Still Building America: An opportunity to learn to weld helped Sharon Hall build a career and a better life

Welder Sharon Hall.

One year ago Sharon (Shay) Hall struck her first arc, and she hasn’t stopped welding since.

Taking hold of her faith and desiring to protect her young daughter, this brave, single mom escaped a violent domestic relationship and set out to build a safe, new life. In November 2018 my wife, Darla, and I had the pleasure of meeting Shay at FABTECH, where we heard a little of her story. We knew that this would be an important one to share. Read on as Darla shares Shay’s story.

Darla Welton: You have a powerful story to share, Shay, but first explain what kind of work you do now and how you got started.

Shay Hall: I am an apprentice welder/fabricator at Garage Bound LLC in Chattanooga, Tenn. I got started when an opportunity came to me after I escaped a violent domestic relationship.

DW: Your journey hasn’t been easy, but your resilience is inspiring to us. What do you hope comes out of sharing your experience?

SH: So many people can be overwhelmed by brokenness in life. In sharing my story with the welding community, I want others to know there is hope, no matter your circumstances.

DW: Your circumstances were dire. What gave you the courage to make a change?

SH: There were so many red flags. He was an addict and we were in a relationship for five years. I had been living numb to the fact that I had accepted and allowed someone to treat me so badly. When I was six months’ pregnant, the neglect, drug abuse, and physical violence peaked. At the time I had been investing in my faith and relationship with God and my whole attitude began to change. My desire to feel strong and be strong, confident, and appreciated grew more each day. Eventually God gave me courage to tell myself that this would never happen again. I would not experience this again. My daughter would never experience this again.

DW: Incredible. What action did you take?

SH: At first I stayed with my best friend, but she had a growing family and I didn’t want to impose, so we ended up at Partnerships, an organization that provides support services and shelter for victims of domestic violence, homelessness, and human trafficking. Eventually my abuser found out where we were, so we had to move in the middle of the night to a domestic violence safe house in Cleveland, Ohio. My daughter and I were there for four months, sharing a full-size bunk bed. Finally we were connected with a place called The Refuge in Cleveland, which strives to help people realize their own potential and support them as they work to better their lives. Through grants provided to the organization, I was offered an opportunity to receive a full scholarship for customer service training or welding skills training through Cleveland State Community College. I always loved working with my hands and using tools, so I signed up for two weeks of welding boot camp.

Welder Sharon Hall.

After my first experience with a MIG torch, I thought, “I’m never going to do anything else.” It was intense training, but I quickly became addicted to welding. After two weeks I received AWS certification in three areas of welding.

DW: That’s amazing. What were your next steps?

SH: In time I found daycare for my daughter and now had to find a job. I had a resume and my certificate, but being a woman with very little experience, it wasn’t easy. I was being directed toward assembly-line jobs, but I didn’t want to spend my time just tacking things up all day. I wanted to learn more and get dirty.

By the grace of God, a place opened up in Chattanooga called Room in the Inn, but I was still struggling to find a job that I really wanted. I had heard about Garage Bound LLC and its owner, Michael Brandt, and had reached out a few times, but he didn’t have an immediate need or opportunity. Elsewhere I had no success finding anything that worked with my daughter’s daycare hours. But two weeks after moving to Room in the Inn, I heard back from Michael. I started at Garage Bound two days a week, then three days, and eventually I was offered a full-time job with benefits! That was 10 months ago.

DW: I think I know the answer to this question now, but specifically, who has influenced your career and had an impact on your life over these past couple of years?

SH: My daughter influenced me to make the decision to better our future. As far as working in the industry, Michael Brandt has been the biggest influence. He and his wife, Connie (she’s super rad), have become like family to me and my daughter.

DW: Aside from your apprenticeship and training at Cleveland State Community College, had you received any other training or experienced anything to pique your interest in welding and fabrication?

SH: I had a bit of a rough upbringing. My dad was abusive, but he was big into metal and fixing things. When he was working in the shop, he focused his energy on what was happening in the shop instead of on me. So I understood “the shop” to be a good thing, and that’s where I became intrigued by and familiar with tools. However, my true beginning came back in January 2018 at Cleveland State Community College.

DW: What has become your favorite part of your job?

SH: My favorite part of my job is having the space to make mistakes. I have so much to learn and have worked with guys that are at such a higher skill level than I am, but I dream of gaining the skills that they have. Michael has a high level of expectation; he wants flawless work the first time around. However, as an apprentice, if I make a mistake, I am shown what I did wrong and then I actually get to do it right. Because I am given this space to make mistakes, I also am given the opportunity to not only experience new things and really develop my welding skills, but to grow relationally, physically, and spiritually on the job. And when I put my hood down, I am in the zone. I’m dreaming about the future. I’m processing through things that I am working on with my counselor.

DW: What is the most challenging part of your job?

SH: I have to work my butt off. I have to accept the challenges to do things that are uncomfortable and always step up to the plate. Most challenging is dealing with my own ignorance of tasks, such as aluminum TIG and learning about food-grade welding for working on milking machines. Also, safety. Sometimes I get in a hurry and don’t stop to protect myself.

DW: What is your favorite project to have worked on so far?

SH: I love how busy the shop is and how many different projects I get to work on, but my favorite project has been the Rock City fencing. This project includes 10 panels of pure creativity. The concept was brought to Michael before I arrived at the shop, but he was given creative license to bring these 3D pieces of art to life. There is a lot of grinding, welding, shaping, and plasma cutting. It’s a time-consuming project, but one that I am honored to be a part of.

DW: What's your future career goal?

SH: My future goal is to one day run the shop at Garage Bound. I am already the shop foreman, but the projection is for Michael and his wife to be on the road and for me to be the boss here in the shop. I look forward to one day managing a team of local mobile welders. And hopefully, being able to teach them what I have learned.

DW: That’s awesome! Do you have any advice for anyone considering welding and fabrication as a career path?

SH: My advice for career path selection, similar to mine or not, is to know what you are going after and let yourself do what you love to do! If we don’t have our whole heart, backed with passion, in our pursuits, then we will never be satisfied and always will be looking to fill that void.

Many thanks to Shay for opening up and sharing a part of her journey with us. You can continue to follow her work on Instagram: @girl_friday20.

All images courtesy of Sharon Hall.

**If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or use a safe browser at www.thehotline.org.**

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