#i had my first day of welding as a journeyman today and it was so long

[deepwoundsandfadedscars]

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[lccstars]

Two Sisters Plunge into Careers, Guided by Love of Welding

Every weekday, Lindsay and Courtney Hasse can be found on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU) applying the skills they acquired through Lansing Community College’s (LCC) Welding Technology Curriculum. Lindsay works in plumbing and Courtney in steam distribution-- wrenching water and steam pipes in a trade traditionally dominated by men.

Both say they're doing jobs they never expected they would, but love.

 "It came about by accident," says Lindsay of her career. "I didn't know what I wanted to do, and was doing basics at LCC. Then I saw a creative welding class. I took the first class and immediately fell in love."

Her younger sister Courtney shared a similar story of being undecided about what she wanted to do. But when she saw how welding had sparked her sister's interest, she decided to give it a try as well.

"We were both in art in high school, so we both liked the creative side of welding," says Courtney who graduated from Owosso High School in 2014, two years after her sister. "Because I feel like I learn better working with my hands, I decided it was a good switch from simply learning from books."

Lindsay and Courtney say that while they were initially drawn to the artistry of welding, they also saw the career potential in molding metal into functional and 3-D shapes. Each also say that LCC instructors equipped them with the practical skills they needed to seamlessly move from teaching labs to the workplace.

Today, Lindsay is applying her associate in applied science and welding technology as a plumbing apprentice at MSU. She will be eligible to test for her journeyman license in a year, and may further her education through an advanced program at LCC. Courtney, too, works as a full-time temporary employee at MSU doing tasks related to pipefitting and steam distribution while finishing her LCC associate degree.

"Neither one of us ever thought we would be doing this," says Courtney. "It's not easy, but it's worth it."

Lindsay agrees, and then some.

"I'd tell any woman to go for it," says Lindsay. "This is a very rewarding career that you can do all over the world. Most people think it's just plunging toilets, but it's a lot more than that. Every day is different. We do maintenance, construction and everything in between. It's an art in itself."