Just finished a beginner course in welding

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Hi everyone, new to the forum. I took a vocational course in beginner welding this semester. I took a couple pictures on the last day and posted about it on my blog:Pictures from Welding at Atlantic County Institute of TechnologyIt was really interesting and gave me a ton of ideas for projects . We used 6011 rod for the welds and did some beads and vertical welding and welding in the corners. I went into it with no experience and now I feel a lot more comfortable. Just wanted to say hi since I'll probably be in here with questions in the future. Everything's still pretty new to me.*EDIT*There's a part of the post where I tell you "don't criticize my welds." You guys can ignore that . I posted the link to my facebook and didn't want to hear it from my friends!Last edited by stan_; 12-30-2009 at 11:54 PM.Reason: I'm in a forum of welders that can help
Reply:I like the fact that you are starting with stick and not thinking mig is the answer to all welding. The majority of welding is technique and there is no better place to learn then stick.  Once you have a working knowledge and some experience, all other welding methods will become natural. Its all about technique. Good Luck.
Reply:I agree, welders learning should always start with stick or even oxy/acetylene they both make good foundations. Tig should be last because it requires the most practice and can be discouraging at least that was my experience. mig is the easiest and in my opinion should be taught after a good foundation has been laid.
Reply:Thanks guys  We definitely took time to learn technique...I lost count of how many hours we spent working on beads! I did get a little bit of exposure to mig though, and it certainly was nice! When I take the advanced class I'll get to see a little more of the mig and tig side of things. Happy new years!
Reply:SO WELD...........DAMMIT!!!!!!!Put the project up, sit back with a can of beer, and wait for the criticism to roll inTop of the farvorite list is a trailertrailers get really nasty"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Congratulations Stan.  I too took a stick welding class at our local community college.  It was also geared to folks that wanted to become welders - I am a hobbyist.  It was really miserable at times - my welds looked like crap.  Our focus, after learning to run a bead horizontally, was on vertical and overhead welding.  We had a great instructor - he providedreally constructive criticism.  I'm taking the GMAW class next semester, followed by GTAW.
Reply:Ha farmersamm! I like your enthusiasm! karlgabel: Sorry for being a total noob with this, but I guess the GMAW is something with mig, and GTAW is something with tig? I completely agree about the frustration sometimes, but it's nice to know that  I wasn't alone! I had a great professor that had a lot of experience and also a kind of shop-fatherly style about him: kind, but with a ton of jokes