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Jennifer Harrell on her passion for welding and metal fabrication
How one Pennsylvania-based welder overcame industry sexism to fight for her career
- By Josh Welton
- UPDATED August 7, 2023
- April 16, 2019
Jennifer Harrell began welding when she was 19 years old, renewing a passion in her life that she thought was gone forever. She has hid pregnancies under bib overalls, welded up oil pans for Sprint Cars, and faced her fair share of hurdles as a woman in the welding world. But the Pennsylvania-based fabricator is tough as nails and has earned her respect in the industry.
Josh Welton: Could you explain what kind of work you do?
Jennifer Harrell: I am currently a precision TIG welder, but also the bookkeeper and office manager at the weld shop that my boyfriend, Brady, started in 2010 called ProConveyer. It’s located in York County, Pa. Brady and I met through metalworking, and I began to work with him about two and a half years ago. We build conveyors from scratch. Specifically, I work with 16- gauge polished stainless steel on a Miller Syncrowave. We have four employees.
JW: What got you started?
JH: I have been a precision TIG welder of thin-gauge metals for more than 20 years. Earlier in life, I was passionate about riding and training horses, but I became pregnant when I was 17. My son’s father didn’t want me messing around with horses any longer. My only regret is that I let someone convince me to set that passion aside.
At the age of 18, I was trying to grow up, but I was very lost in life and trying to find my place in the world. I went from a daughter to a wife then to a mom in just a matter of months. I tried college, but I really wanted to restore old trucks, and the only way to do that was to learn how to weld. I knew nothing about welding but started to take night classes at 19. Surprisingly, I was very good at it! I learned MIG, TIG, and blueprint reading. Welding revived a passion within me that I thought had died when I was forced to give up training and riding horses. I felt restored and empowered again. And I could make good money.
By the time I was 20, my son started daycare and I got my first job at the metal shop where my stepdad worked. At that point, I could run a bead but had no clue about fabrication. However, I loved what I was doing so much that I knew I’d get good at it. I actually started out as a drill press operator and a truck driver at the shop. But I hung out with a cool old welder named Porky.
The boss at that job was a great welder, but a cruel guy. Everything I did was wrong. He once said to me, “The only reason you’re here is because you're a doe-eyed white girl.” I eventually got pregnant again and was sick often. I ended up quitting the metal shop job. But mid-pregnancy, I started a new welding job. I hid my pregnancy with bib overalls and welded the entire time. When the baby was born, I took six weeks off and then went right back to welding.
JW: Who were your career influences, and who has impacted your life?
JH: My stepdad and my dad are machinists, but mostly I inspired myself! Welding is an immense passion of mine—it comes from my heart. I’ve always had a day job and a side hustle. That’s how I started at my boyfriend’s business—it was a side hustle. But I also welded Sprint Car oil pans and valve covers on the weekends for about nine years.
JW: What has been a favorite welding project for you?
JH: Welding oil pans and valve covers for Tim Kuhn of the Sprint Car Series! Tim was a good man and an excellent welder. He pushed me and he expected nothing less than perfection. I learned a lot from Tim. He was good to me and respected me for my skills as a welder. The fact that I was a woman didn’t mean a damn thing to him.
Jennifer Harrell on Challenges in Welding
JW: What challenges have you faced as a woman in welding?
JH: There were many times when the men I worked for kept me under their thumb. I was often put down as a woman. And when I just wanted to work, I had to deal with men playing games. They were either infatuated with me or hated me. I was often made to feel that I was a complication to men I worked with. I once had a boss put my table in a corner behind him so that the other guys would leave me alone.
After several years of dealing with this kind of treatment, I have observed women can instill insecurity in men when we are making the same money, doing the same job. I went through hell to be where I am now. I have earned respect. Early on I realized that as a female welder I would never be happy until the sign outside said “Jenn’s Weld Shop.”
JW: What is the most challenging part of your job now?
JH: Most challenges that I face now are because I am the office manager and a welder.
JW: What's your future goal for your career?
JH: My future goal is to keep welding and earn my certified welding inspector (CWI) certification. I recently downloaded the book off the American Welding Society (AWS) website to study.
JW: What advice would you give your peers if they are interested in following your path or just need a little encouragement?
JH: My advice is to never get discouraged. Always have faith in yourself even when no one else does. To women specifically, the most important thing is to never give up on yourself, even if they tell you your stuff looks like shit. Don’t be easily intimidated. Be determined. Go into it with faith and inner strength. But you have to practice. I have welded every day for years. I couldn’t tell you the last day that went by that I haven’t welded. Also, don’t play the gender card for special treatment. Lead with your skill—always.
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