Arclight is a long-form interview series in which Women Who Weld, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that teaches women how to weld and find employment in the welding industry, showcases women who create, ideate, and collaborate across specializations and trades.
Daquais Johnson completed Women Who Weld’s Intensive Welding Training Program in October 2021. She then landed a job as a production welder and is currently an ironworker at Nelson Iron Works in Detroit. Below is an edited and condensed interview between Samantha Farrugia, the founder of Women Who Weld, and Daquais, a former Women Who Weld participant, in December 2022.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on the west side of Detroit and I’ve always been in Detroit.
Where did you work before becoming a welder?
I was in the hospitality industry, working as a housekeeper, at Greektown Casino Hotel.
How long did you work at Greektown?
I worked there 13 years, but I was a housekeeper a total of 17 years.
You participated in Women Who Weld’s Week-Long Intensive Welding Training Class in 2021. Why were you interested in becoming a welder?
I was kind of just stuck in a rut and really tired of doing hospitality. It is a pretty thankless type of work. I made a lot of good friends and I formed good relationships with a lot of people, but with the work itself, I was just ready for a change.
My mom mentioned Women Who Weld sometime around the end of 2018 and it sounded like a lot of fun and very interesting. It took me about a year and a half to finally get the opportunity to follow through after she mentioned it. I would always miss the mark on signing up for the class because they sold out so fast. Then Covid hit, which delayed the process a little longer, so I was just playing the waiting game, and when the opportunity came about, I jumped on it! But everything happened to me right when it was supposed to.
I met your mom in 2014 just after I launched Women Who Weld, and she has been a Women Who Weld board member for many years. How does she feel now that you’re a former participant and a professional welder?
She is over the moon excited for me and very, very proud that I took this leap. Her and my dad couldn’t be happier, they’re really excited for me.
Your dad is a retired welder. Where did he work during his career?
He worked at Ford Motor Company in the Dearborn Frame Plant as a welder for almost 40 years.
Did you ever weld with your dad growing up?
No, I’ve never even seen him in action! I just knew what he did and I knew he loved what he was doing. I didn’t know anything about welding other than my dad was a welder. But I know he enjoyed it very much.
Since you’ve become a welder, have you had the chance to weld with him?
No, but I’m trying to get him into the shop with me so he can show me his skills and we can learn from each other. He has given me a few good pointers. He let me know how good of a job it is and how many opportunities are involved with the field of welding; and how the higher I go up, and better I get, I can begin to pick and choose and write my own ticket and enter into different aspects of the craft. He talks to me about different welding processes and things he's done over the years that helped him. But I would love to be in the shop with my dad, that would be awesome.
When you were younger, did you ever see yourself becoming a welder?
Absolutely not. Never in a million years did I imagine that I could even possibly do anything close to this, in any type of skilled trade. It never even crossed my mind. And I guess that's because of the era that we grew up in – where certain jobs were just for males. So I never entertained the thought until the opportunity came, and I decided to not play it safe anymore and just leave what had been working for so long and take a leap. And I ended up really enjoying it and loving it.
You’re a mom, what are the ages of your children?
I have five: two adult children, my oldest daughter is 23 and I have a 21-year-old son, and teenagers, 14- and 15-year-old boys, and a 3-year-old toddler. So I have all stages! It's an absolute challenge, but I love it. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Are they interested in welding?
Uhm, no, haha! They are very much in awe and very proud of me, but they’re like, “Oh, I could never do that.” But I would love if they would take an interest in welding because I think it's an awesome, amazing field to get into.
Does your husband weld?
No, he works in the auto industry. He’s excited for me and the things that I'm doing right now. He's very proud and he brags on me all the time.
What was your experience like as a Women Who Weld participant?
I walked away feeling so proud of myself and so empowered, because it was a time where I felt like I would never do anything other than what I was doing. My confidence was extremely low, I didn't think I was capable of doing anything else. So, to take that leap and walk away from the experience feeling good, feeling empowered, still nervous, but just feeling like, “Okay, I can do this, I have to do this.” It was an amazing feeling.
And shortly thereafter you landed your first welding job.
Literally within two weeks.
What was your first job as a welder and what did you do there?
I was doing production work with an automotive rack company. And it was a totally awesome experience, a totally different dynamic of people but everybody was really nice. I learned a lot in a short period of time, I was there for about eight months.
Where do you currently work, and what’s your job title?
I’m an ironworker at Nelson Iron Works, I’ve been there since June. It's amazing. It's a very small operation. I enjoy it very much, everybody's very nice and, again, I’ve learned so much in a short period of time. It's just awesome. The lead has taught me various things that I couldn't have learned anywhere else and because of it being such a small operation, he allows me to take my time and learn things and make mistakes and he shows me how to correct them. It's just been really, really amazing.
Your shop lead called me in May of this year and said he needed to hire welders, so I provided him with your contact info. I’m so glad it worked out!
He's amazing, I really enjoy working with him. He doesn't have a hard time stopping what he's doing to show me or remind me of things. I'm also driving a hi-lo now, something I never thought I'd be doing! I'm doing fitting and all kinds of stuff.
What type of projects have you worked on since you started working there?
I don’t know too much about where the actual parts are going, but I know we’ve worked on various elementary schools. I personally haven’t worked on-site yet, but I will be doing some on-site work in the future. For now, all my experiences have been in the shop. I’m welding a lot, but there are days where I drill like 200 holes with a mag drill. Some days I’m doing simple fitting, but most of the time I am welding some sort of part. I’ve worked on quite a few large projects involving long, huge I-beams. Currently, we’re working on the world’s largest Kwanzaa display for Campus Martius in Downtown Detroit.
Which welding processes do you engage in?
I’m primarily MIG welding steel. I’ve done stick welding a few times, I’m still new to the process so I’m still learning it, but there will be more stick welding down the road for me. I just started MIG welding aluminum this week. It’s fun, I had a good time with it.
What other sort of tools and equipment do you use regularly?
I use a mag drill a lot, a saw machine, a grinder, a flame cutter.
Which days of the week do you work, and what time do you start and end each day?
We work Monday through Friday, with an occasional six day, and we work 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
That is an early start time. Does that bother you at all?
For me it’s rough because I have a toddler, I’m trying to get her situated at night so I can get to bed. It has been a challenge but I’m rocking with it, I’m making it happen. And my lead is amazing with allowing me to leave if something is going on with the kids or I have an appointment – my youngest daughter is on the spectrum, she has autism, so we have therapy appointments and different things that come up. And he is so gracious and allows us to take care of our families. He is all about taking care of your family first. So that part has been absolutely amazing. For me it has been so helpful.
“I'm a 44-year-old mother of five and I'm doing this every day. I never in a million years thought I would be doing this and be good at it.”
How long was your commute to your first welding job? And how long is it now?
The first job was about 40 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. And Nelson is about seven minutes! It’s been so much better on my gas!
Describe a typical day on the job?
On a typical day, I come in at 5 a.m. I work on whatever I was working on the day before, or I immediately report to my lead and ask him what the next project is. But usually I already have the project sitting on my horses ready for me to work when I get there. So I’ll weld, and I’ll use the crane if I have to get a part from another area – that's another piece of machinery I use. No day is the same. We just get to work immediately because there's always something for us to do due to the fact there are so few of us in the shop, so we definitely stay busy. But we all work together and we get it done; and we get so much work done, even though there’s only four of us in the shop.
Has your income gone up or down now that you are a welder?
It has gone up.
What are your future career aspirations?
I would love to have the opportunity to go more into the art aspect of welding. I'm creative, and though I've gotten away from creativity over the years, I see where I can be super creative with welding. So I really want to be into some kind of art project. That would be so exciting for me, that would be kind of like a dream.
Even though you're working on structural projects that serve functional purposes, there is still an artistic element to welding and fitting. It is perhaps not so clear at first, but over time, as I'm sure you've observed, the best welders and fabricators are those who are curious and creative.
I absolutely agree with that.
What are the aspects you like most about being a welder?
It's relaxing. I feel so relaxed when I'm welding. It's almost meditative in a way for me.
Have you encountered any challenges as a welder?
I've gotten a couple of wounds, battle scars, but that's to be expected. Another major challenge was fitting, it was a little bit daunting to me. You have to make sure your measurements are right. So learning to fit was kind of nerve wracking. It’s become my new Goliath, so to speak.
Do you have advice for women who may be interested in pursuing a path in welding?
If you're thinking about it, do it. You will love it, it's going to pay off. Don't be afraid. If I can do it, anybody can do it. I'm a 44-year-old mother of five and I'm doing this every day. I never in a million years thought I would be doing this and be good at it.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I just love being with my kids. I like date night with my husband. Taking walks, the Dequindre Cut is a family thing we do. Just normal everyday stuff with family and friends.
If you were not a welder, which career path may you have chosen?
Honestly, I hate to think it, but I probably would still be doing housekeeping because it was just the safe decision. But at one point I was thinking about going into the healthcare industry, though I don’t think I would have gotten nearly as much satisfaction from that as what I’m doing now.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
I would probably go to motherland Africa. I would love to travel to Egypt to see the pyramids and I would love to go to South Africa as well.
Quay, I am so proud you took the leap and stuck the landing!!! You are a ROCK STAR!
What a fantastic interview! Daquais is a true inspiration.