Still Building America—Cathleen McNally, from Army welder to instructor

Cathleen McNally welding.

JW: Share with us what kind of work you do.

CM: I am an instructor for the welding and machining class at an education tech center. We have high school juniors and seniors for half of their school day for two years. What got me started in this job was my old college welding instructor, Joe McFalda, calling me one day (three summers ago) and asking if I’d be interested in teaching this program. The previous instructor was leaving, and Joe knew that there was going to be an opening. I interviewed with about five other guys, and they hired me! At the time I was TIG welding at a prototype shop, so it was a very chance happening that this opportunity came up.

JW: Who were your influences, and who has impacted your life?

CM: My influences have been my instructors. My Techical Education Center (TEC) teacher from high school, Mr. Washington, wouldn’t let me quit welding, even after I realized I was the only girl. He pushed me to continue, saying that I had a lot of potential. So, I stayed and grew to love it. My college welding instructor, Joe McFalda, has always helped me out, whether it was in class with weld techniques or after graduating college and helping me find a good shop to work in.

JW: What type of background, training, and experience do you have?

CM: I am 34 years old and have been welding since I was 16. I studied welding for two years in my high schooI’s TEC welding program. I graduated in 2001 and spent the next year working at a welding shop TIG welding stainless bow rails and canopies for boats. I attended community college, working toward my welding associate degree. I had thoughts of joining the Army but wanted to be sure I wasn’t missing anything. The plan was to finish college and then join. When 9/11 happened, I changed my mind on finishing college first. It was a sign that I needed to join now, not later. I finished up my spring semester and left for basic training during the summer of 2002 when I was 19.

In the Army I completed the welding program for Advanced Individual Training in the Mechanical Maintenance School at the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Maryland. I served as a welder/metalworker 44b from 2002-2006 and have worked in various types of shops from Germany to Iraq to Oklahoma, Arizona, and Michigan. I finally completed my associate degree in welding and cutting technology at St. Clair County Community College (SC4), and I am currently working on my bachelor’s degree and teaching certificates through Ferris State University in the Professional Modularized Teacher Education Program.

JW: What is the favorite part of your job?

CM: My favorite part of my job is the look on the kids’ faces when they finally get it. Like when they’ve been having a hard time and then they get the angles and speeds and arc lengths down and lay some legit, really nice beads.

JW: What has been the most challenging and most rewarding part of your career?

Cathleen McNallty welding.

CM: The most challenging part has been dealing with people who do not agree with a woman being in a shop, especially the ones that are very vocal about it. The most rewarding work I’ve done since I started welding is when I was in the Army, in Iraq, repairing vehicles that otherwise would have been scrapped. We modified a lot of things on trucks in 2003-2004 and saved a lot of lives.

JW: What's your career goal?

CM: I’m not entirely sure just yet what the ultimate goal is. I’d love to do just my own mobile repair/shop in the garage one day. I like to fix stuff. But for now,I am just learning everything I can and going at it day by day.

JW: What advice would you give your peers if they wanted to find a similar path? Not even just specifically doing exactly what you do, but in general?

CM: In general, I would tell anybody if they are thinking about doing it, they should just go for it. You don’t know unless you try, right? Don’t worry about what anybody else thinks, because their life is not your life. As long as you are doing what makes you happy, I think that is the most important thing.

All images courtesy of Cathleen McNally.

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