Nush Ahmed is a manufacturing advocate, founder of NextGenMFG Podcast, and is one of the tradeswomen behind the soon-to-be non-profit organization, Sisterhood of Trades. The NASCAR Technical Institute alumna is originally from Massachusetts and moved to North Carolina to pursue an education at the Mooresville-based school. “I chose it because I had no automotive experience, I wanted to get into motorsports, and I wanted a big name on my resume. I originally went for the 5 NASCAR elective courses there to learn more about metalworking and motorsports.”
"It makes sense coming from a first-generation background. My parents wanted me to go to college, not trade school."
As a child, Nush enjoyed playing with Hotwheels but never fully envisioned herself pursuing a career in motorsports. She says her journey into motorsports started in a “computer science class that I almost failed out of. I didn’t want to mess up my GPA so I decided to enroll in whatever else was available, which was automotive. I was like you know, I do like cars. This was in sophomore year. My teachers kept telling me, ‘You know, you’re really good at this’ and at first, I didn’t believe it because I never heard that before from a teacher, so I thought they were just trying to get me to stay in this class. But it worked, I ended up staying in that class and applied for scholarships to trade schools. I thought that it may be something I would want to do, and I wanted to see if I could have it funded because my parents at the time didn’t want to support that. It makes sense coming from a first-generation background. My parents wanted me to go to college, not trade school. But they saw how much support I got from foundations regarding scholarships and realized I could make a living for myself.”
Nush has also experienced struggles regarding her career choice from her extended family. “My extended family has difficulty accepting what I do. It’s hard to talk to my extended family and I tell them that I went to school for mechanics, and they’ll be like, ‘Oh a mechanical engineer? You’re an engineer now?’ It feels really weird to tell them no, that’s actually not what I do. I work with my hands. Their whole mood shifts. It’s been a little difficult to deal with that. But my dad has told me multiple times to drown out the outside noise and do what’s in your heart and head and lately that has been helping me a lot. So, I don’t really have those struggles anymore.”
"I really liked fast cars, and it doesn't even have to be about speed, some are just nicely built."
After Nush graduated from NASCAR Tech she was faced with a decision. “I really loved motorsports, but I did not want to get paid $13 an hour to work at a racetrack as a technician because at the time, that’s what they were paying. I was entry-level and I didn’t have automotive technician experience other than school. I knew I still wanted to be involved in motorsports. I really liked fast cars, and it doesn’t even have to be about speed, some are just nicely built. So, I thought, what if I can make my own parts instead of buying them? After graduating I started working at a valve machine shop. I learned so much and realized I liked manufacturing and machining. There is so much power behind being able to make something. I think that’s why so many women like metalworking or woodworking - because you’re making something, you put in the work and you come out with a product that you can see, touch, use. After that job I began working at another manufacturing facility doing quality for components going into school buses and furniture.”
Despite loving her job, there have been minor technical struggles Nush has faced working in her profession, but they are not going to stop her from succeeding. “My strength level is not great, and it feels embarrassing to admit that. I am a very small person, so I have to work harder to be able to do some things. That's something that I have to live with, I’m not complaining, but it is one of the struggles. I also really want to go back to school again to get some more technical knowledge. Everything I have learned has been on the job. Although that may be really good, I can’t necessarily always translate that to another job. It usually needs to be the same kind of machine or a similar machine with a similar control. But I’m hoping if I go to school, I'll be able to get a more well-rounded education.”
"I would have never believed someone would want to record me or listen to me speak."
When she became settled in her career, Nush began posting actively on LinkedIn and TikTok which landed her an audience that gave her a platform. “I was invited to attend IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show) 2024 to speak. A year ago, I would have never believed someone would want to record me or listen to me speak.” During this time, she was also being interviewed for manufacturing podcasts, but she had an important realization about the podcast content of the shows she was a guest on. “The whole time I was at the tradeshow I was thinking I wish there were more people who looked like me, who were my age, and had the same interests. I realized that they’re not getting interviewed that much on the podcasts I have been featured on. So I figured I would just do it myself and give them a chance to get their feet wet in the interviewing world.” With her realization, she created NextGenMFG to highlight young leaders in skilled trades, pursuing STEM or technical education, or running their own businesses. Her main goal behind NextGenMFG is to, “elevate their career in hopes of them earning a sponsorship or scholarship opportunity.” She says, “it has brought me so many friendships, so many network connections, so many mentors. Someone even bought me a 3D printer because they believed I was doing really great things through content creation and building a community, not just uplifting my voice but everyone else’s. I was shocked. I was like this only happens to influencers. Of course I accepted it, and now I have a 3D printer on the way. I want more people to get these types of opportunities.”
Through the network she has developed online, Nush is also involved in a new community called Sisterhood of Trades. The group started off as a “Snapchat group with about 20 girls. A girl had added me and then she made a TikTok about it. So many girls were commenting, ‘I want in’ and it gained traction. At one point there were 100 girls and we hit the limit for Snapchat. Then Karlie, one of the girls who created the groupchat made the Discord. I knew a little bit about Discord so I dove in head first and me being the LinkedIn nerd that I am, I was like, ‘Do you know who would eat this community up? And support it so much? LinkedIn.’ I can tell we’re already hitting the demographic that we need to because I am getting so many messages saying, ‘oh my god, this is something we needed.’ I’m sure we’ve had organizations like this before but we can truly talk to other tradeswomen and ask them, ‘hey what kind of pants do you wear?’ or ‘what do I set my welder to?’. We also talk about women’s health in the industry, we talk about PPE. There are people from the United States and internationally. We have different channels, one of them is DIY. For example, a girl was having a problem with her washing machine and we have commercial technicians in the chat that know how they work, so she was able to get some help from them. The girls and I are also forming a podcast to feature women from our Discord. I get chills because I don’t think of it as a big deal when I’m working on it, but then you see the impact it has.”
When asked about advice she would give to those starting a trade, she advises the following: “Ask a lot of questions. There are no dumb questions. Write everything down. Keep a pen and paper on you always. This depends on the shop, but find a mentor that has been in the trade for a while. Try to learn as much as you can from them - be very open to learning. Always tell people that you want to learn and that you want to grow. If there’s something that you don’t know, there’s always room to learn it. You’re not going to get fired for not knowing. Also if you do get fired or laid off, there’s always another opportunity around the corner. If you have no technical experience like I did, I do recommend looking into a local community college or trade school. A lot of high schools offer dual enrollment with community colleges or trade schools. Pursue programs and certificates, they are great ways to get into the trades with little to no experience and education. Keep talking and connecting with people. Your network is your net worth.”
Speaking of networking or learning more about pursuing a career in manufacturing, Nush recommends joining any of the following organizations or attending any of these trade shows.
Organizations:
*Women in Motorsports North America
*Nush recommends looking into Women in Motorsports North America. “They likely have a chapter in your state. They meet up every quarter, network, and hang out. My local chapter did a Sip n’ Paint last month. One time we went to Cycle Bar and went out to dinner afterward.”
Trade Shows:
The Assembly Show | April 16-17, 2025 | Nashville, TN
Titans of CNC Open House | June 2025 | Texas
Fabtech Expo | September 8-11, 2025 | Chicago, IL
Trades Women’s Build Nations | September 19-21, 2025 | Chicago, IL
Women in Manufacturing | October 12-14, 2025 | Chicago, IL
SEMA | November 4-7th | Las Vegas, NV
Performance Racing Industries Trade Show | December 11-13, 2025 | Indianapolis, IN
International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) | September 14-16, 2026 | Chicago, IL
If these shows are not near you, search the trade you’re interested in, conference, your state, and the current year.
To keep up with Nush, follow her on Instagram, TikTok (@333vnush), and LinkedIn.
