Community College offers welding courses, lots of questions!

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1. My CC offers a 'Welding Maintenance Technician Certificate Program'. I have no idea what that means, because I always thought the only certification employers cared about was AWS. How much does a Community College certificate help during a job search?2. The courses required for the Welding Maintenance Certificate are: Prep Math, OSHA Construction Safety, Arc Welding, Mig Wedlging, Tig Welding, Blueprint Reading, Intro to PC's for Technicians, Basic Pipe welding, and Advanced Pipe Welding. I can't afford all of these classes, so naturally the ones I'm looking at are Blueprint Reading and all of the welding classes (minus the pipe welding ones). Is this the right way to go about it? Should I try to include all of the courses and get the community college certificate?3. Should I pay the extra money for Pipe Welding? What is the job outlook for it, and the do most welders have it as a skill in their back pocket?4. If I were to just take Arc, Mig, Tig welding and blueprint reading, would I have a rough time getting a job immediately afterwards? Or would I need to get AWS certified before job searching? Thanks in advance, guys.
Reply:Take the Arc welding, Tig welding, blueprint, and both pipe courses.  I wouldn't suggest trying the pipe welding your first semester, wait until you finish arc, tig and blueprint. Learn to weld structural first.  Pipe welders make more money than structural.  Job outlook is high, but it really depends on where you live.  Don't worry about getting certified most places worth a damn are going to test you.  You pass the test you get the job.
Reply:Originally Posted by Zca4Take the Arc welding, Tig welding, blueprint, and both pipe courses.  I wouldn't suggest trying the pipe welding your first semester, wait until you finish arc, tig and blueprint. Learn to weld structural first.  Pipe welders make more money than structural.  Job outlook is high, but it really depends on where you live.  Don't worry about getting certified most places worth a damn are going to test you.  You pass the test you get the job.
Reply:I'm in the local CC welding program to learn GTAW for my racing hobby and side business.  Bit of the story here.  http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=83151  Our program is big into AWS.  Most of the people in the formal program are either being retrained construction workers or iron workers that are moving to pipe welding after the Vegas high rise construction industry tanked.  The big emphasis for most of the career guys (and gals) is pipe.  There are several operating engineers that are changing careers to welding pipe.Link to the program...    http://www.csn.edu/pages/1146.asp
Reply:Originally Posted by Zca4Take the Arc welding, Tig welding, blueprint, and both pipe courses.  I wouldn't suggest trying the pipe welding your first semester, wait until you finish arc, tig and blueprint. Learn to weld structural first.  Pipe welders make more money than structural.  Job outlook is high, but it really depends on where you live.  Don't worry about getting certified most places worth a damn are going to test you.  You pass the test you get the job.
Reply:cc is the way to go. i went that route. it all boils down to is what to want to achieve. looking at a job that requires a degree? ( AA at cc level). or doing it as a hobby? or both or neither? i went to cc and university 12 yrs ago for comp sci, waste of time. went back in '08 for welding. i enjoyed it. i was busy welding as much as possible in class while the others were thumb talking. instructors will see that and help the ones that wanna learn. took the classes i need to get a job. arc and pipe welding. still wanna go back for tig, for no other reason to say i can do it. the costs can add up, but you can get it back on your taxes the next year. so i went to school in the end for free. ( less fuel of course )got any questions fire away.just some ramblin's daveLast edited by RuffneckDave; 03-20-2012 at 10:41 PM.