Steve Harper – INTERVIEW: Aug 28, 11:30, 2024.
Below is the original scripted questions for our interview as it is live they are more of a guideline. Check out my pre-planned information and I really hope you enjoy listening to how things unfolded with Steve. Link to follow.
4-Guest position or title and name of business:
Founder/CEO of Modern.JEMz
But I wear many shoes.
JEMI – Women, Mom, wife, Welding Technologist, College faculty, student, life long learner, blogger, weld technician, curly girl, equine đź’ś, Husky Akita and kitty granny, garden lover, foodie, mentor, artist to name a few.
5-Where are you currently located? (City/State):
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
6-Guest Website:
JEMsMind.com
7-Guest Email:
Modern.JEMz@gmail.com
12-Please give a description of your company and the products/services you offer:
Modern.jemz is a space to shout out and support all the people that create and maintain the world around us. Showing gratitude and respect. Creating The online presence since 2020. Welding workshops since 2010.
Modern.JEMz is a place to highlight, collaborate, uniqueness, safety, inclusivity, experience through community.
Offering experiences and perspective. Some references and recommendations. Community connection.
Motivational /Guest speaker – Welding Trades, Technology, Engineering, career pathway opportunity sharing.
Motivational /Guest speaker – Against the grain, Teen mom to Welding Technologist.
Freelance Weld Tech – Consultation for general welding questions, troubleshooting, equipment set up, Safety. Online or in person. Focus towards small business, Beginners, hobbyist, DIY’er. Open to discuss anything and see if there’s a fit.
Intro to welding workshop delivery – You provide the location, materials and equipment. I facilitate and deliver the workshops.
Heads up…
Children’s book in the works.
13-Please list three different aspects of your work that you would like to focus on in this interview:
I have had the Honor of being highlighted three years in a row in the IIW Welded Art Photographic Exhibition.
The IIW – International Institute of welding, has been supporting the development of welding and joining since 1948. I recommend checking out iiwelding.org if you’re interested in learning more about the international institute of welding.
For the digital Art exhibit click the link below.
Through this link there are two versions available for download. I’m sitting on page 49 and 50 of this year’s exhibit.
My piece is titled “Cultural Attitudes”
The 2024 exhibit was showcased at the 77th iiw, annual assembly and international Conference. Which was held July 7th to 12th this year in Greece.
My piece is representing the gravity of narrow perspective. That even the smallest interaction can divert focus away from trades education and careers.
Highly recommend you read my contribution And enjoy the entire works. Absolutely grateful to be a part of talking about the un ‘s sustainable development goals through welded art. Chris Smallbone the editor, coordinator, former iiw president 05 to 08 curated this fantastic exhibit.
Stunning work, through and through. Thank you, Chris. It’s been a pleasure working with you and this Legacy.
Community Cultivating + appreciating the contributions that everyone has in our world.
Canadian Welding Bureau association – Kitchener chapter chair, Not-For-Profit volunteer based association. Check me out on IG and whenever events come up I share them often. I hope to see some of you in my community out at one of our next events.
The CWBA helps connect community to industry. Providing education, support, networking, donations, pathways and so much more.
If you want to be referred to how to become a member, reach out and I will direct you.
Free to join.
14-As a young boy/girl growing up what inspired you to become a career professional?
What inspired me, my children. They’ve all had a hand in placing me where I belong on my path.
I never thought I was smart enough to go to post-secondary education as a kid. It turns out that I am. Unfortunately I just was in a system that pointed out flaws over reinforcing strengths.
So originally I strived for more for my daughter and in turn realised it was for both of us.
And learning is a lifelong thing.
Interestingly, I also believe that there is so much to know about welding. So much opportunity in welding, trades, technology and engineering that I will die only knowing a small fraction of that information even though I’m considered a technical expert in my field.
15-What are some of the obstacles you have had to overcome in your career that will inspire other men/women such as yourself?
Many things, but let’s focus on, the lack of value, respect, and stereotype influence.
First, you will always be undervalued and disrespected if you do not value and respect yourself first.
When you value yourself, you will create boundaries and hold them. Easier said than done. I know. To be honest, I’m working on it myself too. But boundaries and value are lifelong fluid developments. Working in the ebb and flow of ones life Journey.
Stereotypes…
People in welding are not dumb. And if you think that, I recommend you think about all of the infrastructure around you.
I really hope welding trades, technology and engineering people know what they’re doing because we don’t want bridges to fail or buildings to collapse or a car to fly apart or a nuclear pressure vessel to explode.
Fun fact not everything is compatible to be welded together.
There are different types of steel, many many different types, not to mention different types of materials and combinations of materials. Materials engineering is a whole other degree.
You know some are actually very difficult to weld.
Weldability is something that people talk about when choosing material types for applications.
Why? Because they might want to use that material because of its properties for the application required. But as soon as you weld it, the heat input from the process itself creates complications within the material where changes occur that could lead to catastrophic failure.
Welding discontinuities are inevitable. The question is how much is acceptable.
It comes down to perspective. I challenge anybody to tell me something that doesn’t have welding affiliated. I’m confident I could make a rebuttal argument on how welding is affiliated to whatever they come up with.
There’s more than one type of welding… Not just “arc” as I always get. Meaning SMAW – Shield metal arc welding AKA STICK. Or MMA manual metal arc (European) there’s so much in welding. Each process has multiple acronyms and names… So complicated that they all need multiple words to describe The exact same thing, just the name of the process… and then there’s so many processes…
GMAW, SMAW, GTAW, FCAW, MCAW, PAW, oxy fuel welding, brazing, braze welding, soldering, friction stir welding, Electron beam welding, laser welding, Spot welding, stud welding, thermite welding. Explosion welding… I’m not joking. Those are real…
The list can go on.
Anyway
Not so much an obstacle but an annoyance; working my backside off for everything, honestly. Yet, still being questioned on whether I slept with someone to get the grade. For the record, absolutely not. The fact that I feel like I need to defend it is insulting. But then I recognize the mirror that people display of their perspective.
Example; if someone catcalls at people, they really wish someone would catcall them.
They are mirroring what they want, need or what they need to understand.
Then it goes back to we’re all human.Talk about 80-20 rule… and it takes time. Lots, sometimes.
The harassment and disgusting comments and all that other stuff is in my eyes fixable within the daily. Meaning, know your stuff, set boundaries and tell people where they are.
Sometimes silence is louder than words. You also have to remember if your audience isn’t willing or ready to receive what you’re dishing they’re not going to hear it anyway. So it comes down to you. Do what you need to do, so you can sleep at night. The ethical fibre that has to flow in the people that work in the welding trades, engineering and technology fields has to be great. At least on the days of critical weld design, development, implement, install, repair, manage… ect.
With that, let’s have a quick discussion on what makes a good weld. What’s a “good weld”The simplest answer is one that meets its acceptance criteria.
To understand that the weld that holds the pig trough from leaking, is not as critical as let’s say something that is put in a nuclear reactor or sent to space, or components on commercial aircraft.
Think about that next time you fly…
There’s a lot of Science and engineering that goes into the welding and joining of materials. So much so did you know that there’s such thing as plastic welding, ultrasonic welding. I could go all day.
16-Did you have a mentor growing up? Are you currently mentoring anyone?
Growing up my mentors consisted of people in my family and people in the equine community that I was a part of.
As an adult early into my welding career, there have been a few Laura Potje, Jack Ronan, Jim Galloway, Kevin Furness, Marty Clayton and Paul Taylor. All with a healthy background in welding, metal fabricating, inspection, education and more. Pioneers of welding. There’s so much to know about welding that we will be pioneering it for a long time still.
Infinite combinations, just see a need, think if this works… And do you have the drive, hunger to see it through to the end of your life because the work will continue after you’re gone. Or make sure it’s not patent before you try.
17-In your opinion, what are some issues in the workplace that men and women should work together to eradicate:
Inequality, transitioned to equality through empathy towards others perspective.
We can start by encouraging people to find careers they love. Everyday cannot be perfect, but getting up to do a job you love hardly ever feels unmanageable.
I am an advocate of hard work, doing things you love, yet find balance and persistence. Loving self and giving Grace for the space to allow growth and transformation to occur.
I’m Mentoring through sharing experiences and adding some of life’s connections. On my website. At JEMsMinds.com
18-How did you get your start?
The damage to the system. I Want to be able to learn and heal through self-discovery while walking the journey with others doing the same. All while working together to strive and thrive.
19-Being an accomplished professional what quote or word of inspiration can you give to encourage others to follow their dreams?
“Sharing experience and expertise from 20 years as a mother, 17 years learning, working, creating, mentoring & volunteering in the welding & education industries. This space is to create community, opportunity & experience for a passion of life. Sharing experience through an artistic platform with a fusion of technical understanding & translating. Inspiring through self-discovery that all can thrive through every experience. That it is ones place to control how we react to life but not how life plays out. That we make choices, not sacrifices. There are far too many things in this world. Perspective is key in finding and celebrating all your successes and learning through all of your failures. For failures or lows excel your path of success. JEMI”
website JEMsMind.com
IG @Modern.JEMz
Jackie Morris on LinkedIn
Such an absolute pleasure chatting with Steve Harper and Seeing where BPN can take us together. Grateful for all who tune in and walk some of our journeys together.Â
Cheers
JEMI