Corinne Hagen

Corinne Hagen is a welder who works for the UA Piping Industry College of BC, where she supports people in their journey toward careers in the pipe trades.

What is welding, and where does it appear in people’s daily lives?

Welding is like the stitching together of metal pieces; the seam in a metal object, that’s the weld.  Everything metal was somehow put together: your bicycle, railings, gates, fences, big garbage bins, bridges, welding is everywhere, we’re surrounded by it.

 

Who you were before you entered the trades, and how did you decide to pursue a trades career?

I was an early childhood educator working in a daycare with little kids for a long time, and I was burnt out.  I knew I needed a change.  I did a trades sampler program here at UAPIC and from that I chose welding.

 

What are some of the most common tools welders use?

• Vice grips – to pick metal up and move it around
• MIG pliers – for cutting wire, spatter removal on the nozzle
• Grinder – with a wire wheel for cleaning up your welds, or with a zip disc for cutting pipe
• Chipping hammer and wire brush – for cleaning up your welds if you don’t have a grinder
• Welders have to wear a lot of protective gear.  You are fully covered all the time: long sleeves, long pants, steel-toed boots, gloves, a welding cap, a welding helmet, safety glasses, hearing protection, and a respirator.

 

What is one piece of advice you would like to give to your past self, or to a person who is wondering if a welding career might be for them?

Try a trades sampler program, they’re just so much fun, you’re not being tested, you are just there to learn and to try it out.  If you can try different trades, feel the materials and use the tools specific to that trade, then you can make a very informed decision about what you want to do as a career.