After completing the High School Diploma course, you are now in a dilemma about the next step in your professional life. You are fascinated with the welding profession, and you feel that this could be your way of life. But chances are, you are wondering: how hard is welding.
Welding is not a simple job. It requires an educational background, patience and time to learn, long practice, and money to invest in the training and the tools. Besides, there are some health risks involved in the profession. To be an accomplished welder, you will need some years of rigorous practice.
This article tells you about the hardship a welder has to go through to become a professional. You will learn about the qualities one must have to choose the profession of a welder. Besides, this article will help you find a good training institute for learning to weld. You will also know how much time it takes to become a welder.
Is Welding Hard?
Quality welding requires good education, hands-on training, and years of practice. So, it can be hard to become a welder for some people. Welding is not easy, even if you are intelligent, because it involves technical knowledge and craftsmanship at the same time.
It is even harder to become a professional welder since you need some certifications. After completing high school or passing the GED exam with a good score, you need to have professional training to pursue a career as a welder.
Moreover, to become an accomplished welder takes years of practice. The amount of dedication welding demands from an aspirator makes it a tough job. You must have the physical fitness to weld for hours, aside from knowledge, training, and practice.
Check our other article 6 Clear Signs Welding Is The Right Career For You
What Do You Need To Become A Welder?
First, you need to have the determination and strong willpower to become a welder. If you cannot set it as your aim in life, your chances of being a welder are very thin. Here I have listed some of the qualities you must possess to be a professional welder.
Insights
If you do not know the basics of chemistry and physics, you cannot understand the whole process of welding. And if you do not have a good idea of what you are doing, you can never do it properly. So, the first prerequisite to becoming a welder is having a good understanding of the whole process.
A Good Institution
You cannot learn to weld by reading tutorials and watching educational videos. A private instructor is also not a good idea.
The best way to learn to weld is from a training institute with a reputation for vocational training. A good training institute has all the infrastructure to teach you welding professionally.
Money
Becoming a welder can cost you a lot of money. First, you have to pay for the training. Besides, you will also need a hefty amount of money to buy all the machinery and safety gear needed to practice welding. So, while planning to become a welder, find a good source of funding.
Time
If you are a busy bee and do not have plenty of time to practice new things, you can never learn to weld because learning to weld demands your concentration and a lot of time. So, if you have decided to learn to weld, allow yourself plenty of time to accomplish the purpose.
Sensitivity For Safety
There are many health risks associated with welding. If you are a person who does not care to comply with safety measures, welding is not for you.
To prevent fatal fire accidents while welding, you have to know the fire drills well. You must wear all the safety gear at all times when you are welding.
Where Can You Learn To Weld?
Depending on your geographical location, you may find a lot of training institutes that can teach you to weld at a professional level. Some of the colleges also have specific training programs for welding.
Moreover, some states facilitate free welding courses. It does not matter where you learn to weld. You have to ensure that the institute has the following qualities.
Reasonable Course Fee
Depending on the quality of the teaching, different institutions charge varying fees for welding courses. The course fee can be between $5,250 and $11,100. The amount can go as high as $15,000 if it’s a certification course.
Besides, underwater welding courses charge even more. Choose the training institute that suits you the most financially.
Course Outline
Before joining a welding course, you must analyze the course contents. A good welding course should include all the basic types of welding, like a stick, MIG, flux-based arc welding, MIG, etc.
They should also teach you to read blueprints, cut metal, and fit pipes. If possible, talk with some of the current students to get their opinions about the institute.
Course Duration & Timing
On average, professional welding courses take around 18 months to finish. You should not take the course if the duration is less than nine months. Otherwise, you may find it hard to validate the course certificate in the professional field. Generally, the training will take place for eight hours per day.
Teacher-Student Ratio
You will need proper attention and care from the instructor while learning how to weld. If there are a lot of students in the class, that will not be possible. So, check the teacher-student ratio of the course before enrolling in it. Most institutes have a 1:3 teacher-student ratio, and some good institutions deploy one instructor for every student.
Certification & Certificate
There is a big difference between a certification course and a certificate course. To work as a welding professional, you must take a certification course. The certificate courses only confirm that you have completed a course on welding.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Welder?
On average, it takes around three to four years to become a welder at a professional level. If you have completed your high school diploma course, you may need three years to become a professional welder. Here I have discussed the different steps you need to go through to become a welder.
Step 1: Most professional welding courses require you to join them after completing your high school diploma certification course, which takes around four years. However, you can also join the courses if you have cleared the General Educational Development (GED) examination.
Step 2: After completing your high school diploma or GED, you should enroll in a post-secondary welding training program. It can take you anywhere from seven months to two years, depending on the institute.
Step 3: As a part of the training program, you need to join any welding firm as an apprentice. It is called “on-the-job training.” You may need several months of experience in this phase.
Step 4: After completing the on-the-job training, you need to appear on a certification examination. The authority to take the test will vary depending on the state you are living in. This final phase of becoming a professional welder takes only about a month.
Final Words
Now that you know how hard welding is, you can make the right decision on how far you want to go with this profession. Like other skill-based professions, your career as a welder will depend on your craftsmanship and dedication to perfection. Apart from being a professional, you can also learn to weld to experiment with the engineering of different equipment.
