Hello.

I'm Dylan.

And today we're visiting Tatro in Garden City.

Tatro is a plumbing, heating and cooling company that started in 1952 and does business in several states.

Today, we're going to learn what it's like to be a plumber in both people's homes and commercial buildings.

Let's go!

I'd like to introduce you all to Kristina.

Kristina is a journeyman plumber.

Kristina, can you tell me what a journeyman plumber does?

Sure.

Plumbers are problem-solvers.

So whenever somebody has a problem with their plumbing at their house, I get sent out to do a service call, and I do whatever it takes to get their plumbing up and running again.

Whether that means repairing or replacing plumbing or fixtures, unclogging pipes, or doing standard maintenance, I figure out what the problem is, and then I do what it takes to fix it.

My official title is a journeyman plumber, but that's just a fancy way of saying that I'm licensed and that I can help train people that are new to the field.

Can you teach me what it's like to be a plumber?

You know what?

I would love to!

Let’s hop in my truck and go check it out!

So Kristina?

Yeah?

How did you become a plumber?

Well, when I was a teenager, I had three major back surgeries.

I went through a dark time in my life, and I kind of made some bad choices.

But then one day, I met a recruiter for Tatro, and they gave me the opportunity to learn a skilled trade.

And that opportunity has really, really changed my life.

I did my research and decided that plumbing would be a very secure field to go into because the world will always need working sewage systems and clean water in our houses.

So I took advantage of the chance to learn to be a plumber with Tatro.

I worked full time as an apprentice plumber here while learning my trade, and then once a month I took classes on Fridays and Saturdays, and I got to earn while I learned.

And now, four years later, I'm a licensed plumber.

And it’s been such an amazing journey.

I just have to ask, isn't it kind of unusual for a woman to be a plumber?

It really is.

But that's definitely something I'm hoping to change.

It really is a great field.

There's all kinds of job opportunities, great pay.

The possibilities are endless of what you can do.

I don't have to conform to a stereotype with this job.

When people answer the door and they see me, I'm definitely not what they're expecting.

But I always tell people, I can rip up your floors, rip out your walls, install all new plumbing, and I'm going to do it with mascara on.

Why do you like being a plumber?

I think I like being a plumber because I get to solve problems, and I get to help people.

I help older people, people who live alone, people that don't have the know-how or their own tools to fix their plumbing, and it just feels really good at the end of the day.

Every day I accomplish something and take things off my to-do list.

And that always feels great.

Yes, some days I get dirty — some more than others.

But every day is a new adventure.

Every day I go home knowing that I've made something look good, work better, and then I can be proud of what I've done.

So today, we have a possibility of a broken sewer line.

So what we're going to do is we are going to jet it which will clean it out first.

That way we can see everything when we go ahead and put a camera down it and see what we can find.

This is the actual camera.

We’ll actually be able to see inside the pipe right there on that monitor.

Here you go.

Can you see yourself?

Let me see that winning smile.

So we're just looking for a break.

See that?

You see that split right there?

There's their problem.

That was seriously cool.

What other the kinds of work do plumbers do?

Well, some of my co-workers work on the commercial construction side of plumbing, heating and air.

That means they'll install all kinds of new pipe, new fixtures, ductwork, and whatever else it might take to get the plumbing and heating up and running.

Do you want to go see the commercial side of the business?

Yeah.

Let's do it.

So, Dylan, I'd like you to meet Daniel.

Daniel is also a journeyman plumber, but he works on the commercial side.

Nice to meet you, Daniel.

Nice to meet you.

Can you tell us what we're doing today?

Yeah, we are tying in some water lines for some wall hydrants.

You want to see?

Yeah.

This is the main water line tied in two hydrants.

Want to be able to give water to the people outside, like maybe the concrete guys when they got to make cement — instead of having to walk all the way to the water meter, which is 300 or 400 feet away.

They just turn the water on out there.

Once they have the walls, it's going to run up and go over to the little bathroom area over there, and it's going to supply water for sinks, toilets, all that good stuff.

That was really interesting, Daniel.

Can I ask, what's the main difference between what Kristina does and what you do?

The difference is she fixes problems in people's houses and businesses, which is what I thought plumbing was all about.

And when I started at Tatro, I learned about the commercial side of the business, which is new construction that's different every day.

And that's what I really love about it.

I had no idea plumbers did so many different things.

If I go into plumbing after high school, what are some paths you think I should take?

Definitely take your math classes.

I was really intimidated by the math at first, but once I started working here and saw how decimals and fractions apply, then it wasn't so bad anymore.

Anything else that you can take that they offer as electives, like small gas engines or electricity — it all kind of ties them together and will help you out in the long run.

I would agree.

And then I would also say taking a speech class, because you're always dealing with people, and you've got to learn how to communicate with co-workers and everyone around you.

Thank you to Kristina and Daniel and everyone at Tatro for showing me around and telling me what you do.

This is Dylan signing off in Garden City for Cool Careers.

Have a great day!

Hi, I'm Emily.

Today, we're at Florence Corporation in Manhattan, Kansas.

Florence builds and designs centralized mailboxes and automated package locker systems like you'd see in an office building, housing division or apartment complex.

To keep mail and packages safe and secure, Florence mailboxes are welded together to help keep out the elements and deter theft.

This means Florence hires lots of welders who work here.

Welders also work in lots of other industries, like aviation, construction, agriculture and shipbuilding.

Today, we're going to learn more about welding, a very cool career in high demand all over the world.

Let's go!

I'm here to introduce you to Richard, a technical lead here at Florence Corporation.

Richard, can you first explain to us what exactly welding is?

Richard, can you first explain to us what exactly welding is?

Sure.

Welding is using heat and different kinds of tools to melt and fuse different pieces of metal together.

Once the metal cools and it's permanently attached together, this means that things like rain can't get in, and nothing can accidentally fall out of our mailboxes.

OK, that's cool.

Besides welding, what do you do here as a technical lead?

I train new employees, and I over watch the entire production process.

I also make sure that all of our work is done to the highest level of quality.

The last thing I do is I program and I operate the robotic welders.

Wow!

I didn't know robots could weld.

How do you decide what gets welded by a person and what gets welded by a robot?

That's a great question.

So, the robotic welders are responsible for most of the welding that we do here.

However, we use humans to spot-weld the product before it goes in to the robots to make sure that there's a clean, consistent weld every time.

How did you learn how to weld?

Funny story: I started here as a temporary employee working in the sanding department, which has nothing to do with welding.

One day we were shorthanded on welders, and they offered to train me to become a welder.

I accepted, and it took some getting used to, but I really liked it.

I think it's a good idea to always keep an open mind because you never know what's going to turn into a great opportunity.

Products we make here have to be made to the standards of the United States Postal Service, which has very strict guidelines as to how centralized mailboxes have to be made.

Are you glad you became a welder?

There are so many businesses out there that can't find enough welders.

There aren't a lot of us right now.

And once you've learned the basics of welding, it's not hard to learn different styles.

While I really like it here at Florence, it's nice to know that if I wanted to change that there are other opportunities for me.

Plus, welders generally make more money than other types of manufacturing and construction employees.

OK. And I have one more question.

Could you show me what it's like to weld?

Sure.

Let's do it!

I got to watch Richard do some welding up close.

It was really cool to see the pieces of metal fused together.

He showed me the entire welding process, from raw materials through robotic and hand welding.

He took the hood off the hand welder and showed me how it works.

It was a lot more complex than I thought.

Well, what did you think?

There's a lot more to it than I thought.

I'm still in school, obviously, but what are some things I should learn if I want to become a welder someday?

Well, at your age, it would be a good idea to learn how to read diagrams, blueprints and other construction drawings.

There's also a lot of information on YouTube about the different kinds of welding.

When you're in high school, I totally recommend taking every welding class you can.

Welding equipment is expensive, so it's smart to learn and practice on the school's machine.

If your school offers it, you should also take occupational safety training classes to learn how to work safely in a manufacturing or construction environment.

It sounds like there's lots of ways to learn how to weld.

Which do you think is the best?

That depends on if it's important to you to earn a certificate or an associate's degree.

A formal technical college or a community college program after high school can help you with earning a certificate or a degree in welding.

You can also learn directly from an experienced welder under an apprenticeship program.

Oftentimes, apprentices are paid for the hours they work, and sometimes they can apply those hours towards academic credits.

Because welders are in such high demand, many employers are willing to train their employees in welding or pay for their training classes.

If your employer offers tuition reimbursement, then you can actually get paid while you're learning.

It sounds like there's lots of options out there if I decide that welding is what I want to do.

I've learned a lot today.

Thanks for showing me around.

Thank you to Richard, his team and everyone else here at Florence Corporation for showing me what it takes to be a welder.

I'm definitely going to consider taking some welding classes in high school to see if I like it.

Be sure you visit hirepaths.com to explore other types of high-demand careers.

Until next time, this is Emily signing off in Manhattan for Cool Careers.

Have a great day!

Hi, I'm Cole.

Today we're with Conco Construction in Wichita.

Conco Construction is one of the top 10 general contractors in central Kansas.

They build all kinds of commercial and industrial buildings, from aircraft hangars to car washes to hospitals.

Their headquarters are in Wichita, but they work across Kansas and in several Midwestern states.

One of the most important jobs on a construction site is carpenters.

Carpenters build and repair things made of wood, like furniture and buildings or even bridges and dams.

Today, we're going to meet a real carpenter working in building construction.

Let's go!

I'd like to introduce you to Will, a carpenter foreman here at Conco Construction.

Will, thanks for hosting us today.

Can we start by having you tell us what you do?

Absolutely.

Carpenters build the structure of the building and put the floors, the roof, the stairs: It's basically like building the skeleton of the building.

And then at a later date, we'll come back and put the finishes in, like cabinets, doors and trim.

I'm a carpenters foreman, so I oversee a team of carpenters on the same jobsite, which usually leads into doing quality control and teaching new skills and learning new skills with my team to oversee any kind of problems that might come up.

I'm always learning new things and passing information on to my team, and I also order materials and build schedules to make sure the project comes out on budget and on time.

You do a lot around here.

How did you learn to become a carpenter?

Well, as a teenager in the summertimes, I worked for my uncle's construction company, and I learned all the basic skills to get me going.

Cole: Wow!

You started working on construction sites while you were still in school?

That's really cool.

Yes.

When I graduated high school, I went into the workforce and spent about six years building residential houses instead of going down the path of college.

So what did you do next?

So, what I did next was I went and I apprenticed at a large construction company, and I learned from other carpenters that had more experience than me, and they taught me how to build bigger, better, more technical projects.

And I got paid to learn.

So I was earning a full-time paycheck the whole time I was learning.

And it took about four years.

What do you like most about being a carpenter?

Well, the thing I like most is that I get to be on a jobsite for up to a week or up to a year.

I'm constantly getting to use new, different tools to teach people how to use the new tools and learn with them.

Could you show me a few things about being a carpenter?

I came prepared.

I came prepared.

(LAUGHS) Yeah.

Come on.

You're going to need more than that.

Will showed me how carpenters use lasers to hang shelving and find studs inside the walls.

It was very cool to get to try everything myself.

He was very good at teaching me how it works.

He also showed me how carpenters sometimes use heavy equipment like bucket trucks and skid loaders.

We also tried out different kinds of tools.

There's way more to being a carpenter than using a hammer and nails.

So how’d you like being a carpenter?

It's really neat that I get to build so many different kinds of things.

Yeah, and it's really gratifying to stand back at the end of a project and look at your finished product.

It's really like leaving your mark on the world.

Wow, that's an awesome way of thinking of it.

I'm obviously still in school.

What are some things that I could learn now that would help me become a carpenter someday?

Well, the biggest thing that you can learn is how to use one of these: a tape measure.

You'd be surprised at how many people your age don't know how to use one.

You could start at home by building small things like a birdhouse or even maybe a ramp to drive your bicycle off of.

Another thing you can do is study math.

You could learn fractions, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction.

It's going to help you a lot in the field when you come out to be a carpenter.

I really like math, so that works for me.

What else could I learn as I get older?

Well, when you're in high school, I would focus on taking technical classes where you can learn valuable skills like woodworking, small engines — anything to do with construction that will be really valuable to help you in your career path, to start an apprenticeship or jump in right into the workforce.

It sounds like a good plan.

Those classes sound pretty fun.

Oh, maybe I could build a time machine to get me to high school quicker.

I would just stick with the birdhouses for now, buddy.

So there's more than one way that a young person can learn the construction industry.

OK, cool.

Is it something I can do now?

Sorry, dude.

You've got to be 18.

Dang it!

But Conco Construction does have a program called Cool to Be Blue, where you get to apply and work in a 90-day training period where we give you different exposure to masonry, carpentry and iron work.

And as a mason, you might be putting bricks in a building, right?

As an iron worker, you're going to be putting up the steel skeleton of the building.

As a carpenter, we're going to be putting up the wood skeleton of the building, and it gives you the opportunity to earn a paycheck while you're figuring out what is the best fit for you in the career path.

And it's a good exposure to learn a wide aspect of construction.

18?

Oh man, it's like forever.

The birdhouse is going to have to wait.

Time to get started on that time machine!

OK, so how can our older viewers learn more about It’s Cool to be Blue?

Our older viewers can apply at concoconstruction.com and apply for the Cool to be Blue career path today!

Wow, I learned a lot today.

I’d like to think Will, his team, and everyone else here at Conco Construction for showing me what it's like to be a carpenter.

I'm definitely going to dig through our toolbox when I get home and get started on that birdhouse.

For real!

Be sure you visit hirepaths.com to explore other types of high-demand careers.

Until next time, this is Cole signing off in Wichita for Cool Careers Have a great day!

Hi.

I'm Maya.

More than 25,000 planes take off and land each day in the United States.

But did you know most of these planes get their start in Kansas?

I sure didn't.

That's why we're here in Wichita at the headquarters of Spirit AeroSystems.

Spirit AeroSystems is a aerostructure manufacturing company.

That means they make the parts of the plane that give it its shape and help it fly, like the body, wings and cockpits.

They have locations all over the world, including places like the United Kingdom, France, Malaysia and Morocco.

More than 10,000 people work at Spirit AeroSystems' Wichita facility.

It is the largest employer in Kansas.

While we're here, we're going to follow a sheet metal mechanic, a person who helps build the body of the plane.

Let's go.

When I first got to Spirit AeroSystems, I was given a tour by Alex, who works in Human Resources.

I can't believe how big this place is and how many people work here.

At the end of our tour, he took me to an observation deck, to meet a real sheet metal mechanic, which is an entry-level job here at Spirit.

Let me introduce you to Tray.

Tray is a mechanic here at Spirit.

Tray, what does a sheet metal mechanic do?

Well, I install and frame a part of the fuselage, so I get to help build an airplane every day.

That's really cool you get to help build an airplane every day.

But what's a fuselage?

That's a good question, Maya.

The fuselage is the main body where the passengers sit.

It's like the shell of the airplane.

So all the green structures that you see behind us, they're all fuselages.

You mean each of these will become planes?

There are tons of planes in this place.

Oh, yeah.

I've helped work on over 500 planes myself.

People's lives depend on our work, and so it's important that we help build the planes to the highest standards.

It's awesome to know that I can look up in the sky, see airplanes up there and know that I've helped build them.

That does sound awesome.

Is there any chance I could see your work?

Is there any chance I could see your work?

Oh, yeah.

I can show you where we train people for this job.

Maybe you could try it out for yourself.

Come on, follow me.

Tray took me to Spirit AeroSystems' sheet metal training area to show me how and where they drill into sheet metal.

He showed off some of the tools he uses on a daily basis.

I got to even drill some rivets, and it was harder than expected.

Tray: Give it a little run.

Then you press it on there.

Then it pushes through.

And then give it a press.

Get in there, yeah.

Boom!

Just like that.

I did it!

You can place this into that hole right there.

Maya: I don’t know.

Maya: I don’t know.

Tray: No, you good!

You good!

Tray: A little socket wrench, crank it to the right.

Righty tighty, lefty loosey.

We just wrench it down.

Natural!

Tray showed me the belly of the plane where the luggage is stored underneath the seats, and even some windows.

It was eye-opening to see how many rivets go into one section.

Tray told me the metal goes through a long process to shape it and keep it durable but lightweight.

Doing this also makes the metal turn green.

Being a sheet metal mechanic here at Spirit takes a lot of work, but is an amazing job.

Well, what did you think?

I really liked it.

Thanks for showing me your job.

So, how did you get started here at Spirit?

Well, Maya, after high school working some small jobs, I decided to get my sheet metal certificate at WSU Tech here in Wichita.

That was a six-week program.

And since I'm from Wichita, I'd always hear that Spirit had great salaries and benefits, like tuition reimbursement.

So someday, I would like to go back to school to become an entrepreneur myself.

So working this career, that’ll help my career take off.

And soar high.

And soar high.

Exactly.

So what else has helped you prepare for this job?

You're full of good questions, Maya.

I would say participating in sports in high school has helped me prepare for this job.

You learn to communicate with teammates and to be on practice, on time, and you get to move around a lot.

Sports require a lot of problem-solving so you can win the game.

These days, my job requires a lot of hands-on work and moving around, which I love, and I need to communicate with my co-workers to make sure we are doing our jobs correctly and solving problems when they come up.

I never really thought that sports could help you with a job someday.

I'll have to tell my friends who play sports all about that.

Is there anything else you would suggest?

I would say, Maya, always challenge ourselves to work hard and to learn to critically think by taking advanced courses, especially in high school.

It's always good to work with your hands too, so you might try out some shop classes.

And find out if your school has an AVID program.

AVID teaches some soft skills, like punctuality and organization that prepares kids for life after high school.

Finally, when you’re old enough, definitely look into some internships with Spirit AeroSystems.

These programs can let you see firsthand what it's like to work here and how Spirit can help your career blast off.

Maya: I'll have to give that internship program a look.

It sounds really cool.

Thank you, Tray, for showing me your job.

This seems like a totally awesome place to work.

I'd like to thank Tray and Spirit AeroSystems for showing me around today.

I'm definitely interested in learning more about building planes.

There are so many planes being built in Wichita, and I didn't even know it.

Be sure you visit hirepaths.com to learn about careers in aviation, as well as other high-demanding jobs in Kansas.

Until next time, this is Maya signing off in Wichita with Cool Careers.

Have a great day!

Will it start with my line?

Kristin: We will start with your line: “What do you like most about being a carpenter?” Will: And we are going to get the whole thing this time.

Kristin: We are going to nail it.

(LAUGHS) Nail it!

(LAUGHING)