Many Choices for Careers in Welding
Are you asking yourself this question: "I'm tired of going to school but I'm looking for a good paying career. If I pursue a welding profession, will I be a welder the rest of my life?" You could be, if that is your choice, but this career opens the door to a multitude of opportunities, and most offer excellent pay.
Look around you. What metal products do you see or have you made use of in your own environment? Welding is probably involved in most of them. Welders work in a variety of jobs in many different industries including construction, plant maintenance, manufacturing, plumbing and pipe welding, automotive and airplane construction and repair services, the mining or oil and gas extraction industry, railroads — the list continues. Work is done both indoors and out in virtually every country in the world. You choose your work location!
You may also choose to advance your career and become a welding supervisor, welding inspector, welding technician, or a welding engineer. If you enjoy working with people, perhaps a position as a sales or service representative or welding instructor is in your future. Are you creative? Then you may choose work as a metal sculptor.
Welding is never a dead-end job. It never needs to become boring. Learning continues to take place throughout the life of a welder. There is always room for advancement. New materials and metal alloys present new challenges. Products that are yet to be invented will need to be welded and the metal infrastructures of the world will need to be repaired in the 21st century.
Courses in welding are taught in numerous schools, which can provide you with a strong career base in just five to nine months. (That's months, not years!) An education consisting of arc welding courses in either a Structural Welding Program or Combination Structural & Pipe Welding Program will prepare you to enter the work force with skills necessary to earn a good salary the rest of your life.
Provided by Phil Pratt, President, Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.
