welding engineering/welding carrer

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Ok..I have a few questions. Is there any welding engineering schools in the great state of Oklahoma? If not what is a top notch welding engineering school? Question number 2:I am a senior in high school. I have my own mig welder that i worked my a** off to get but it was all worth it. I recently made a roping dumbing from some sucker rods. Welding is something i want to make a career in. I am not really sure how to go about making it a lifetime carrer to put food on the table. I am interested to hear how yall would go about making it a good soild life time career. I live in the state of Oklahoma near Tusla so any schools or colleges in state is a plus.
Reply:Hello Micro368:  You can google that.  I did and came up with Tulsa Welding School:http://www.weldingschool.com/They have an address on 11th st. in Tulsa, OK, and another in Jacksonville, FL.Now you know as much about this school as I do.  Check it out!-MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:i have had people tell me good and bad things about Tulsa welding school...i don't know what to believe
Reply:The 3 big schools and only ones I am aware of with Welding Engineering are:Ohio State UniversityLeTourneau University (Texas)and Ferris State University (Michigan)Other schools sometimes have strong welding courses in a Metallurgical or Mechanical Engineering degree program:RPI, Colorado School of Mines,  etc...Tulsa Welding School is expensive for what you get.  About $14K for a certificate only I am told.  It would give good hands on skills, but not a lot toward a WE degree in terms of college credit.A community college program in welding at the certificate or AS level would be a lot cheaper than Tulsa and would readily transfer to a WE program or other program at a university.The last time I checked, LeTourneau was around $18K per year.For the WE program, be ready for a lot of math and theory.  It requires calculus and differential equations and a lot of mechanical engineering work using that math.  I prefer hands on work and welding experiments to all the math, but I did the math already and that is behind me now.  I rarely use it.As for money, a pipe welder with his own rig in the field can bring in over $100k.  Most welding engineers top out at $70-$75K currently.Last edited by obewan; 07-15-2008 at 09:23 AM.Reason: add info
Reply:Something to think about. The guy who really makes the bucks off of welding usually doesn't even weld, but usually knows how. I didn't go to Tulsa, but have worked with quite a few who have. They are all good welders (when I say good it means top notch).I had several college professors who paid for their advanced degrees by burning rods. In fact with a little help from the G I Bill I paid for two while burning rods. Being a competent and experienced welder will only make you a better WE. I bought some of my feeders from a fellow who retired and was selling off his equipment. He started out as an engineer but discovered he liked the building part better.If you want to weld learn to weld, if you want to engineer learn engineering.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Ferris State is not an engineering degree, its an engineering technology degree.  One is ABET accredited, one is not.I went to the Pennsylvania College of Technology, graduated with an Engineering Technology B.S.  We had 100% job placement rate for our 4 year graduates, with none of them making lower than $52k a year to start.  I landed a position with a very large engineering construction firm as a construction engineer, although everyone around the office calls me a welding engineer, as that's pretty much all I deal with.  The two gentlemen who recruited me would NOT hire another guy from Letourneau or Ohio State.  As one of them put it, "they're great at crunching numbers, but that's about all they can do."  Sadly, its true, which is why I transferred.If you want to sit at a desk and make calculations for a living, get a welding engineering degree.  If you want to get out in the field, work with your hands some, and have a very diverse career, get an engineering technology degree.  I was a certified pipe welder by the time I graduated, and now I get to watch fossil and nuclear power plants come to life, perform nondestructive testing and inspection work, design procedures and WPS's, etc, and I was lucky enough to take a position with a very rapidly expanding company, so I'm looking at a managerial/department head position in a few short years.Regardless of what you choose to do, just remember that a piece of paper won't get you anything.  The best paying and most satisfying jobs require you to put forth a lot of time and effort, and your schooling isn't any different.  The more you put in, the more you'll gain.
Reply:Originally Posted by obewanThe 3 big schools and only ones I am aware of with Welding Engineering are:Ohio State UniversityLeTourneau University (Texas)and Ferris State University (Michigan)Other schools sometimes have strong welding courses in a Metallurgical or Mechanical Engineering degree program:RPI, Colorado School of Mines,  etc...Tulsa Welding School is expensive for what you get.  About $14K for a certificate only I am told.  It would give good hands on skills, but not a lot toward a WE degree in terms of college credit.A community college program in welding at the certificate or AS level would be a lot cheaper than Tulsa and would readily transfer to a WE program or other program at a university.The last time I checked, LeTourneau was around $18K per year.For the WE program, be ready for a lot of math and theory.  It requires calculus and differential equations and a lot of mechanical engineering work using that math.  I prefer hands on work and welding experiments to all the math, but I did the math already and that is behind me now.  I rarely use it.As for money, a pipe welder with his own rig in the field can bring in over $100k.  Most welding engineers top out at $70-$75K currently.
Reply:you all cleared it all up for me..working with my hands is what i want to do. i love working with my hands..Tulsa welding school is expensive has i have heard from many people. I don't know if anyone has heard of central tech. What about getting ceritified from there?
Reply:---The two gentlemen who recruited me would NOT hire another guy from Letourneau or Ohio State. As one of them put it, "they're great at crunching numbers, but that's about all they can do." Sadly, its true, which is why I transferred.---Once in a job interview with a world class automotive company, the (Ohio State) welding engineering manager said to me:  "If I want to talk about welding, I hire an Ohio State Grad, if I want to DO some welding, I hire a LeTourneau grad."  Being from LeTourneau, I did not know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult, but judging from the looks of some of their aluminum MIG welds,  I could see they needed some serious help in one of their factories.LeTourneau IS known for being hands on, but I will admit I never certified to 6GR on pipe while there.  We did do X-Ray quality out of position on plate in the first welding class though.  There is NOT enough time in only 4 years to cover ALL the theory AND practical when it comes to welding.  When I was there, we studied over 50 processes.Also,  there is more to hands on than burning rods.  I am very strong in robotics, control systems, electronics, automation, PLC's, ect...I work with complex highly automated computerized welding systems including laser and electron beam.  It does not matter that I do not know 6GR pipe.There are a number of companies that will only hire LeTourneau grads, and others that will only hire Ohio State grads.  Everyone has his or her own personal preferences I suppose.