Welding is most definitely a career, by anyones definition but lets go into a few details as to why I and I hope you the reader will come to think so too.

First off let me tell you a little about myself so that you know I am not just talking out of my hat.
I am an A.W.S. Certified Welding Inspector and Certified Welding Educator, I have been in this trade for almost twenty years working on all kinds of fabrication projects ranging from structural steel to computer chip polishing robots as well as quite a bit of hand forged ironworks like custom stairs, handrails and sculpture. I have also been trained in programming welding robots at both the basic and advanced levels for a few different robot manufacturers and I am well versed in advanced processes such as the various forms of pulsed arc welding. I have worked for a number of years as a welding educator and that along with welding inspection is what I currently do.

The difference between a job and a career in my opinion has everything to do with growth potential, and while most people don't know it the time to get into welding is right now!
Let me throw a few statistics at you:
1. The average age of a welder in the USA is 54 years old.
2. Because of the weight of steel most products have to be fabricated in the country in which they will be sold.
3. Predictions of employer demand for this type of skilled labor is approximately 450,000 new welding personnel by the year 2015 just to keep up with current demand.
4. Advanced process welding and automation requires even more skills than traditional welding processes and most welders do not posses these skills.

In the other articles written about this subject there are quite a few mistakes and omissions that need to be addressed before you can decide for yourself if this is a career and more importantly if it is worth the time, money and commitment it will take to enter this exciting field of work.

First off let me say that S.M.A.W. or "stick" welding is not only alive and well but is in fact the most common welding process used in field welding. By field welding I mean any welding done at a project site such as a building structure or pipeline. I personally think that training in this process will give a student a fantastic level of skill in things like puddle control, electrode manipulation and heat input control.

I live in Colorado and I know for a fact that while this state is indeed one of the lower paying states the average wage here is

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