featured-image

Elizabeth is a Gen Z welder who chose a career in the trades over going to college. She says being a welder not only pays well but is great for getting physically fit. She and her partner live in a roof tent in Alberta, allowing them to fulfill their dream of working and living outdoors.

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Elizabeth, 23, who opted for a career in welding instead of going to college. 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 a desk job. I love getting outside and getting my hands dirty so going to college never interested me . By chance, when I was 18, right out of high school, I was introduced to a beginners course for young women to encourage them to get into trade jobs .

The three-and-a-half-month course taught us the basics of a whole range of trades: automotive, plumbing, carpentry, joinery, welding, and ironworking. In-class sessions also taught us how to use blueprints and how to make resumes. From the moment I started, I knew welding was my trade.

There are loads of different types of welding, but at its basic level, it's about fusing two metals together with a hot torch. I was drawn to that hot, tough aspect of it, of constantly having your head down in the heat. It's hard work and requires you to be precise — that kind of intensity was something I was looking for in a job.

You get to take scrap me.

Back to Beauty Page