Plumber
There's no mistaking the enthusiasm in her voice when Cathy talks about her work as a Plumber. The non-stop nature of the work and the chance to work independently on a specific assignment agree with Cathy completely. In fact, she describes a perfect day as one in which she receives the assignment from the foreman, reads the blueprint and sets about getting her tasks done. The actual daily work varies from day to day, which suits her fine. Some days she's soldering joints and getting hangers positioned. Other days she's brazing pipe to make sure it's clean before installing it. Still others involve drilling or working up in the ceiling or installing heating lines.
There is an urgency to her work as she often has to finish her plumbing work before other trade workers such as Carpenters or Electricians can begin theirs. Although she always keeps up a good steady pace, one of her most time-sensitive jobs has been working on the highway of piping and conduit behind the walls which carry six different gases, including Oxygen, into the operating rooms at Oshawa Hospital. She occasionally has had to tie into live lines, which means every minute counts. Cathy welcomes the challenge. Comments Cathy, "These kinds of challenges keep the job interesting."
All this isn't to say there aren't any negatives to the work. Cathy receives no paid vacations or sick pay. And when the economy is booming, there's no shortage of work, however, she recalls her worry during the recession of the early 1990s when she was without any assignments for nine months. Then there's the job sites themselves, which rarely provide niceties like lunch rooms, so sometimes it means making your tool box or pieces of scrap drywall your lunch room. You can also get pretty dirty on the job.
Overall, though, to Cathy there are many more positives than negatives in this trade, not the least of which is the earning potential. A first-year apprentice makes 40 percent of what a journeyperson makes and the percentage increases ten percent each year. A journeyperson can earn anywhere from $55,000 to $60,000 per year to over $100,000 per year with overtime.
Another positive is that being a plumber offers Cathy opportunities she wouldn't have otherwise, like the chance to travel, for example. Through her union, she could find a placement with another union and all she'd need to do to start working there would be to learn the building code for that area. She likes that she could employ her skills anywhere. She can also move into other areas of work such as becoming a foreman, although she doesn't see that role as a good fit for her. Other options include becoming an estimator, a general supervisor who helps plan out work responsibilities for large plumbing crews, or even an owner of her own plumbing business. Cathy is happy where she is today and admits the outlook is good. "I've been working steadily since 2000 and there are many opportunities for women in this trade."
Cathy doesn't want to see women shying away from the field just because it's traditionally a male-dominated industry. In fact, says Cathy, "I've had no problem in a male-dominated environment and have always met kind and helpful people." She's never felt the need to prove herself to the men she's worked with. "When I'm on an assignment, I arrive on time, work hard, ask questions if I need to and do my work in a timely manner," - an enviable work ethic for a man or a woman.
To anyone thinking becoming a plumber, Cathy would offer the following advice:
- take a career test to see if the work suits your temperament
- join a union
- finish high school
- while in school take courses in Advanced Math because the job entails measuring, fractions, formulas, and trigonometry
- take courses in English so you are prepared for reading blueprints and plumbing code books
- and most important, know that what you put into it will make all the difference.
