• Posted: November 10, 2023
• Apprenticeship Program, better careers, IBEW Local 134, Lane Tech High School, Susan Allen, tradeswoman, Training, US Army, Veterans Day, Women's Army Corps

As a young woman growing up in suburban Chicago in the 1970s, Susan Allen didn’t have a clear vision for what she wanted to do after high school. She ended up enlisting in the U.S. Army, a decision that completely changed the trajectory of her life and career. 

Joining the Army

After basic training at Fort McClellan in Alabama, Allen was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri as a power generation mechanic, and served two years in Schweinfurt, Germany assigned to an Air Defense Artillery Unit,  – roles where she was often the only woman among her male colleagues. 

“It was difficult, it was interesting, and I was quite young. I learned so much,” Allen recalled of her time in the Army.  

Being part of the last classes of the Women’s Army Corps and then the first classes of the integrated Army shaped Allen in profound ways. 

“I can remember, we were on night fire and it was nobody cared if you were Black, white, green, male or female because it was night fire, it’s black, dark. You don’t win without working together,” she said. “It was very eye opening, how well we can do together.”

Finding her way through IBEW Local 134

After finishing her service, Allen wasn’t sure what career path to pursue. But with her power mechanic training and family background in the electrical industry, she decided to apply to IBEW Local 134’s apprenticeship program in Chicago. Though she didn’t set out to break barriers as one of the first women to join Local 134, Allen ended up blazing a trail for countless women who have entered the electrical trade over the past four decades.  

Reflecting on her early days in the apprenticeship and career, Allen said it was difficult but her military service prepared her well for being the lone woman on so many job sites. 

“I just walked right in and sat right down and there were the same naysayers there, but there were also the same people that told me to hold on to the stick and don’t bother, fight back,” she recalled.

Allen remembered one piece of advice from a kind mentor during the early days of her career that’s stuck with her. 

“There’s a turtle in the pond, and there’s two birds in the pond. And the turtle’s trying to get across the land, and the birds say, ‘jump onto this log and we’ll take you across.’ And as the birds are pulling, the snapping turtle bites on the log and the birds go flying across with the turtle, letting go and falling into the other ones,” she recounted. “And [my supervisor] said, ‘Don’t be the turtle that opens their mouth and lets go of that stick to the ground.’ And that has stuck in my mind always. Listen, who cares what they call you? Keep your mouth shut and keep flying.”

That mindset helped Allen push through challenging situations and naysayers to build a successful decades-long career as a journeyman wireman, contractor and electrical inspector in Chicago. She took pride in excelling at the work and paving the way for more women to enter the trades. 

“Especially in my time, it was very, very male,” Allen said. “I do think I helped in that way because I stood in the storm.”

Sharing her success to blaze a trail for other tradeswomen

Some of Allen’s proudest career accomplishments include buying her first home as a single woman in her mid-20s and becoming one of the first female supervising electricians licensed in the city of Chicago. 

“I took the test at Lane Tech High School with a thousand men, just to stand in line with all those men,” she recalled. “I think that took some courage.”

For young women considering a career as an electrician today, Allen offered some hard-won advice. 

“Definitely be an electrician and be in the union. Look for the good person whether it’s a male or female. And like I said, I meet the women now, and there’s a couple women that work with my husband. It seems like it’s a very different industry now, and I’m proud that I was one of the beginners,” Allen said.

Her trailblazing career and can-do attitude stemmed from her formative years in the Army. 

“It changed who I was completely. Yes, absolutely,” Allen said, reflecting on her military service. “And I didn’t even have a second thought about going into the trades because I thought ‘Why couldn’t I do that? Just train me. I can do it.’”

As she looks back now, Allen takes pride in being part of the movement toward women’s equality and inclusion in all career fields, especially skilled trades like electrical work. 

“I really hope I helped pave the way for the next ones,” she said. 

Her advice to women entering nontraditional careers still rings true today.

“Be your best self. Don’t let people tell you who you are and be brave and just keep going,” Allen said.