The Welder Who Almost Walked Away
Published on July 1, 2026
By: Hilary Holdinghausen
There was a time when Caroline Farthing wanted nothing to do with welding.
Her uncle first introduced her to the trade as a teenager, teaching her the basics and showing her how to weld.
“I just knew that it was sticking metal together,” Caroline said. “I didn’t really have interest in it when I was younger.”
When she enrolled in welding classes in high school, however, she quickly realized welding was harder than it looked.
“I hated it so much, and I wanted to quit,” she said.
Looking back, Caroline knows much of that frustration came from feeling like she wasn’t good at it. As one of the few women in her class, she found herself comparing her work to the students around her and becoming discouraged when she struggled.
“It embarrassed me to be one of the only females in class, and all the guys were better,” she said.
For a while, quitting seemed like the easiest option.
Fortunately, her family wasn’t ready to let her give up.
Her father encouraged her to stick with it, and her grandfather bought her a welder of her own.
“I would weld every day for hours after school until eventually I got good, and I wasn’t afraid of it anymore,” she said.
The hours of practice paid off.
“Eventually, I was the best,” she said.
Over time, frustration gave way to confidence.
“I fell in love with it,” she said.
That passion led Caroline to John A. Logan College, where she first enrolled in dual credit welding courses while attending Marion High School before continuing in the college’s Welding Technology program on campus.
At John A. Logan College, she found more than technical training. She found a community.
Caroline credits her classmates and instructors with creating an environment where students supported one another and wanted to see each other succeed. Whether she needed help with a project or was helping a classmate herself, she always felt supported.
“I loved it,” she said. “I really liked the environment, just the community that the students and instructors have made.”
Outside of class, she often spent additional time in the welding lab, sharpening her skills, working on projects and taking advantage of every opportunity to learn. Those extra hours gave her valuable experience and reinforced the work ethic she carries with her today.
The program also provided hands-on experience with industry equipment, including grant-funded technology that exposed students to tools and processes they would later encounter in the field.
“We got to learn how to use equipment that other colleges around here don’t have, and that definitely helped me out getting employed,” she said.
Learning to operate equipment such as the program’s CNC table gave Caroline practical experience that helped prepare her for the workforce.
She also credits her instructors with helping shape the professional she has become.
“I really enjoyed all of my instructors,” she said. “I have a good relationship with all of them. I keep in touch with them still.”
Today, Caroline works at Xylem in Carterville, where she uses the welding and fabrication skills she developed at John A. Logan College. The role allows her to apply the techniques she spent years developing while continuing to grow in a career she once never imagined for herself.
“I like the way that I feel when I weld,” she said. “It’s very calming and peaceful.”
As the only woman on her shop floor, Caroline hopes her story encourages other young women to consider careers in the skilled trades.
“What makes me proud to be a welder is that it’s something not very many females do,” she said. “It’s cool that I do it and that some little girl might be watching and saying, ‘Oh, she’s doing that. So I can do that too one day.'”
Looking back, Caroline is grateful she didn’t quit when things got difficult. What began as frustration eventually became a career she loves, proving that some opportunities are worth sticking with.
“Because of John A. Logan, I have a successful career,” she added.