career exploration & workforce development ... FOR GIRLS!
Brittany was exposed to the trades in her senior year of high school. She was set up in a co-op with a framing company and was hired and paid throughout the entire co-op and then she stayed on to do her first 2 levels of apprenticeship. She did end up dropping out of that program before completing her third level because at that point she was ready to start her own company.
When asked if she has ever felt out of place being a woman in the construction industry, Brittany says that there were a lot of times when people treated her as though she was incompetent. She says that not only being a female was difficult, but her young age seemed to add another layer of doubt in her ability to perform a job that has generally been done by men. She has been rejected from jobs, sexually harassed and treated very poorly on the job site because she is a woman, but she has found the strength to stand firm in her belief that she can do a job just as well as a man can. She has grown accustomed to having to prove herself repeatedly and more often than not having to work twice as hard than every guy on the jobsite but her success in the industry continues to speak for itself.
Brittany says that she would not be where she is today if it were for the support of her parents and three teachers who helped her find her path in the trades. There have also been many people who have taken her under their wing to teach her and guide her along her way.
Brittany says that if she could go back and give her 18-year-old some advice, it would be to never let anyone stop you from conquering your dreams. You can do anything that you set your mind to so don’t let anyone or anything get in your way!
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