Sometimes attending college isn’t for everyone, but going into the workforce right after high school can be challenging. For senior Katelynn Messina, the right career path is planned out. Messina has been participating in welding at the GCCTC for three years, and she is the only female student in the program.  She has decided to go into the workforce right out of high school, She plans on going into pipeline welding or oil and gas.

With the job that Messina will  start with, she will make $20 an hour.  Starting a job in welding can be quite difficult because of how others see you. Messina mentioned, “It doesn’t matter to me if I’m a girl or not, I will do just as good as the men in this industry and no one will bring me down. I love being able to say that I’m in a mostly male dominated field.”

Choosing the job right out of high school can be really stressful because some do not know what they may like to do for the rest of their lives.

Messina currently does Tig, Mig, and Stick welding. “I am determined to do my best in the career I have chosen, and I am so excited to start right out of high school. It really suits me,” she said. All of the tasks that she does are very important, and she absolutely loves what she does and won’t stop doing it anytime soon.