I believe it all depends on your focus in welding. I think most community college programs are useless. I tell anyone if they are thinking about going to a community college program to just spend the money on a multiprocess machine and watch RU-vid videos. If you get good that way look into a welding Institute. I was lucky enough to get into a half day high school program that was a 4 hour welding class everyday for 2 years. My teacher told us, "You are here to learn the basics of welding nothing more". He went on to tell us, "Once you leave this class forget everything I taught you. Find the oldest guy that looks as if he knows what he is doing, then stick to him like glue. "He will teach you the tricks of the trade, but never tell him he is wrong or you will learn nothing. Most guys that have been in the trade for some time, I have found are very willing to pass their knowledge. I mean as long as you are willing to accept the knowledge. I have learned that not all the teachings will work for you 100% but you might be able to take part of it and implement it into something you already know to make it your own process. Every welder is unique to his or her style, good bad or otherwise. Because no two welders weld alike.
depends on where/what you do. if you work in production, 25 years won't teach you much. I do teach welding at a tech college, Lincoln is a partner having over 1.5 million in equip in my shop. 7 full time instructors, 5 are CWI/CWE, backgrounds in aerospace, manufacturing, architect, structural, and pipe. we have all major processes, including robotic welders. fully equipped shop, 10ft shear, 120 ton iron worker, cnc plasma and laser, tube benders, stronghand tables, 32 dedicated weld booths, 15 portable, all are multiprocess machines with gas mixers, and we are an AWS accredited test facility. our cost is around 5k for all your gear, tools, fees and all the metal you can weld. just for the cost in practice steel, consumables, processing coupons, and instructor feedback it's worth it. also in our area, weldshops come to us for future welders that will fit in at there shop, most even work with student schedules, and give them a raise after completion. at least with schools, you can dabble in many processes, even advanced processes.
Great video!.. if you can get taught by old MASTERS, find them, go there. it will up your game, if you are serious, i didnt appreciate my mentors as much as I should, but it helped me beyond belief, all 3 was way past retirement age, and set in their ways, but I havent seen much today to compare, and my college was in mid 1980's my auto-body teacher refused to allow electric machines, second year body shop you got to use MIG, but first year all torch work, for sheet metal fabricating auto-body panels & restoring cars. like it once was. my actual welding teachers were pushing hard on torch, then MIG, lastly stick & HELI-ARC now called TIG. but the experience was awesome. probably why even today I still love opportunity to do torch work.
