Anders
Anders lives in Kirkenes and is a natural-born entrepreneur. He has founded his own company and worked as a process operator in the coal mine Sydvaranger Gruve AS. Before this, he had several different jobs in technical professions, despite never finishing high school.
Anders is a dropout, but still demands recognition for the kind of knowledge he possesses. School could never stimulate his interest in engines and technical things.
“If you don’t participate in school, skiing and football, you are labeled as an outsider,” says Anders. He was bored at school, and a new school reform demanded more than he was willing to offer. Subjects he had failed had to be retaken the following year, and there were many subjects that did not stimulate him.
Young men dropping out of school is a problem, especially in the northernmost part of Norway. Yet Anders refuses to take on any negative stereotypes. He has been working with engines and cars since he was a child, and this passion has given him solid knowledge. He simply claims that there are more ways to gain recognition than following the layout of the Norwegian school system.
“If you don't like school, skiing and football, you are labeled as an outsider”
With a passion for engines, he would rather use his knowledge for practical work. And earn money, so he can buy just the car, motorcycle and snowmobile that he wants. He sees the motorsport environment as a good platform for friendship and sharing knowledge, but their lifestyle is provocative.
Part of this lifestyle includes a willingness to provoke, and Anders and his friends have more than once been in the spotlight of the police and Kirkenes society. Although he may not be as provocative in his behavior as he used to be, he still claims the right not to live an ordinary life.