HCC welding graduate finds career stability, purpose in teaching

For years, Janice Blount worked long shifts and moved between jobs to support her four children. Today, the Houston City College (HCC) welding program graduate teaches high school students a trade that helped her find financial stability and more time with her family.

Blount, a single mother, teaches introductory welding and Welding I at the Barbara Jordan Career Center, where she helps students develop technical skills and prepare for careers.

“I have never been more economically stable in my adult life than I’ve been now,” Blount said.

Before enrolling at HCC, Blount earned an associate degree from San Jacinto College, where she studied psychology, clinical counseling, mental health and substance abuse. She said her education did not lead to the income she needed to support her family. She held jobs at FedEx, the post office and in airport security before looking toward the skilled trades.

Her interest in welding developed while working as a fire watch, monitoring industrial work for potential fire hazards. Watching welders concentrate on their work, she began to picture herself doing the same. The stability of a skilled trades career demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic also influenced her decision.

Getting into a classroom, however, required more than choosing a career. Blount needed childcare and help balancing school, work and parenting.

She said HCC’s support services made that possible. Through a partnership with the YMCA, on-campus childcare gave her children a place to stay while she attended classes. The college’s Eagle Market helped her obtain food, toiletries and other household necessities. Together, those services helped ease the financial and practical challenges of completing the program.

“If it were not for that, I would not have been able to complete school because I don’t have that village,” Blount said of the childcare.

The welcome she received from welding instructors helped her take the next step. Entering the program in her 30s, she studied alongside younger students, some of whom already had experience with the trade through their families.

Blount found the early lessons difficult. The heat, burns and frustration sometimes left her in tears and questioning whether she should continue.

She credits the instructors’ patience, particularly that of her first welding instructor, Samuel Sutton, with helping her persist. They worked with her in the welding booth until she understood the techniques.

“And the patience that they had with me is what kept me going,” she said.

That support continued when she began seeking work. Blount said instructors provided recommendation letters and helped her prepare for interviews. She also visited HCC’s career center, where she obtained an outfit for her interview.

When she applied to teach welding, Blount questioned whether she had enough experience. But she said her college training and industrial work had prepared her to meet the position’s requirements and pass a welding skills test.

Now, she teaches 76 teenagers, offering both technical instruction and encouragement as they consider their futures.

Some students have already told her they plan to remember her when they land their first welding jobs. For Blount, the most rewarding part of teaching is providing the same guidance and encouragement she received from her HCC instructors.

“I am now that person,” she said.

For Blount, the change has also meant reclaiming time with her four children. Years of juggling multiple jobs and working 12- to 16-hour shifts meant missing moments she can never get back. Now, her teaching schedule allows her to be there for their games, meetings and other activities.

“I've lost a lot of time with my children, and I mean a lot, and you don’t get that time back,” she said.

Her new career has given her more opportunities to be present and renewed her confidence.

For others considering a return to school, Blount recommends researching programs, employment opportunities and the support available to students. She also encourages them to consider a path that challenges them.

“I would encourage them to challenge themselves, do their research and go for it,” she said.

Learn more about HCC’s welding program at hccs.edu/welding

Once a student, now a teacher: Janice Blount instructs high school students on welding.