Women Welders

I am a pipefitter/welder only 6G cert.(I cannot go on to Tig unless I pass my UA 28-still an apprentis) in the Union. I can tell you this much:the only jobs really hiring right now are industrial/powerhouse jobs. If you don't have Tig certs, you will not get in as a welder. You can get in as a fitter if you have your red badge,know someone that can get you there and/or are willing to travel. If you are in the Union and they are not helping you-assuming you have been at the top of the list when callouts came and you were not called. Then you may have to sue. If you are not in the Union and you can't get in because of the Union, there are two choice:see if you can join the Union or find out what the regulations are for non-union workers. Unions have contracts with companies. If the company is 100% Union, you will not get in. If the company needs to only provide a % of Union work, then the issue you have is with the company itself. I am on the list for both industrial and in-town work. The work is coming but it is slow. Right now, there are still a good bit of welders on the bench. Most of our welders travel to make money right now.

I want to get into the trades. I took a small MIG and TIG welding course and I love it! I now have some interviews for general labour/apprentice positions but I'm starting to second guess myself. I've talked to a few welders and they say it's a good job when your young but you'll regret it when you're older because it's so hard on the body. I don't that to get in the way of me choosing this career but it sort of is... any experienced welders out there who can shed light on being an older welder?

I am an older welder-39-and I am doing fine. You do need to think and work smarter, not harder. Take care of your eyes. Take care of your knees. Don't lift more than you know you can handle. Stretch before work. Alot of things are common sense. Alot of older male welders have been drinking for years or partying or not doing things in a safe manner. Some of this was do to lack of safety years ago. No days, many companies have safety meetings and classes to prevent injury.

I am 63 and still welding. I agree with work smarter not harder.
My suggestion would be to set your goals to where when you get to the older years you will be the boss. There are so many directions you can go in so that when you do get in the older years it won't be hard on your body. That takes thinking outside the box and looking into what is out there not just your everyday kind of welding. Work towards specializing. There is Aluminum, bronze, stainless and many more. I would say do your research and talk to people in the area you are interested in and ask questions lots of questions. I have my own business but i had to learn the hard way. Use your head now and maybe you can keep from having to learn everything the hard way. Above all PERSEVERANCE is the key word.

i started welding 5 years ago, its been a roller coaster. I am proud to say i have been raising my kids and paying the bills. they Say its a mans job and i agree, so i tell them: its a mans job thats why my balls are bigger than yours.....

anyways there is a lot of abuse and discrimination towards woman in construction; advise i can give: respect yourself and demand respect.

your badass skills will be acknowlegded, JUST BRING IT!

and some times you got to fight back. a stupid Project manager told me when i complained about my pay rate, that i could work for him 2 day 2weeks 2months 2 years and he would never pay me what he pays a man. to make a long story short i took my complaint to the eeoc, and they found that they discriminated me against my gender.

usually the person discriminating or just hating on a woman welder is a man that wanted to weld but couldnt. I laugh at them all the way to the bank!

gethhyn@yahoo.com in Jupiter, Florida said: I am a pipefitter/welder only 6G cert.(I cannot go on to Tig unless I pass my UA 28-still an apprentis) in the Union. I can tell you this much:the only jobs really hiring right now are industrial/powerhouse jobs. If you don't have Tig certs, you will not get in as a welder. You can get in as a fitter if you have your red badge,know someone that can get you there and/or are willing to travel. If you are in the Union and they are not helping you-assuming you have been at the top of the list when callouts came and you were not called. Then you may have to sue. If you are not in the Union and you can't get in because of the Union, there are two choice:see if you can join the Union or find out what the regulations are for non-union workers. Unions have contracts with companies. If the company is 100% Union, you will not get in. If the company needs to only provide a % of Union work, then the issue you have is with the company itself. I am on the list for both industrial and in-town work. The work is coming but it is slow. Right now, there are still a good bit of welders on the bench. Most of our welders travel to make money right now.

zachry is hiring in Florida, apply online if intrested

They won't hire me, I'm Union. I just got hired on at St. Lucie nuke on Monday.

I am new to the welding production field. I attended Lynnes Welding and Training in Fargo, North Dakota. Fortunately for me, the owner of the welding school also had a welding shop of his own and I was hired on after I graduated. My boss, Dave Lynnes, who has since merged with Fargo Tank and Steel, now known as TrueNorth Steel. I have worked for Dave Lynnes since shortly after graduation. I am the only female in our shop. I have NEVER been treated differently and the men I work with are very respectful I wouldn't trade them in for anyone else. My suggestion is if your looking for EOE.... come work for Dave Lynnes, I swear the guys have never treated me anything but respectfully and they are just a great bunch of guys. I could not say this any time before.... But.... I love my job and my co workers!

Hello, I am 39 years old and have always worked in clerical jobs. I recently thought of becoming a welder since I have always heard it is a very good paying job and I would sure like that since I'm the head of household in my home. Is it too difficult to learn and once you learned how to weld, can you weld any material or do you have to specilized in one?

It is not "difficult" to learn per se. You have to be physically able to do the work. You need to understand that you will get burned. You don't pay attention to the typical burns-slag hitting you, bb's popping and hitting you in the neck,ear head,etc. The days you talk about are the ones that you've caught fire. You can specialize in Tig welding and get into stainless or aluminum welding. It is a cleaner welding process and usually more detail oriented. It can be a long process to go from just learning to weld to being proficient at it. I would count on at least five years training plus work experience to have a good welding base. You will deal with attitude issues from males. I just ran into a problem at a company that did not want to provide me with a woman's port-o-let on the job-which is required. And they laid me off as a pipefitter to bring in more pipefitters.

Sandy in East Texas in Yantis, Texas said: I am a woman welder and have 35 year experience. Why is it so hard for men to accept a women out in the field. I am 6G certified have my own rig. I apply and they say they will call back but never do. I had one man tell me that he thought it would be to destracting to have a woman in the field. I have worked as a structural welder and was the only woman there. I did not stop production and I did not cause any accidents. What is it with all the excuses?

I have yet to understand why they think welding is a mans job. It's frustrating and stupid. I am having a similar situation I don't have as much experience as you but. I say we get our money right and start our on companies,hire other woemn that want to do this kind of work form some sort of something that will help us get along in our trades

Wish I knew how!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi i'm a young woman looking into the welding field and i have a great interest in this trade! i know how males are like when they think their the dominant ones and believe woman are not equally able to get the job done! But i do not know how to prepare myself for the male environment in the real world that i will be facing...could you give me some advice on how i can prepare for whats out there???

Basically you go in not acting like a stupid girl. Go in like a person looking to learn a trade and be good at it. It's ok not to know things when you get in-most people don't know it till they learn it. Pay attention to everything. Not all men are down on women. Many are great at helping you along. Some want nothing better than to make your life hell and "prove" that you don't belong there. Like being out in the real world, you have to learn who to trust and who to look out for. For some reason, some men think that a woman has to be better than a man to be as good as one. I am an "average" welder. I do not have perfectly straight stringers, but they are tied in and consistant. What I lack in perfection, I make up for in knowledge. I make sure I know how to read prints,take proper measurements,have knowledge of the job. When I fit for a welder, I make sure that I am the best fitter I can be. Alot of times the respect is earned. You do have to prove that you can do the work. And that you are not there just to shake your ass and sleep with the crew to get by.

I'm in my third month at welding school and love it. the guys are great and I am having no issues learning the material or welding! (no idea how I can catch on so quickly), But I am having an issue with gloves. I have small hands and gloves are much to large making me clumsy and my pinky and ring fingers are in contstant pain due to my gloves being large. I have spoke with the other womwn in my course and they are having the same issue. Could you guys point me (us) to a brand of glove that fits smaller?
thank you so much!!
Kay

I don't use regular welding gloves never have for the same reason.
I use the short leather work gloves made out of deer skin (soft leather). Don't last as long but that is what I use

Do the best job you can stay focused on the job and don't date the
men you work with. Be a lady even though you work like a man. Listen watch and learn all you can. Anytime you can take an extra
class and learn something new go for it. You will have to earn the
respect and not expect any favors just because your a woman. In fact sometimes you will have to work harder because they will test
you. Good luck

They don;t have many women welding gloves but I wear Angelfire glves they are fo women and fit well search for them online and they will show up. As far as the young lady asking about how can you prepare to work with men. Men are cool to work with I've never had any problems and treat them like brother or friends there is no big deal I have always looked at it like that. I am the only black woman welder in my city and I get along great with everyone I've ever worked with. Learn as much as you can and practice makes perfect. We really need more women in industry and I wish you the best of luck

gethhyn@yahoo.com in Jupiter, Florida said: Basically you go in not acting like a stupid girl. Go in like a person looking to learn a trade and be good at it. It's ok not to know things when you get in-most people don't know it till they learn it. Pay attention to everything. Not all men are down on women. Many are great at helping you along. Some want nothing better than to make your life hell and "prove" that you don't belong there. Like being out in the real world, you have to learn who to trust and who to look out for. For some reason, some men think that a woman has to be better than a man to be as good as one. I am an "average" welder. I do not have perfectly straight stringers, but they are tied in and consistant. What I lack in perfection, I make up for in knowledge. I make sure I know how to read prints,take proper measurements,have knowledge of the job. When I fit for a welder, I make sure that I am the best fitter I can be. Alot of times the respect is earned. You do have to prove that you can do the work. And that you are not there just to shake your ass and sleep with the crew to get by.

Thank you so much for the advice...it encourages me to do better and now reall y look forward to the welding career! Thank you so much!

P.S. I'm not in it for the guys at all, its not who i am...i'm in it for hands on experience and hard work!

sandy in Mount Vernon, Texas said: Do the best job you can stay focused on the job and don't date the
men you work with. Be a lady even though you work like a man. Listen watch and learn all you can. Anytime you can take an extra
class and learn something new go for it. You will have to earn the
respect and not expect any favors just because your a woman. In fact sometimes you will have to work harder because they will test
you. Good luck

Thank you so much...i appreciate your advice! i will deffinitly keep that in mind! i am really looking forward to the education, training, and most of the work involved!

P.S. And i don't date work colleuges and never have...its not part of the job or who i am! i am in a serious relationship...and i am very independent woman and ask for no favours just advice for how to get the work done! Thank you for the advice!

Hi this is my first time on this site, i have read alot of blogs. And i know all to well what it is like to try and find a welding job as a women and be in a male dominated work force. I have been called all the nasty names, picked at and not hired, being given all the crappy jobs the guys pawn off, because i am a women. But im still proud to say that i am a level A journeyman welder:) I have been working on heavy duty equipment since the start. I finally have a great bunch of guys i work with now. They have accepted im not going anywhere and that im very talented at what i do. And that i do have rights, and can us them if need be. I am 26 years old and have been welding for 7 years now. I am considering a career change because my little 125 lbs body is just tired. I enjoy my job but i am having to get adjusted every week at the end of my shift, to get rid of my headaches, due to my neck going out of place constantly. I would like to find something that i can still somewhat be apart of the trade. Does anyone have any advise for me? Thank alot :)

yikes in Vancouver, British Columbia said: I'm in my third month at welding school and love it. the guys are great and I am having no issues learning the material or welding! (no idea how I can catch on so quickly), But I am having an issue with gloves. I have small hands and gloves are much to large making me clumsy and my pinky and ring fingers are in contstant pain due to my gloves being large. I have spoke with the other womwn in my course and they are having the same issue. Could you guys point me (us) to a brand of glove that fits smaller?
thank you so much!!
Kay

I have been welding for 7 years. And i had the same issue. Miller came out with a glove called the power of blue. Comes in a small and is a heavy duty glove. They are nice and light and they last a long time i find i can get a few months out of them. Best of Luck

You should look into stainless/aluminum tig welding. It's cleaner, almost no heavy duty grunt work like heavy machinery type welding. You could get into the boating industry. My dad used to make the bow rails for boats-more delicate and less heavy work. Or look into machine shops that need someone that can be an all around worker, i.e. run equipment, do repairs, welding, sheet metal.

You could try being an instructor at a welding school. There is the artistic side of welding where you deal with interior decorators.

Sandy in East Texas in Yantis, Texas said: I am a woman welder and have 35 year experience. Why is it so hard for men to accept a women out in the field. I am 6G certified have my own rig. I apply and they say they will call back but never do. I had one man tell me that he thought it would be to destracting to have a woman in the field. I have worked as a structural welder and was the only woman there. I did not stop production and I did not cause any accidents. What is it with all the excuses?

hey sandy

my name is tamara and i am a rig welder in alberta.
i out weld alot of the guys, run my own rig and my own farm.
i get no respect, and these young guys, they are the worst.
most of them are not skilled and only care about money.
i get alot of abuse of every kind, just so that i can do the job that i love.
i wish that we all lived alot closer, we could support each other and maybe even work together
in my 12 years of welding it has gotten worse not better
it doesnt matter how good a welder you are.
you still dont have a dick
i know that i sound btchy, but i aint never gonna give up. and you cant either.
i dont want to work in a shop either
been there done that payed my dues.
i guess what i am saying is that we are screwed.
you can email me at steelheart@live.ca
hang in there sandy,

TAMARA- TICKETED ALBERTA JOURNYMAN WELDER

We should definitely support each other and it would be a good thing for us women to bond together and maybe start companies that employ each other...
I am a certified FCAW, SMAW structural steel welder and can fit and pipe weld and pipe fit.
If there are any women out there that own there own business and have job openings.....
Drop me a line
I live in the pacific northwest
H Rogers
I am at the point where, I get a job and then I get harassed and treated badly by a group of people at the company.
I am almost to the point where I think that the companies are paying people to run me out of there, because they are afraid of a harassment suit.
I just recently left a company because they hired me as a welder and then they started giving me labor work to do, and I am doing all the grinding and needlegunning, when I was hired before all the people around me on this boat that I was working on.
I had finally had enough, and walked out.....
I called the next day to talk to the guy that hired me and found out that because I walked off the company and didnt tell anyone they terminated me for making racist remarks.....
Which, never happened...... That is the type of things that I am dealing with, where as they go to great lengths to cover themselves by ruining my credibility/reputation.
So, what do you do?
I have had people call me up, that arent even in my union telling me that I should get out, the union doesnt want me!
What would you guys do?????

jason@pacifictradesplus.com in San Diego, California said: Well if any of you girls want to weld in San Diego you will get plenty of respect around here. I've got several gals working and some of them are absolutely amazing. And I'm hiring.... :-)

I saw your ad Jason and I am interested in a position as a welder.
Certified FCAW and SMAW all positions structural steel, Innersheild, stainless....Shipfitting experience as well as pipe welding and pipe fitting experience.
Attached you will find my email har969@yahoo.com If you are still hiring, let me know...
If there is per diem, I will travel

at most welding supply stores small sizes are available. you could also use a small leather hand glove in your tig glove to make them a little tighter

i am 29yrs. old, i am a woman and also studied welder SMAW NC2 passer... i'm just high school graduate... no experience in working as a welder... i want to learn more about welding so that i can find jobs for welder or even just a welder helper... i hope somebody out there could help me..

Not sure how to help when you live in the Philippines. Just start
knocking on door and applying to ads until a door opens. Just be sure they are going to help you in your welding career and that they are not helping you for other reasons. Good Luck

Im very new to welding,got an apprenticeship at the beginning of this year, have some amazing quality guys to work with and some complete and utter @$*%#%$@& also. Am loving the welding work and have been thrown in at the deep end a little with the work, but am learning fast. Am lucky that am very tall and strong and find it fairly easy to put the nasty guys in their place, and the worst ones are pretty lazy and incompetent at their jobs anyway.The ones that back me really do and all the truck drivers that we fix the trucks of (mostly male) are fantastic. I guess Im fairly lucky compared to what Ive read on this site. Im so impressed by the strength expressed by so many of you,espescially the ones that have done this long term.
Thanks, Pat
T

Where do you work, like what city?
How did you get involved in welding?

I work in Auckland City, New Zealand and am 37.I decided to get into mechanical work a few years ago after being made redundant in child care work. It was something I have always wanted to do since I was very young and my daughter was getting old enough to for me to do longer working hours. After going to tech on and off for a few years,doing paid driving work and free mechanical work that wasnt leading towards a paid job,I finished tech and offered free work again. Knocked on alot of doors and finally got taken on by a trucking co. After a month they were pretty sure they wanted to hire me, sent me out to their ex-welder (a very tough employer) who gave them great feedback and they took me on as their apprentice welder.Turns out I love welding more than mechanical work (though I still enjoy it and get to do also). Pat
ng unusm

I work in Auckland City, New Zealand and am 37. I decided to get into mechanical work a few years ago after being made redundant in child care work. It was something I have always wanted to do since I was very young and my daughter was getting old enough to for me to do longer working hours. After going to tech on and off for a few years,doing paid driving work and free mechanical work that wasnt leading towards a paid job,I finished tech and offered free work again. Knocked on alot of doors and finally got taken on by a trucking co. After a month they were pretty sure they wanted to hire me, sent me out to their ex-welder (a very tough employer) who gave them great feedback and they took me on as their apprentice welder.Turns out I love welding more than mechanical work (though I still enjoy it and get to do also). Pat
ng unusm