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Not everyone goes into boilermaking thinking it will be a lifelong profession. Certainly, it was the last thing on Ben Groulx’s mind when, at the age of 18, the Welland high school graduate decided to become a boilermaker apprentice.

“I was in college, fully committed to getting my diploma in business,” says the 25-year-old resident of Welland, Ontario. “Only problem was, I needed to work to pay for college.” The answer seemed obvious—get a job that paid well but still left enough time to complete his college education. On the suggestion of his father, a boilermaker of 30 years, Ben enrolled in the apprenticeship program and—his money issues resolved—prepared to focus on getting the education he needed for a career in business.

Fortunately, says Ben, things didn’t turn out exactly as planned. “Less than two years after I became an apprentice, I realized I was having more fun as a boilermaker than I was as a business student.” In addition to making good money, Ben liked the challenging nature of the work, enjoyed the travel and relished the time off.

“I’m lucky in that I’m mechanically inclined. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with building something out of raw materials. I also like the variety. Since I’ve become a boilermaker, I’ve had the opportunity to work at steel mills, oil refineries and power generation plants. That’s pretty exciting.”

Abandoning his business career plans had another big advantage—no longer required to attend college classes every day, Ben opted for more leisurely pursuits. Now living in Wasaga Beach near Collingwood, he’s become a regular among snowboarders in the area.

For the moment, at least, Ben is living the kind of life many of us only dream about—he’s making good money, enjoying what he does and looking forward to expanding his area of expertise. “Don’t get me wrong,” he warns, “I’m perfectly content to do what I’m doing now. However, I can see a day where I’d like to get involved in areas such as safety or working with the union.

So, what’s the downside? Apparently, it’s large family dinners. “With a father who’s a boilermaker, a brother who’s a boilermaker, and a cousin and brother-in-law who are boilermakers, that’s often the subject of conversation around the dinner table.”

And that, says Ben, often upsets the most important person in all of their lives—his mother. “The thing is, it’s probably only going to get worse. A couple of my friends have seen what boilermaking has done for me and are looking to get into the apprenticeship program as well.”