“It’s correct, but is it the best you can do?” – Ivra McDavis, Former Instructor IBEW 134 NECA Technical Institute
Shae shares this from one of her apprenticeship instructors that still shapes how she approaches her work. During hands-on assignments, one instructor would look at completed work and ask, “It’s correct, but is it the best you can do?” The question stayed with her. Friendly competition in the shop also encouraged everyone to make their work cleaner and stronger. Over time, that standard became part of how she evaluates her own effort, both professionally and personally.
Highlights from Shae’s Story:
Before Shae Anders ever stepped onto a construction site, she had already seen what it looks like to learn by doing. Raised by her mother who kept an “Electrical for Dummies” book nearby and handled repairs around the house herself, Shae grew up watching persistence turn into practical skill.
In her early 20’s her father, who was a union electrician, introduced her to the opportunities available in the trades. She had been working since she was 13-14 years old and after exploring several possible career paths, Shae decided to give an electrical apprenticeship a try.
She did not enter with a perfectly mapped plan so she entered with curiosity and a willingness to see where the work could lead. Now, nearly nine years into the industry, Shae is a Senior Safety Coordinator with Titan Electric. Her path from electrical apprentice, to journeyman, to Project Manager to safety professional reflects a simple philosophy she continues to share with others: try the opportunity, learn what you can, and keep building from there.
Shae entered the electrical apprenticeship with more curiosity than certainty. On her first day, while the class discussed electrical color codes, an instructor asked whether she knew why she was there. Her honest answer was no, and began her journey in learning what the electrical trade was about. Once the work became hands-on, everything began to click.
Shae was drawn to troubleshooting, problem-solving, and learning how different systems functioned together. The work kept her mind engaged, and the apprenticeship gave her a clear place to apply that curiosity. She completed the four-year program, became a journeyman, and began running work toward the end of her apprenticeship.
After several years in the field, Shae explored project management. The role itself was not the right long-term fit, but one responsibility stood out: developing site-specific safety plans. She began researching the requirements behind the plans and found herself increasingly interested in the broader safety side of construction.
That interest became her next direction and Shae returned to the field through a craft leadership assignment on a project so she could add more safety experience to her foundation. She later moved into a contractor safety role before joining Titan Electric.
Shae found that each transition added something useful. Electrical work gave her technical knowledge and firsthand experience with the pressures of field production. Running work developed her leadership. Project management introduced her to formal safety planning.
None of these earlier chapters were wasted, each one helped make the next possible. At Titan Electric, Shae has also found leadership that gives the safety team room to develop ideas and put them into action. She described strong support from the company’s president and Chief Operating Officer (COO), along with a genuine willingness to invest in employees and in the safety program.
Her combination of field experience, leadership backing, and practical tools gives Shae the space to help shape a safety culture that is proactive, personal, and built with the people doing the work with a strong safety culture.
“There is no typical day,” Shae said, and that is one of the things she enjoys most about her role. As a Senior Safety Coordinator, she supports multiple jobsites and responds to the needs that surface across them.
One day may involve walking a site, talking with crews, and identifying where additional attention is needed. Another may center on program development, planning, documentation, or helping teams respond to a new lesson from within the wider industry.
For Shae, she shares that human connection is not separate from safety. She does not believe in using one communication style with every person. Some workers respond to the reason behind a requirement, and others connect through humor, conversation, or a reminder of who is waiting for them at home.
Her goal is not simply to deliver a rule, it’s to help each person understand why the plan matters and how it supports everyone going home safely. Her background in the electrical trade gives her credibility in those conversations because she understands the work, the production pressure, and the temptation to save a few seconds by taking a shortcut.
That experience allows her to speak with field teams from a place of shared understanding. Shae also values the informal “story swaps” that happen with crews, stories about past incidents, near misses, and lessons learned can stay with a person after the work day ends.
Shae describes most of her experience in the industry has been positive, especially the support she received from the small shop where she began her career. The crew became protective of her, taught by example, and showed her what pride in the work could look like.
One particular mention was one of her Foremen Matt. Matt became one of her closest friends and a mentor in the early days of her career. Matt was often the first person Shae called when overwhelmed with an issue at work. She recalls one time in particular, “…there was one time, I hit fourteen hours in my shift trying to fix someone else’s mistakes just to make this customer happy, and the customer was cussing me out the entire time. “
Shae shares that when she called Matt she was exhausted and frustrated with this project and Matt knew this had been an ongoing challenging project and customer. After listening to her vent Matt said “…you don’t have to take that shit, pack up your tools and go home.” That’s when things clicked for Shae. She realized that she was valuable and skilled and in fact didn’t have to take that disrespect on the job, so she went home for the day.
Shae shares that no one else has ever spoken to her like that again. Shae shared that sadly Matt passed away earlier this year from a heart attack. “I don’t know if he ever understood how much that little comment meant to me, or how it actually changed my life, but it did.” A heartfelt reminder that these small moments with those around us have the power to build someone up whether we know it or not.
Shae is happy to share that her career has also given her more room to bring her natural personality to work. Early in the field, she instinctively started out quieter, lowered her voice, and kept more distance between herself and the crew. She was entering an unfamiliar environment and wanted her competence to speak first. In safety, the qualities she once dialed down have become an advantage.
Shae is naturally happy and approachable and that warmth helps her start conversations, ease resistance, and build trust when difficult topics need to be addressed. “I think it actually plays into safety really nicely,” she said. She has also noticed that newer women entering the industry are increasingly comfortable showing up as themselves and becoming more visible on jobsites.
Shae sees that authenticity as progress and it shows other women that they can be capable, technically strong, and fully themselves at the same time. When Shae did encounter an environment that was not supportive, the union gave her the ability to move quickly into another opportunity where she received respect and strong support. For her, that mobility is one of the union’s practical strengths. It gave her options and allowed one experience to remain exactly that: one experience, not the definition of her career.
Shae’s advice to someone considering the electrical trade or construction safety is direct: start by calling the union hall and learning the next step. “I’m a big proponent of just trying stuff,” she said. She does not believe a person has to know on day one whether a path will become a lifelong career. The value can also be in the skills, experience, and clarity gained along the way.
Electrical work became the foundation for her safety career, even though she could not have predicted that transition when she entered the apprenticeship. “If you’re interested in it, just do it, you don’t have to do it forever,” she explained. “…and at least you gained those skills in your back pocket.”
That mindset also helps her navigate difficult days. Shae steps back and asks whether the day was hard or whether the work itself is no longer the right fit. When she still values the work overall, she learns from the moment, lets it go, and keeps moving. When a new direction makes more sense, she trusts that she can build another path, just as she has before.
Goals/Achievements:
Her recent accomplishments reflect that continued momentum. Shae earned her Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) certification and has been approved to sit for the Safety Management Professional (SMP) credential . She is also considering shifting her college degree path toward a safety-related field as her interest in the profession continues to deepen.
Shae’s career is a reminder that progress does not require having every step identified in advance. Sometimes the strongest career path is built by entering the room, asking questions, trying the work, and carrying each useful lesson forward.
You can Follow or Connect with Shae at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shae-anders-chst-7980b0276/