she said.

Stick around and fufil dreams in Mzansi

“The weather’s great, we don’t have hurricanes or earthquakes, and if you work hard, you can make something of yourself here.”

And sure, she added, South Africa has problems, but dwelling on them will not change anything.

“Being part of the solution counts for more. People are too quick to dismiss what’s good here.”

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Her outlook on life was shaped by constant change. She’s moved more than 20 times and attended 12 different schools.

“It was unsettling,” she said. “Every time I made friends, I had to start over. Eventually, I learned not to get too attached. It’s made me independent. I don’t cry when people come and go.”

It’s also given her a somewhat pragmatic approach to relationships and life in general.

‘Nothing is permanent’

“I’ve learned that nothing is permanent and you can’t hold onto people too tightly. Things change.”

Gordon’s life stage concerns are also not what you’d expect from someone her age.

She’s not worried about likes, follows, or the latest trends.

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“I’m afraid of setting everything up in my life and then watching it all collapse,” she said. “I don’t want to wake up one day with no job, no direction, feeling useless.”

And besides overalls and spanners, she has picket-fence ideals too. “I want to get married and have kids,” she said.

“Ideally by 25 or 26. I don’t want to be struggling to keep up with my kids when I’m older. But I’m not in a rush.”

But for now, before working on relationships, she wants to work on cars and service aircraft.