Myste Loewen

This is not at all what I thought I would be doing with my life. I started out in university studying to be a psychologist and realized at the end of my first year that I really didn’t want to spend the next 5 to 7 years in school.

I decided to work in the retail field for a bit until I could figure out what I wanted to do. My Dad showed me an ad in the paper about an entry level trades course and he signed me up for it. It focused on carpentry, painting, interior systems and floor laying. I really enjoyed the course but decided none of those were really what I wanted to do. My grandfather and Father had both been Boilermakers and I decided I wanted to look into something in the metal trades. I tried to apply for jobs as a labourer at some fabrication shops but the answer was always the same, either "we have no facilities for women", or "you have no experience".

I found a pre-apprentice welding course at GRB College and enrolled. I started the course and knew that welding was the right choice. I felt challenged and was able to be creative. I worked at a few fab shops and then decided to join the Boilermakers Lodge 146 in 2003 and finished my apprenticeship. I upgraded my skills and got my B-Pressure ticket and alloy TIG tickets. I became a welding instructor and taught the B-Pressure course for the union. During that time I was asked to get my Welding Inspector certification. I did this and went on to get my Level 2 CWB Examiner certification in February 2018. As a person who has struggled with ADHD all my life I have worked very hard to achieve what I have in my career. Nothing has come easily and has taken a great deal of effort.