May 21, 2025 • 65 mins
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry.
In today's episode, we welcome Cassie Zinga, sharing her fascinating journey from winning her high school's construction award to briefly studying firefighting before finding her true passion in Metal Fabrication. Now working as an Apprentice at a Toronto structural company specializing in custom architectural fabrication and public art, she's helping create massive spiral staircases and artistic installations that blend functionality with beauty. Cassie speaks candidly about the mathematics involved in fabrication, the supportive environment she found at George Brown College's Welding Techniques Program, and her current pursuit of Red Seal certification in Metal Fitting and Fabrication.
Follow Cassie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zingawelds/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
All right, I can check.
Check, I'm good.
So I'm Max Duran.
Max Duran, cwb AssociationWelding Podcast, pod pod podcast
.
Today we have a really coolguest welding podcast.
The show is about to begin.
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Happy welding.
Hello and welcome to anotheredition of the CWB Association
podcast.
(01:05):
My name is Max Saron and, asalways, I'm trying to find the
cool talent out there acrossCanada and the world.
Today I have a wonderful callercalling in today from Toronto,
ontario.
We got Cassie Zinga, who is afitter fabricator and she's an
apprentice and she works for astructural company.
How are you doing today, cassieI a structural company.
(01:26):
How are you doing?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
today, cassie, I'm doing great.
How are you doing, max?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
I'm great Number one.
First of all, I love having afabricator on the show.
That's my love.
My second love.
I started in welding, but Ibecame a fabricator, so it was
good and sunny.
It's cold.
Well, it's warm in Saskatchewan, but I got a cold wind.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
So it's kind of weird yeah, for sure.
How's Ontario treating youtoday?
It's good we got some sun.
Yesterday was pretty nice.
We had a few nice weekends, soI'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
How was work today?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
How was the shop Today is good, of course.
Being a fabrication fitter,nothing wants to fit, so that's
what hammers are for dealingwith that today yeah, yeah,
dealing with that today, but wegot her done so good, good.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well, let's start a little bit.
You know you, you're calling mefrom Ontario and is.
Is that where you call home?
Is that where your roots?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
are.
I grew up about 45 minutes eastof Toronto in Whippy and then I
moved to Toronto when I was 20.
I'm 29 now.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yeah Well, you look like you're 22.
I'm sure you hear that all thetime.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Thank you.
Sometimes I get ID'd, sometimes.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
I haven't got ID'd since I was like eight, so I
guess I've always looked like anold potato.
So oh man so you know you'regrowing up in a small town.
You know in, uh well, whitby'snot that small.
You know you're growing outsideof toronto yeah and uh, at some
point you got the bugs, solet's talk's talk about that.
(03:04):
What attracted young Cassieinto the trades?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
So I did construction all throughout high school and
I loved it and I actually wonthe grade 12 construction award
at our graduation and my teacherreally took me under his wing.
I was one of the few girls inthe class and he just he was a
great guy, but I was dead set ongoing to school for
(03:31):
firefighting oh, firefightingokay yeah yeah.
So I said construction off tothe side, I'm gonna go to school
for firefighting.
And I did that, graduated,loved it, but I just knew it
wasn't gonna be my career and Imoved to Toronto because I love
(03:56):
live music and it just drew mein, kind of got astray, didn't
know what exactly I wanted to doand started working for a
loading dock okay, so deliveriesand stuff like that I was there
for five years, ended upmanaging.
(04:16):
There had a team of great people, but I kind of climbed the
ladder as high as I could in theposition yeah um, and then
trace came into play how didthat happen?
So I was like I always had aninterest in the trades and my
(04:37):
partner is actually a plumberplumbing apprentice and he heard
of women on site which I knowthat you're aware of women on
site yeah he was like you haveto follow all of these girls and
message them and like, get afeel of what's going on welding
was.
I had no idea welding, fitting,fabricating was I didn't even
(05:01):
know those things existed at thetime and I went to to one of
their meetings the Women on Sitemeetings and I talked to some
of the girls there and weldingwas one of those things where I
was like whoa that's cool and alot of the women in the Women on
Site program are in the weldingfields.
(05:21):
Yeah, there's quite a bit ofthem, and I went home from that
meeting and I googled canadawelding woman or something
instagram and alicia buddy cameup yeah because she's the first
thing that comes up with canadawelding girl and I messaged her
and I told her my interest andshe said why don't you come to
(05:43):
her shop and we'll play around?
Yeah and oh, I was notexpecting her to respond she has
so many followers right like.
I was just amazed and I got togo to her shop and make a metal
rose it was the first time I hadtouched a welder.
(06:03):
We'd used MIG.
I had never seen it before andI was on a high the rest of the
day, like I was holding thisrose with me wherever I went I
was so excited.
Yeah, I made this oh so cool,and so I was like I'm gonna
apply to school I applied towelding school.
This is, this is amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah, the rest is kind of history well, let's go
back there, because number onefirefighting, you know so like
you.
So you well, maybe even let'sgo back further construction.
So you were working inconstruction in high school.
So I guess why you know that'salready not a stereotypical kind
of gig that a lot of girls arelooking at to get into in high
(06:44):
school.
Like you know, everyone'slooking for like the burger
kings or the, you know theworking at the hotels on the
weekends or whatever kind ofjobs.
What attracted you to get intoconstruction while you were in
high school?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
well, I was taking construction in high school okay
, so it was a class in highschool.
So I wasn't working on thefield, but I grew up with all
boys and if there was somethingthat I wanted done, my dad would
be like wanting to teach me howto do it myself without the
help.
And so as soon as I saw it onthe course registry there was
(07:21):
like what do you do home ec orsomething.
I was like that's not for me, Idon't want to do that, let's do
the construction and still tothis day.
I mean the grade 12 class.
I made a uh dime, not diningroom, a living room table like a
coffee table.
It's still my coffee table inmy house now that's awesome.
(07:42):
I yeah, it was so, so cool.
So I stuck that out for thefour years and it was.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
It was great, like even just learning how to use
hand tools was amazing, yeah,just that confidence to be, like
I need to pick up a tool anduse it right yes, for sure, for
sure it's interesting, uh, and Idon't want to.
I don't want to slang home ec,because I took home ec.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
I mean, yeah, but I knew I wasn't going to be good
at it.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
But I'm a great cook so I feel like it helped.
I feel like it helped, so it'sgood.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
But what about baking ?
Baking's hard.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Baking is hard, so I can cook really well, but I'm
not a very good baker becauseI'm not I agree, I'm not very
good baker, because I'm not.
I agree I'm not very like goodat following recipes.
I always want to like add alittle bit extra, but it's funny
because I just interviewedsomeone the other day.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
We were talking about how baking and welding are
identical because of metallurgy.
I see, I said this to myforeman at work that I was
horrible at baking and he's likehow are you welding?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
And I was like, oh, oh, it's not the same.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
he's like yeah, I feel like ingredients, alloys,
things change different things.
So I get it, I get it okay.
So so you grew up in a worldwhere the trades were kind of
like accepted you know.
Like you said, you grew uparound all boys, so it was
already on your radar.
You, you were liking it.
You, you already got kind ofpast that fear part.
(09:06):
Then then we get to firefightingnow.
I know a lot of people thathave gone in to be firefighters.
A lot of my friends werefirefighters, but not for a
career.
Like you said, a lot of peopletried it for a bit.
Very few of them decided theywanted to do that for the rest
of their lives yeah yeah, whatwas it that attracted you to
(09:27):
firefighting?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I think it was that same kind of thing that
attracted me to construction ina way, because I couldn't
imagine sitting at a desk typingaway like there were people
that knew exactly what theywanted to do, from grade nine,
you know but did they, did theyor did someone just tell them
(09:51):
what they were gonna do?
or that.
Yeah, but for me it was.
I, firefighting was one ofthose things right, was so
interested in it and I didn'tknow anything about university
or any of those complicatedcourses.
I was like firefighting, that'sit for me.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I'm gonna do that it's kind of like what you
always said when you were little.
We're like what do?
Speaker 3 (10:15):
you want to do when you grow up and you're like
firefighter.
You just stuck with it, youjust stuck with it it's
something that was comfortablein your brain, and I was always
used to being um in maledominated spaces as well, so it
was yeah, it's normal yeah yeah,why didn't.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Why didn't you stick it out what happened?
Speaker 3 (10:36):
well, I graduated, I got my d-dad license.
I did all of that and.
And I realized that I wouldhave liked to do it more as a
volunteer one day.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Like a volunteer firefighter in your area.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah, yeah, Like hopefully in the future move out
of the city type deal yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
It's interesting, I got some friends that are the
small town volunteerfirefighters.
It's still more work than theyexpected.
Oh for sure, but you get toscratch that itch, you know yeah
, yeah, yeah, and it's a bit ofa thrill-seeking thing too,
right?
Yeah, yeah, for sure because,like I mean the firefighting
it's like you want to be a, acare worker or like a health
(11:22):
care worker where you are thereon site, but you also don't want
to be a nurse, you don't wantto be taking care of people all
the time right and you want tohave the the thrill of the call
and the work, but then it's alsolike and helping people, but
then it's also, yeah, the riskand the danger and horrifying
it's, yeah, exactly, it's likeyou know you're giving yourself
(11:45):
ptsd like on purpose oh yeah
Speaker 3 (11:48):
yeah, and it's like everyone always talks about the
dangerous fumes of firefighting.
Like my stepdad is thefirefighter and I'm like well, I
traded those fumes for weldingfumes yeah, yeah you still?
Speaker 1 (12:02):
gotta wear.
You still gotta suit up, yougotta wear all this gear and oh
for sure before you even go intowork.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
I'm the queen of ppe.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
I'm the queen of ppe let's that's great, I was just
talking to someone.
Uh, geez, was it.
Yesterday I was at a careerfair and I ran into an old
friend of mine, an iron worker,paul groniak, and uh, we were
talking about getting oldbecause we've been welding since
we were kids and I said saidyou know, I'm just waiting for
the ball to drop because Iwelded.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
No.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I welded chrome for like 20 years without a mask.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
With nothing, nothing .
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Like right, and now you read articles and it's like,
even if you're around, chromefor like one day it'll take 10
years off your life.
I was like what you know it'slike.
So I I think about that.
I'm like man.
You know, 30 years ago we knewto wear earplugs and we knew to
wear ice glasses, like theobvious things, but we just kind
(12:56):
of trusted the that theelectrode fumes weren't that bad
for us.
Like we didn't like I mean, wewould just open the door and let
the wind blow it out and thatwas good enough right, like no
respirators or anything I knowlike I didn't even see someone
wear respirator until, like, Iwas 10 years into the industry
and then it was weird they wouldget made fun of.
(13:18):
It was like oh say, you're sosafe, and like people would be
mean to people being safe.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
It's weird like well, it's even like it goes with
anything like I ride my bike towork and all the guys I work
with also ride their bikes work.
Now I'm the only one that wearsa helmet.
I'm like guys, ride in toronto,wear your ppe yeah, you must
wear.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
I wear my helmet on my bike, but it's funny because
I didn't now I know, now I knowright, like I mean exactly well,
I guess, if you're a weldertoday and you're not wearing
your ppe, something's weird,because now we know right, it's
when, uh, when the new guys aretrying with cool welding in
their t-shirt I'm like check inwith me tomorrow see
(14:06):
how that feels so.
You decide after meeting alicia, who's wonderful.
You know we worked with her fora bunch of stuff.
She's a great girl and I thinkshe's on her second child now.
So that's great, you know yeah,yeah, oh, my god so that's good
, and you decide that you thismaking of the rose is a turning
(14:27):
point in your life and you wantto pursue welding so now what?
What do you do?
You go home, you're all pumpedabout welding, and how do you
even start thinking aboutgetting into it?
Speaker 3 (14:38):
because that confuses a lot of people yeah, I was so
scared but I just knew I had topick something and run with it
and like that pivotal momentwith Alicia it was like this
made me so excited let's just gofor it yeah so I got everything
together and I live very closeto George Brown uh campus and
(15:01):
I'm like I'm only gonna apply toGeorge Brown and they're gonna
take me so.
I I applied to George Brown andthey took me and it was just the
start of something so greatlike I'm so happy that I made
(15:22):
that decision it, yeah, it yeah,it was great.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
So the program you decided to take, like the Fitter
Welder Program, first of all,sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
This program is the Welding Techniques Program.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Okay, Welding Techniques Program Okay.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Yeah, yeah.
So there was a fabricationclass and that was in the second
semester of it, and that waskind of when I found my niche.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Okay, so explain to me.
Yeah, Cause I before theinterview I didn't.
I said you know, I don't knowtoo many students from George
Brown.
So like, what are the?
What was the program that yousigned up for, Like length time,
and what is it?
What's in it?
So this is another reason why Itook it.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
It was eight months, okay, so one school term, right,
yeah, and so it.
So the first semester focused alot on the basics of stick mig
and then, um, we didn'tintroduce pig until second
semester and we just had basicmy allergy.
Um, math for welders, which wasincredible.
(16:30):
I use it every day at work andI'm so happy that that was the
course that's the math theyshould teach everyone.
Honestly, it's the best math ohmy gosh, it's the best and it
makes sense in your head, whichis great and um yeah.
So first semester was very,very basic Blue print reading,
et cetera.
Second semester was morefocused on keg.
(16:54):
We still had six hours of sticka week, which was quite a lot
compared to two hours of makes,but it's okay and um, that's
when we had our fabricationclass as well okay, and then
after the two semesters, you'rewhat happens.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Is there a co-op to help you find a job?
No, do you get out in the worlddo you get to uh challenge any
cwb tickets at all?
Come up with any certs at all?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
We got to challenge our sick slot for CWB and did
you get it.
Yes, I did get it.
It was a really good experienceactually.
Our inspector was super niceand made us all feel super
comfortable, so that was good.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Awesome.
And then they cut you loose.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
They're like get out there young young people and get
to work yeah, and so a big partof that for me was I don't have
a job after this, right like Iquit my job to go to school.
So I started looking for jobsbefore second semester started
and I had one day off a weekwith school.
So I was telling everyone hey,I can work thursdays and then,
(18:06):
after school is done, I can befull-time, and which is a very
hard ask to ask yeah, yeahemployers right yeah but people
are looking for people likecrazy.
I'm sure you got some takersyeah, well, the one taker that I
liked is the one I'm working onnow.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Still, yeah it worked out good so it worked out good.
So, yeah, let's, let's, let'syou know this program that you
took, how many women were inyour class and when you took the
program uh, I believe there waseight, which was pretty good.
That's good, yeah, and alldifferent ages, as which was
pretty good, that's good, yeah,and all different ages as well,
which was nice.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Like we had people straight out of high school and
we had people older than me.
So I was really afraid that Iwas going to be the oldest
person there and I wasn't.
Yeah, but even if I was, itwould have been fine.
Everyone was super nice.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Good yeah, now the program you you took, you know
you, you feel I guess you'regonna come out of any program
feeling pretty good withyourself.
You got good marks, you feelpretty confident.
But then you know you also arejust scratching the surface of
what welding is right because sogreen yeah, you're still so
(19:20):
green and there's also like Imean, and then there's welding
and then there's fabricating,which are two different trades,
that they hold hands all the way, but they're two different kind
of red seals.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Right, yeah, did you did.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
You kind of know that you would want to go down more
of a fabrication road.
I mean, I think theconstruction background lends
really well to fabrication,because it's kind of the same
yeah, so one of our teachers umshout out to edgar, I know he'll
listen to this hey edgar, hewas incredible, he, and he was
(19:54):
started off sitting andfabricating um and learning from
him was.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
I can't even put into words how grateful I am for him
.
He was the one that broughtthat idea to my head and he
taught that fabrication courseand I don't think if he wasn't
there and didn't teach it, Iprobably wouldn't have had such
a strong interest and applied tothe places that I did, right,
right.
So it was really influenced,honestly, and then that got me
(20:28):
to be so interested in that partof it.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
So a lot of the fabrication work out there is
either tied to usuallystructural or like, whether it's
industrial or commercial orkind of repair or custom fab for
industry, whether it's miningor lumber or power generation or
whatever you're building stuff.
So what kind of work did youget into?
Speaker 3 (20:55):
So my shop does custom architectural fabrication
and also custom public art.
Oh, wow.
So I got extremely, I like tosay I found a unicorn of a shop,
because I did not expect to getinto a shop where I would be
creating art.
It's so cool, like right nowwe're working on a giant
(21:19):
staircase, which is amazing,because they have me working on
the stringers and stuff and it'slike, well, I'm working with
these giant pieces of metal likefitting little puzzle pieces
together.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Yeah, it's incredible , I love it the the hard part
about uh art, installation orcommercial art is that it has to
be so perfect because peoplereally look at it.
You know if you're doing anindustrial staircase in the
bottom of a mine.
Yes, it needs to be safe andyes, it needs to be done well,
but no one looks at it.
(21:52):
No one's like, oh, someonespilled their coffee on that or
something you know what.
I mean oh no, but when you'redoing commercial installations,
people look.
Yeah, and even the staircasestoo, like their art in itself,
they're yeah, we're doing agiant six floor spiral staircase
right now that's awesome, crazy, it's crazy so as a young woman
(22:14):
coming into that shop, you knowhow important was it to have
the support of the people aroundyou.
Like did you feel scaredgetting out into, like, the real
world of welding?
Speaker 3 (22:27):
So my boss likes to make fun of me, because when he
called me, I asked him what ifhe wants me to bring my gear
right?
And he's like, oh, you reallywant to do this the right way,
don't you?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
I'm like yeah, I learned this.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Like get me in there like put me, and I had never
done a cwv test before.
And I went to the shop and he'slike can you flux core?
I was like I'd done flux coreonce and I'm like yeah, let's go
and I did my first cwv testthrough the shop, so it didn't
get sent out anywhere, it wasjust for them and, um, he liked
(23:03):
it, I passed and that gave me alot of confidence.
I was like okay, he knows, I'mnot just here to screw around
and yeah, you're gonna have areal job you're gonna be
involved yeah yes, exactly, andso I I didn't feel scared, I was
more excited than anythingreally, and was I was only
(23:27):
working Thursdays at the timewith school, and it was.
I didn't want to mentionanything to anyone because I
also didn't want to jinx it.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Yeah, yeah, or come off like a brag yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Yeah, Right and uh, so I just kind of held it in
until I knew I was going to befull time after school and I was
like everyone how did yourclass do in general?
Speaker 1 (23:51):
like, how did?
How did everyone, did everyonegraduate?
Um, because, like I mean, Ihear about, I hear it every day,
the shortage of welders and I'mhoping that every class out
there is everyone, everyonepasses.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
A little bit of a humble brag, but everyone in my
class which was 23 students, Ithink 24, only two people didn't
pass their CWB test, so that'spretty good.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
That's pretty good yeah.
I just got an email thismorning about a sad student who
failed a Cwb test today and waslike I'm losing, I'm losing hope
, I don't know if I shouldcontinue.
And I was like, no, you gottastick it out, it's a long career
, you got a long life ahead ofyou, like one of my bosses when
I was waiting for the results,because I'm my own work critic,
(24:39):
obviously we all are yeah andI'm like I definitely failed.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
And he's like why do you keep saying that?
I'm like I'm just preparingmyself?
And he's like well, it took methree times to get it and I was
like okay, If it takes one ofthe bosses.
That long that's okay.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Yeah, exactly.
Well, this is a good time for abreak.
Let's stop here and go for ouradvertisers and then when I get
back I want to talk to you moreabout like there's like a few
kind of notes I made here aboutyour career and how you got into
it that I think are pretty key.
So, uh, we're gonna go talk toour, let our advertisers do some
talking, and they're gonna blabto you about the great people
(25:14):
that sponsor us, and then we'llbe right back here with cassie
zinga on the cwb associationpodcast.
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And we are back on the CWBAssociation podcast.
My name is Max Duran and I'mhere with Cassie, who's been
talking to me about her careerin the fabrication world For a
(27:00):
really cool architecturalstructural company that does
installation artwork as well,which sounds like the dream job,
honestly yeah, yeah it.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
I feel like I lucked out.
And I say I lucked out, but Ialso worked very hard.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Yeah, you chased it.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
It sounded like you're pretty uh, you know
focused on that place yeah,there was two shops that I
really, really liked and they'reactually in the same, like five
minutes away from each otherand I was just like.
I want one of these.
So bad like, but they both.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
They also collaborate sometimes too, which is so cool
even better, even better yeahso a couple of the things that I
noticed when you were talkingthat I think is important for
the listeners is your first,desire to get more information.
And you just go into Google andhaving like Alicia show up, you
know, on on, on your, on yourfeed and going to this instant
(27:54):
internet world.
So, like you go to Instagram,you go to TikTok, you go to
facebook now and you will see somuch, like so many more people
now promoting the trades rightnow.
For someone like you who kindof doesn't know much about it
but was just curious, howimportant is it to to be able to
(28:15):
find these mentors online?
Speaker 3 (28:18):
it is so important Like I didn't realize how big
networking would be in thetrades.
I had no idea.
And I personally made anInstagram when I started school
just to post progress and stuff.
But connecting with people onthat was so key Because if I had
(28:40):
a trouble, a trouble, if I hadtrouble in class that my
teachers couldn't answer, orsomething like anything I would
message someone say hey, look atthis, why does this look like
this?
yeah, can you help me what?
Or even just hey, that looksgreat.
Keep going, you know and it'simportant.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
How did you find the support to be online?
Because I know that some peopleand I hear it every now and
then, but I don't necessarilyagree but a lot of people are
like, oh, you got to watch thehaters online.
There's so many haters, there'sso much negativity online.
I haven't had that experience.
I find that most of the peopleonline are really supportive of
me and sure, I have a hater.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
Here and there someone says something mean, but
it's like very rare, to behonest I think the only time I
ever experienced anything or sawanything like that was we had a
portfolio class at school andwe had to make a linkedin
profile as part of our portfolioclass.
I'd never had one before I Ididn't know what I was getting
(29:42):
into.
We had to.
We had to post pictures of likefive posts for mark and I
posted a um practice flat thickplate and I didn't have run on
and run off tabs.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
Oh my gosh this circulated and I was getting
bullied really, what are youdoing?
Why aren't you?
Why don't?
Where's your runoff tabs?
Speaker 3 (30:08):
yes, oh my gosh, and they were.
It was all grown men.
I was like oh no but that wasthe only.
Thing.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
It was pretty harmless and yeah, and that's
LinkedIn, that's like for boringpeople anyways.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
It's so funny, oh my God.
Yeah, but on my Instagram,nothing.
Everyone's so supportive.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Yeah, and as a woman, you know how important was it
to find programs like Women onSite and to find programs like
the Instagram groups that areout there, which are some very
big ones.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yeah, find programs like the instagram groups that
are out there, which is very bigones.
Yeah, so it actually startedwith when I went for the open
house at george brown, we had afemale welding tech on site and
seeing her there tellingeveryone about the machines, the
program, like being soknowledgeable I was just like oh
my gosh, amazing yeah.
I have her to look up to duringthe program, so I had that
in-person female um inspirationand then all these online
(31:16):
personalities I guess that Icould reach out to and I I was
just talking to a friend aboutthis the other day I was like I
looked up to you a year ago andI still look up to her,
obviously but, I looked up toyou like you were some celebrity
and it's just so cool to now beon that same career path as
(31:42):
that person I was looking up toyeah, you can talk shop and it's
like you have a common language.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Yeah, yes, it's so cool yeah I love it, I, I, yeah
no, it's great and like are youstarting to see now that perhaps
you could be that person forothers?
Speaker 3 (32:03):
I had a guy message me from high school and he was
like I thought you, like youwent for a second career and all
the stuff and you reallyinspired me to go back to school
.
I was like oh my god it'shappening.
It's happening yeah I wasrunning around my shop I I was
like, yeah, I put this message Igot.
(32:25):
It's so true.
I would love to have someonelook at that and go, oh, she did
it, I can do it.
Yeah.
Obviously yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
And that's one of the things I think that is most
inspiring for people, withouteven them knowing it, is that
just being your yourself, justbeing your authentic self and
succeeding opens the door forother people to want to succeed,
because they see a little bitof of you in them, right?
Speaker 3 (32:57):
yeah, and when I was listening to a previous episode
that you had posted I can can'tremember who said it, but they
were like some people weremessaging me, saying you don't,
I don't know, you don't know me,but you inspired me to go back
and do something else and likethat's incredible.
Yeah.
To have such a positive impactis so cool.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Now in your job.
Now you know what, what.
What's your goal?
You know.
Are you, uh, the type of workyou're in?
Are you required to get yourred seal?
Do they want you to get morecerts?
You know because you got a job,and what happens to a lot of
people that start anapprenticeship is that they stay
in apprenticeship forever, likeI I run into people that are 30
(33:42):
year apprentices because theynever went back to finish it off
you know, like are you?
are you concerned about that orare you?
Do you have a plan forfinishing out your career?
Your, your?
Speaker 3 (33:52):
I guess not your career, but your, your education
yeah, so that was one of thefirst things that I asked the
shop.
I said would you be interestedin having me as an apprentice so
that I can get my red seal?
Yeah and they have never had aregistered apprentice like
through um material fitting andfabrication?
(34:15):
yes, through the ontarioapprenticeship.
They'd never had one before,but they were armed open, ready
to go taking eating forapprenticeship.
So my goal is to get my redseal in fabrication fitting and
then possibly in welding afterthat's awesome.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
So, yeah, thank you for doing the fab, the fitting,
the metal fitter apprenticeship,because it's dying.
There's very few people gettingthat red seal anymore no um,
it's like a dying trade and it'svery sad for me because I I
love it so much, I've been ableto work on so many amazing,
amazing projects because of thatred seal.
(34:53):
And I think about the future.
I'm like who's going to bedoing these things, who's going
to be learning how to?
because to be an actualfabricator, red seal, you got to
know trigonometry and algebraand you go yeah it's advanced
mathematics and and you can'tjust always trust an engineer
like you got to be able to workthe math out yourself, right,
(35:14):
and and that's kind of dyingright I know I just had this
conversation with my boss onlast friday is the shop drawings
?
Speaker 3 (35:23):
yeah, we have.
The engineers are sending stuffin, but he tweaks so many
measurements and, yeah, he's afabricator by trade yeah and
he's like I really want to getyou in on the shop drawings so
that you can also learn thisstuff yeah so that my goal is to
be as knowledgeable as I can be.
(35:44):
Honestly, I want to be theperson that someone comes to
they're like.
I don't know how to do this.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Let's ask kathy you know, yeah, yeah yeah, right now
I am so far from that, but oh,they could be like wait, hey,
how do you do, uh, your, how doyou set your flux core machine?
Yeah, yeah, something like that.
Still something useful, stilluseful, yeah yeah.
(36:09):
What's your family think?
Like your family like what'syour family think.
You know you move away, youhave a couple different careers.
You're trying these differentpaths.
You know, at some point I'msure your mom and dad or you
know your family, was like picksomething already.
What are you doing, cassie?
What's going on?
Speaker 3 (36:28):
it was.
My mom was afraid of me leavingmy last job because I made
really good money there, I hadamazing benefits, that really
good time off and everything.
Why are you leaving?
Speaker 6 (36:42):
this You're pretty much set at the job if you want
to say I was so bored Max I waslike I can't do this.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
My dad, on the other hand, he's like just go for it,
do it.
And now they're both my biggestfriends, my dad is so funny,
he's my, they're both.
My dad is so funny like he'll I.
I made him like silly littlethings at school and he held it
like okay, look at me, look atthis.
Can you make my friend thislike?
(37:14):
but he knows, I'm just he knows,I'm just both of them know, I'm
just so much happier inactually going to school and
then getting a job after,instead of just letting this
fizzle out, was they're likeokay, she found it, she got it.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
And like in terms of living in Toronto, like this is
something that came up last yearwhen I was doing some work with
the Toronto chapter and it wasa question of like, okay, you
know, do welders have a life?
That's like a good life inToronto, in the GTA, because
it's a lot of things like, oh, Ican be a computer designer, but
(37:52):
that's not enough money to livein the GTA.
Or I can be this, but that'snot enough money to live in the
GTA because it's so expensive.
Now for yourself, you know, doyou feel like you can be a
welder and live in the GTA?
Speaker 3 (38:06):
you know, reasonably, yeah I think that no one can
live reasonably in toronto andbuy a house by the gpa maybe
maybe welding, welding.
Yeah, like right now.
I rent and I'm very muchcomfortable with working at the
(38:26):
shop I'm at, I ride my bike towork, which is incredible, it's
close by saves you a ton ofmoney, yeah oh for sure, but
everything's so expensive intoronto now that I don't even
know the ceo can whatevercompany it's, it's, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
it's why you say that , not even the ceo, because I
always joke with bosses aboutthat because in saskatchewan we
have all the ceos from ontarioliving here.
They run huge companies inOntario but they live out here.
You know they got the hugemansion at the lake and they
love they come out here everysummer and they and I'll run
into them and they're like ohyeah, no, I'm the CEO for like
(39:04):
CIBC in Toronto.
It's like well, what the heckare you doing out here?
It's like, well, I can't livein Toronto.
It's like what.
I live in Toronto.
It's like what?
I know it's crazy.
But and so what's?
You know you want to get thatred seal and do you see yourself
you know, obviously workingwith this company for a long
(39:25):
time.
But do you have ambitions ofperhaps owning or doing your own
thing like Alicia's?
So independent?
I know she's a mentor to you.
Do you see yourself doingsomething like that?
Speaker 3 (39:34):
so my ultimate goal would be to move out of the city
eventually.
I want to at least finish myapprenticeship yeah
apprenticeship uh in toronto andI would love to buy property
outside of the city, be avolunteer firefighter and then
just make really cool stuff forpeople that would be.
I don't know the logistics ofit all, but that is the pipe
(39:57):
dream that sounds like a prettysolid dream.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
Like I mean, most welders, I know that just want
to make cool stuff, for peopleare doing really well, to be
honest they never run out ofwork because you know, I did an
experiment about five years agowhen I was teaching at the
college.
I was like when I was young Iwas always so I don't know
ambitious that I'd always havelike two, three jobs on the go.
(40:21):
So I was like working 16, 20hours a day, every day.
It's just.
I just love that feeling ofdoing stuff.
And then I, when I startedteaching at the college, I
thought, okay, you know whatI've, I've paid my dues.
I could slow down now.
So I kind of shut down some ofthe side hustles.
And then summer came around andI get summer's off right.
(40:43):
So I was like well, all the docor all the other teachers, they
just like do nothing for thesummer, they like relax and like
you know.
But I'm not very good at doingthat.
So I literally put an ad inkijiji being like because could
you use free, right?
And I was like yeah you knowwhat?
Certified welder looking topick up work over the summer,
(41:06):
odds and ends.
You know we'll charge uh by by,by peace.
You know like I'll just.
You know we'll decide when youbring it in.
That was a big mistake I gotlike I got like 300 emails like
first day no way there was somuch work for me to do and I
realized that we sometimesforget about little things.
(41:29):
We get hung up that everyproject needs to be a thousand
dollars or every project needsto be ten thousand dollars or I
need to make ten thousanddollars a month to survive.
Or you forget about the factthat a lot of little old ladies
have a broken kitchen chair thatthey're willing to pay 40 bucks
to fix right right yeah, and ifyou have the, equipment that's
(41:49):
right, that's right and therewas a lot of like brass um
frames that had broken for likeantique brass frames and no one
fixes those right, I can fixthat with oxy fuel, you know I
can go buy a brass rod for threebucks at princess auto and
torch that together and so yeahI had dump trucks pulling up to
(42:09):
my house to get like a panelfixed, a chairs, kitchen tables,
lamps.
I made like 20 grand over thesummer you're back to work in
those 20-hour days, just likethat it was, and I was really
amazed, like that's not a jobyou could do, like with staff,
like you don't need to hirepeople, but when people are like
(42:31):
I don't know what I'll do forextra money for me, I learned
the lesson like if you're awelder fitter, if you're a
fabricator, and you have theseskills and you have some basic
tools, granted, I got a lot oftools.
I had invested in my tools overthe years, so I got a drill
press I got, you know, pedestalgrinders.
I got welders, I got thesethings.
If you got the basic tools towork through, there's always
(42:53):
money to be made, you know so ifyou're saying like I want to be
the small town welder.
Uh, you know, shop guaranteed.
There's going to be so muchwork for you in that area fixing
equipment, fixing this,building things for people or
people.
Yeah, lots of people have ideasand they just need someone to
help them make it because theydon't know how to right.
Yeah, I got a lot of peoplehave ideas and they just need
someone to help them make itbecause they don't know how to
(43:15):
right.
Yeah, I got a lot of peoplebeing like, oh, I want to make
like a, a custom surround for myhot tub.
Is there anything that doesn'trust?
Like, yeah, the stainless oraluminum.
Well, I want to get a fancydesign in it.
I'm like, well, just draw it ona piece of paper.
I would literally justphotocopy that, import it into
cad and get it cut out at alaser shop and done yeah, you
know what I mean like and it'sgreat, like it's great.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
That's another reason why I wanted to join a trade as
well, because it you are ableto move to a remote spot and
they'll have work, you know yeah, absolutely yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
Now, what about the other parts of your dreams?
You know your firefighters, um,welding, you know like welding
is, uh, like I did welding firstand then fab.
You're doing fab first andwelding.
And just fyi, when you have onered seal, you don't need as
many hours for the second one.
You knock a whole bunch of stuffoff, so it doesn't get easier
yeah you know, do you want tolike at some point, if you want
(44:16):
to get that welding red.
So you're gonna have to getinto a welding shop.
You're gonna have to put instraight welding hours what kind
?
Of work would you like to dofor that?
Speaker 3 (44:27):
I haven't thought that far ahead yeah, um, I have
a few years now I have a friendright now um pandora.
Actually she just finished,she's in her third um third
block of schooling forfabrication and she just got a
job um a welding job for her outof the city okay, so she's kind
(44:49):
of I always joke with her and Isay I'm one step behind you
like I'm right on your heels.
You're chasing her down yeah,yeah, so probably follow
something similar to her andjust get something out of the
city to well I'm good to do wellI haven't talked to her since
before her third block.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
I know that I had you know.
I told her that if she needsany help, let me know, because I
miss teaching she has been sogood to me.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
Our shops are very close.
Well, now she's not thereanymore.
Our shops are so close together, so if I ever had any questions
or anything like, she bought mea blueprint book before she
left, she's like this willreally help you.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
I was like thank you is it the ipt, the blue, the one
with the blue cover?
Yeah, yes, I told her aboutthat book.
I remember, I remember I thinkit came up in the podcast, to be
honest, because I think I senther the email after being like,
you got to get this book.
It's going to be so helpful foryou, yeah yeah, it's got little
quizzes in it, yeah, yeah andit's got all the breakdowns for,
(45:52):
like, how the math works, whichis so nice.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (45:57):
I never thought I'd be excited about a blueprint
book but here we are.
Speaker 1 (46:02):
It's like on the coffee table.
People are like that's soboring.
It's like no, no, no.
Look, if you lift a load that'sover three tons and you're off
center, you need to do a sixinch blah, blah, blah and you're
like what?
Speaker 3 (46:11):
are you talking about my life today?
Speaker 1 (46:17):
trying to lift off center crazy things.
Yeah, yeah, that's fun.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
You guys got a big crane in the shop, then is it a
big shop uh, so we have one shopin toronto and then we also
have a shop in etobicoke and Iwas at our etobicoke shop today
and we have a nice crane inthere.
It's a big boy, but at our shopin toronto we just have a
little gantry crane it'll justbe, the gyp grains yeah yeah,
(46:45):
but it's right over my table,which is great yeah, then you
can do everything.
Perfect, yeah, yeah yeah, it'sgreat because I hate, you know
how it is you hate asking forhelp with things that you don't
want to bother everyone.
Obviously I do ask for help,but when I get that crane I'm
like I can do it.
Speaker 1 (47:01):
Yeah, I mean it's, it's always and it's fun to be
strong.
Like welding makes you strong,right?
Speaker 3 (47:06):
because like fun to be smart and strong.
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Yeah, exactly yeah like, whenever I work with wood,
like my carpenter buddies, I'llbe like, hey, you want to come
help me out at the, you know,building a garage or something?
I'll make sure.
And I go to grab like plywoodand they're like, oh careful,
that sheet of plywood's heavy.
It's like you don't know whatheavy is.
Wood's not heavy.
I can pick up a sheet ofplywood, get out of here, try
(47:30):
picking up a sheet of 14 gauge.
Good luck now we have to becareful about our back lots of
thing you know, don't be, don'tbe irresponsible, because you
only get one back and you youcome across a lot of welders
with back problems in your lifeand it's from lifting them,
those heavy things.
(47:51):
So I mean one side of it.
It keeps you in shape.
As soon as I quit welding, Igot fat.
When I was still welding I wasalways in good shape and then as
soon, as I got it all the timeyeah, exactly.
And as soon as I got a desk job,I was like oh man, I'm falling
apart because you're so used tobeing like I eat so much now
(48:11):
yeah, yeah well you have to.
I'm always hungry yeah, youhave to.
You spend so much energy.
And how much water you drinkwhen you're welding, it's like
liters.
Now it's hard for me to drink aliter a day.
I'm like, oh my god, what'swrong with me?
Speaker 3 (48:25):
my little brother is a journeyman carpenter and he's
like yeah, welcome to eating asmuch as you want.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
I'm like nice now, one of the things you said that
was interesting, I don't yeah,that gym gymming is for people
that want to show off, I guess.
But yeah no, not me, you canhave that yeah, one of the items
you brought up that I thoughtwas interesting when you said
you wanted to move to Toronto isthat you were following music.
(48:54):
Did I catch that right?
Speaker 3 (48:57):
Yeah, I loved the music.
Well, I still love it, but Iloved going to local shows.
I would take the train fromWhippy three times a week.
It was so I don't know how Idid it.
I would go to work the next dayand everything and just fell in
love with the community and thelocal scene in Toronto and
that's what really drew me here.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
Like I love music.
I was a musician myself and Itotally get that, and I think
that it's kind of one of theprivileges of being in the
trades too.
Like I got into the tradesyoung, so I always kind of had a
good job.
So whenever concerts would comeup that I wanted to go to, I
(49:38):
could go yeah, you could affordthem I could afford it which was
so fun because I love going toshows, like I'm gonna go see
lincoln park here in septemberin vancouver right, and it's fun
because I'll have a friend justreach out and be like hey,
vancouver, september, lincolnpark.
I'll be like yeah, yeah I'm inlike let's, let's do it, buckle
(49:59):
up, you know, and.
And even with local shows, it'slike you know, uh, you can just
go and and you see so manypeople in the trades at those
same shows you do.
Speaker 3 (50:10):
Yes, for sure yeah yeah, and you get to talking to
people and you're like, wow, weall have to be up at 5 am
tomorrow.
What are we?
Speaker 1 (50:18):
doing so.
True, and are you?
Are you a musician at all?
Are you into?
Are you artistic?
Speaker 3 (50:27):
I am artistic, but I am not a musician.
I could never get it quiteright, but I I do.
I paint.
Yeah, are you a?
Speaker 1 (50:40):
painter, you do art.
And what about metal art?
Have you gone down that path atall and experimented at all?
Speaker 3 (50:48):
I do silly little things for friends at the moment
.
So the last thing I'm by sillyyeah yeah, I made this little
like metal chicken for a friendout of like nuts and bolts I
actually have that soundsadorable I made this little
discota chair the other day ohwell, I haven't posted it yet,
(51:11):
because it's for someone thisweekend.
Speaker 1 (51:14):
Well, they won't see it until after this.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:18):
But I love it because it's for my sister's
mother-in-law and she was likeI'm like what do I bring her?
And she's like, make hersomething, make her something
cool.
I'm like I'll figure it out.
So I'm very lucky that I have ashop as well.
Speaker 1 (51:32):
That will let me stay after hours and I was gonna say
like do you have a place athome you can build things, or
not?
Speaker 3 (51:37):
really, I not with metal yeah, I don't have any
machines um, but work is so goodabout that like good billy, you
come in on the weekend, playaround, stay after hours, no
problem, use the safe and likein your family now, like your
(51:57):
home, you know.
Speaker 1 (51:58):
You said your, your partner is a plumber and you're
a fabricator, you know is it?
All is it shop talk all day atthe supper table.
Speaker 3 (52:08):
Do you want to know what he got me for my birthday
the other day?
Speaker 1 (52:11):
A grinder, a new five-inch grinder.
Speaker 3 (52:14):
No, he got me an impact drill and a drill and an
oscillating tool.
So like one of those kits?
Yeah, from Atlas.
Yeah, yeah.
And, oh my God, he's moreexcited than me all the time
with that.
We have a huge shelf in ourbedroom.
That's just cool.
(52:34):
I'm like this is gonna be crazyor like he found a plumb bob
the other day at a site.
He's like I got it for you,don't?
Worry you'll have your ownplumb bob look at this beautiful
plum Bob.
Speaker 1 (52:49):
It bobs so well.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
It is so plummy yeah it's a solid few hours of shop
talk when we get home from work,figuring out what we did with
each other's days, but it's good.
Speaker 1 (53:03):
It's good.
No, I think that that'swonderful.
I think it's kind of whatcrushed the trades 20 years ago
is that we stopped doing that.
We would only be like, oh, howdid you do it?
It or how did you do in yourcomputer science or doctors and
lawyers?
And we didn't give tradespeople the voice.
(53:24):
I remember my dad was a boilermaker and we would talk shop at
the dinner table.
And then there came a time whenmy dad wanted me to go to
university and was like ah, youknow, don't waste your time on
shop, don't waste your time intime.
When my dad wanted me to go touniversity and was like ah, you
know, don't waste your time onshop, don't waste your time in
the trades, you're smart, youcan go to university.
Blah, blah, blah.
And I remember thinking like,why is that?
Like almost like you're askingme to look at this as not good
(53:45):
enough and this is better.
When I've grown up my wholelife with you talking about work
, I just I always thought it wascool that what you talked about
and you'd bring me stuff fromwork, you'd bring home like
little ball bearings out ofbroken um bearings so that I can
use it my slingshot.
Speaker 3 (54:00):
You know stuff like that yeah, yeah, I, I feel like
that's definitely changing.
I don't think it's looked downupon as much as it was
previously, like even when I wasin high school.
I I don't feel like it was umand they weren't pushed as much,
but they were definitelyencouraged.
Speaker 1 (54:20):
If you were interested, you know and when
you were in high school was itstill like the attitude of like,
well, all the smart kids go touniversity and all the problem
kids go to the trades?
Speaker 3 (54:32):
because that's what it was like for me very much
when I was coming up, it wasn'tas much like that for me good um
, actually that we had the ohyeah program a couple years
after me, I think it was and mylittle brother took it oh,
amazing, amazing great for him,like yeah.
So I feel like it wasdefinitely encouraged.
(54:54):
He followed in my footsteps.
Now I'm following in hisfootsteps.
Speaker 1 (55:00):
And then and then you know it's good Like I mean in
the future for you and yourpartner and your friends.
You know you go out, you have alife and you talk about the
trades.
You know you're proud of thethings you do.
You're proud of the structuresthat exist.
You want your friends to knowabout it, and I think that
that's kind of how we fix thefuture right.
Speaker 3 (55:21):
Yeah, and I've even dragged my partner to previous
installations that I wasn't evena part of yet, but I was like
come on guys, yeah, we did it.
Take a picture of me in frontof it.
Speaker 1 (55:34):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (55:35):
But it's so important , like for me to have something
that I'm proud of and I want totalk to people about it and I'm
excited about it and it's nicethat I still have, like, my
bosses are excited abouteverything we're doing all the
time.
Not just like oh, another dayat work.
Like they're on the shop floorwith us yeah super stoked about
(55:57):
what's going on awesome, awesome.
Speaker 1 (56:00):
Yeah, now, what about your involvement with the
community?
Do you, do you want to be moreinvolved?
Are you involved like there's?
There's there's a torontochapter for the cwba?
Know they do a lot of stuff inyour area.
Um, we have, like AWMI, theassociation of women in the
metal industries.
They have a Toronto chapter.
You know, you have the welder,her programs, the women on site,
(56:22):
Jill of all trades.
There's all these amazingprograms.
Now, Do you want to be involvedwith them?
Do you see them as, as an areyou like just concentrating?
Speaker 3 (56:35):
on your career for now.
Right now I'm just blinders on,concentrated on the career, but
I would love to be involvedwith stuff in the future, like
when I was in school um, I gotinvited to the.
Um build a dream gala rightthat's huge dream yeah oh my
gosh, it was so cool and seeingeveryone that was involved in
that and talking to them likethat would be pretty neat to be
(56:59):
involved in in the future stufflike that.
But right now, blinders ontrying to make money and do cool
things at work and get yourskill up there.
Yeah and get my skill up thereobviously learn as much as I can
good, good.
Speaker 1 (57:15):
Well, this has been an awesome interview.
Just to you know, to wrap it up, I do obviously.
I always ask a couple questions, kind of at the end, in terms
of advice right from you.
So you know, in terms of ofsomeone coming into the gta,
which can be very scary.
It's a big market, lots goingon, lots of even schools and
programs that offer differentthings.
What kind of advice would yougive someone that's young and
(57:38):
looking to perhaps get into thetrades or and they're in the gta
, like how do they navigate allthis information?
Speaker 3 (57:45):
for the advice I would give would be go into the
shop that you're interested inyeah have them see your face.
Bring your gear with you.
You never know what couldhappen you know, all that they
could say is no, and so I find,even seeing from my side of
(58:05):
things at work, I don't thinkthat they check the email right.
Yeah.
You know they might, but not bemonitored all the time.
Come in Like that's how peopleget jobs.
Make an impression yeah, yeah.
Or connect with someone thatyou know that works at that shop
(58:27):
.
Speaker 1 (58:28):
Right.
Speaker 3 (58:30):
Use the internet right.
Connect with people online.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think that's the biggestthing connections and
appearances that's awesome,that's great advice.
Speaker 1 (58:41):
and now, what about for for people that are, you
know, kind of getting into thetrades and don't know much about
fabricating, because that's atrade that's kind of dying like,
like we said, you know, what isit that attracted you to
fabricating and what advicewould you give to someone about
getting into it?
Speaker 3 (58:58):
So welding for me was what got me into fabricating.
Welding is such a small part ofwhat I wanted to do, so once I
realized I don't want to bewelding all day long, I want to
be making something from startto finish and be able to weld it
.
Yeah.
(59:19):
You know.
So for someone who wants to getinto fabrication is for take a
class.
If you're able to get talk topeople about it, get a feel if
that's the right thing for you.
Like you said, there is a lotof math with it, A lot of
problem solving.
You're going to get reallyfrustrated when things aren't
(59:40):
making sense, once I found outthat my brain kind of works in
that way where I can problemsolve things on the fly, then I
was like, okay, I can figurethis out.
Fabrication's right for me,yeah.
Speaker 1 (59:57):
I remember when I was just looking into getting
fabricate, into fabricating, andI had a mentor his name was
Terry and he's like you see thatblueprint, that little piece,
like we're just looking at apiece of a massive blueprint,
and I was like, yeah, he's likenow close your eyes, can you
still see it?
And I was like, yeah, he's likecan now close your eyes, can
you still see it?
And I was like, yeah, he's likecan you move it around in your
head?
I was like, yeah, I can kind ofmove it around.
(01:00:18):
He's like, all right, you canbe a fabricator.
He's like if you don't have animagination, you can never be a
fabricator, because you have tohave an imagination.
You got to be able to imaginewhat this looks like when it's
done.
That's how you'll catchmistakes, because if you look at
the blueprint and it's just abunch of numbers, you're gonna
(01:00:39):
make a mistake, you're gonnascrew something up I like that.
But if you can look at a drawingand just imagine it, then
that's the difference, becausenow you'll be like, oh wait,
wait, like you'll get a gutfeeling me like something's not
right, because that's not theway I saw it in my head.
Some you know, and then itmakes you double check, right I
like that.
Speaker 3 (01:00:59):
I'm gonna use that but our our lead fabricator.
I would love hopefully hisbrain, yeah because I don't want
him to get a big head.
But, if I could just put hisbrain in my brain and just he
like he's one of those guys thatdid exactly what you said.
(01:01:19):
He can move it around in hishead, he can figure it out and
it's like I want to do that.
I want to be able to do that.
Speaker 1 (01:01:26):
Yeah, it takes practice, it takes time.
Speaker 3 (01:01:29):
Oh, for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
He's like seven or eight years into it yeah.
Awesome, well, well.
Thank you so much, cassie.
This has been a fantasticinterview.
I learned lots about yourprogram and about you.
Speaker 3 (01:01:41):
It's been great yeah, I love being on.
This is so cool any shout outs.
Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
You'd like to send anybody any hellos?
Speaker 3 (01:01:50):
yeah, I'll shout out the girls from women on Sight
Pandora, patty, alicia, allthose girls, kaylee from school
and.
Anton, yeah, those are my guys.
Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Awesome.
Well, I hope they listen.
We'll make them listen, yeahwe'll make them listen.
And I'm out in Toronto all thetime.
So I hope you get involved withthe Toronto chapter.
I hope you get involved withsome of the local stuff going on
out there, because I'm outthere, you know, pretty often
and I love catching up to seewhat's going on in the community
out there.
Speaker 3 (01:02:24):
Yeah, it'd be great to meet.
Speaker 1 (01:02:26):
Yeah, and I'd love to see your shop.
Speaker 3 (01:02:28):
Oh yeah, come on.
Speaker 1 (01:02:30):
That'd be awesome.
Yeah, oh, yeah, come on.
Speaker 3 (01:02:34):
That'd be awesome.
Yeah, you should send me theinformation in email.
Speaker 5 (01:02:36):
I'd like to go visit.
I love that stuff also.
I would love that that's fun.
Speaker 1 (01:02:38):
Okay, I'm like in toronto in a couple weeks.
Maybe I'll just stop by rightaway.
Speaker 3 (01:02:41):
So yeah, you never know, maybe we'll make a metal
rose oh, that'd be awesome.
Speaker 1 (01:02:48):
I've never made one.
I've never actually made one ofmy own really yeah, yeah, I've
like literally helped peoplemake them and like organized old
groups to make them, but I'venever sat down and made one
myself.
Buddy.
That is kind of weird, eh.
Yeah, there's still time.
Yeah, there is still time.
I'm not dead yet.
(01:03:08):
I'm not pushing daisies I canstill make daisies.
Yeah, all right, cassie.
Well, take care, I'd love tohave you on.
So thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (01:03:17):
Thank you, Max.
Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
All right and for all the people that have been
downloading, sharing and lovingour show, keep it up.
We love you, our fans, we lovethe fan mails that you're
sending in through our newfeature on our Buzzsprout feed.
So we host the podcast throughBuzzsprout.
I know it goes out to all thelistening streams, but that's
where we post them and on thatapp we have a feedback and
(01:03:39):
people can send me any questionthey want and I answer them.
So in the next couple monthsyou're going to start seeing
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I do of just me answeringquestions from the public.
So use the feature and, ofcourse, keep sharing and
downloading the podcast.
It's much appreciated and Iwill see you at the next one.
(01:03:59):
So take care.
We hope you enjoy the show.
Speaker 2 (01:04:18):
Do you own a company in the welding industry or want
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(01:04:40):
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All right, I can check.
Check, I'm good.
So I'm Max Duran.
Max Duran, cwb AssociationWelding Podcast, pod pod podcast
.
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Happy welding.
Hello and welcome to anotheredition of the CWB Association
podcast.
(01:05):
My name is Max Saron and, asalways, I'm trying to find the
cool talent out there acrossCanada and the world.
Today I have a wonderful callercalling in today from Toronto,
ontario.
We got Cassie Zinga, who is afitter fabricator and she's an
apprentice and she works for astructural company.
How are you doing today, cassieI a structural company.
(01:26):
How are you doing?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
today, cassie, I'm doing great.
How are you doing, max?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
I'm great Number one.
First of all, I love having afabricator on the show.
That's my love.
My second love.
I started in welding, but Ibecame a fabricator, so it was
good and sunny.
It's cold.
Well, it's warm in Saskatchewan, but I got a cold wind.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
So it's kind of weird yeah, for sure.
How's Ontario treating youtoday?
It's good we got some sun.
Yesterday was pretty nice.
We had a few nice weekends, soI'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
How was work today?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
How was the shop Today is good, of course.
Being a fabrication fitter,nothing wants to fit, so that's
what hammers are for dealingwith that today yeah, yeah,
dealing with that today, but wegot her done so good, good.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well, let's start a little bit.
You know you, you're calling mefrom Ontario and is.
Is that where you call home?
Is that where your roots?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
are.
I grew up about 45 minutes eastof Toronto in Whippy and then I
moved to Toronto when I was 20.
I'm 29 now.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yeah Well, you look like you're 22.
I'm sure you hear that all thetime.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Thank you.
Sometimes I get ID'd, sometimes.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
I haven't got ID'd since I was like eight, so I
guess I've always looked like anold potato.
So oh man so you know you'regrowing up in a small town.
You know in, uh well, whitby'snot that small.
You know you're growing outsideof toronto yeah and uh, at some
point you got the bugs, solet's talk's talk about that.
(03:04):
What attracted young Cassieinto the trades?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
So I did construction all throughout high school and
I loved it and I actually wonthe grade 12 construction award
at our graduation and my teacherreally took me under his wing.
I was one of the few girls inthe class and he just he was a
great guy, but I was dead set ongoing to school for
(03:31):
firefighting oh, firefightingokay yeah yeah.
So I said construction off tothe side, I'm gonna go to school
for firefighting.
And I did that, graduated,loved it, but I just knew it
wasn't gonna be my career and Imoved to Toronto because I love
(03:56):
live music and it just drew mein, kind of got astray, didn't
know what exactly I wanted to doand started working for a
loading dock okay, so deliveriesand stuff like that I was there
for five years, ended upmanaging.
(04:16):
There had a team of great people, but I kind of climbed the
ladder as high as I could in theposition yeah um, and then
trace came into play how didthat happen?
So I was like I always had aninterest in the trades and my
(04:37):
partner is actually a plumberplumbing apprentice and he heard
of women on site which I knowthat you're aware of women on
site yeah he was like you haveto follow all of these girls and
message them and like, get afeel of what's going on welding
was.
I had no idea welding, fitting,fabricating was I didn't even
(05:01):
know those things existed at thetime and I went to to one of
their meetings the Women on Sitemeetings and I talked to some
of the girls there and weldingwas one of those things where I
was like whoa that's cool and alot of the women in the Women on
Site program are in the weldingfields.
(05:21):
Yeah, there's quite a bit ofthem, and I went home from that
meeting and I googled canadawelding woman or something
instagram and alicia buddy cameup yeah because she's the first
thing that comes up with canadawelding girl and I messaged her
and I told her my interest andshe said why don't you come to
(05:43):
her shop and we'll play around?
Yeah and oh, I was notexpecting her to respond she has
so many followers right like.
I was just amazed and I got togo to her shop and make a metal
rose it was the first time I hadtouched a welder.
(06:03):
We'd used MIG.
I had never seen it before andI was on a high the rest of the
day, like I was holding thisrose with me wherever I went I
was so excited.
Yeah, I made this oh so cool,and so I was like I'm gonna
apply to school I applied towelding school.
This is, this is amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah, the rest is kind of history well, let's go
back there, because number onefirefighting, you know so like
you.
So you well, maybe even let'sgo back further construction.
So you were working inconstruction in high school.
So I guess why you know that'salready not a stereotypical kind
of gig that a lot of girls arelooking at to get into in high
(06:44):
school.
Like you know, everyone'slooking for like the burger
kings or the, you know theworking at the hotels on the
weekends or whatever kind ofjobs.
What attracted you to get intoconstruction while you were in
high school?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
well, I was taking construction in high school okay
, so it was a class in highschool.
So I wasn't working on thefield, but I grew up with all
boys and if there was somethingthat I wanted done, my dad would
be like wanting to teach me howto do it myself without the
help.
And so as soon as I saw it onthe course registry there was
(07:21):
like what do you do home ec orsomething.
I was like that's not for me, Idon't want to do that, let's do
the construction and still tothis day.
I mean the grade 12 class.
I made a uh dime, not diningroom, a living room table like a
coffee table.
It's still my coffee table inmy house now that's awesome.
(07:42):
I yeah, it was so, so cool.
So I stuck that out for thefour years and it was.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
It was great, like even just learning how to use
hand tools was amazing, yeah,just that confidence to be, like
I need to pick up a tool anduse it right yes, for sure, for
sure it's interesting, uh, and Idon't want to.
I don't want to slang home ec,because I took home ec.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
I mean, yeah, but I knew I wasn't going to be good
at it.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
But I'm a great cook so I feel like it helped.
I feel like it helped, so it'sgood.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
But what about baking ?
Baking's hard.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Baking is hard, so I can cook really well, but I'm
not a very good baker becauseI'm not I agree, I'm not very
good baker, because I'm not.
I agree I'm not very like goodat following recipes.
I always want to like add alittle bit extra, but it's funny
because I just interviewedsomeone the other day.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
We were talking about how baking and welding are
identical because of metallurgy.
I see, I said this to myforeman at work that I was
horrible at baking and he's likehow are you welding?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
And I was like, oh, oh, it's not the same.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
he's like yeah, I feel like ingredients, alloys,
things change different things.
So I get it, I get it okay.
So so you grew up in a worldwhere the trades were kind of
like accepted you know.
Like you said, you grew uparound all boys, so it was
already on your radar.
You, you were liking it.
You, you already got kind ofpast that fear part.
(09:06):
Then then we get to firefightingnow.
I know a lot of people thathave gone in to be firefighters.
A lot of my friends werefirefighters, but not for a
career.
Like you said, a lot of peopletried it for a bit.
Very few of them decided theywanted to do that for the rest
of their lives yeah yeah, whatwas it that attracted you to
(09:27):
firefighting?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I think it was that same kind of thing that
attracted me to construction ina way, because I couldn't
imagine sitting at a desk typingaway like there were people
that knew exactly what theywanted to do, from grade nine,
you know but did they, did theyor did someone just tell them
(09:51):
what they were gonna do?
or that.
Yeah, but for me it was.
I, firefighting was one ofthose things right, was so
interested in it and I didn'tknow anything about university
or any of those complicatedcourses.
I was like firefighting, that'sit for me.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I'm gonna do that it's kind of like what you
always said when you were little.
We're like what do?
Speaker 3 (10:15):
you want to do when you grow up and you're like
firefighter.
You just stuck with it, youjust stuck with it it's
something that was comfortablein your brain, and I was always
used to being um in maledominated spaces as well, so it
was yeah, it's normal yeah yeah,why didn't.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Why didn't you stick it out what happened?
Speaker 3 (10:36):
well, I graduated, I got my d-dad license.
I did all of that and.
And I realized that I wouldhave liked to do it more as a
volunteer one day.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Like a volunteer firefighter in your area.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah, yeah, Like hopefully in the future move out
of the city type deal yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
It's interesting, I got some friends that are the
small town volunteerfirefighters.
It's still more work than theyexpected.
Oh for sure, but you get toscratch that itch, you know yeah
, yeah, yeah, and it's a bit ofa thrill-seeking thing too,
right?
Yeah, yeah, for sure because,like I mean the firefighting
it's like you want to be a, acare worker or like a health
(11:22):
care worker where you are thereon site, but you also don't want
to be a nurse, you don't wantto be taking care of people all
the time right and you want tohave the the thrill of the call
and the work, but then it's alsolike and helping people, but
then it's also, yeah, the riskand the danger and horrifying
it's, yeah, exactly, it's likeyou know you're giving yourself
(11:45):
ptsd like on purpose oh yeah
Speaker 3 (11:48):
yeah, and it's like everyone always talks about the
dangerous fumes of firefighting.
Like my stepdad is thefirefighter and I'm like well, I
traded those fumes for weldingfumes yeah, yeah you still?
Speaker 1 (12:02):
gotta wear.
You still gotta suit up, yougotta wear all this gear and oh
for sure before you even go intowork.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
I'm the queen of ppe.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
I'm the queen of ppe let's that's great, I was just
talking to someone.
Uh, geez, was it.
Yesterday I was at a careerfair and I ran into an old
friend of mine, an iron worker,paul groniak, and uh, we were
talking about getting oldbecause we've been welding since
we were kids and I said saidyou know, I'm just waiting for
the ball to drop because Iwelded.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
No.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I welded chrome for like 20 years without a mask.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
With nothing, nothing .
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Like right, and now you read articles and it's like,
even if you're around, chromefor like one day it'll take 10
years off your life.
I was like what you know it'slike.
So I I think about that.
I'm like man.
You know, 30 years ago we knewto wear earplugs and we knew to
wear ice glasses, like theobvious things, but we just kind
(12:56):
of trusted the that theelectrode fumes weren't that bad
for us.
Like we didn't like I mean, wewould just open the door and let
the wind blow it out and thatwas good enough right, like no
respirators or anything I knowlike I didn't even see someone
wear respirator until, like, Iwas 10 years into the industry
and then it was weird they wouldget made fun of.
(13:18):
It was like oh say, you're sosafe, and like people would be
mean to people being safe.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
It's weird like well, it's even like it goes with
anything like I ride my bike towork and all the guys I work
with also ride their bikes work.
Now I'm the only one that wearsa helmet.
I'm like guys, ride in toronto,wear your ppe yeah, you must
wear.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
I wear my helmet on my bike, but it's funny because
I didn't now I know, now I knowright, like I mean exactly well,
I guess, if you're a weldertoday and you're not wearing
your ppe, something's weird,because now we know right, it's
when, uh, when the new guys aretrying with cool welding in
their t-shirt I'm like check inwith me tomorrow see
(14:06):
how that feels so.
You decide after meeting alicia, who's wonderful.
You know we worked with her fora bunch of stuff.
She's a great girl and I thinkshe's on her second child now.
So that's great, you know yeah,yeah, oh, my god so that's good
, and you decide that you thismaking of the rose is a turning
(14:27):
point in your life and you wantto pursue welding so now what?
What do you do?
You go home, you're all pumpedabout welding, and how do you
even start thinking aboutgetting into it?
Speaker 3 (14:38):
because that confuses a lot of people yeah, I was so
scared but I just knew I had topick something and run with it
and like that pivotal momentwith Alicia it was like this
made me so excited let's just gofor it yeah so I got everything
together and I live very closeto George Brown uh campus and
(15:01):
I'm like I'm only gonna apply toGeorge Brown and they're gonna
take me so.
I I applied to George Brown andthey took me and it was just the
start of something so greatlike I'm so happy that I made
(15:22):
that decision it, yeah, it yeah,it was great.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
So the program you decided to take, like the Fitter
Welder Program, first of all,sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
This program is the Welding Techniques Program.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Okay, Welding Techniques Program Okay.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Yeah, yeah.
So there was a fabricationclass and that was in the second
semester of it, and that waskind of when I found my niche.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Okay, so explain to me.
Yeah, Cause I before theinterview I didn't.
I said you know, I don't knowtoo many students from George
Brown.
So like, what are the?
What was the program that yousigned up for, Like length time,
and what is it?
What's in it?
So this is another reason why Itook it.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
It was eight months, okay, so one school term, right,
yeah, and so it.
So the first semester focused alot on the basics of stick mig
and then, um, we didn'tintroduce pig until second
semester and we just had basicmy allergy.
Um, math for welders, which wasincredible.
(16:30):
I use it every day at work andI'm so happy that that was the
course that's the math theyshould teach everyone.
Honestly, it's the best math ohmy gosh, it's the best and it
makes sense in your head, whichis great and um yeah.
So first semester was very,very basic Blue print reading,
et cetera.
Second semester was morefocused on keg.
(16:54):
We still had six hours of sticka week, which was quite a lot
compared to two hours of makes,but it's okay and um, that's
when we had our fabricationclass as well okay, and then
after the two semesters, you'rewhat happens.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Is there a co-op to help you find a job?
No, do you get out in the worlddo you get to uh challenge any
cwb tickets at all?
Come up with any certs at all?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
We got to challenge our sick slot for CWB and did
you get it.
Yes, I did get it.
It was a really good experienceactually.
Our inspector was super niceand made us all feel super
comfortable, so that was good.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Awesome.
And then they cut you loose.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
They're like get out there young young people and get
to work yeah, and so a big partof that for me was I don't have
a job after this, right like Iquit my job to go to school.
So I started looking for jobsbefore second semester started
and I had one day off a weekwith school.
So I was telling everyone hey,I can work thursdays and then,
(18:06):
after school is done, I can befull-time, and which is a very
hard ask to ask yeah, yeahemployers right yeah but people
are looking for people likecrazy.
I'm sure you got some takersyeah, well, the one taker that I
liked is the one I'm working onnow.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Still, yeah it worked out good so it worked out good.
So, yeah, let's, let's, let'syou know this program that you
took, how many women were inyour class and when you took the
program uh, I believe there waseight, which was pretty good.
That's good, yeah, and alldifferent ages, as which was
pretty good, that's good, yeah,and all different ages as well,
which was nice.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Like we had people straight out of high school and
we had people older than me.
So I was really afraid that Iwas going to be the oldest
person there and I wasn't.
Yeah, but even if I was, itwould have been fine.
Everyone was super nice.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Good yeah, now the program you you took, you know
you, you feel I guess you'regonna come out of any program
feeling pretty good withyourself.
You got good marks, you feelpretty confident.
But then you know you also arejust scratching the surface of
what welding is right because sogreen yeah, you're still so
(19:20):
green and there's also like Imean, and then there's welding
and then there's fabricating,which are two different trades,
that they hold hands all the way, but they're two different kind
of red seals.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Right, yeah, did you did.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
You kind of know that you would want to go down more
of a fabrication road.
I mean, I think theconstruction background lends
really well to fabrication,because it's kind of the same
yeah, so one of our teachers umshout out to edgar, I know he'll
listen to this hey edgar, hewas incredible, he, and he was
(19:54):
started off sitting andfabricating um and learning from
him was.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
I can't even put into words how grateful I am for him
.
He was the one that broughtthat idea to my head and he
taught that fabrication courseand I don't think if he wasn't
there and didn't teach it, Iprobably wouldn't have had such
a strong interest and applied tothe places that I did, right,
right.
So it was really influenced,honestly, and then that got me
(20:28):
to be so interested in that partof it.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
So a lot of the fabrication work out there is
either tied to usuallystructural or like, whether it's
industrial or commercial orkind of repair or custom fab for
industry, whether it's miningor lumber or power generation or
whatever you're building stuff.
So what kind of work did youget into?
Speaker 3 (20:55):
So my shop does custom architectural fabrication
and also custom public art.
Oh, wow.
So I got extremely, I like tosay I found a unicorn of a shop,
because I did not expect to getinto a shop where I would be
creating art.
It's so cool, like right nowwe're working on a giant
(21:19):
staircase, which is amazing,because they have me working on
the stringers and stuff and it'slike, well, I'm working with
these giant pieces of metal likefitting little puzzle pieces
together.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Yeah, it's incredible , I love it the the hard part
about uh art, installation orcommercial art is that it has to
be so perfect because peoplereally look at it.
You know if you're doing anindustrial staircase in the
bottom of a mine.
Yes, it needs to be safe andyes, it needs to be done well,
but no one looks at it.
(21:52):
No one's like, oh, someonespilled their coffee on that or
something you know what.
I mean oh no, but when you'redoing commercial installations,
people look.
Yeah, and even the staircasestoo, like their art in itself,
they're yeah, we're doing agiant six floor spiral staircase
right now that's awesome, crazy, it's crazy so as a young woman
(22:14):
coming into that shop, you knowhow important was it to have
the support of the people aroundyou.
Like did you feel scaredgetting out into, like, the real
world of welding?
Speaker 3 (22:27):
So my boss likes to make fun of me, because when he
called me, I asked him what ifhe wants me to bring my gear
right?
And he's like, oh, you reallywant to do this the right way,
don't you?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
I'm like yeah, I learned this.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Like get me in there like put me, and I had never
done a cwv test before.
And I went to the shop and he'slike can you flux core?
I was like I'd done flux coreonce and I'm like yeah, let's go
and I did my first cwv testthrough the shop, so it didn't
get sent out anywhere, it wasjust for them and, um, he liked
(23:03):
it, I passed and that gave me alot of confidence.
I was like okay, he knows, I'mnot just here to screw around
and yeah, you're gonna have areal job you're gonna be
involved yeah yes, exactly, andso I I didn't feel scared, I was
more excited than anythingreally, and was I was only
(23:27):
working Thursdays at the timewith school, and it was.
I didn't want to mentionanything to anyone because I
also didn't want to jinx it.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Yeah, yeah, or come off like a brag yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Yeah, Right and uh, so I just kind of held it in
until I knew I was going to befull time after school and I was
like everyone how did yourclass do in general?
Speaker 1 (23:51):
like, how did?
How did everyone, did everyonegraduate?
Um, because, like I mean, Ihear about, I hear it every day,
the shortage of welders and I'mhoping that every class out
there is everyone, everyonepasses.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
A little bit of a humble brag, but everyone in my
class which was 23 students, Ithink 24, only two people didn't
pass their CWB test, so that'spretty good.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
That's pretty good yeah.
I just got an email thismorning about a sad student who
failed a Cwb test today and waslike I'm losing, I'm losing hope
, I don't know if I shouldcontinue.
And I was like, no, you gottastick it out, it's a long career
, you got a long life ahead ofyou, like one of my bosses when
I was waiting for the results,because I'm my own work critic,
(24:39):
obviously we all are yeah andI'm like I definitely failed.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
And he's like why do you keep saying that?
I'm like I'm just preparingmyself?
And he's like well, it took methree times to get it and I was
like okay, If it takes one ofthe bosses.
That long that's okay.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Yeah, exactly.
Well, this is a good time for abreak.
Let's stop here and go for ouradvertisers and then when I get
back I want to talk to you moreabout like there's like a few
kind of notes I made here aboutyour career and how you got into
it that I think are pretty key.
So, uh, we're gonna go talk toour, let our advertisers do some
talking, and they're gonna blabto you about the great people
(25:14):
that sponsor us, and then we'llbe right back here with cassie
zinga on the cwb associationpodcast.
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And we are back on the CWBAssociation podcast.
My name is Max Duran and I'mhere with Cassie, who's been
talking to me about her careerin the fabrication world For a
(27:00):
really cool architecturalstructural company that does
installation artwork as well,which sounds like the dream job,
honestly yeah, yeah it.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
I feel like I lucked out.
And I say I lucked out, but Ialso worked very hard.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Yeah, you chased it.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
It sounded like you're pretty uh, you know
focused on that place yeah,there was two shops that I
really, really liked and they'reactually in the same, like five
minutes away from each otherand I was just like.
I want one of these.
So bad like, but they both.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
They also collaborate sometimes too, which is so cool
even better, even better yeahso a couple of the things that I
noticed when you were talkingthat I think is important for
the listeners is your first,desire to get more information.
And you just go into Google andhaving like Alicia show up, you
know, on on, on your, on yourfeed and going to this instant
(27:54):
internet world.
So, like you go to Instagram,you go to TikTok, you go to
facebook now and you will see somuch, like so many more people
now promoting the trades rightnow.
For someone like you who kindof doesn't know much about it
but was just curious, howimportant is it to to be able to
(28:15):
find these mentors online?
Speaker 3 (28:18):
it is so important Like I didn't realize how big
networking would be in thetrades.
I had no idea.
And I personally made anInstagram when I started school
just to post progress and stuff.
But connecting with people onthat was so key Because if I had
(28:40):
a trouble, a trouble, if I hadtrouble in class that my
teachers couldn't answer, orsomething like anything I would
message someone say hey, look atthis, why does this look like
this?
yeah, can you help me what?
Or even just hey, that looksgreat.
Keep going, you know and it'simportant.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
How did you find the support to be online?
Because I know that some peopleand I hear it every now and
then, but I don't necessarilyagree but a lot of people are
like, oh, you got to watch thehaters online.
There's so many haters, there'sso much negativity online.
I haven't had that experience.
I find that most of the peopleonline are really supportive of
me and sure, I have a hater.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
Here and there someone says something mean, but
it's like very rare, to behonest I think the only time I
ever experienced anything or sawanything like that was we had a
portfolio class at school andwe had to make a linkedin
profile as part of our portfolioclass.
I'd never had one before I Ididn't know what I was getting
(29:42):
into.
We had to.
We had to post pictures of likefive posts for mark and I
posted a um practice flat thickplate and I didn't have run on
and run off tabs.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
Oh my gosh this circulated and I was getting
bullied really, what are youdoing?
Why aren't you?
Why don't?
Where's your runoff tabs?
Speaker 3 (30:08):
yes, oh my gosh, and they were.
It was all grown men.
I was like oh no but that wasthe only.
Thing.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
It was pretty harmless and yeah, and that's
LinkedIn, that's like for boringpeople anyways.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
It's so funny, oh my God.
Yeah, but on my Instagram,nothing.
Everyone's so supportive.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Yeah, and as a woman, you know how important was it
to find programs like Women onSite and to find programs like
the Instagram groups that areout there, which are some very
big ones.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yeah, find programs like the instagram groups that
are out there, which is very bigones.
Yeah, so it actually startedwith when I went for the open
house at george brown, we had afemale welding tech on site and
seeing her there tellingeveryone about the machines, the
program, like being soknowledgeable I was just like oh
my gosh, amazing yeah.
I have her to look up to duringthe program, so I had that
in-person female um inspirationand then all these online
(31:16):
personalities I guess that Icould reach out to and I I was
just talking to a friend aboutthis the other day I was like I
looked up to you a year ago andI still look up to her,
obviously but, I looked up toyou like you were some celebrity
and it's just so cool to now beon that same career path as
(31:42):
that person I was looking up toyeah, you can talk shop and it's
like you have a common language.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Yeah, yes, it's so cool yeah I love it, I, I, yeah
no, it's great and like are youstarting to see now that perhaps
you could be that person forothers?
Speaker 3 (32:03):
I had a guy message me from high school and he was
like I thought you, like youwent for a second career and all
the stuff and you reallyinspired me to go back to school
.
I was like oh my god it'shappening.
It's happening yeah I wasrunning around my shop I I was
like, yeah, I put this message Igot.
(32:25):
It's so true.
I would love to have someonelook at that and go, oh, she did
it, I can do it.
Yeah.
Obviously yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
And that's one of the things I think that is most
inspiring for people, withouteven them knowing it, is that
just being your yourself, justbeing your authentic self and
succeeding opens the door forother people to want to succeed,
because they see a little bitof of you in them, right?
Speaker 3 (32:57):
yeah, and when I was listening to a previous episode
that you had posted I can can'tremember who said it, but they
were like some people weremessaging me, saying you don't,
I don't know, you don't know me,but you inspired me to go back
and do something else and likethat's incredible.
Yeah.
To have such a positive impactis so cool.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Now in your job.
Now you know what, what.
What's your goal?
You know.
Are you, uh, the type of workyou're in?
Are you required to get yourred seal?
Do they want you to get morecerts?
You know because you got a job,and what happens to a lot of
people that start anapprenticeship is that they stay
in apprenticeship forever, likeI I run into people that are 30
(33:42):
year apprentices because theynever went back to finish it off
you know, like are you?
are you concerned about that orare you?
Do you have a plan forfinishing out your career?
Your, your?
Speaker 3 (33:52):
I guess not your career, but your, your education
yeah, so that was one of thefirst things that I asked the
shop.
I said would you be interestedin having me as an apprentice so
that I can get my red seal?
Yeah and they have never had aregistered apprentice like
through um material fitting andfabrication?
(34:15):
yes, through the ontarioapprenticeship.
They'd never had one before,but they were armed open, ready
to go taking eating forapprenticeship.
So my goal is to get my redseal in fabrication fitting and
then possibly in welding afterthat's awesome.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
So, yeah, thank you for doing the fab, the fitting,
the metal fitter apprenticeship,because it's dying.
There's very few people gettingthat red seal anymore no um,
it's like a dying trade and it'svery sad for me because I I
love it so much, I've been ableto work on so many amazing,
amazing projects because of thatred seal.
(34:53):
And I think about the future.
I'm like who's going to bedoing these things, who's going
to be learning how to?
because to be an actualfabricator, red seal, you got to
know trigonometry and algebraand you go yeah it's advanced
mathematics and and you can'tjust always trust an engineer
like you got to be able to workthe math out yourself, right,
(35:14):
and and that's kind of dyingright I know I just had this
conversation with my boss onlast friday is the shop drawings
?
Speaker 3 (35:23):
yeah, we have.
The engineers are sending stuffin, but he tweaks so many
measurements and, yeah, he's afabricator by trade yeah and
he's like I really want to getyou in on the shop drawings so
that you can also learn thisstuff yeah so that my goal is to
be as knowledgeable as I can be.
(35:44):
Honestly, I want to be theperson that someone comes to
they're like.
I don't know how to do this.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Let's ask kathy you know, yeah, yeah yeah, right now
I am so far from that, but oh,they could be like wait, hey,
how do you do, uh, your, how doyou set your flux core machine?
Yeah, yeah, something like that.
Still something useful, stilluseful, yeah yeah.
(36:09):
What's your family think?
Like your family like what'syour family think.
You know you move away, youhave a couple different careers.
You're trying these differentpaths.
You know, at some point I'msure your mom and dad or you
know your family, was like picksomething already.
What are you doing, cassie?
What's going on?
Speaker 3 (36:28):
it was.
My mom was afraid of me leavingmy last job because I made
really good money there, I hadamazing benefits, that really
good time off and everything.
Why are you leaving?
Speaker 6 (36:42):
this You're pretty much set at the job if you want
to say I was so bored Max I waslike I can't do this.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
My dad, on the other hand, he's like just go for it,
do it.
And now they're both my biggestfriends, my dad is so funny,
he's my, they're both.
My dad is so funny like he'll I.
I made him like silly littlethings at school and he held it
like okay, look at me, look atthis.
Can you make my friend thislike?
(37:14):
but he knows, I'm just he knows,I'm just both of them know, I'm
just so much happier inactually going to school and
then getting a job after,instead of just letting this
fizzle out, was they're likeokay, she found it, she got it.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
And like in terms of living in Toronto, like this is
something that came up last yearwhen I was doing some work with
the Toronto chapter and it wasa question of like, okay, you
know, do welders have a life?
That's like a good life inToronto, in the GTA, because
it's a lot of things like, oh, Ican be a computer designer, but
(37:52):
that's not enough money to livein the GTA.
Or I can be this, but that'snot enough money to live in the
GTA because it's so expensive.
Now for yourself, you know, doyou feel like you can be a
welder and live in the GTA?
Speaker 3 (38:06):
you know, reasonably, yeah I think that no one can
live reasonably in toronto andbuy a house by the gpa maybe
maybe welding, welding.
Yeah, like right now.
I rent and I'm very muchcomfortable with working at the
(38:26):
shop I'm at, I ride my bike towork, which is incredible, it's
close by saves you a ton ofmoney, yeah oh for sure, but
everything's so expensive intoronto now that I don't even
know the ceo can whatevercompany it's, it's, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
it's why you say that , not even the ceo, because I
always joke with bosses aboutthat because in saskatchewan we
have all the ceos from ontarioliving here.
They run huge companies inOntario but they live out here.
You know they got the hugemansion at the lake and they
love they come out here everysummer and they and I'll run
into them and they're like ohyeah, no, I'm the CEO for like
(39:04):
CIBC in Toronto.
It's like well, what the heckare you doing out here?
It's like, well, I can't livein Toronto.
It's like what.
I live in Toronto.
It's like what?
I know it's crazy.
But and so what's?
You know you want to get thatred seal and do you see yourself
you know, obviously workingwith this company for a long
(39:25):
time.
But do you have ambitions ofperhaps owning or doing your own
thing like Alicia's?
So independent?
I know she's a mentor to you.
Do you see yourself doingsomething like that?
Speaker 3 (39:34):
so my ultimate goal would be to move out of the city
eventually.
I want to at least finish myapprenticeship yeah
apprenticeship uh in toronto andI would love to buy property
outside of the city, be avolunteer firefighter and then
just make really cool stuff forpeople that would be.
I don't know the logistics ofit all, but that is the pipe
(39:57):
dream that sounds like a prettysolid dream.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
Like I mean, most welders, I know that just want
to make cool stuff, for peopleare doing really well, to be
honest they never run out ofwork because you know, I did an
experiment about five years agowhen I was teaching at the
college.
I was like when I was young Iwas always so I don't know
ambitious that I'd always havelike two, three jobs on the go.
(40:21):
So I was like working 16, 20hours a day, every day.
It's just.
I just love that feeling ofdoing stuff.
And then I, when I startedteaching at the college, I
thought, okay, you know whatI've, I've paid my dues.
I could slow down now.
So I kind of shut down some ofthe side hustles.
And then summer came around andI get summer's off right.
(40:43):
So I was like well, all the docor all the other teachers, they
just like do nothing for thesummer, they like relax and like
you know.
But I'm not very good at doingthat.
So I literally put an ad inkijiji being like because could
you use free, right?
And I was like yeah you knowwhat?
Certified welder looking topick up work over the summer,
(41:06):
odds and ends.
You know we'll charge uh by by,by peace.
You know like I'll just.
You know we'll decide when youbring it in.
That was a big mistake I gotlike I got like 300 emails like
first day no way there was somuch work for me to do and I
realized that we sometimesforget about little things.
(41:29):
We get hung up that everyproject needs to be a thousand
dollars or every project needsto be ten thousand dollars or I
need to make ten thousanddollars a month to survive.
Or you forget about the factthat a lot of little old ladies
have a broken kitchen chair thatthey're willing to pay 40 bucks
to fix right right yeah, and ifyou have the, equipment that's
(41:49):
right, that's right and therewas a lot of like brass um
frames that had broken for likeantique brass frames and no one
fixes those right, I can fixthat with oxy fuel, you know I
can go buy a brass rod for threebucks at princess auto and
torch that together and so yeahI had dump trucks pulling up to
(42:09):
my house to get like a panelfixed, a chairs, kitchen tables,
lamps.
I made like 20 grand over thesummer you're back to work in
those 20-hour days, just likethat it was, and I was really
amazed, like that's not a jobyou could do, like with staff,
like you don't need to hirepeople, but when people are like
(42:31):
I don't know what I'll do forextra money for me, I learned
the lesson like if you're awelder fitter, if you're a
fabricator, and you have theseskills and you have some basic
tools, granted, I got a lot oftools.
I had invested in my tools overthe years, so I got a drill
press I got, you know, pedestalgrinders.
I got welders, I got thesethings.
If you got the basic tools towork through, there's always
(42:53):
money to be made, you know so ifyou're saying like I want to be
the small town welder.
Uh, you know, shop guaranteed.
There's going to be so muchwork for you in that area fixing
equipment, fixing this,building things for people or
people.
Yeah, lots of people have ideasand they just need someone to
help them make it because theydon't know how to right.
Yeah, I got a lot of peoplehave ideas and they just need
someone to help them make itbecause they don't know how to
(43:15):
right.
Yeah, I got a lot of peoplebeing like, oh, I want to make
like a, a custom surround for myhot tub.
Is there anything that doesn'trust?
Like, yeah, the stainless oraluminum.
Well, I want to get a fancydesign in it.
I'm like, well, just draw it ona piece of paper.
I would literally justphotocopy that, import it into
cad and get it cut out at alaser shop and done yeah, you
know what I mean like and it'sgreat, like it's great.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
That's another reason why I wanted to join a trade as
well, because it you are ableto move to a remote spot and
they'll have work, you know yeah, absolutely yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
Now, what about the other parts of your dreams?
You know your firefighters, um,welding, you know like welding
is, uh, like I did welding firstand then fab.
You're doing fab first andwelding.
And just fyi, when you have onered seal, you don't need as
many hours for the second one.
You knock a whole bunch of stuffoff, so it doesn't get easier
yeah you know, do you want tolike at some point, if you want
(44:16):
to get that welding red.
So you're gonna have to getinto a welding shop.
You're gonna have to put instraight welding hours what kind
?
Of work would you like to dofor that?
Speaker 3 (44:27):
I haven't thought that far ahead yeah, um, I have
a few years now I have a friendright now um pandora.
Actually she just finished,she's in her third um third
block of schooling forfabrication and she just got a
job um a welding job for her outof the city okay, so she's kind
(44:49):
of I always joke with her and Isay I'm one step behind you
like I'm right on your heels.
You're chasing her down yeah,yeah, so probably follow
something similar to her andjust get something out of the
city to well I'm good to do wellI haven't talked to her since
before her third block.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
I know that I had you know.
I told her that if she needsany help, let me know, because I
miss teaching she has been sogood to me.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
Our shops are very close.
Well, now she's not thereanymore.
Our shops are so close together, so if I ever had any questions
or anything like, she bought mea blueprint book before she
left, she's like this willreally help you.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
I was like thank you is it the ipt, the blue, the one
with the blue cover?
Yeah, yes, I told her aboutthat book.
I remember, I remember I thinkit came up in the podcast, to be
honest, because I think I senther the email after being like,
you got to get this book.
It's going to be so helpful foryou, yeah yeah, it's got little
quizzes in it, yeah, yeah andit's got all the breakdowns for,
(45:52):
like, how the math works, whichis so nice.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (45:57):
I never thought I'd be excited about a blueprint
book but here we are.
Speaker 1 (46:02):
It's like on the coffee table.
People are like that's soboring.
It's like no, no, no.
Look, if you lift a load that'sover three tons and you're off
center, you need to do a sixinch blah, blah, blah and you're
like what?
Speaker 3 (46:11):
are you talking about my life today?
Speaker 1 (46:17):
trying to lift off center crazy things.
Yeah, yeah, that's fun.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
You guys got a big crane in the shop, then is it a
big shop uh, so we have one shopin toronto and then we also
have a shop in etobicoke and Iwas at our etobicoke shop today
and we have a nice crane inthere.
It's a big boy, but at our shopin toronto we just have a
little gantry crane it'll justbe, the gyp grains yeah yeah,
(46:45):
but it's right over my table,which is great yeah, then you
can do everything.
Perfect, yeah, yeah yeah, it'sgreat because I hate, you know
how it is you hate asking forhelp with things that you don't
want to bother everyone.
Obviously I do ask for help,but when I get that crane I'm
like I can do it.
Speaker 1 (47:01):
Yeah, I mean it's, it's always and it's fun to be
strong.
Like welding makes you strong,right?
Speaker 3 (47:06):
because like fun to be smart and strong.
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Yeah, exactly yeah like, whenever I work with wood,
like my carpenter buddies, I'llbe like, hey, you want to come
help me out at the, you know,building a garage or something?
I'll make sure.
And I go to grab like plywoodand they're like, oh careful,
that sheet of plywood's heavy.
It's like you don't know whatheavy is.
Wood's not heavy.
I can pick up a sheet ofplywood, get out of here, try
(47:30):
picking up a sheet of 14 gauge.
Good luck now we have to becareful about our back lots of
thing you know, don't be, don'tbe irresponsible, because you
only get one back and you youcome across a lot of welders
with back problems in your lifeand it's from lifting them,
those heavy things.
(47:51):
So I mean one side of it.
It keeps you in shape.
As soon as I quit welding, Igot fat.
When I was still welding I wasalways in good shape and then as
soon, as I got it all the timeyeah, exactly.
And as soon as I got a desk job,I was like oh man, I'm falling
apart because you're so used tobeing like I eat so much now
(48:11):
yeah, yeah well you have to.
I'm always hungry yeah, youhave to.
You spend so much energy.
And how much water you drinkwhen you're welding, it's like
liters.
Now it's hard for me to drink aliter a day.
I'm like, oh my god, what'swrong with me?
Speaker 3 (48:25):
my little brother is a journeyman carpenter and he's
like yeah, welcome to eating asmuch as you want.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
I'm like nice now, one of the things you said that
was interesting, I don't yeah,that gym gymming is for people
that want to show off, I guess.
But yeah no, not me, you canhave that yeah, one of the items
you brought up that I thoughtwas interesting when you said
you wanted to move to Toronto isthat you were following music.
(48:54):
Did I catch that right?
Speaker 3 (48:57):
Yeah, I loved the music.
Well, I still love it, but Iloved going to local shows.
I would take the train fromWhippy three times a week.
It was so I don't know how Idid it.
I would go to work the next dayand everything and just fell in
love with the community and thelocal scene in Toronto and
that's what really drew me here.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
Like I love music.
I was a musician myself and Itotally get that, and I think
that it's kind of one of theprivileges of being in the
trades too.
Like I got into the tradesyoung, so I always kind of had a
good job.
So whenever concerts would comeup that I wanted to go to, I
(49:38):
could go yeah, you could affordthem I could afford it which was
so fun because I love going toshows, like I'm gonna go see
lincoln park here in septemberin vancouver right, and it's fun
because I'll have a friend justreach out and be like hey,
vancouver, september, lincolnpark.
I'll be like yeah, yeah I'm inlike let's, let's do it, buckle
(49:59):
up, you know, and.
And even with local shows, it'slike you know, uh, you can just
go and and you see so manypeople in the trades at those
same shows you do.
Speaker 3 (50:10):
Yes, for sure yeah yeah, and you get to talking to
people and you're like, wow, weall have to be up at 5 am
tomorrow.
What are we?
Speaker 1 (50:18):
doing so.
True, and are you?
Are you a musician at all?
Are you into?
Are you artistic?
Speaker 3 (50:27):
I am artistic, but I am not a musician.
I could never get it quiteright, but I I do.
I paint.
Yeah, are you a?
Speaker 1 (50:40):
painter, you do art.
And what about metal art?
Have you gone down that path atall and experimented at all?
Speaker 3 (50:48):
I do silly little things for friends at the moment
.
So the last thing I'm by sillyyeah yeah, I made this little
like metal chicken for a friendout of like nuts and bolts I
actually have that soundsadorable I made this little
discota chair the other day ohwell, I haven't posted it yet,
(51:11):
because it's for someone thisweekend.
Speaker 1 (51:14):
Well, they won't see it until after this.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:18):
But I love it because it's for my sister's
mother-in-law and she was likeI'm like what do I bring her?
And she's like, make hersomething, make her something
cool.
I'm like I'll figure it out.
So I'm very lucky that I have ashop as well.
Speaker 1 (51:32):
That will let me stay after hours and I was gonna say
like do you have a place athome you can build things, or
not?
Speaker 3 (51:37):
really, I not with metal yeah, I don't have any
machines um, but work is so goodabout that like good billy, you
come in on the weekend, playaround, stay after hours, no
problem, use the safe and likein your family now, like your
(51:57):
home, you know.
Speaker 1 (51:58):
You said your, your partner is a plumber and you're
a fabricator, you know is it?
All is it shop talk all day atthe supper table.
Speaker 3 (52:08):
Do you want to know what he got me for my birthday
the other day?
Speaker 1 (52:11):
A grinder, a new five-inch grinder.
Speaker 3 (52:14):
No, he got me an impact drill and a drill and an
oscillating tool.
So like one of those kits?
Yeah, from Atlas.
Yeah, yeah.
And, oh my God, he's moreexcited than me all the time
with that.
We have a huge shelf in ourbedroom.
That's just cool.
(52:34):
I'm like this is gonna be crazyor like he found a plumb bob
the other day at a site.
He's like I got it for you,don't?
Worry you'll have your ownplumb bob look at this beautiful
plum Bob.
Speaker 1 (52:49):
It bobs so well.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
It is so plummy yeah it's a solid few hours of shop
talk when we get home from work,figuring out what we did with
each other's days, but it's good.
Speaker 1 (53:03):
It's good.
No, I think that that'swonderful.
I think it's kind of whatcrushed the trades 20 years ago
is that we stopped doing that.
We would only be like, oh, howdid you do it?
It or how did you do in yourcomputer science or doctors and
lawyers?
And we didn't give tradespeople the voice.
(53:24):
I remember my dad was a boilermaker and we would talk shop at
the dinner table.
And then there came a time whenmy dad wanted me to go to
university and was like ah, youknow, don't waste your time on
shop, don't waste your time intime.
When my dad wanted me to go touniversity and was like ah, you
know, don't waste your time onshop, don't waste your time in
the trades, you're smart, youcan go to university.
Blah, blah, blah.
And I remember thinking like,why is that?
Like almost like you're askingme to look at this as not good
(53:45):
enough and this is better.
When I've grown up my wholelife with you talking about work
, I just I always thought it wascool that what you talked about
and you'd bring me stuff fromwork, you'd bring home like
little ball bearings out ofbroken um bearings so that I can
use it my slingshot.
Speaker 3 (54:00):
You know stuff like that yeah, yeah, I, I feel like
that's definitely changing.
I don't think it's looked downupon as much as it was
previously, like even when I wasin high school.
I I don't feel like it was umand they weren't pushed as much,
but they were definitelyencouraged.
Speaker 1 (54:20):
If you were interested, you know and when
you were in high school was itstill like the attitude of like,
well, all the smart kids go touniversity and all the problem
kids go to the trades?
Speaker 3 (54:32):
because that's what it was like for me very much
when I was coming up, it wasn'tas much like that for me good um
, actually that we had the ohyeah program a couple years
after me, I think it was and mylittle brother took it oh,
amazing, amazing great for him,like yeah.
So I feel like it wasdefinitely encouraged.
(54:54):
He followed in my footsteps.
Now I'm following in hisfootsteps.
Speaker 1 (55:00):
And then and then you know it's good Like I mean in
the future for you and yourpartner and your friends.
You know you go out, you have alife and you talk about the
trades.
You know you're proud of thethings you do.
You're proud of the structuresthat exist.
You want your friends to knowabout it, and I think that
that's kind of how we fix thefuture right.
Speaker 3 (55:21):
Yeah, and I've even dragged my partner to previous
installations that I wasn't evena part of yet, but I was like
come on guys, yeah, we did it.
Take a picture of me in frontof it.
Speaker 1 (55:34):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (55:35):
But it's so important , like for me to have something
that I'm proud of and I want totalk to people about it and I'm
excited about it and it's nicethat I still have, like, my
bosses are excited abouteverything we're doing all the
time.
Not just like oh, another dayat work.
Like they're on the shop floorwith us yeah super stoked about
(55:57):
what's going on awesome, awesome.
Speaker 1 (56:00):
Yeah, now, what about your involvement with the
community?
Do you, do you want to be moreinvolved?
Are you involved like there's?
There's there's a torontochapter for the cwba?
Know they do a lot of stuff inyour area.
Um, we have, like AWMI, theassociation of women in the
metal industries.
They have a Toronto chapter.
You know, you have the welder,her programs, the women on site,
(56:22):
Jill of all trades.
There's all these amazingprograms.
Now, Do you want to be involvedwith them?
Do you see them as, as an areyou like just concentrating?
Speaker 3 (56:35):
on your career for now.
Right now I'm just blinders on,concentrated on the career, but
I would love to be involvedwith stuff in the future, like
when I was in school um, I gotinvited to the.
Um build a dream gala rightthat's huge dream yeah oh my
gosh, it was so cool and seeingeveryone that was involved in
that and talking to them likethat would be pretty neat to be
(56:59):
involved in in the future stufflike that.
But right now, blinders ontrying to make money and do cool
things at work and get yourskill up there.
Yeah and get my skill up thereobviously learn as much as I can
good, good.
Speaker 1 (57:15):
Well, this has been an awesome interview.
Just to you know, to wrap it up, I do obviously.
I always ask a couple questions, kind of at the end, in terms
of advice right from you.
So you know, in terms of ofsomeone coming into the gta,
which can be very scary.
It's a big market, lots goingon, lots of even schools and
programs that offer differentthings.
What kind of advice would yougive someone that's young and
(57:38):
looking to perhaps get into thetrades or and they're in the gta
, like how do they navigate allthis information?
Speaker 3 (57:45):
for the advice I would give would be go into the
shop that you're interested inyeah have them see your face.
Bring your gear with you.
You never know what couldhappen you know, all that they
could say is no, and so I find,even seeing from my side of
(58:05):
things at work, I don't thinkthat they check the email right.
Yeah.
You know they might, but not bemonitored all the time.
Come in Like that's how peopleget jobs.
Make an impression yeah, yeah.
Or connect with someone thatyou know that works at that shop
(58:27):
.
Speaker 1 (58:28):
Right.
Speaker 3 (58:30):
Use the internet right.
Connect with people online.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think that's the biggestthing connections and
appearances that's awesome,that's great advice.
Speaker 1 (58:41):
and now, what about for for people that are, you
know, kind of getting into thetrades and don't know much about
fabricating, because that's atrade that's kind of dying like,
like we said, you know, what isit that attracted you to
fabricating and what advicewould you give to someone about
getting into it?
Speaker 3 (58:58):
So welding for me was what got me into fabricating.
Welding is such a small part ofwhat I wanted to do, so once I
realized I don't want to bewelding all day long, I want to
be making something from startto finish and be able to weld it
.
Yeah.
(59:19):
You know.
So for someone who wants to getinto fabrication is for take a
class.
If you're able to get talk topeople about it, get a feel if
that's the right thing for you.
Like you said, there is a lotof math with it, A lot of
problem solving.
You're going to get reallyfrustrated when things aren't
(59:40):
making sense, once I found outthat my brain kind of works in
that way where I can problemsolve things on the fly, then I
was like, okay, I can figurethis out.
Fabrication's right for me,yeah.
Speaker 1 (59:57):
I remember when I was just looking into getting
fabricate, into fabricating, andI had a mentor his name was
Terry and he's like you see thatblueprint, that little piece,
like we're just looking at apiece of a massive blueprint,
and I was like, yeah, he's likenow close your eyes, can you
still see it?
And I was like, yeah, he's likecan now close your eyes, can
you still see it?
And I was like, yeah, he's likecan you move it around in your
head?
I was like, yeah, I can kind ofmove it around.
(01:00:18):
He's like, all right, you canbe a fabricator.
He's like if you don't have animagination, you can never be a
fabricator, because you have tohave an imagination.
You got to be able to imaginewhat this looks like when it's
done.
That's how you'll catchmistakes, because if you look at
the blueprint and it's just abunch of numbers, you're gonna
(01:00:39):
make a mistake, you're gonnascrew something up I like that.
But if you can look at a drawingand just imagine it, then
that's the difference, becausenow you'll be like, oh wait,
wait, like you'll get a gutfeeling me like something's not
right, because that's not theway I saw it in my head.
Some you know, and then itmakes you double check, right I
like that.
Speaker 3 (01:00:59):
I'm gonna use that but our our lead fabricator.
I would love hopefully hisbrain, yeah because I don't want
him to get a big head.
But, if I could just put hisbrain in my brain and just he
like he's one of those guys thatdid exactly what you said.
(01:01:19):
He can move it around in hishead, he can figure it out and
it's like I want to do that.
I want to be able to do that.
Speaker 1 (01:01:26):
Yeah, it takes practice, it takes time.
Speaker 3 (01:01:29):
Oh, for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
He's like seven or eight years into it yeah.
Awesome, well, well.
Thank you so much, cassie.
This has been a fantasticinterview.
I learned lots about yourprogram and about you.
Speaker 3 (01:01:41):
It's been great yeah, I love being on.
This is so cool any shout outs.
Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
You'd like to send anybody any hellos?
Speaker 3 (01:01:50):
yeah, I'll shout out the girls from women on Sight
Pandora, patty, alicia, allthose girls, kaylee from school
and.
Anton, yeah, those are my guys.
Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Awesome.
Well, I hope they listen.
We'll make them listen, yeahwe'll make them listen.
And I'm out in Toronto all thetime.
So I hope you get involved withthe Toronto chapter.
I hope you get involved withsome of the local stuff going on
out there, because I'm outthere, you know, pretty often
and I love catching up to seewhat's going on in the community
out there.
Speaker 3 (01:02:24):
Yeah, it'd be great to meet.
Speaker 1 (01:02:26):
Yeah, and I'd love to see your shop.
Speaker 3 (01:02:28):
Oh yeah, come on.
Speaker 1 (01:02:30):
That'd be awesome.
Yeah, oh, yeah, come on.
Speaker 3 (01:02:34):
That'd be awesome.
Yeah, you should send me theinformation in email.
Speaker 5 (01:02:36):
I'd like to go visit.
I love that stuff also.
I would love that that's fun.
Speaker 1 (01:02:38):
Okay, I'm like in toronto in a couple weeks.
Maybe I'll just stop by rightaway.
Speaker 3 (01:02:41):
So yeah, you never know, maybe we'll make a metal
rose oh, that'd be awesome.
Speaker 1 (01:02:48):
I've never made one.
I've never actually made one ofmy own really yeah, yeah, I've
like literally helped peoplemake them and like organized old
groups to make them, but I'venever sat down and made one
myself.
Buddy.
That is kind of weird, eh.
Yeah, there's still time.
Yeah, there is still time.
I'm not dead yet.
(01:03:08):
I'm not pushing daisies I canstill make daisies.
Yeah, all right, cassie.
Well, take care, I'd love tohave you on.
So thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (01:03:17):
Thank you, Max.
Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
All right and for all the people that have been
downloading, sharing and lovingour show, keep it up.
We love you, our fans, we lovethe fan mails that you're
sending in through our newfeature on our Buzzsprout feed.
So we host the podcast throughBuzzsprout.
I know it goes out to all thelistening streams, but that's
where we post them and on thatapp we have a feedback and
(01:03:39):
people can send me any questionthey want and I answer them.
So in the next couple monthsyou're going to start seeing
little add-ons to our podcastand little individual reels that
I do of just me answeringquestions from the public.
So use the feature and, ofcourse, keep sharing and
downloading the podcast.
It's much appreciated and Iwill see you at the next one.
(01:03:59):
So take care.
We hope you enjoy the show.
Speaker 2 (01:04:18):
Do you own a company in the welding industry or want
to share a targeted message withour listeners?
Then this 45 second audio adspace could be yours.
We have the coolest listenersfrom all over the world, with
over 60,000 downloads, and 88%are from North America.
This podcast serves to educateand connect the welding
community together and isavailable on all major platforms
, including the CWB GroupNetwork.
(01:04:40):
If you are interested, reachout to info at cwbassociationorg
.
Look at that.
I just gave you all of thatinformation in only 45 seconds.
You've been listening to theCWB Association Welding Podcast
and if you enjoyed what youheard today or want to send us
some questions to answer, youcan text the show using the link
(01:05:02):
in the episode descriptionbelow.
We can't wait to hear from you.
Please subscribe or visit us atcwbassociationorg to learn more
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