Women in Welding – Paige’s Story (Part 1)
Often times one of the most difficult decisions for a high school student is when they are faced with choosing a path after finishing school. At this age, you are just starting to get a feel for what you like, and are typically just beginning to peek into what tangible skill sets you possess. The choice many will make entails going to college, obtaining a degree, and then later go into the professional workforce. Aside from a family business or the military, there are hardly any other career paths….right? A topic I will revisit time and time again is just how lucrative trade/vocational/technical schools can be, how much more cost effective it is, and how maximized your earning potential can be. With only a 2 year certificate/associate degree you are often times at comparable earning potential to a college graduate. Not only that, but the “skills gap” is another framework which creates an abundance of highly paid technical jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. Paige Woodrum is a prime example how wit, determination, and some elbow grease can transform your life and get you into a promising career path with an immensity of opportunities in perpetuity.
Fresh out of high school, she was faced with this daunting task of making her mind up and picking a path to go along. “My Junior year I spent days tirelessly researching colleges, attending campus tours, constantly stressing about what I was going to do after high school.” There was a huge cloud of uncertainty for what major she would choose, where she wanted to go, and what the bigger picture would be post-graduation. With much thought and consideration, Paige decided to go the “traditional route,” attending Ohio University with a Civil Engineering major. Despite a gorgeous campus and extremely helpful and knowledgeable staff of professors, something just wasn’t right in Paige’s mind. “From the moment I set foot on that campus, I despised every minute of it,” she remarked. After just one semester of university, she quickly came to the conclusion that college was not for her and decided to move back home to Cincinnati to regroup and restrategize. Shortly after returning to her hometown she enrolled in Cincinnati State to study construction management.
To find out what happens next, stay tuned for part 2 of this blog!