hey adam, i am a job corps welding graduate. these other guys on the forum have told you some good advice about welding but if you are gonna make it through job corps you are probably gonna want some advice on center life. first and foremost before you even set foot in that job corps center you have got to make the decision that you are gonna be, MUST be successful. there are a lot of distractions at job corps, so stay focused on your goals. choose your friends wisely. you will hear this a million times and it is very true, ignore the drama! dont get caught up in all the BS and nonsense that other students get involved with. follow the rules, they may seem stupid, but the staff take it all seriously. if you get caught drinkin or smokin weed or shoplifting or anything illegal you will be on the bus goin home with absoulutely nothing to show for it. a lot of friends and people i knew got the boot, it was not cool to see them go. you are allowed 2 years at the center without an extension, take advantage of as much of that time as you can, get your GED and/or Diploma, get your drivers licence, learn how to make a good resume. you may go nuts living in a dorm with 50 other dudes, but if you can force yourself to stay and learn as much as possible you will be better off when you finally leave. if you push yourself you can get pretty good at welding in 2 years but also remember when you get on the job, you really dont know dick about the real world so stay humble even if your beads are bad ass. when you are in the shop, stay in your booth and weld dont be like those jakoffs that are always wandering around doin nothing. in my opinion, stick and tig are worth focusing on more than mig or fluxcore. wear your freakin safety glasses!
Couldn't have said it better myself. I left Job Corp in January, graduated from there. And the center life drove me nuts. But, it really isn't a bad place to get the basics of welding down.
Adam, one thing to remember is their's a lot of students to each instructor. If you're having troubles with something, keep buggin the instructor until he goes and assists you. That alone can get frustrating at times, because they'll wonder off. And if that does happen, look for the person everyone else goes to for help. I went through the welding program in 8 months. (Well, 8 months on center total.) It's not too bad though. Stay away from the people that are determined to do wrong and you'll be just fine.