My Journey: Renee Williamson

2nd Year Balancer apprentice, J.F. Coffey & Associates

My journey into sheet metal was a little unconventional. I had always been interested in the trades and working with my hands, but I did not know anyone who did that. There was no clear path for me to learn a trade at the time. Since I was good at school, I pursued academics instead.

I ended up at Cornell University where I decided to study psychology and Italian. I was interested in psychology because I wanted a job where I could help people and make a positive impact in society. I also wanted a job where I could be constantly learning and improving. Of all the things to study, psychology seemed to be the best way to do that. At this point, I had no idea that a sheet metal career even existed.

After college, I became an educator at a workforce development program that helps students ages 16–24 earn their high school equivalency and find a solid career in construction. It was supposed to be my role between college and grad school. However, I ended up working closely with the construction training instructors to bridge my curriculum with theirs to better benefit the students and the program. Through this collaboration, I actually met people in the trades. Hearing about both their work and their pay checks intrigued me. My organization, turns out, was paying women less than men, and the idea of an equal pay scale with spelled-out raises and expectations sounded heavenly. As the pandemic went on and remote teaching became more and more draining, I began to consider a career in the trades as another way to have a positive impact on society. I spoke about it with one of my coworkers, and he told me about a buddy he has who is a balancer. He offered to see if they were hiring. I had never heard of balancing, so after a few YouTube videos and some Googling, I sent over my resume. I am now in my second year of apprenticeship.

I find the work quite fulfilling. Every day there is something new to learn or a new solution to discover. It is amazing to be a part of the process of making laboratories and hospitals function correctly, safely, and efficiently.

I did face something that most other women face on the job site—harassment. When I first started, I had very little connection to the union aside from our company’s owner. As casual hazing escalated into serious harassment, I felt alone and completely vulnerable. I was terrified to be a burden on the company and did not know where to turn for help. Fortunately, the owner of my company and the union handled it, and because of that experience, I found ways to become involved in the community of women in the trades in Boston. I have become an enthusiastic member of our union’s women’s committee and I hope that if and when others experience situations like mine, they know they are not alone. And one day, I hope it’s not a “when”. I am so grateful for the women, mentors, and understanding union leaders for the support they have given me.

If I could advise a young person considering a career in sheet metal, particularly if they are entirely new to the field, I would urge them to meet people and find their community in sheet metal as soon as they can. Mentorship is vital to learning our trade. There is also no need for regret when finding our path in life. Life lessons and approaches I learned through my studies at Cornell still apply in sheet metal. Nothing is for naught. ▪