Kara Norsworthy | Tulsa Welding School

In May 2016, Kara was a flight attendant who had never used a power tool. Ten months later, she accepted a job with Huntington Ingalls before she even graduated from the Professional Welder with Pipefitting program at Tulsa Welding School Jacksonville.

The 27-year-old’s journey to TWS Jacksonville started in San Diego, California where she toured the USS Midway and drooled over the beauty of the welds. “I got really excited, and I knew this is what I want to do,” says Kara, who was looking for a more fulfilling career that still allowed her to travel.

She liked that TWS allowed students to come early or stay late for extra practice and brush up skills on campus after graduation. At first, she was scared and found the work hot and tiring, but Kara made the adjustment and began to excel at school. She maintained a 4.0 GPA during her tenure at TWS and earned three Top One awards, meaning the highest grade and best attendance in the class.

She built rapport with instructors during her seven-month welding program, leaning on their experience and encouragement when projects got challenging like putting in the root on her 6010 project in phase six. Kara graduated from the Professional Welder program, and decided to add the 12-week pipefitting program to make her even more employable. She gained experience prepping the raw materials, learned to use new power tools, and refined math skills during her time in pipefitting.

Confident in the abilities she had cultivated during her programs, she did not hesitate to sign up when she got an email from the career services department announcing a job opportunity with Huntington Ingalls. She passed the weld test at the end of the Phase 11 and Huntington Ingalls offered her a job in Pascagoula, Miss. starting immediately after graduation.