Viera

Meet Viera 

Even though Viera had been working 2 jobs, she was just making enough to cover her expenses. On top of that, her shifts were leaving her exhausted.  

That dissatisfaction only intensified when the Covid pandemic happened, triggering her search for a better-paying career. 

Two years out of high school, Viera was in the process of upgrading her high school credits. She also started to think about more hands-on careers. 

“I remember googling entry-level jobs that paid more than the minimum wage,” Viera says. “I was really run down. I wanted the money to help myself, and to help my mom. I wanted something more.” 

It was then Viera decided to apply to Women Building Futures’ Journeywoman Start program – now known as Journey to Trades, our flagship trades exploration program.  

Viera had always liked working with her hands and being active, so the idea of entering a program where she could try lots of new things like carpentry, pipefitting and welding appealed to her.  

Added to that, both of Viera’s brothers worked in the trades. While they had carved out successful careers, she didn’t think it was an industry she would “enter with ease.” 

“I wasn’t great in school. I was worried about people’s attitudes towards me. I was worried about what people’s opinions of me would be. But when I started the program, that worry went,” she says. 

“I did rather good in trades school, which meant a lot as it’s fast paced. It felt like something new and different.” 

Moving forward 

What stood out to Viera wasn’t just the support staff offered during the course, but after.  

“Staff got me in front of companies, interviewers and recruiters to get me a job,” she says. “They trained us, so we weren’t just green onsite, and we had experience of real-world scenarios.”  

Viera is now a third-year steamfitter-pipefitter, and she has more financial security than she could have imagined. 

“Being able to pay off my car as soon as possible was life changing,” she says. “Before I retrained, I spent a year making payments, and I couldn’t even shave an extra $10 off my balance.  

“After 2 months of being a pipefitter, I was able to pay off the whole amount.” 

Added to that, she says, life “is a lot easier now.” 

“Instead of just looking towards the next day or the next week, or even next month’s rent, I’m looking at 20 years from now,” she says.