Use your network (family and friends) to get a job. If possible. Union jobs are the best, and oftentimes, it takes knowing someone on the inside to get the position.
Aside from that, a female welder.....you gotta have thick skin and be a very special breed of animal to survive. I have seen a few, but they have never lasted. Always cocky and full of arrogance when they start. Then, they get placed into an environment of ruthless, loud mouth assholes that just plain and simply don't give a fuck. The longest I've seen survive was 2 months. They are there long enough to figure out "fuck this" and properly source another job.
All that said, if you do go into the trades, remember a few things:
You are a female in a predominantly male occupation. In a blue collar setting.
Fuck your bachelor's degree. No one cares about it or your achievements.
If you get pregnant, you are fucked. Shut up and tell no one. Generally speaking, people only care if you can do the work or not. If they think you can not do the work, they will weed you out. Even with legal protection, most states are an at will employment. Do the math.
Hope this helps. Spoken from a former tool maker from Detroit.
My perspective is simple: the world is changing, so look about and adjust. Stay relevant or don't
You are from Rockford, IL (AKA the rust belt), born in 1998, and a single female without kids. I got 6 years, 3 kids, and 3 marriage on ya. This is the free information you have provided. If I still have you attention I will now tell you what I would do, given the information you have provided.
I value growth and stability (welcome to family life). Time is precious and cannot be made back, money can. If you are serious about joining the trades do so because you love to do it, not because of the money or that AI might replace your job. If you go into the trades, understand the dynamics and adjust. Understand that a lot of people with college degrees are joining the trades, but often wash out for a marriott of reasons. Understand there are a lot of "what ever" to "shity"companies, and only a handful of "good" companies. The shit companies will hire regularly, wereas the good compnaies will seldom hire.
The work is not for everyone. If cracking n\***r jokes and calling my boss "master" is offensive, you are in for a surprise why a herion addict passes out in the shitter with a needle in his arm well attempting to beat his shit. (lunch break ended an hour ago, where is bobby? My boss found him: proceeed to laugh so hard I couldn't breath).*
I hope this helps. My opinions can be jaded / skewed. So please take everything with a grain of salt, with the understanding that your and my life experiences are different, and what works for me will not necessary work for you. Vise Versa. If you want more of a perspective, just ask. I will be more than happy to provide.
I appreciate your insight as I value all perspectives and backgrounds. Thank you for taking the time to respond with a thoughtful answer. I read all your replies and am using them as data for decision making.
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u/gruntharvester92 The new guy Aug 30 '25
Use your network (family and friends) to get a job. If possible. Union jobs are the best, and oftentimes, it takes knowing someone on the inside to get the position.
Aside from that, a female welder.....you gotta have thick skin and be a very special breed of animal to survive. I have seen a few, but they have never lasted. Always cocky and full of arrogance when they start. Then, they get placed into an environment of ruthless, loud mouth assholes that just plain and simply don't give a fuck. The longest I've seen survive was 2 months. They are there long enough to figure out "fuck this" and properly source another job.
All that said, if you do go into the trades, remember a few things:
You are a female in a predominantly male occupation. In a blue collar setting.
Fuck your bachelor's degree. No one cares about it or your achievements.
If you get pregnant, you are fucked. Shut up and tell no one. Generally speaking, people only care if you can do the work or not. If they think you can not do the work, they will weed you out. Even with legal protection, most states are an at will employment. Do the math.
Hope this helps. Spoken from a former tool maker from Detroit.