Bailey Steele
Ironworkers Local 25
Detroit, MI USA
"You’ve just got to jump right in. You can’t be scared."
Career Roadmap
Bailey's work combines: Engineering, Technology, and Building Things
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
If you think you might want to try something, just jump right into it. Don't be afraid. If you let yourself be too afraid, you'll spend your whole life doing nothing. Just try it!
Here's the path I took:
High School
Vocational
Intensive Welding Training Program
Women Who Weld
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I was born and raised in Michigan.
2.
At 18 years old, I was working at Taco Bell and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life—I just knew that college wasn’t for me.
3.
I met a woman who told me about the Women Who Weld program—I decided to participate in their one-day welding workshop and loved it from the start!
4.
After Women Who Weld, I hesitated for a few months because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to jump into welding as a full-blown career, but I eventually decided to move forward with it.
5.
I spent nine months welding automotive racks and became very skilled but started thinking I wanted more.
6.
I learned about the Ironworkers trade union from a coworker and decided to apply.
7.
I’m currently working as a welding apprentice in the Ironworkers Local 25 Apprenticeship Training Program union and I love it!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I'm not sure if I should move forward with welding. This is going to be a full career. I don't know if I should commit.
How I responded:
After participating in the Women Who Weld one-day program, I found that I loved welding. However, I spent a few months afraid to move forward with it because I just wasn't sure if I could commit. I eventually pushed myself to commit and have loved the journey since! My advice to others is to just jump right in. You can't spend your life being too afraid because you'll end up just doing nothing.