Where are all the women welders???

Date 02-15-2008 03:25

Well now Clif, you could certainly have opened up something here. I am going to sit back and wait for the fireworks. There is someone for everyone out there, I'm sure one will come along for you too. Good luck and don't lose sight of it. Are you a geek?, don't know, everyone is probably a geek to certain other people, does it really matter?, probably not. Only you can let something like that get to you if you allow it. I can also tell you that over the years I have had numerous male and female welders out of our program get hitched and have wonderful lives together, so you may be onto something for yourself in that regard. Best of luck, aevald

By Tommyjoking (****)

Date 02-15-2008 10:57

Clif....I wasted my young years on a women simply because of circumstance and young indescrection. I spent many years after learning to appreciate people for who they actually are. My wife now of 11 years is my best friend when I married her and now....I was her bud for 4 years before we had our first date....she is an ex stripper and I am an ex drug dealer....people grow up and figure out whats really important. All I am trying to impart is it does not matter what anyone does, homemaker, welder, executive, nurse, doctor etc. when you fall in love with someone as a person as a human being that you find you cannot REALLy live without contact with.....well then you don't have to worry bout valentines day too much cause it will be a very frequent holiday. No worries ...if you are not using your effort on the ONE it is wasted anyway in my book except for maybe learning about your self. The ONE is not easy to find....some never do...but don't sweat it cause you will absolutely know when you find them..

I have met a very few women welders in my day...some of them definitely got my curiosity up if you know what I mean. But in the end its about who you care about and who cares about you dude. Who have you met that pulls you in like a mag drill to a tank and you cannot let go........that might be a lady you need to bother for a while.

By MDG Custom Weld (***)

Date 02-15-2008 12:18

I don't know about you Clif, but all of the lady welders that I know (less than 10) would make better bar buddies than lovers. Now sure that's skin deep, and superficial, but come on they can drink more than me and probably throw a better right hook.

Keep you head up, something will hit you up side the head one day, but you got to be ready for it.

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 02-15-2008 12:53

Cliff--

Build a nest and the right female will fly right to it.

Most (not all) of my friends who have had long prosperous marriges, and myself for that matter, met our wives at church.

By Ringo

Date 02-15-2008 13:17 Edited 02-17-2008 00:50

I have only worked with a few female welders in my career,and they were slick.Although,they did lack in some of the more physical aspects of the job (IE,lifting bottles onto welders,lifting pipe into hangers,etc.),but all in all they were very good welders.

I wish there were more female welders,they bring a different perspective to the trade,and they bring a more esthetic view of welding in general.

By KSellon (****)

Date 02-15-2008 14:24 Edited 02-16-2008 15:28

Ok Clif from a womans point of view: I have always been a wrench head, I played soccer and volleyball in high school and worked on all my girl friends cars. I am 5'8" and 160# broad shoulders and long red hair. Every guy I have dated or married thought is was GREAT that I could work along side them, work on the trator or the truck and keep the house clean. But when it comes down to it, alot of us female welders/ welder repair techs have way too much in common with men. The whole dreamy idea loses its spark when we're standing in the shop with you and your buddies, throwing back beers, wearing a t-shirt jeans and boots, laughing to all the jokes and changing out the u-joints on our truck (or in my case rebuilding a welder). Your lose you free space.

My first husband was a rig welder, I was 24 and looked dam good in a pair of Rockies. Everything was great until he started thinkin his buddies were payin more attention to me than him. 18 months later good bye. My current and second husband works here in the shop (we didn't meet here, we dated and I found out he knew engines and a 12volt system, so I asked him to come to work for us), not a good plan, sounds good in theory. But I talk on the phone and over the counter to guys all day long. He calls it flirting I call it PR. We're still working on this and its been 9 years.

SO IN CLOSING- IT IS HARD TO BE A FEMININE WOMAN IN THIS INDUSTRY (i hate to shop or waste money on the latest fashion). YOU THINK YOU WANT SOMEONE I DESCRIBED IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH, BUT LATER YOU WILL FIND THAT YOU REALLY WANT THE GIRL THATS IN THE MIDDLE, SHE'LL HELP YOU WITH THE FARM WORK, BUT REALLY LIKES TO BE IN THE HOUSE CLEANING WITH THE KIDS. jmo

Kaye Sellon
Bills Welder repair
Okc, Ok

By iwannaweld (*)

Date 02-16-2008 01:01

Defiantely have to agree with oyu there I was onsight duringthe building of an ethatnol plant. There was a prettygood looking woman crane operator she could run that crane better than any man and sit in the bars with us all night but not anything that your lookin for. You need something with in the middle of the spectrum jmo.

By ablake32 (*)

Date 02-16-2008 01:33

Plasma: Everyone gets rejected at some point, and yeah, maybe even more than once. Dont sweat it, you are in a good spot because being single is a helluva lot better than bein stuck with the wrong person. Dude your glass is half full! Enjoy!

By Stringer (***)

Date 02-16-2008 04:02

Women can do this job. But why would you want them to?

By Plasma-Brain (**)

Date 02-16-2008 04:28 Edited 02-16-2008 04:33

Why not.
Personally, A fair lady dressed in spatter burnt leathers with a soot smuged face and a welding helment does more for me than an airbrushed supermodel...
There are a few reasons why this is, but the most important one is that the welder probibly has more going in her brain than the supermodel. (No offence to any supermodels out there, i give you all credit because no one would pay me to walk around in underware...)

And thank you all for your sound advice and experiences, i guess all i can do is live my life and keep my eyes open.

Id go on but I just got back home a little while ago and im beat...
Thank you all again,
-Clif

By CWI555

Date 02-16-2008 14:32

Kaye,

Probably going to get flamed for this one, but so be it.
My opinion is that this issue at heart has nothing to do with welding or any other craft. It really doesn't make any difference what your spouse calls work, as long as it's not in the same place your at. It's also a very bad idea in my experience to "meet" someone at work. The old adage of don't get your honey where you make your money, comes into play here. It is a rare couple that can comfortably live together day in and day out and not feel the need for outside social interaction, and rarer still to feel comfortable living at home, and at work together without seperation at all.
For most, it is as important to their relationship to have those times appart, just as it is to have those times together.
More importantly, in my personal opinion, people find it hard to be true to themselves for various reasons in this day and time, if they even know who they are.
They find that little grey spot in the back of their mind that makes em do things irrational and don't understand why it is, or what it is.

To be truely happy, people have to find themselves without consideration of social expectations, political correctness, or preconceptions handed to them by others through various media outlets. If you can't be happy with yourself, your sure not going to be happy with someone else. Trying on the model of the jones or smiths down the road usually ends in dismal failure as is setting preconceptions and conditions.

If your happy with someone that drives a truck, welds, or digs trenches, thats what matters. Life isn't worth living roaming around with that little grey spot telling you there is something your missing.

My personal opinion for what it's worth,
Gerald

By KSellon (****)

Date 02-16-2008 15:20

I agree with you Gerald. Thats why I stated "you lose your free space". Having a relationship with someone in the same field as you leaves nothing to the imagination. I love working with my husband, because I like to watch him do something he's good at. I like who I am, but would sometimes like not to no what a man is saying when he says " here go cut a red Ch off this" or "hand me that spud wrench". There are also MANY technical terms in this industry that takes on a whole new meaning when coming from a womans mouth.

When I was dating I discovered alot about myself and the outlook of alot of men. I have always been a wrench head and have never varied from that. But all of the men I dated thought it was just a show or found it to be a turn on, until--- 3 months later I'm still doing the same things and then it becomes "your in my space, why don't you go paint your toenails".

Most of the wives that come in the shop for their husbands, are very clean and manicured, and wearing the latest fashions. They can't back a trailer or disengage a rachet strap. NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. I know what I am getting ready to say is going to be taken wrong but-- they know their place. I don't consider myself to have a place. And women who are in a mans field of work rarely do (know their place) because we have the preconception that we can do what a man can do.

THE BEST THING I HAVE LEARNED IS FIND THAT MATE THAT COMPLETES YOU... WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW, THEY DO AND VICE VERSA. IF THE 2 OF YOU DON'T KNOW IT, THEN YOU DON'T NEED TO.

Gerald- I read nothing in your post to flame up anyone. Your words are well spoken and well taken with me.

By Plasma-Brain (**)

Date 02-16-2008 16:29

"THE BEST THING I HAVE LEARNED IS FIND THAT MATE THAT COMPLETES YOU... WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW, THEY DO AND VICE VERSA. IF THE 2 OF YOU DON'T KNOW IT, THEN YOU DON'T NEED TO." - That hits home, in a way that tells me it's too early in the morning to try and think that much...
Now you're all making me think about my past girlfriends and such and I'm starting to see it all from a different angle. I'm starting to think that there are a few old friends of mine that I should get back in contact with.

"To be truely happy, people have to find themselves without consideration of social expectations, political correctness, or preconceptions handed to them by others through various media outlets." - Well put Gerald, and that's what's been most of my problem. This thread has made me remember part of a book that amuses me, which I'm going to try and post part of here.

The Dilbert Principal, Scott Adams, Pg 179, "Engineers, Scientists, Programmers, and Other Odd People"
" DATING AND SOCIAL LIFE
Dating is never easy for engineers. A normal person will employ various indirect and duplicitous methods to create a false impression of attractiveness. Engineers are incapable of placing appearance above function.
For society, it's probably a good thing that engineers value function over appearance. For example, you wouldn't want engineers to build nuclear power plants that only look like they would keep all the radiation inside. You have to consider the global perspective.
But the engineer's emphasis on function over form is a big disadvantage for dating, where the goal is to act phony until the other person loves you for the person you are."

I'm not an engineer, but that last part of that still seems to apply more than id like it to.
I don't know, call me impatient and all the other terms for youth that you can think of, but I'd rather just skip the acting phony part from the get go...

I'll let everyone know *When* it works for me ;)

Thank you all for your insight
-Clif

By Stringer (***)

Date 02-17-2008 03:32

I just find most job sites and most shops too rough. I know a good lady can always defend herself and hold up her end and all those things, but why fight it? Yeah, I think a smudged face can be sexy, but that's not my point. It's just that the locker room atmosphere is endemic and an unnecessary daily hurdle to pile on top of all the other obvious physical stuff. I don't object to females who want to do it. Heck, one of the regrets I have about this career is the lack of interraction with females. I just don't think I'd want to fight it as a career if I was a female.

By HgTX

Date 02-18-2008 18:50

Not all women find a locker room atmosphere to be something that needs to be fought.

Hg

By Kix

Date 02-18-2008 20:10

I had a woman fitter on a job once. We butted heads for 6 months till I finally got laid off. I know the guys sure did get a kick out of us going at it for 6 months.;-) I met a woman welder through the welding competition gig. She went to school for welding in michigan and is now a U.A. pipefitter/welder out of some local in southern Mi. She was a looker boy and you'd never know she was a welder out in public. Become a welding teacher at a tech school and you'll see a bunch of women welders come through. You're not supposed to date the students though in most places.

By Plasma-Brain (**)

Date 02-19-2008 15:15

Kix, LoL yeah, i dont think that would work out well... besides, im not going to be a teacher for a long time. And by that point hopefully I wouldent be looking anymore.

By Kix

Date 02-19-2008 16:53

Ya never know...;-)

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 02-24-2008 03:02

just be yourself dont try to impress anyone by telling them what you know or what you can do just be yourself if they ask show them if they dont believe you shopw them but at all time just be yourself and the right 1 will come along you always find it when you're not looking for it

By Matt 2

Date 02-26-2008 03:18

Beware of the women helpers. I have a union buddy that was on a pipe job in Utah a couple of years ago. His helper was a woman. Nothing wrong with that. BUT she could pick up a full unopened 50# box of 70+ with one hand and set it on the back of his truck. She got them kicked out of many fine drinking establishments while they were there.

By alumtig (**)

Date 03-11-2008 15:20

Just a quick response from a woman welder, I may not have been 6' and 280#'s but what I lacked in brawn, I more than made up for with brains. Speed and agility played alot into the role as well. I have held my ground as a welder for the last 30 years, and worked side by side with some of the best. I earned the respect that I recieved. I never asked for favors or for anyone to do my share of the work load. For the last 10 years I have worked as a supervisor, I just renewed my certified welding inspectors certificate (9 year) and I used the RI (Radiographic Interpreters) exam to renew. So I now have a 2nd certification. From what I understand I was the first female to take the exam and I can only guess the only one to pass, so far. Most days now I sit in the office and handle all of the QC paperwork,and set procedures for the shop, but I think I've earned that role. I do believe that it takes a certain type of woman to handle working in this field. I've only worked with 4 over the last 30 years, 3 of whom I hired. I would like to see more women in the industry;as I know what we are capable of.
Being in the line of work that I'm in has definately had it's downfalls as far as relationships, a lot of men are intimidated by the independance that I have gained over the years. I suppose that would be true reguardless of the profession so perhaps it's not the occupation but the individual.

By Weldrwomn (*)

Date 03-28-2008 21:25

I am a woman welder (hence my username...lol) and even though I have only been welding for about 4yrs, I really love it. I don't think that most women really consider it as a career choice when parents and guidance counselors are always pushing the 4yr college degree. When I say that I am a welder, most women reply, "oh, like Flashdance". That is their only knowledge of the career actually.

FYI though, I am married to a welding instructor and it does make for some good conversation between us when we critique other people's welds. BTW, I am 6'1", but I am nowhere near 280lbs...lol