Down Angle Icon An icon shaped like an angle pointing downwards. Elizabeth is a welder living in Alberta who chose to work in a trade rather than in a company. Elizabeth
- Elizabeth is a Gen Z welder who chose a career in the trades instead of going to college.
- She says that being a welder not only pays well but is also great for staying physically fit.
- She and her partner live in a rooftop tent in Alberta, allowing them to fulfill their dream of working and living outdoors.
This is an essay based on a conversation with Elizabeth, 23, who opted for a career in welding instead of going to university. She lives and works in Alberta, Canada. She wishes to keep her last name anonymous, but Business Insider has verified her identity and employment.
I always knew I didn’t want an office job. I love getting out and getting my hands dirty, so going to college never interested me.
By chance, when I was 18, fresh out of high school, I was introduced to a beginners course for young women to encourage them to get specialized jobs.
The three-and-a-half-month course taught us the basics of a whole range of trades: automotive, plumbing, carpentry, cabinetmaking, welding and blacksmithing. The face-to-face classes also taught us how to use blueprints and how to prepare CVs.
From the moment I started, I knew that welding was my job.
There are many different types of welding, but at its basic level it involves fusing two metals together with a hot torch.
I was attracted to the hard, hot aspect of the job, having to keep your head down constantly in the heat. It’s hard work that requires precision; that kind of intensity was something I was looking for in a job.
You can take scrap metal and turn it into something really cool yourself.
It also helps that the job is very well paid. I now make around CAD3,000 (US$2,000) a week from welding alone.
Welding is great for the body.
Elizabeth chose to take a welding course instead of going to college. Elizabeth
After finishing school and the introductory course, I sent out a ton of resumes. I already had some contacts in the industry (from part-time jobs I had done during high school), so finding a job was a little easier for me than for some of my peers.
While some people were looking for the highest paying jobs, I just wanted to get my foot in the door.
My mindset was: gain experience first, the money will come later.
I managed to do it and have had several welding jobs since graduating.
There are other less physical jobs, like electricity, but I like how hard welding is.
I’m killing my body every day, but it’s worth it because welders make amazing money and I’m getting ripped doing it.
I’m constantly moving and climbing, so my abs are getting more defined and my butt is getting bigger.
I can see that the hard work is paying off physically; it’s great for the body.
I’m covered in bruises and scrapes from the job – I’m definitely pretty beat up. But it makes me really strong and being able to work outdoors is a real plus. Earning money while spending time outdoors in the beautiful Alberta landscape makes me feel incredibly grateful for this job.
I love this job, but it’s definitely not easy being a woman in this industry.
Elizabeth says she still faces challenges as a woman in the industry.
There are many good things about this job, but I would be lying if I said it was easy being a woman in this industry.
I am often the only woman at most of my sites; there are few women in the trades in general and even fewer in welding.
It takes a lot of patience and self-respect to get ahead.
I’ve had coworkers yell at me and belittle me at work, and there are few procedures in place to prevent this. You just have to make sure you have a good supervisor who knows you work hard and respects you.
That’s why I’m so lucky at my current job. My supervisor came up to me in my first week and said, “If anyone bothers you, let me know because I’ll get rid of them right away.”
Sure, it’s the bare minimum, but it’s refreshing in this industry.
I work 10 hours a day, 7 days a week.
She starts work at 7am and works until around 5:30pm Elizabeth
Having a supportive employer like the one I have now makes a huge difference. You work tirelessly, so the last thing you want is to have to endure harassment in the workplace.
I’ve been doing this job for two years now and I work with my partner who is also in the industry. We’ve been camping in his tent and living in our trucks in small towns in Alberta, which allows us to save as much money as possible and not be too tied down to one place.
The day begins at 6am when we take down our tent. and we got our pets ready to go out. Then we made ourselves a smoothie and headed to the site.
We arrive at work around 7am and park in a grassy area so we can let our animals roam around.
Each work day begins with a safety meeting, then tasks are assigned and equipment is prepared. We work 10 hours a day, 7 days a week.
At 5:30pm we left, headed to town to shower and return to set up camp, have dinner, go to bed and do it all again the next day.
Camping means we can save all our money
Living in our trucks isn’t the most comfortable situation, but it does mean we can receive our Living Away from Home Allowance – a tax-free daily sum, which can be up to $205, from our employer that goes towards room and board while we work at different sites across the province.
For most people, that money is spent on accommodation, but camping means we can keep it in our pocket.
With that money plus the money I make at my job, I make thousands of dollars every two weeks, and my partner makes even more as an officer.
None of our colleagues earn as much money as we do because no one else has the courage to camp.
For me, the ability to move around is a big perk of the job. I can’t stay in one place; I want to see more places, even if those places are just small towns in Alberta.
Career progression in welding
Elizabeth said her goal is to gain further professional qualifications and hopes to one day own her own business.
Next, I want to get my next three red stamps in welding, blacksmithing, and crane operation. These basically allow you to be fully certified to work as a technician on any job – more tickets, more money. To get them, I’ll have to go through more training again and take more exams.
Long, hard days mean I don’t have much time for other hobbies. What I do love to do is post about my work on TikTok. Editing videos is a lot of fun for me and it’s a great way to share my experiences as a welder with other people.
There are definitely people who criticize me for posting about my work online. They assume I don’t work hard and accuse me of being insecure and distracted in the workplace.
But it’s just fun to share what I do and show that there’s no one way to be a welder.
And hey, it would be great to get brand sponsorships out of it.
In the field of welding, my dream would be to have a company focused on incorporating women into this sector. My experiences in the industry have shown me how necessary it is to help transform this industry to include more women.
Why do they have to kick us out when there’s all this money to be made?
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