The Perfect Trade Out

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Meet Cassandra Whalen

When the typical 9-5 office life lost its luster after just a few years, this ambitious young Canadian found a most unexpected new career path.

Cassandra Whalen
Industrial Mechanic (Millwright)

Years in trade: 7
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Union: Atlantic Canada Regional Council- Millwright Local 1009
Committees / boards: Delegate, Atlantic Canada Regional Council
Recording Secretary, Millwright Local 1009
Chair, Atlantic Canada Sisters in the Brotherhood Committee
Chair, Sisters in the Brotherhood Newfoundland
Co-Chair, Build Together NL- Women of the Building Trades

  1. What prompted you to change from a career path in HR / payroll to one in the trades? I was not satisfied working the same 9-5 office job day in day out and knew I needed something that challenged me mentally and physically.

  2. A lot of women may think that they are not mechanically inclined and therefore may shy away from anything involving construction. What would you say to those women? Coming from a business background, I was not mechanically inclined. The intuition comes from hands-on experience. I had to work hard to understand the basics of the industry, but this did not mean I couldn’t do it. It just meant I had to work a bit harder than most. It was something that I was interested in understanding and that is what made the hard work enjoyable and motivating.

  3. What is most misunderstood about trade work? Most people think that trades work is a man’s job. That was truer in the past. Today there is room for all types, shapes, and kinds of people. In fact, it’s necessary. A diverse workforce is a competitive workforce.

  4. What is one of your favorite job sites or job site memories? Working at St. John’s International Airport in Newfoundland. I was the only female on this site working in my trade and I was appointed as Foreperson. My boss believed in me and my abilities and asked me to lead a crew of six. This was a milestone in my career and I’ll never forget the grateful feeling.

  5. What motivates you most in life? My family is my biggest motivation in life. Everything I do in life is for my kids. I want to set a good example for them showing them that anything in life is possible if they work for it.

TradesMOXY Staff