Summer welding camp

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Up here in south west PA there's a shortage of welders just like nearly everywhere else. So what a bunch of local industries around the Shenango valley area did was all chip in to start a summer welding camp at our local career center for the summer. The course is open to juniors and seniors from the local school districts. each district is allowed to send 3 students. I was one of the lucky ones that got picked after applying. although from my school district there wasn't much competition. in fact i was the only one that signed up haha. anyways the program taught shop saftey, stick welding, flux-core, and MIG during the four week period that it was scheduled to go on for. and during the program we had welders come in from the local business such as T.Bruce Campbell sales and Bucks Fabrication. and we also got a chance to become certified in either quarter inch, or 1 inch-unlimited. and after the course those who passed the test and had perfect attendance got a 1,000 dollar check.The program was great, I enjoyed every minute of it and only wish that it was longer. and I  and a few others also got job offers for during and after highschool. coming out of it I found what i want to do for a living and ontop of that I'm 17 years old and Certified.Just kind of a little more about me and what lead up to me finding this site. during the classes all you guys really helped me out by me just reading some of the things you posted on other threads. -Justen
Reply:Sounds like a great opportunity and you should do well in your future for having the motivation to take it. Congrats on the cert. Which one did you go for? The 1/4" or the unlimited? What position was the qualification for? Just curious. The unlimited 3G (open root E6010/7018 out) kicked my butt for awhile while I was practicing for the test. If you nailed it in 4 weeks of part-time classes with all the other stuff going on you probably have some natural talent for it.Keep up the effort. It will pay off down the road.EricAWS D1.1 Certified SMAW 3G Unlimited, Open Root                             FCAW-G 3G Unlimited, w/BackerCellular Tower Reinforcement Welding on the frozen tundra of the greater Mid-West
Reply:I went straight for the unlimited. kinda had the two bird with one stone mindset on it. The test was in the 1G position but i'm practicing whenever I can to get more certs. The qualification was for AWS 1.1 if i'm not mistaken. Just got me some papers that say i can weld haha. but i got offered a job at a local fab shop right down the street from where i live. haven't started yet but looking forward to it.I know what you mean about those open roots though. though as hell to get the right amount of penetration without burning through. The instructor were really great and spent a lot of time in the booth with me. I owe everything to them for helping me pass that test.
Reply:This is such a great work because it is a skilled work, and being a skilled worker gives a lot of effort to finish their work perfectly.Sounds like a great opportunity and you should do well in your future for taking all the motivation to move through." target="_blank"> Stand Alone LED Solar Lighting Adelaide
Reply:I know what you mean haha before getting into the program i never gave welding any thought as a career but ever since about 2 weeks into the program i'm prettty confident i found my calling. i'm hoping i get a decent job in the future. Just don't want to get stuck pullin a mig trigger for 9 bucks an hour yanno? haha
Reply:For someone as young as you, with very limited experience, $9 isn't all that bad. Keep at it, work hard, learn from your mistakes and others mistakes. Listen to the old guys, most of them are very knowledgeable. Have you thought about any post high school college. Maybe a A.A.S in Welding Technology or possibly going to school be become a welding engineer? Great money. Get as much work place experience as you can, get proficient with many processes, get proficient in all position welding with any process. Learn about bracing and welding to control distortion, so you can keep tolerances. my .02cents --Gol'
Reply:Originally Posted by Go1lumFor someone as young as you, with very limited experience, $9 isn't all that bad. Keep at it, work hard, learn from your mistakes and others mistakes. Listen to the old guys, most of them are very knowledgeable. Have you thought about any post high school college. Maybe a A.A.S in Welding Technology or possibly going to school be become a welding engineer? Great money. Get as much work place experience as you can, get proficient with many processes, get proficient in all position welding with any process. Learn about bracing and welding to control distortion, so you can keep tolerances. my .02cents