Costs vary greatly but honestly, five years down the road the costs will
be forgotten and all that will matter is what you can do.
Not what you know. Not how many friends you made. But what you can do.
That is what employers pay for and what they want.
So let's focus on welding schools that teach you what you need to actually do something when you graduate.
I am sure there are plenty of schools doing things right and
including pipe welding in the curriculum but for this article I am only
talking about the 3 main schools in the US that teach pipe welding
tests.
There are three main welding schools that focus on training
welders to be able to pass welding certification tests as a main goal.
And lets face it. If you cant pass the test, you don’t get the job.
I went to a welding school that had a focus on teaching how to
pass a pipe test. They taught pipe because That is where the money was
and back then, they were not constrained by a lot of college rules.
Many local technical colleges dont have pipe anymore. They teach welders psychology but not pipe welding.
Some are great programs with great instructors.
Others have instructors who surf the net.
I admire any instructor at a local technical college who pours
sweat into the program and really cares. If you can find an instructor
who cares at a local college, that might be a great choice for you.
After having some experience testing welders who graduated from a
local technical college, I personally would be hesitant to select a
welding school whose objective it was to make me an "entry level
welder".
For many local technical colleges, that is exactly their stated objective…to provide an entry level welder.
Some Welding Schools need to be overhauled and funded with the
right materials to train for welding certification in pipe welding, thin
sheet metal, as well as structural welding.
Dont misunderstand. I am not against local technical schools at all. I went to one myself.
Just make sure its a good one. Again, there are lots of good
schools with good instructors out there. Its just hard to verify that
prior to signing up.
Ask questions.
try to talk with a graduate., make some phone calls.
Ask about job placement.
Local colleges can be a great place to start but you need to know what you are getting.
