An Electric Career — Sparking Interest for Women in Construction

Life in Wyoming can be tough, gritty and challenging. The terrain is rugged, and the weather at times unforgiving. It’s known as the “Cowboy State” for its cowboy culture and vast ranches of open land that dominate the countryside. It’s also known as the “Equality State” because it was the first state in the United States to grant women the right to vote and hold public office, and to do so on equal footing with men.  

Tiffany McMillan was raised in Wyoming, in the small remote town of Upton, in the Northeast corner of the state near the South Dakota Black Hills border, just south of the iconic Devil’s Tower. Having grown up in Wyoming, she understands what it takes to persevere and be successful in the face of adversity.  

“I enjoy being outdoors and engaging in physical activities, and I also love tackling and solving problems,” she said. 

Home on the Range 

As a young woman in 1998, McMillan had been waitressing for a family-owned restaurant in her small town. She hadn’t yet found a job she could call a career. The hours from waitressing were sporadic and pay was limited — minimum wage was around $5.00 an hour at the time. 

Because of its rural nature and lack of large urban areas, Wyoming can be a difficult place to find full-time, career-sustaining employment, and McMillan was finding this out for herself. 

It was at this time she was offered a chance to work as an electrical apprentice. McMillan jumped at the opportunity. The challenge and the prospect of making what she considered good money — $10.00 an hour — drew her to the job. 

Outnumbered 

For McMillan, the chance to enter a career in construction was unexpected. She recognized she had the skills and aptitude to succeed in the field but was somewhat unsure of herself in her new role. 

In 1998, the industrial electrical construction industry was dominated by men. This in part contributed to some self-doubt and reservations she had in the early stages of her career.  

“There’s a lot of fear that keeps people and women from applying for better jobs. People will say, ‘I’m not going to be able to do that because I’m not qualified for this,’ or ‘I’m not qualified for that.’ It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,” she said. 

There were a handful of men that were supportive at the time, but most thought women didn’t belong. 

“You were assumed to be somebody’s wife or girlfriend, and that’s why you were out there working. I think our industry is changing, but it’s been a slow change,” McMillan said, reflecting. “The encouragement from the people who explained the apprentice program to me gave me the confidence to say, ‘yes, I’m going to try this. I’m going to go ahead and do it.’” 

“There was a statement I once heard. It said, ‘When a man looks at a list of requirements for a job, they’ll look at it and say, oh, I meet six or seven of those criteria. I’m gonna go ahead and apply,’ but a woman will look at the same job description and say, ‘I don’t meet three or four of these. I can’t apply for this.’ I think for me that’s how I felt going into a male-dominated industry,” McMillan said. 

The Right Stuff 

When McMillan entered the apprenticeship, her knowledge of electricity was limited. She had to learn what voltage and ohms meant. She had to learn the difference between volt-ampere and wattage. But in time, she found herself adjusting and she noticed she had an innate talent for the job. 

“I found I fit well with the electrical apprenticeship program. I’m skilled at math and good at figuring things out. I like to take complex problems and dig into them, and I was able to use that skill,” she said. 

As an electrical apprentice, formulas need to be applied to get the right angle of a bend in a conduit. Concentric bends is the fancy name for bending conduits to make sure the bends match the curve of other conduits being installed in parallel to other conduits. An electrical apprentice must calculate and use math in different situations to install runs of conduit.

“There’s a lot of math involved, which is exactly the kind of thing I excelled at,” said McMillan. 

A Passion to Help 

Within a few short years, McMillan’s career began to flourish. By 2003 she had earned her first electrical journeyman’s license. 

“Once I learned the terminology and the skills needed, I realized that I’m a hard worker and that stands out. I’m smart and I could show I know how to do the work as well as anybody else. I had a lot of confidence once I realized that.” 

She wasn’t going to stop there. She also had a passion to help others. That same year she started teaching electrical apprentices for a project based in Colorado. The site was so busy that the apprentices couldn’t go to the training center during the day.  

“I started teaching electrical apprentices two nights a week after work, NCCER Electrical Level 1,” she said. “The apprentices that wanted to come and do their first year of classes could do that with me. I really wanted to make a difference.” 

Formula for Success

In one of the classes McMillan taught, she had a female student who was training for her electrical apprenticeship. The young woman struggled with math. 

“I remember her to this day, she was somebody who was self-doubting and struggled with some of the concepts early,” said McMillan. 

She empathized with her and understood her struggle. 

“I understand you’re frustrated, but I’m going to tell you I’m really good at teaching math. I know how to explain it,” she said. “We’re going to work on this until you get it,” she told the young woman. 

“Watching her learn, be successful and get through the [NCCER] modules — she was so proud of herself. When you see somebody complete something like that, and you’re part of that, it’s rewarding.” 

Difference Maker

When McMillan started in the industrial electrical industry, she was only one of a few females working in the field at that time. On her first job, there was only one other female. On her second job she was the only woman on the project site. 

Through passion and perseverance, McMillan continued her pursuit of her craft. After getting her first journeyman’s license, she earned her electrical master license in an additional 16 different states. 

She’s held multiple positions in her 25-plus year career, including electrical program manager, district learning manager, district safety manager, and project manager. She has also managed nearly 500 employees and developed safety programs abroad and in the U.S. 

Today she has a direct hand in shaping a new future for women in construction. She oversees the apprenticeship program for Black & Veatch as their construction staff and craft training manager. McMillan is a woman in construction making a difference. 

 

To hear more about McMillan, her career and her role in developing an apprenticeship program, check out The Builders’ Table podcast, Episode 62.