I started working in a factory when I was 20. I learned my skills on the job watching what the other guys were doing. I saw them operate machines, and said I wanted to do that.
I was the only woman in the factory. But when the guys saw how interested I was in the work, they started to teach me. Now I can run a machine start to finish.
I wanted to improve my skills. I went to trade school in the 1980s and took CNC [advanced high-tech] machining classes. Back then I was the only girl in all the manufacturing classes that I took.
On the shop floor here, there are 10 machinists, and I'm still the only woman. But I'm well-respected. I've been doing this for 32 years.
I'm going to keep doing this for as long as I can and as long as I'm healthy. My dad was a factory worker until he was 82.
I'll tell young people today to give this kind of work a shot. It's very interesting work and we always need more people in manufacturing. Here in Wichita Falls, there are lots of manufacturing jobs available. Yes, you do get dirty, but it's fun. It beats sitting behind a desk.
U.S. factories are creating new jobs. But owners are struggling to find skilled American workers to fill them.
