My buddy's dad took me under his wing and called me up one day. He was taking his son out to the local community college to check out their auto program. I was a young guy who liked cars, it sounded good to me.
SO I started with auto mechanics, but the teachers suggested we take welding courses to be more rounded.
I took a gas welding course and did OK. My teacher suggested I take arc welding, that is was more useful. About halfway through, a lightbulb got switched on, and my skills skyrocketed.
I ended up finishing all but one auto class, and took every welding class available.
Today, I could walk into just about any shop or factory anywhere and handle whatever welding they have.
Instead I work in the trades as a pipefitter, sometimes welding, sometimes not. I have or have held certs in 8 pipe welding skills. From mild steel to stainless to chrome. I have worked on high rises, in steel mills and nuke plants. Currently I'm at the largest construction project in the country, at the BP refinery in Whiting, In.
Providing something major and unforseen doesn't happen, crippling this country, I'll make over $100k.
Oh, by the way. I have been welding for over 30 years now and have been a pipefitter for close to 24.
I still LOVE what I do.
As far as auto goes. I don't really use it at all per se. What I do use about my education in it, is it allows me to think mechanically. To understand how things work. I can figure most things out, because I was taught to be a mechanic, and most things in my world are a form of mechanics, just not auto mechanics.
Good luck to your son.
Thank you for posting this! I will share it with my son! He wanted to take the full Welding class this year in high school, but he didn’t have time in his schedule. One of his Auto teachers has been making him learn welding as a part of that class. What my husband loves about what our son has done so far in high school is son’s ability to take a broken metal part of a piece of furniture or whatever and to remake the broken part. Hubby’s office chair broke, and I was all for going out and purchasing a new one. Instead, hubby made our son take it apart and find the broken part. He asked son if son could make a new part. Son said he could. I am sitting in that chair now, and it’s almost as good as new. It also helps that our son is respected by the Auto, Metals, and Welding teachers. They allow him to do whatever he asks to do. He is very fortunate to be in a school that has so many programs on campus that train these skills. His biggest beef with Metals and Welding classes is that they go sooooo slow for him.