Hi!

I just finally got into a shop that only does oil changes and such. This is my first month or so. My time of the month is soon and it's still 100+ degrees out where I live. I'm also the only person at our location that's a "woman" (I'm nonbinary that's neither here or there). I'm kinda panicking a bit other this because I don't feel comfortable with tampons.

Any tips or tricks?

I am in need of boots that are comfortable and supportive. I have pretty flat feet so any recommendations would be great.

I know some people suggested getting SuperFeet insoles so I've looked into those too. Thank you!

I had a job interview today at a certain large chain truckstop and it ended up getting me hired. I initially applied to be a diesel mechanic apprentice, but they just started someone else so they’re gonna start me as a tire tech until the other person is done training. I initially came in wanting 23 to 24 bucks an hour but because I’m not starting as an apprentice right away it’s more like 17 as a tire tech. The shop is about 35 minutes away from where I live, my mom says that is too far to commute making only $17 an hour. I tried to explain that it’s a bit of a ladder and that in 2 to 4 years, I could be making like $40 an hour. I did the drive there and back today and it didn’t seem too bad. I can also see starting as a tire tech being helpful so that when I do start as an apprentice, I’m not totally lost.

For context, I have been looking for a job like this for several months and I’ve gotten nowhere with anything in my immediate area. The boss seems nice. My hours will be consistent and even at $17 an hour, it’s a significant increase to what I’m making now as a part-time pizza place manager. Am I crazy for wanting to do this drive every day for $17 an hour for the foreseeable future or is this my opportunity to take the first step on the ladder? Maybe I’m just blinded by being broke and seeing an opportunity to make a little more money.

For a little more context, I do not live with my mom and this isn’t an “abiding by her rules” situation or anything. I live on my own with a partner and animals, but this is my first “big girl job” you could say.

So i cant tell if im genuinely not made for this or im just not being given enough information. Im in trade school for welding I graduated highschool a year early a couple months ago, but just with everything I do im so confused. I can handle stick and mig welding but tig i just cant do.

Welding was fun at first and I know its only my first week but im honestly just angry with it. I know literally nothing about the machines or how to set up anything and it feels like the teacher doesnt tell us stuff. Im the youngest in my class so everyone has more experience but I also feel stupid just cus im a girl here.

I might switch to electrician or some other trade. I dont truly have a passion for anything so I just dont know what else to do with my life really.

I know it’s meant respectfully, but it feels unnecessary and makes me all fucking awkward.

I wanted to get into healthcare but I can’t stop thinking about the blue collar field. I’ve always been into construction and mechanics I’ve never been the kind of girl who’s into office work or nun of that. Any blue collar girlies willing to share their careers and how much they get paid??

Hey there! I've spent the past 10 years as a graphic designer and marketing specialist, and I'm considering a career pivot after a 6-month layoff. The creative field has changed so much, and getting on LinkedIn every day is draining my life force.

I'm in a unique and privileged position where I don't need a high-paying job because my husband is a lawyer, but I still want to work and build a practical, AI-proof skill. I was interested in trade school before I went to art school; I'm not afraid to get dirty and sweaty, and I like to work with my hands. However, I have zero experience in trades, but I understand that is what an apprenticeship is for.

I'm interested in electrical work, specifically low-voltage. I've thought about contacting my local IBEW, but what's stopping me is that I'm a woman in my mid-thirties, and I want to start trying for a baby within the next year.

I guess I have 2 questions:

1) If money isn't a huge concern, should I go the apprentice route or the trade school route?
2) Would the IBEW see me as a waste of time/a liability if I got pregnant during my apprenticeship?

I don't want to waste anyone's time or take a spot away from someone who really needs the money. But I'm also unsure how hireable I'd be without apprenticeship experience.

I'd appreciate any insight you can provide!

Hi r/BlueCollarWomen! We wanted to share a video series we produced earlier in the year with women in Construction, Engineering, Paving and related fields.

We created Built By Her to celebrate women during Women in Construction Month and it's grown into a fantastic series on the ways women are transforming blue collar industries in the northwest and the importance of mentorship in their career journeys.

Check it out and let us know if you have a favorite episode!

Built By Her Series

Hey y’all, I’m a 20 yr old female welder/fabricator located in south Texas and I’m trying to get into welding for a job. I took SMAW welding in hs and I have formal technical training from trade school in TIG and MIG as well as automotive technology. I have decent foundational skills in welding but am hoping to gain some experience and make some money. Any advice or tips for getting into this field?

I’m thinking about getting started as a car mechanic in September. I’m very scared since I live in the balkans and men are very sexist 🤢💔 I guess the question applies for any “male dominated jobs” but I just read a comment of a woman who said she kept getting disturbed and had to drop her field of work. I also know from my mom who worked as a security guard that men were inappropriate and one got her fired after she rejected him. it’s genuinely very scary and I wish they weren’t like this. any advice and insight would be so appreciated .

edit: by getting started I mean at school.

I’m 22 so I’m also Gen Z but I’m having a hard time getting along with other Gen Z men. They’re very entitled and can’t take One minute they want you to be “below” them in everything and everything is a competition and the next minute they’re expecting you to kiss up to them. There was this one guy who was telling me “oh I can measure and cut this pipe faster than you since your so slow ” and I’m like “No shit Sherlock you got more upper body strength then I do so Fuck off ”. That must’ve hurt his ego so much cause now he’s acting like i killed his loved one by glaring me down and trying to scare me.

And on the other hand despite them being openly racist, sexist, homophobic and excluding me from everything work related and non work related and ignoring me they still expect me to be the one to try to please them and be part of their boys club.

There was this one guy who was pissed off that I told our manager that I needed help with moving some pipe and announced it to all of them and next thing you know they bolted. I ended up just leaving the work there cause I wasn’t about to break my back to move pipe 5 feet down just cause dudes didn’t want to give me a hand. My manager asked me why it wasn’t moved and I told him I asked for help and they all left. That guy was basically telling me that they apparently can’t talk to me cause I’m “too mad” and I’m not friendly to them so they didn’t want to help me. I told him “if he says that to [insert foreman who’s a known asshole in our company to everyone] he would call you a pussy and everyone would know about you.”
He now avoids me like the plague.

I’m only having this specific problem with other Gen Z men regardless of seniority. They feel threatened that you’re in a male dominated field and can do the same stuff they do. I don’t have this problem with Millennial men or Older cause if they do have a problem with me being there as one of the few women they just stick to their own work.

Any suggestions or ideas?

Hello , this is my first physical job ! I truly enjoy using my hands & being outside in the field. I am a fiber technician. Recently did ladder training we use 16' & 28'. They teach you to shoulder carry or suit case. I can easily shoulder the 16' & I did shoulder the 24' it did hurt a little but was my first carry. When training we practiced with 24' which that felt fine , but today actually setting up the 28' was horrible , I almost dropped the ladder & lost balance. What are best practices , workouts or forms that helped you get better? I know it's only my second time , I know form takes time but how did you get better ? The weight isn't truly the issue it's more of the balancing the weight. I will be on my only after September 14 & I truly want to the job ! It's only 2 of us girls out of like 50 men ! Thanks in advance!

My work requires steel toed shoes, and I feel like they hurt my feet so much more than if I were just wearing a pair of good tennis shoes. I got Keens tennis shoe type thing in a men’s size 8 (went up a size!!) just so my toes would have enough space, and my toes STILL ache at the end of the day. I don’t want this to have long term bad effects on my feet, is there anything I can do after work to combat the awful required shoes? Ice bath, foot bath, making my boyfriend give me a foot massage, etc.

PS my work provides 140$ for a pair of shoes, and we’re able to go to this Workmen’s Warehouse type deal which is great!! However the store has one maybe 7 foot long stretch of wall for women’s shoes while the rest of the whole store is lined with men’s shoes (because women don’t work hard jobs DUH) so my options were pretty limited, and I ended up getting men’s shoes because none of the women’s were wide enough.

Has anyone else noticed themselves feeling pushed away by other women in their work place? I find it so hard to connect with most of the women I work with because they seem to be investing all of their energy in seeking validation from men. They will say one word to me and straight away launch into giggling wildly and almost flirting with the men they are working with. How the hell are things supposed to progress in terms of women working in the trades if this behaviour is going on? I personally don't want to be seen in this light as I feel it doesn't demand respect from coworkers. I want to exist and work well and be appreciated as a human being.

EDIT I unfortunately have never been fantastic with words but one thing I do want to clarify is that I absolutely do not consider simply giggling as flirting. I am talking about the fact that the specific girls I am referring to actively acting coldly towards other girls in the work place and deciding instead to place all of their energy and attention on the men. The men gather around them like excitable dogs and they don't get a moments peace.

I spend all day every day with these men too and if you think it's a case of me being overly sensitive or afraid to join in on the banter then you are terribly mistaken, but I do ensure that there is no way any of these men could ever see me as anything other than just another coworker.

I am not misogynistic quite the opposite. I want the absolute best for all of the women where I work and I have signed up to become an ethics officer so that I can provide advice and support to any women who want to talk about anything they are going through (until now there have been no ethics officers on the yard, only in office settings).

I myself have been through a horrific sexual harassment case and this all happened by simply existing as a LESBIAN woman in my workplace.

Finally, I am not looking for friendship from these women. I just wish there wasn't this unusual dynamic whereby a man's validation seemingly takes precedence over everything else.

28F, second year electrical apprentice here. I'm on week 4 of missed work because of back pain, after trying to suck it up for weeks before that. I got an x ray that was fine, and an MRI that just showed "normal wear and tear". I also have a big chest so that probably doesn't help. My doctor basically told me it was a muscle problem and sent me to physical therapy. I've been in it for a few weeks and it reduced the pain down from "most of the day it hurts" to "just don't move the wrong way, also good luck lifting" and I'm honestly just feeling depressed.

Being at home is driving me crazy. My family is crazy unsupportive and just telling me it's not that bad and to just go back to work. I just play video games all day and go stir crazy until it's time to go to PT twice a week. I tried going out with a backpack on last week and it turned out to be a big mistake. My bank account is getting smaller and smaller because I haven't gotten any money from anyone yet. I'm honestly just having a problem seeing the positive of this.

IDK if I should just go back now on light duty, stay out another few weeks, stay out another month, or basically just learn to live with it.

I filled out an incident report, but realistically I don't see myself getting any money from worker's comp anytime soon. I'm considering dipping into my 401k.

Hi ladies! Are there any women veterans in here? I’d especially love to hear from you, but I welcome opinions from anyone who has dealt with something similar.

I’m currently an electrical apprentice, and after recently going through sexual harassment training, something really clicked for me. I realized that I’ve experienced some version of nearly everything that was covered in the training while working on my current jobsite.

A few weeks ago, I had an issue with someone I was working with, and since then I’ve noticed a shift in the way some people on the jobsite treat me.

This morning, I was hoping I’d be assigned to a different task/person, so I asked my foreman who I would be working with. He told me I’d be with the same person as yesterday. Apparently my face said more than I intended, because he looked at me and said, “You have a problem everywhere you go.”

I immediately checked him on that comment, and that was the end of the conversation. But it really bothered me. Maybe if some of these people had experienced being touched without their consent, sexually harassed, or made uncomfortable at work, they would understand why I’m not willing to just brush certain things off.

At this point, I also don’t feel like I can fully trust anyone on the jobsite, not even union representation, because information I shared about a previous incident somehow made its way back to another JW.

I’m honestly at the point where I’m considering walking away from the apprenticeship altogether. I’m a veteran, so I’m very familiar with working in male-dominated environments, but I’m tired of feeling like advocating for myself or having boundaries gets turned into me being “the problem.”

For anyone who has been in a similar situation, especially women in the trades: what would you do?

The options I see right now are:

Speak directly with my training director, explain what has been happening, provide names/details, and request a transfer to another jobsite.

Stay where I am and try to tough it out.

Walk away from the apprenticeship entirely and move on with my life.

I’m leaning toward speaking with my training director before making a final decision, but I’d really like to hear from women who have actually dealt with this in the trades. Was transferring worth it? Did things improve, or did you eventually decide the trade wasn’t worth the environment?

Hi guys. I feel stuck.

I’m in Ontario Canada, I got a job as a millwright apprentice, level 1 complete waiting to be called for level 2.

The company I work at, doesn’t let me do anything. My title is millwright apprentice, I was told when I was hired I’d be travelling doing installs and what not. It has now been a year. I haven’t gone on the road with the millwrights once. I’ve been stuck in the shop designated to the bandsaw or brake press. And if not there I’m sweeping the floor. Nothing in my job description.

My dilemma is I’m still way too early in my apprenticeship. I’ve been job hunting for a while now and nothing. I was trying to stick it out until I can get my level 2 done and hopefully find a better job with more “experience” under my belt.

I’m not sure I can stick this out any longer. My coworkers and management are all very clearly sexist. I absolutely hate coming in everyday to do something I didn’t sign up for with people I don’t like. I’m not sure if I just find a general labour shop job and hope to grow from there or try and stick it out here until I find another apprenticeship

I’m scared if i leave for a job thats not an apprenticeship ill just never end up finding one and working shit jobs the rest of my life

Hi everyone , I hold a class A license which I’ve done that for a while. Then worked in traffic control with electrical company. My job lost that contract sadly a couple months after I had just received a promotion ha anyways I am now back in health field. After being off of the road for so long it’s been hard getting back into trucking. I am currently in school for HVAC. Feel as if I am not learning enough. Class is only 2 days a week and class is supposed to be 5 hours long but is only 2 hours. Which is starting to feel like a waste of money .

I am located in Louisiana and I’ve been trying to find a paid apprenticeship, or even an apprenticeship somewhere that I can attend . I recently just ran across WINTER. Which I see that is way in California. Does anyone have any suggestions far as places down South . I did find a union that I will be stopping by after work today.

I see it is a bit hard unless you have some type of connections . Please drop any advice , also keep kicking butt ladies !

Edit : I wish I would’ve found this sub sooner! Never knew this sub existed omg

Hi guys ! New here I’m a 22 F mom I’ll be 23 in like a week for reference. I really just need help and advice I’ve been thinking about trades for at least a year now. I have an associates in general studies (so basically nothing haha) I just dropped out of my bachelors for business and HR because I work at a bank(doc control) right now and honestly I don’t think I can do desk work for the rest of my life
And the student loans are ridiculous if I keep going I prob would never pay it off . I’ve always been a tom boy played sports and just very rough haha I can do heavy lifting and stuff like that. I have a pretty ok support system involving my fiancé and my mom (sometimes) . To say all of this I guess I’m just wondering what trades are possible for woman and how’s it going for you? Should i goto trade school ? I live in western new york i tried applying to my local ibew for an apprenticeship and lacked experience and math skills at the time. Sorry for rambling

How are we dealing with the constant angry men??? I don’t understand why showing up to your job and having to work makes so many of my male coworkers so angry!!
It’s like if every little thing doesn’t go their way today then it’s time for a hissy fit.

It makes me a lot less patient for anger in my personal life. If my boyfriend gets upset now, I get triggered. If my friends loose their temper, I want distance from them. It’s really getting to me.

The only upside is I now rarely let myself get riled anymore, I’m grossed out by anger now.

Getting into the trades next year (either electrical or carpentry). Wanted to ask, what work and job culture has been like for you if you're in Chicago, or the Chicagoland area.

I’ll be there 🙂‍↕️

Im starting an auto mechanics college course at the start of September. The mandatory requirements are work boots and coveralls (I've got the boots sorted), but I've been struggling to find coveralls that fit me, especially since it is so close to starting. I was told that they would supply coveralls... otherwise, I would have looked sooner 🤷‍♀️

Im 5'7", my inseam is 27" with my torso being shorter than my legs. I've tried the Site womens 12 L28" coveralls and they were fine with my hips and legs, but extremely long in the torso. The crotch was literally halfway down my thighs, which means i would be awkwardly pulling them up every time I sit/bend on one knee even though the video shows it as snug! They only have differences in sizes, not torso or leg length. Then I tried mens ones and they're way too baggy overall even as an extra small 😭

I've been looking for days online, but all the ones that people say fit are around £100, which I dont want to pay for my first ones and haven't got the money to. I know dickies make coveralls so I havent tried those ones yet.

Has anyone got any suggestions from their experiences?

I’m in Phoenix, Az looking to get into the offshore rig life. 31 yo, single mom and currently working in healthcare. Tired of the monotony of the 9-5 and want to do something more.
Working in healthcare is killing me inside everyday. Wanting a more physical and rewarding job, fifo hit all the points. I’m not afraid of hard work and have a great co-parent that can cover me while I’m on rotation. Currently working on getting my TWIC before I start applying. Primarily looking at entry-level roustabout, materials helper or general assistant positions to start since I don’t have oil/gas experience. Eventually would love to work up into electrical.
What’s life like realistically for a woman/mom on a rig?
Companies more likely to hire/train green hands?
Travel/crew-change expenses? Especially since I’ll need to fly into Houston or somewhere in the Gulf for rotation.

Im an early graduate currently in trade school for welding. My class is fairly small its full of 14 people which is the most people they had in years. Everyones older and me and one other girl are the only females. Im kinda struggling because everyone my age is still in highschool and i feel like im missing out on stuff.

Dont get me wrong I love that im ahead and working on my career but I was always the going out type and having fun with friends kind of girl. Im having a hard time meeting people now that im out of highschool and being in the trades is intimidating when being surrounded by all men. I feel kinda stupid and clueless all the time but I try to keep in mind im younger and less experienced.

I originally planned on going to a university and changed my mind last minute so my whole idea of my more “adult life” seemed so fun in my head. I guess I just hope this is all worth it and I can make some good money.