The CWB Association Welding Podcast

Episode 187 with Awa Dembele and Max Ceron

• Max Ceron • Season 1 • Episode 187

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The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry.

Let's break barriers with today's guest Awa Dembele, sharing her journey from Africa to Canada. Awa's transition into welding from different career paths is nothing short of inspiring as she overcame barriers with the determination and support from her peers. Awa shares her recent work with the CWB Welding Foundation and the involvement in welding camps sparked her passion with helping others and breaking down language barriers.

Check out:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dembeleawa/
CWB Welding Foundation: https://www.cwbweldingfoundation.org/

Thank you to our Podcast Advertisers:
Canada Welding Supply: https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/
Miller: https://www.millerwelds.com/products/mobilearc
Canaweld: https://canaweld.com/

There is no better time to be a member! The CWB Association membership is new, improved and focused on you. We offer a FREE membership with a full suite of benefits to build your career, stay informed, and support the Canadian welding industry.  https://www.cwbgroup.org/association/become-a-member

What did you think about this episode? Send a text message to the show!

Speaker 1

All right, I can check. Check, I'm good. So I'm Max Duran. Max Duran, cwb Association Welding Podcast, pod pod podcast. Today we have a really cool guest welding podcast. The show is about to begin.

Speaker 1

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Speaker 1

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Miller. We're excited to talk to you about their training solutions, offering MobileArc, an augmented reality welding tool designed to introduce and recruit students to welding. We all know that engaging new welders can be a huge challenge. Mobilearc uses augmented reality to simulate live welding so that recruits can get hands-on experience that introduces them to a career in welding, and that only seven pounds, it's easy to transport to remote learning and recruiting events. Introduce, recruit and inspire the next generation of welders with MobileArc. Head to MillerWeldscom to discover the right training solution for you. Hello and welcome to another edition of the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Theron and, as always, we're hunting all over the place looking for great stories and great people to bring on the show for you. Today we have a wonderful person that I met in my travels in Ontario, who actually calls Ontario home right now, but is originally from the Ivory Coast, or Cote d'Ivoire, as they say it themselves. Today we have Awa Dembele Awa. How are you doing today?

Speaker 2

Hi Max, I'm doing well. What about you?

Speaker 1

I'm doing good. Today was a very busy day, but you know, busy day for me now is meetings, meetings, meetings, meetings. I miss the days when a busy day was welding, welding, welding, welding.

Speaker 2

But, you get older things change. Yeah.

Speaker 1

So, awa, tell me a few things. Let's start with number one when are you from, where is your roots?

Speaker 2

Okay, thank you. I'm from Ivory Coast in West Africa and I was born in Abidjan. Abidjan is our capital, economic, but I grew go in another city, but it's not a big city, just a small city, and I do my secondary school there. After that I come back to Abidjan and I get my bachelor and my master's degree in accounting there.

Speaker 1

So you studied accounting back in west africa and I have and I I know I told you when I saw you, but I have a deep love for west africa. I've worked in west africa, I love the people and the food and and actually I had a trip where I was supposed to go to cote d'ivoire to visit but we couldn't get across the border, I couldn't get in the country. But that's okay, we tried, we tried, I could see it. But you know you, you got a accounting degree and master's. So why accounting? Why did, why did you choose accounting?

Speaker 2

I never choose accounting.

Speaker 1

Who chose accounting for you?

Speaker 2

It's my country. In my country, after your secondary school, they put you where they think you can excel, where you can succeed. So they put me in accounting because I do great in math. So I love math and I don't like a lot mat and I I don't like a lot, but my grandfather was so, so happy. When I say I, they put me in the canteen. So I'm like maybe it's great things maybe I can like it, so I try, and I love it.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it's that now, you loved it because you love math but, let's explain, let's. I'm curious about the process because you said you know you didn't have much of a choice yeah, is that is that just the way it is in in ivory coast. So everybody just says you go be accounting, you be engineer, you're gonna be x, you know no, when you get your the name, it's baccalaat like the back.

Speaker 2

You just have to choose. You have three choices. You can choose medicine, like be a doctor, or accounting. I choose three things and my first one was be a doctor and my second one was, I don't know why, why what I choose. But I don't think I choose accounting. But, um, yeah, they choose for you because they think you can excel there in this one. But for most people they choose one of, uh, their three choice. But for me they choose another thing than what they choose.

Speaker 1

So yeah, now what? What about welding? What about construction? What about you know, back home? Is that one of the choices that they say they never said. You know awa, you could be construction or you can be you know building houses or something.

Speaker 2

No, oh no, things like that. No, because in university you have to do like things like for the office, like accounting, be a doctor, things like that. But you can choose welding. We don't have to go to school to do welding. You can see a welder everywhere, like you can drive and see. Well, yeah, on the street.

Speaker 1

So you don't have to go to school to do welding, yeah and I mean I'm sure your opinion on that has changed um over the last few years learning what welding can be. But let's, let's stay with the storyline here. So you finish bachelor's in accounting, then master's, so that's like five, six years university.

Speaker 2

You know that's a long time yeah, but I can explain like I do um my bachelor in three years and after that I started working. So I work and I do my master in uh at at noon, like after my, my after work yeah, so it's. I do my master in uh two years, just two years, so five yeah yeah, five years.

Speaker 1

So you must have a job. You're happy, you get your master's, you feel like you're in the right place. What happened? Why do you leave? Why do you leave Africa? Why do you decide to start a whole new path?

Speaker 2

Oh, max, I always want to move. When I was young, I always tell my mom that I want to discover other things, like I love my country, I love Ivory Coast, and I miss them, but I always want to see some other people, another culture, another culture.

Speaker 2

So, um, after my, my, bachelor I start to search and I decide to go at usa, in america, and I apply for many, many schools, but they don't want to take me with my bachelor, they just want to take me after secondary school. Like I have to go back start over yeah, start over. So yeah, I start yeah it's like that and after that I, the people I search with they. They recommend me to to look for Canada, because I have a great background for Canada. They're looking for workers, they're looking for yeah.

Speaker 1

So it's why. So then, when Canada accepts you to come as some type like it would have been a working visa, did you already have a job? Were you coming here to be an accountant?

Speaker 2

No.

Speaker 1

Is that the plan? What was the plan?

Speaker 2

Yeah, no, in my country I was an accountant, I was a business accountant, I worked for six years. I like my job. I like what I want to grow up Like have another position in my company or get a better job and I applied for student visa.

Speaker 1

Okay.

Speaker 2

Student and I just come to work. No, not for work. To study business administration.

Speaker 1

Okay.

Speaker 2

And I have just two years, so two months for english class and two years for my business class.

Speaker 1

but yeah, it's the plan, so doing two years for my business accounting and go back home and have a better position, sorry right, yeah, so somewhere along the line between arriving in canada getting ready to study your business administration, somehow you connected with the welding world, you know. So how did that connect? Because I know I worked in in west West Africa training welding and welding. There is a different thing. It is only like it's only a necessity at the last minute. There's no training, there's no schools, there's no theory. There's, you know, even the equipment can be just a car battery sometimes. But here welding is a very different thing, in a very niche education world. Know, uh, world, yeah, how did you connect those? How did they connect with you?

Speaker 2

okay, um, the plan was two months for english, but they asked me to do six months when I arrive okay but it's long for me.

Speaker 2

So I search for another school and when I apply they don't accept me because it's business accounting, it's a business administration, it's always busy. They just say maybe for the next semester. So I look and I ask my friend. I say that I don't know, I can't wait for the next semester because I think I'm old, like the year goes so fast, so I can't wait for another year. So he asked me to try. Like things nobody can know. I don't know, I can say nobody, but not everyone Not normal.

Speaker 2

And he said welding can be good because you can have, because you are formal, you can have many opportunities in welding. I'm like welding, I can't think Wow.

Speaker 3

It's so different.

Speaker 2

I'm like I don't know. I never know what is welding like I understand'm like I don't know, I never know what is welding, like I understand welding, but I don't know how. And he said you can just try and I just apply for welding. And when I apply, just when I apply, they say yeah, you can start, yeah, Very fast, very fast. So yeah it, what, what is going?

Speaker 1

so when you walk in okay, you your hour you hear you have a plan from your home country and the plan is not going how you expect. Then someone says, maybe try welding. And you say, okay, maybe I try. Boom, you're accepted, okay, you're doing this. Now. Okay, here you go. What was you? What were you thinking about yourself? You know thinking I'm starting a whole new thing of education. I know nothing about this, you know. I know for many women growing up in the world, they are not shown tools, they're not shown the trades, they're not shown construction from an early age, like most of males are shown. So were you scared? Were you scared to go into the school? Were you scared that you would do okay? Did you think maybe you were not fit for the right job?

Speaker 2

was so scared, yeah, and I feel like, um, when I start, I feel like I choose the wrong things and I feel like, yeah, in in my country, I have my job, I have a plan, I have. It's not all things I want, but, but welding yeah, but welding. I change all things but like, yeah, I can do just two years welding and I will change. I will change, but I can get my paper with this trade and I can just have a walk. I can walk with this one because I need to walk.

Speaker 1

And go to school.

Speaker 2

And go to school. So it's the plan, like doing this one just for a moment and go back to accounting after that. But now, now it's, I can think about accounting now, like I'm so happy to do welding, but we can say that maybe afterwards. Yeah, so excited, yeah.

Speaker 1

So how far along are you in the two-year course? Did you finish the two-year course already?

Speaker 2

No, I just finished my first year.

Speaker 1

Okay, so how was your first year? By the time you started to the time you finished, you know what. What was that experience like?

Exploring Career Opportunities in Welding

Speaker 2

yeah, for my first day I asked my teacher like I can burn myself. He said, yes, if you don't want to burn yourself, it's not the it's not the right way for you. I'm like, okay, I'm scared, I start, and my teacher was so great. Really. I continue this trade because one of my teachers tell me that you come from so far, you start something. You can't stop, like you can stop maybe, but you can't stop because you come from so far and you just start something.

Speaker 2

Go to the right. Yes, always you tell me that I'm like, okay, and it wasn't easy because I'm one woman in in my class we are only one only one. We are 15 and always I'm like why I'm? Why another girl don't do that? Like I'm just alone here and I'm not sure I'm doing the right things. And, yeah, maybe I can do something fancy, but that is when I start. But that is when I start, but two months later, or three months later I'm just happy to go and to dwell.

Speaker 2

I just plan to what can I do tomorrow? I can do this one better. I can do this one better. And the guys I do my friend in my class, they are so, so fun they are.

Speaker 2

They help me a lot, like they can give me some help. They can, they can help me for anything. So, yeah, now when I finish I'm like, yeah, I don't choose the wrong things, I'm in the right way and, yes, I like this one well you know it's very interesting the plan that you had, because this is a smart plan that I tell many people.

Speaker 1

You know the trades are much quicker, much faster to get into the workforce. Even after one year you can go, get a job and make good money already. You know, once you finish two years and you'll be able to get a you know very good job and then you can choose to do a different career later. But you still have the, the certification, the papers to make money now and that's nice.

Speaker 1

It's nice to be able to just go make money now and and I've had students when I was a teacher be a welder, make and then switch to something else. But then it's much easier, much less stress, because they know they have a trade already that they can always use to make more money.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's why I do welding now, yeah.

Speaker 1

Yeah, now you finished your first year. How did you finish in the class? You know, were you a good student, bad student, in the middle?

Speaker 2

No, I can say bad, but I'm doing well.

Speaker 1

My teachers say I'm doing well.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I'm doing really well, I think.

Speaker 1

Good, good good.

Speaker 2

I'm not the last one. My teachers say you don't know. I can tell you that you're doing great than someone I'm like okay, yeah.

Speaker 1

Good, good, yeah. So you finished a year and you still got one year left. And which college are you at?

Speaker 2

At Collège Boreal. It's French school.

Speaker 1

So that's the one I saw you at right. Yeah, okay, yeah. So we were there for a Mind Over Metal camp for the CWB Welding Foundation. I stopped in to visit, which is where I met you, and number one one, cote d'ivoire. Most people don't know ivory coast is french speaking, so you know for you, you probably speak good french, I assume yeah really good, yeah, I do not, so um, but you know I.

Speaker 1

I met you there and I asked you you know what was the connection. So how did you get that gig working for College Boreal, there for the camp?

Speaker 2

Okay, I'm working for the foundation. I'm a summer student for CWB Foundation and they asked me to go to the camp, so I have to help the teacher with the students.

Speaker 1

And how did the foundation find you? How did you apply for the summer student job?

Speaker 2

Yeah, after the school, my teacher sent us to all our class an email like the foundation looking for the summer students. So I apply and I take my interview and, yeah, they take me.

Speaker 1

You're lucky, lucky. So your boss is a summer student, is it Josh Fortin?

Speaker 2

No, it's Mary Fook.

Speaker 1

Oh, mary Fook. Yeah, mary is fantastic, she's great, yeah, it's great. Yeah, it's great. How was that experience? How was it working with kids? You know, they many of those kids. I met those kids and some of them said that they didn't know anything about welding. Some of them said they were not maybe even very interested in welding because they were just starting and you know, you were in a similar position a year ago.

Speaker 2

so you know how did.

Speaker 1

How did you feel working with those kids?

Speaker 2

oh, it was great. I feel like they learned. They learned so fast, they learned really fast and it was really great. I like working with I can tell you a little bit story when I start, when I start in the foundation, it was so crazy. I don't speak really good in English and my first day they asked me it's a meeting and they say, oh, welcome, you can just make a little bit story, like just presentation. I'm like I was so scared, like I don't know what can I say, like, but uh, but you have a great story.

Speaker 2

You have a great story though yeah, but I, I just I'm like, oh, and I know that they say but who is this people, who is this? When I finish, I say to my mom, I call my mom, I say I don't think they will say I can stay there because my English is not the best.

Speaker 1

I was so scared.

Speaker 3

But they helped me, they liked me.

Speaker 2

I think they helped me to to do great, and the students I met they are so, they are so cool and I really love working in this way because I work yeah with children because I work with children before in my country and here I be I doing like six months teaching and I do a lot of volunteering. So I always work with children. Yeah.

Speaker 1

So now, after the summer because now summer is almost over you know you're going to go back to your second year, right? What's your goal for this year coming up?

Speaker 2

For my second year.

Speaker 1

It's your goal for this year coming up. Oh for my second year I, it's a fabrication I hope I can learn a lot lots of math, yeah, yeah you love math.

Speaker 2

Yeah, that's good. I can succeed like I can learn and I can. I can like have a lot of skills in fabrication and also in welding, because we have just sometimes to weld and I can learn a lot. I can like find, uh, some things like a work after my school, like a good work, like uh say, that will you be and yeah that's why, now?

Speaker 1

do you have intentions to work as a welder, like you know, as a career? You know, like I know, you're still thinking about going back home or maybe a different job. I don't know if you're deciding to maybe stay in canada. Try to get your pr? Um. There's many options that you have in front of you. But after this next year of welding, do you think you will stay in the trades for a while to work?

Speaker 2

I think yes, but not all my life yeah I say that all the time. I want to weld. I like working like a welder, but more than this one. Like you see, we say that with your foundation it's welding, but you don't have to weld you can weld, sometimes when it's the camp and things like that.

Speaker 2

I I love this way, but I love, I want to weld, like try to weld in the company I want to stay in, but not all my life, and because I know I want to have a chill, so all the time welding, I don't think for me, i't think it's, uh, the right way.

Speaker 1

I want to go yeah, yeah, no many will. I know many women who have had children while welding and there's actually studies that show that it's safe. You know it's safe, but it's a choice everybody chooses, you know, because it's the hours of welding that sometimes are the scary part, because there's so much work in welding that's uh, once you become, once you start welding, um, it's kind of like as much opportunity as you want you can have, and sometimes you just want to follow that money, just follow the work and work, work, work, work, work right, and it's easy to get lost in that yeah, yeah, it's why I say yeah, yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 2

I say it's why I say I don't think I want to stay like in the trade all my life. I can stay in the moment but work like we say that we be foundation. Yes, I like that, like office work. It's office work and it's in the trade yeah.

Speaker 1

Would you ever consider trying to combine both your trades you know both your education you know you could with your knowledge of welding? You would be a wonderful you know planner or project manager or accounting for a welding company you know, or working in the field as an as an office person for welding. Would you consider something like that for a future?

Speaker 2

yeah, I really consider that one, but I don't have a mentor. I I know I need that, like someone can give me some advice for that way. I know it's what I want to do, like some things in the office and what you say, but I don't have a lot of idea of where I can go, how I can do things. If I need to take another class if I need to take some things or connect with someone.

Cultural Differences and Social Challenges

Speaker 1

I want to go in that way, yeah, well, I'm sure we can find ways to connect you, because you know the, there's chapter in Ottawa, there's a chapter in Quebec. Um, you know, there's people as a part of the CWB association across Canada. That's all they do. Is they volunteer to help other welders? You know what I mean. So you know. Have you? Have you joined the association yet? Yeah yeah, good, you better have, or else you're big trouble, all right yeah, let's take the break now for our advertisers.

Speaker 1

And when we come back, I'd like to talk to you kind of. You know your perspective on you, know your, your travels in Canada, the education you've gotten here and how you plan on translating that back home. So we'll be right back here. So don't go anywhere anybody, we'll be right back here on the cwb association podcast. Uh, with our dembelli here looking for top quality welding machines and accessories, look no further than canna weld. Based in vaughan, ontario, canna weld designs, assembles and tests premium welding machines right here in canada. Our products are csa certified and ontario made approved, reflecting our unwavering commitment to excellence. Count on us for superior service that's faster and more efficient than market competitors. Whether you're in aerospace, education or any other precision welding industry, cannaweld has the perfect welding solution for you. Visit CannaWeldcom today to discover why professionals rely on CannaWeld for their welding needs. Cannaweld where precision meets reliability in welding. Enjoy peace of mind with our four-year warranty on most machines. Conditions do apply.

Speaker 1

And we are back here on the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Theron. I'm here with Awa from the Ivory Coast of West Africa in Ontario. Here she's learning to weld halfway through her two-year program, but has her master's in accounting and is now figuring out the future. What's you know? The future is going to be so different for you with all this experience, you know. First of all, you know, do you plan on going back home? Do you want to stay?

Speaker 2

I think I like Canada. I want to stay here, but go back home is my plan. I really miss my country and I know we have a lot of to do there. Yeah, so I can uh contribute my company. Yeah, I can contribute to that yeah so you think uh, five years six years, so I think 10 10, yeah, and you're young.

Speaker 1

Now, how old are you? 25? I'm too old, mac. No, you're not. I'm old. Look at all, look at all my gray hair. I'm old, you don't have any great, you're 30. Oh, you're a baby, you're 30 years old, so you know, 10 years, 40 years old, what happens our? If you fall in love and you have a partner and you have a family, then maybe you'll get stuck in Canada forever.

Speaker 2

We can go together.

Speaker 1

What are the things you are missing most about home? What is it you miss the most when you think of home?

Speaker 2

My family.

Speaker 1

Yeah, you have brothers and sisters.

Speaker 2

I have three brothers okay, I have three brothers and my mom missed me a lot, like we all the time do something together, so it's uh, yeah, it's food, yeah yeah, the food.

Speaker 1

I miss food from west africa. You know, I live in regina, saskatchewan. We only have one lady here from ganas and then I have a one restaurant from nigeria I mean nothing from cote d'ivoire or benin or anywhere west africa but uh, some good jollof and some red red and you know the good food. Yeah, I love ghani and ghani's fufu. It's like one of my favorite foods in the world. It's so good. Is the food the same in ivory coast or they have different foods?

Speaker 2

we have different, but it's uh like the same. It's similar but not the same same. But do you know, cassava?

Speaker 1

yeah, I know cassava root, yeah oh, okay, yeah when they pound it in the and it's fresh and it's nice. Oh, it's so so good, so good yeah here you can get cassava powder, but it's not. It's no good um but I seen it superstore last week. They have cassava root here, but it looks different than the cassava root in africa. I don't know where it's from, so I gotta figure it out. Yeah, you're thinking about it now. So so the food, the family, what?

Speaker 1

are the things in canada that you like the most oh I like the most.

Speaker 2

I think people I don't want to say like I talk with you, I have the chance to talk with you, but I can talk with the director of any company. They don't. They don't have, uh like you are not in the same grade, you are not in the same level, like people in canada are really open mind. They are, um, it's crazy because in my country you can, you can't he change, change but he you can't uh see like the big boss of this, this company, and talk with him. Like you have to do some maybe not networking and some place with your boss, you don't have the only time, the opportunity to to talk with him yeah but here it's like it's friendly, it's, it's fun, it's professional, but it's fun so

Speaker 1

I think in canada people are really open in her mind you know, it's the same when I go back home to chile. I'm from south america and I'm back in chile. I say that too, and my friends say that in business. They say, you know, and I want to go meet somebody, because, you know, I'm director of the company here, and I say, okay, I'm in chile, I want to go visit somebody, say, okay, well, we can get you to talk to the boss, we can, you can talk to the boss. And I said, I don't want to just talk to the boss, I want to see everybody. You know, like, I want to meet the people on the, on the shop too and on the floor. And they look at me like really, it's like yeah, it's like people on the floor in this company have never even met their own boss ever. Yeah, you know, they work there 10 years. They've never seen the boss. That's weird. That's weird because how do you have a trust, how you?

Speaker 1

have trust with your company if you don't even know who's at the top or if you have a problem, who are you going to tell or talk to? And I think that that's kind of a old way of doing it. I mean, in canada obviously still always problems, still always ways to improve. But that is a big difference huh yeah, yeah, yeah now, what about for you in terms of any challenges in Canada? You know what are some of the things that you found very difficult when you came to Canada.

Speaker 2

Make a friend.

Speaker 1

Making friends is hard.

Speaker 2

Make a friend.

Speaker 1

Do you have friends now?

Speaker 2

I don't have like girlfriend, but in my class I say it's a man, so I have men, like some friends, men, but we don't talk too much. But I miss the things like you can give hug to someone and you can just discuss, you can, it's like friendly, yeah, just hang out. It's really difficult for me, for me especially, maybe it's me, but yeah, the things I think it's really difficult.

Speaker 1

Well, you know you're in a part of Ontario that's a smaller population. You know, like Sudbury is kind of small, right, it's not a big city. You know, is there a lot of black population there? Like, is there a community? Like is there a west african community you can reach out to? Because you know I live in saskatchewan. It's kind of the same, like you know, for immigrants that come here. I have a cousin here from chile right now and he's having trouble making friends because you know I I keep saying you have to go out and find the community they're.

Speaker 1

They're not going to come to you, you have to go to them and exactly but that's very scary to do when you don't know anybody you know exactly, exactly, it's.

Speaker 2

Uh, it's my problem because I I'm waiting for like people come, come to meet me, but I go. I do volunteering, but they are not my friend. It's like we do some volunteering together and we can yeah bye-bye. And we can find some like I do volunteering and I meet a woman, but she's old, I do volunteering and I meet a woman, but she's old and she invites me sometimes and I can just discuss with her. And when she has some events she invites me, but she's old.

Speaker 1

You want someone young you can go to parties with and have fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's true, it's true, it's true, it's true, you want to and like, I mean, you are young, you still want to go, maybe to the club or out to find new restaurants, and and that's something that you miss when you move to another place, because those things were so easy back home, so easy back home, just see your friend and say, hey, let's go have lunch, yeah, let's go, you know, and then you talk about your day and you.

Speaker 1

You complain about the government and all the you know normal conversations and here how you know what do you do to pass your time. Then you know you say you volunteer. Do you have any hobbies or is there things you like to do? I like to sleep a lot I don't know if sleeping is a hobby to the listeners on the show. You're gonna have to tell me if sleeping is a hobby or not. I thought maybe sleeping was something more important in life, but maybe it's a hobby too.

Speaker 2

Maybe but I work out, I work out you like to work out? Yeah, yeah, I really like running, so I run in the weekend, can run like two times.

Speaker 1

So yeah I like running but running is something you do alone, though yeah, and I go to the restaurant alone, so yeah, well, you know to all the people in sudbury, we're gonna have to get, uh, some people to take you out. I got some friends out there and young people no old people allowed. So you know, and you're probably missing food from home. So if anybody from the ivory coast is listening in the in the like northern ontario region, we have a young lady here who's looking for some good homemade food.

Speaker 2

Yes.

Speaker 1

Yes.

Exploring Future Career Opportunities in Welding

Speaker 2

Good good.

Speaker 1

And what about you know in terms of do you see any other future education you want to get? You know, maybe after welding, because you know to join them both. There's also like welding technician there's, you know, there's fabrication. Welding technician there's, you know, there's fabrication, which is all math. There's other forms and avenues within welding. That might be a good way to connect your education. Have you thought about that?

Speaker 2

yes, um, I think about like it's two years, my school and I will be a welder fabricator. After that I want to take some class in motivation.

Speaker 1

It's not in welding, but right now honestly, I don't have Like robotics or automation. Yeah.

Speaker 2

Yeah, Right now I don't have a real idea of what I want to do after my school. I know I want to work. I want to work, Make some money.

Speaker 2

I can learn more in metallurgy like metal and it's kind of what I want to take after this class, but really honestly, I don't know what can I do. It's why I say I need some mentor, like someone can give me some advice. I like learning, I like doing great things, I want to be someone. I want to be an example for my brothers and for someone. So I want to succeed on this way because it's the way I want to be. I want to stay in, but I need to know where I can go.

Speaker 1

What the possibilities are.

Speaker 2

Yeah, what the possibilities. But I take some without welding. I take some class online in motivation and accounting. Class online in motivation and accounting. I do some. I do some um to know how is the process in canada. So I learn.

Speaker 1

I learn a lot of things because I have time and yeah good, good, so there's I mean, obviously there's a hundred opportunities for you to to follow your pathways, and sounds like you love to learn, which is important. What about this is just me thinking in the air now. Would you ever consider working for a welding shop or maybe starting some type of welding firm back home? I like in in Ivory Coast, like a something more professional, more like how you see welding here, not so much Because I know Nigeria is doing that, I know Ghana is doing that. I've been a part of those projects where they're taking welding and making them like a school here. Like you go to be a welder, you get good, you get education, you get good money. Go work for the mine or the oil and gas and make good money, not just roadside welder, you know. Would you consider maybe doing that back home, or is that too complicated?

Speaker 2

No, not too complicated. It's my plan, I want to have to all the business and yeah, I think my country need this one, because when I say to my dad I want to be, I take welding class, he's so like, why welding, you have many opportunities, why do you want to choose my mom? It's okay, because all I think I say she said if it's the right way, you think it's the good way for you, you can go. But, my dad was.

Speaker 1

You can see a welder here yeah, it's not a profession of something else.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah so I can do that. My dad will see that it's not well. Well in the world. We can, they don't uh think about safety.

Speaker 1

Yeah, factories's manufacturing, it's factories.

Speaker 2

Exactly, it's a lot of things. So, yes, it's my plan. It's why I say 10 years, because in five years I can have some experience and I can plan what I can do back home. But yes it's my plan.

Speaker 1

You know you're very mature for a young woman. You have a 10-year plan. I don't think I have a 10-day plan and I'm 50 years old almost and I don't think I ever had a 10-day plan in my life. And you got a 10-year plan. That's amazing, Like you should be very proud of yourself.

Speaker 2

Oh, max, I don't think it's true.

Speaker 1

you have planned oh, my only plan is to be rich, and that's it, that's all, and it's my plan too.

Speaker 1

Yeah, good, good and I'm doing all right, I'm doing pretty good. So you know, but uh, it's uh, it's taken me a long time to you. Know you, you're being smart, you know you're educating yourself. I didn't start my education progress with welding until much later, because I was almost like thinking of myself like a roadside welder. You know, I started welding young and I thought you know, I just weld, I just make money and it's still a good job in Canada, no big deal. But then it took me like 10 years before I realized like I could do more. I can. I don't have to just be here welding. I can use my brain and educate myself and move up and it and then I, you know, eventually I got to where I am now, but it was lots of steps. You're doing it much better. You know you're already thinking about those plans now, right, when you're starting your career, right.

Speaker 2

Oh, max, but I think I'm old. It's why I'm so much. I'm dirty. So I have to think about I'm really. I think I'm old because every people I see they are younger than me. So I'm like, yeah, I think I'm old because every people I see they are younger than me. So I'm like, yeah, I think I'm old, so I have a project, because I think my brother needs to take example on me because, I'm the first born and I always think about I have an association like association to help children.

Speaker 2

They don't have like a lot of money to go to school or in the Christmas, so those things allow me to see like I want to be someone. Those children can say, yes, I can be someone, I can just succeed. No-transcript for 20 years. I can say it's not a village, but it's not a big city. I stay in a village. I go to the market, I sell something with my grandmother. I learn I don't think anybody can say Awa can do a welding podcast with Max. I don't think, uh, anybody can say that. But I'm very proud of myself. But I I know that I can do more better than this one. And some people can say, yes, I can do, because our uh stay a lot of time in the village and she don't speak really good in french.

Speaker 1

Before and after that she get her master, she go to canada and she do something great yeah, and then learn english, a whole nother language, and then learn the language of the trades, which is a whole nother language exactly yeah, well, you know, I love seeing the pictures of you with.

Speaker 1

You know the welding hood and your welding and your, you know those are the examples we need, especially for two reasons. Number one, you're a woman. You know. Having women be strong leaders in the trades is something we desperately need. Number two, you're a person of color. You know representing the black community. That is something also very good, because many immigrants, especially immigrant women who come to canada, they never think trades. They come here from their home countries thinking that they have to do like a women job, you know, and nursing or or stuff like that, or in a restaurant or cleaning, and it's's like no, no, no, no, no. We need women of color, we need people to come to this country and thinking about the trades, because that is what we need the most, that is, the most jobs in the whole country right now is we need that and I think back home many women don't even think about it.

Speaker 1

They don't even think about it at all, like it's not something they ever discuss at home with their family or around supper about. You know, hey dad or mom, I want to be a welder when I grow up.

Speaker 2

you know that's not a thing right but I think they don't know. They don't know, uh, if they they can have a good opportunity. So me it's, it's because my friends say you can try welding. I just trust him so and I I think that those women don't know if she, she can succeed in this trade, or they don't know the opportunity they can, she can have so I think some women, they don't know.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and do you feel like you are at a disadvantage at all being a woman or a person of color in the trades, or do you feel like it has been a very fair process for you to learn and to get out there?

Speaker 2

I think I'm really lucky. Like being a person with color, I don't think, but being a woman, yes, I think being a woman. And in the trade, yes, um, I have the opportunity to work with CWB foundation. I think, mary, sorry, but I think because I'm woman and yes, I think because I'm a woman and yes, I think um they. They saw that I'm educated and and I'm a woman and I'm in the trade and they can help me grow up.

Speaker 1

Right.

Speaker 2

Like and for and you have.

Speaker 1

I mean, we're looking for mentors, right you? You said yourself you wish you had a mentor and you know in in some ways, right you. You said yourself you wish you had a mentor and you know in in some ways. Right now you are being a mentor to other women.

Speaker 1

You are, yeah, you know, and that's the way it works. You know, as, as we get older, I I, when I was young, I had great mentors for me, um, you know, and they helped me get to where I am. And then I start mentoring younger people below to try to help them climb too. I mean, the whole podcast is about, you know, old Max talking to young people about their amazing journeys, right?

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can try to do that. I don't have a lot of like uh people in my social media, but I can talk a little bit, you're good about that, yeah, yeah, I can try yeah, yeah, so are you more comfortable speaking in french than in english? Yeah, well, I speak my. My country is a French speaker, it's a French colony, so I speak great in French. But I'm just what can I say? Not beginner, like in English. I'm just try.

Speaker 1

Like intermediate.

Speaker 2

Intermediate, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1

All right. So we're coming up to the end of the interview here. This has been fantastic. I just want to ask you a couple more questions, you know. First of all, what is it in welding that you do best if? Someone says if someone says, hey, I got a job for you and this job is going to be doing this, and you're like, yeah, that's, I'm so good at that. What is it that you're best at?

Speaker 2

max. I think I'm best on in all.

Speaker 1

Oh, I think yes like mig, or stick or tig or stainless, or carbon or pipe.

Speaker 2

Oh, I don't know all of this, I know just.

Speaker 1

MIG.

Speaker 2

Yeah, MIG, MIG Flask. Core it's with the yes. We have to do TIG next year, so I do MIG After MIG. It's why, in English I don't know FCAW, yeah, FCAW.

Speaker 1

Yeah, fcaw Flux Core Dark Welding Flux Core. Yes, yes, I do that and I do me and you do SMAW. Yet Exactly. Yeah, we do that Okay so of those three SMAW, gmaw, fcaw which is the one you're best at? I think FCAW Yeahw yeah, flux core is a nice wire. It's nice, it runs nice, then you can do in all positions. It's nice overhead vertical there's lots of work already with flux core. Have you gotten any cwb tickets or qualifications yet?

Speaker 2

yeah, I have four oh, four, which four I have two in fcw and one in gm aw yeah and one in smaw, smaw yeah, well, that's pretty good.

Speaker 1

That's four tickets. You can already get a job with that tomorrow, if you wanted to I won't, I really won't well, you got a year of school left and then you can get your tag and stuff yeah, I don't think you'll have any problems finding work, like I mean when I was going through the tour of your area.

Speaker 2

There's lots of work in that area yes, I think in the mining in mining I think there are a lot of mining here and a lot of shop too, so maybe Are you willing to move.

Speaker 1

Are you willing to move to another place if you had to?

Speaker 2

Yes, if.

Speaker 2

I have the chance to move. I can move. I just want to improve myself and learn more. I just want to improve myself and learn more. I think for this summer I have the opportunity to work with CWB and discover all things, a lot of things, and learn more and have a lot of ideas of welding. So I know a bit what is the way I can go like being an instructor doing engineering and there are a lot of people that help me a lot to have an answer on a lot of my questions.

Speaker 2

Yes, so after that I can try to weld, I can try to have experience in welding and yeah, okay, that's awesome and you know I would always tell everybody.

Speaker 1

I always tell people, so you know you can choose to not, but in western canada, where I live, we have so much welding work I don't know if you want to come live out west. It's only english, though no french out here, so it'd be different, but there's lots of work I will love.

Speaker 2

I will love. I love speaking in english, but sometimes I feel like I don't do great. Oh, you do fantastic.

Speaker 1

I've had people on the show who speak much less, that's good, thank you all right.

Speaker 1

Last question before we wrap up the interview. Let's pretend that it's 10 years in the future. Now you have been working in the office for a big welding company in Canada. You learned how to weld, but then you move into office, you are maybe a director for a company and you have all this experience about business, about welding, all this fantastic stuff. You know, a very inspirational person I was going to be. And then you decide okay, you know it's time to go back home to make a difference in my country. You know, if you had a group, I bring you a group of 15 young girls in in ivory coast. They're all between the ages of 10 and 15 years old. Okay, you got these 15 girls between 10 and 15 and you sit them down in a classroom and you want to explain to them the future they could have with a trade. What would you tell them?

Speaker 2

Wow, okay, I can try to answer that. That's a great question. Okay, I can try to answer that. That's a great question. I can say that we don't have a position for women and position for men. They can do all they want. They can do if they want to. They choose some things today, they can change tomorrow if they want, because, end of the day, it's what they can be, what they can change tomorrow if they want, because, end of the day, it's what they can be, that, what they can want, and it's, uh, what you feel in your heart. And I can say, in the trade you can have a lot of opportunity. You can have the chance to meet, to meet maxi room. You can have the chance to mix christine christ.

Speaker 2

Kristen is my boss I work with and we can meet a lot of people because you are a woman, but not this one. You have to do well all the things you do. You have to well. Well, you have to learn, you have to search. You have to search for the opportunity. You can't stay home and say like, yes, the opportunity will come. You have to search for the opportunity. You can't stay home and say like, yes, the opportunity will come. You have to look for it. You can have great money. You can make a lot of money in welding. I know that because my teacher said that you can have a lot of money but you scared about burn yourself. You scared about walking with your hands and walking a lot of times. I don't think it's for you. You can try and if it's difficult you can change. But you can have a lot of chance in in welding. Maybe if you are 15 you can do on other things I'm counting before yeah, I'm counting before.

Speaker 2

I say that I was scared, I was disappointed, I was frustrated because I'm like, I'm 30 years old and my plan wasn't this one, but I like what I'm doing now.

Speaker 3

And they can have.

Speaker 2

If they have the opportunity to do, they have to give all their heart, like all the things they can do, and God is great, they can have what they want, yeah.

Speaker 1

Yeah, there's nothing to stop them, because I think, many of the societies around the world and still here in north america, there's still a thought that you know, these jobs are for these people, these jobs are for those people and that's not right. Job is a job. Do you want to do it or not? If you love the job, do it. You don't like the job, switch it exactly you have that choice, everybody has that choice yeah, yeah, yeah I have.

Speaker 2

I have the choice to stop and I have the chance to to have a teacher motivate me, but I say I always say that, um, start some things, don't be like don't stay, start some things and you will see, because I trust that the I say god is is, he will put you in the right way, like you can have the chance to have this one today and have the chance to have bigger. You can go down and you can go up. Life is is move and, yeah, you can do all the things you want.

Speaker 1

Yeah just have to stick with it, right. You just have to stay with it. Keep working, right. Yeah, awesome. Well, anything you would like to say to anybody before we go? Do you want to say hello to anybody? Or do you want to say hello to your family and your language, or anything like that?

Speaker 2

Oh, that's so cute. I want to say to my mom I love her, je t'aime de tout mon coeur, maman, je t'aime mignon. À tous mes petits frères, mignon, on say a lot, I say the name, I say my brother's whole name, like you know, vianney Antiniel, I want to tell you that I work well, I do my best and I know that you will be proud of me. I love you with all my heart. Yes, Awesome.

Speaker 1

Well, thank you so much.

Speaker 2

Awa much for being on the show with me today thank you so much, max, I was so happy to have you, yeah perfect, all right, and for all the people that have been watching the podcast, stay tuned.

Speaker 1

As always, we got lots of great shows coming up. Make sure you catch the past shows. Our library is getting pretty extensive. We're coming up on big numbers here and I've noticed that everyone's kind of going back into the library. I love that. Check out past episodes. We're moving forward. We got fabtech coming up in october. We got the awmi conference coming up in november. We got lots of great things hatching. We got new videos coming out on youtube in the next few weeks. So you know we always got things rolling out. Check out our youtube channel website. And again, remember, we're a not-for-profit. We're out there supporting the industry. So join, become a member, be a part of our team, help us with our volunteers across Canada and help us get in the communities and make the trades a better opportunity for everybody in this country. So stay tuned for the next episode and we'll see you there. Thank so, stay tuned for the next episode and we'll see you there. Thank you. We hope you enjoy the show.

Speaker 3

You've been listening to the CWB Association Welding Podcast with Max Serrano. If you enjoyed what you heard today, rate our podcast and visit us at cwbassociationorg to learn more. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions on what you'd like to learn about in the future. Produced by the CWB Group and presented by Max Heron, this podcast serves to educate and connect the welding community. Please subscribe and thank you for listening.