Should you go to welding school?!

#welding #school #tradesman Is Welding School right for you? I get this question almost everyday from young guys interested in the industry. Well that’s one of the most complicated questions to answer! Are you welding pipe? Are you wanting to be a structural welder? Do you want to do automotive welding? Or maybe equipment welding repair like me?

[BruceLyeg]

I grew up with my father owning a welding shop. That was my school. I did get certs so I could go pipe-lining when I was younger. I actually dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade and was making roughly $5K a month when I was 16. I did end up going back to school though. That was pretty good money in 1986, more than any of my teachers were making

[mendoblendo]

Nothing sounds better than running beads in -20 in North Dakota wearing a pancake making that $$. And I'm from Florida #321. Still in school but as a 36 yr old with no kids or wife I'm ready to travel and weld and weld pipeline. I love this life

[rickd]

Nothing wrong with taking a course on something you need more practice with. Layout, tig, and rigging classes are good things to add to your skills as a welder.

[mendoblendo]

I'm 37 and just realized welding was my passion. I have enrolled in my community College for SMAW snd acetylene welding for 5 months then I move to TIG and MIG. In only paying 200 for my current course and it's a basic community College I can't get actually certified there but he will get my ready to pass. We have a badass class with Lincoln and Miller's with 2 instructors to maybe 25 students. We also get to fab metal and have any tool/car lifts you could imagine.
I want to be a pipe welder. I'm 36 in honestly terrified starting over in life but I want to rub beads dusk to dawn

[mds]

I like watching Austin Ross. He does just about everything. Ross is really talented with fabrication, and making his own tools for hanging fence. I do MIG pretty sufficiently, but I'm practicing and learning stick welding again. I think most of the learning process is getting comfortable with the amp settings for any particular rods. I noticed some rods really like to be on the top end of the amp rating, and some just right in the middle.

[osbaldohernandez]

Definitely worth every penny going to to south coast welding academy in Houston aka weld Tube they teach you everything you need to learn

[oldgeeser]

I'm a Certified welder in Canada and my advice is if you want to earn a living welding then I suggest that you do the school thing, you learn things you will never learn self taught just burning rod. If you just want to repair the fence in the back 40 then just get a welder and go for it .

[BADHIGEEN]

I just bought a welder back in the day when modems where a thing and started welding when ever I needed to. My welds sucked pretty bad but stayed together and that's all I really cared about. Then youtube blew up with how to do this that and everything my welding improved a bit and I've welded many things back together. If you need that paper signed to say you can do it I guess so but I hate school. Try stuff on youtube. LIGHTNING GLUE is a great skill no matter what you do with it.

[klue]

Welding school is a good thing if you want to be a welder. I welded for 8 years, then went to school for an Associates degree in welding technology. In the end, it was all free due to some past hard ships, and good grades that made me eligible for lots of scholarships. There are also scholarships given by welding associations like AWS. It was well worth it, you get lots of practice and get a taste of some of the qualification tests you may come across when getting a welding job.

[daltonlawrence]

I just started welding school and I'm learning a lot, but don't just go to go, make sure they can teach you the skills you need for your life goals. You're paying to go there after all.

[o]

Dude I love your videos don't change a damn thing

[LSG]

Any Trade, obviously you will learn on the field. But me as a Diesel Mechanic, I did go to school, it's just good to have and trust me companies do care if you have experience and also School Certificate.

[fraterjr]

Tulsa Welding School was really fun. Trade school is much more hands on experience. TWS is 4 days shop time 1 day class. Their are 3 × 5 hour classes a day. You have to the one your assigned to. You are welcome to come in during other classes and practice as well. They cut and bevel your coupons and plates for you as well so you don't have to spend all your shop time doing that.

[flyinpolack]

Some companies will only hire if you go to school. That is the biggest reason to go to school.
Welding schools have 1 huge inherent problem though: While you will run 1000 welds and get good at running a bead, most schools teach ZERO actual fabrication skills. If you want to be a fabricator (A guy that ACTUALLY makes stuff from start to finish) don't bother with school, just find a job shop and start sweeping for the welder. He will teach you, and you will make money from jump street.

[tomf]

Hi 'Meltin'.
My friend Small garage workshop recommended you, just going thru your vids now :-).
Yes if you can get a course, go, it won't hurt. I'm older but signed up at local college. It's 2 nights a week for a year. Bit more advanced than I needed but no harm done 👌

[staybusybuilding]

Yo Anthony! Way to shout out Rico from weld lab. Watch both of your content. Thanks for all the knowledge👍🏼

[dan]

I got started welding at my college. 4 courses and welding was one of them. Was intimidated at first but once I got the basics on mig I jumped to stick and found it more enjoyable than mig. Recently at my job( food chain) I been learning nothing but TIG. Something about welding that I enjoy and able to create what I imagine. Sucks that welding takes a troll on your body though

[repalmore]

For pipe welding, the best way to break into that is get a job as a welders helper. Nearly all the welders will be happy to help you learn the trade. If you want to do repair work, find someone who is doing that kind of stuff and see if you can work for them. Welding school is great for anything where you have to comply with a code but you also have to develop the relationships with customers or other welders in the trade and working for them is the best way to develop the relationships.

[GodOfReality]

Here in Canada there's no such thing as an apprenticeship anymore. Now you need to complete a "pre-apprenticeship" just to get an apprenticeship. It makes too much sense to go to college for welding for a year or two. You finish as a "level 1 apprentice" equivalent (whatever the fuck that means, apparently there are three levels before you can qualify as journeyman? Who makes these rules?) and can start working immediately. That's working, not getting an apprenticeship.

The whole situation is fucked but work is everywhere so whatever.

[clay]

I did an apprenticeship, 8 weeks of school a year for 3 years and the rest is on the job training. You get paid while you learn and when you go to school you get unemployment. That’s in Canada, not sure how it works in the states.