Advocating for young girls and women to explore welding, machining, additive manufacturing and other industrials careers can benefit women and the companies that will employ them.
by Anna Smith
For Industry Week
It looked like an erupting volcano, says Celia Reyes when describing watching her dad weld for the railroad and in their garage when she was a kid. When she decided to follow in her father’s footsteps in pursuing the same career path, she would be met with a number of challenges.
In a starting class of 150 students at Tulsa Welding School, Reyes was one of only two women; she later graduated with only 10 others from the class.
“I had a lot of people tell me in the class there, since there were so many guys, they’re like, ’What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be welding. You’re supposed to be at home cooking and cleaning and having kids,’” she says. “I’m like, ‘No, I’m here to do what you do. And I’m here to learn.’”
In the professional world, Reyes says she still had to prove herself to her colleagues, despite her training. “It was a struggle. Definitely. Since it’s such a male-dominant industry, you just have to keep on going.”
Regardless of the obstacles they may face, Reyes is on a path to show that women can have successful and fulfilling careers in the skilled trades. “It’s rewarding because you make good money, and it makes you feel good.”
According to the American Welding Society’s weldingworkforcedata.com, just 5% of welders are women. Reyes says running into another woman in welding is like seeing a unicorn.
