Having documented education will never hurt you in your career. My experience is those with diplomas tend to be advanced more quickly than those with certs but no "documented" post high school education. That said, you will need certs but the certs should be gotten as you successfully test for each job. In my industry you could have a suitcase full of certs and I would still make you take a test, many, if not most employers will make you do the same. I'm not sure about pipeliners. Also, in my experience, GTAW (TIG) welding is one of the more valued processes you will learn.
By Lawrence 
Date 01-08-2007 14:02
Edited 01-08-2007 14:10
Adding to Jon's good advice,
A welding diploma demonstrates several things....
1. A more well rounded education, including shop math, print reading, communications etc. By the way
That computer class is not BS. Most welders in my region use computers daily if they work indoors.
The students that actually apply themselves in the extra classes that merit the diploma are the ones
who can compete sucessfully at higher paying jobs right off the bat. Many students who excell only in
the lab come to regret the time they they did not apply themselves the classroom.
2. A diploma tells employers that you can start and finish a thing. A dependable entry level employee
is the top of the list for employers in my region, above skills, certs or resume.
Certs are nice, but just the ability to make a beautiful bead in lab conditions will not make you the big bucks. Try to think of your Certs from trade school as keys to open the door for further testing. They tell a prospective employer that you *used* to be able to make a weld... They will check to be sure you can do it now.
The diploma from our program means quite a bit to manufacturers in our region who know us. But out of state and far away a diploma might mean very little to some employers because they don't know what was taught in the school; a letter of reference from your instructor and a portfolio of accomplishments to go with it would be worth quite a bit more.
This is one reason AWS has developed the SENSE program. Graduates of SENSE programs are a known quantity from coast to coast. An AWS SENSE fully qualified graduate has demonstrated basic competence to a recognized standard in:
Shop Safety
SMAW
GMAW (short circuit and spray)
FCAW
GTAW (Stainless, plain carbon & Aluminum)
Oxy-fuel Cutting
Carbon Arc Gouging
Print Reading
Basic Math
If you come to my door with a Stick cert. or Mig cert. thats all I *know* you have done.
Another advantage to a diploma: some industries, and some state and county governments, may require that little piece of paper. And if you later decide you want a college degree for whatever reason, some schools will transfer some of your technical school diploma credits (not all) in a portfolio-based assessment program. The technical school diploma can help keep that option open.
That said, I have a HUGE bias towards earning diplomas, degrees, and so on, and always vote for school and classes, so you should take my bias into consideration.
-- christine
Excellent points from both Lawrence and Christine. Lawrence is a professional educator and Christine, our website coordinator, will one day be DOCTOR Gregory... can't beat the advice of either one!
Thank you for the replys
Chris
Chris, picture this! One job! $45.00hr. one hundred welders against a wall. "Who has a cert?" Seventy-five step forward. "Who can actually pass a weld test?" Seventy step forward. "Who can pass a drug test?" Sixty five step forward. "Who has a valid driver's license" Fifty-five step forward. "How many welders here are without a felony conviction?" Forty-eight step forward. "Who can pass an FBI background check?" Thirty welders step forward. "Who can pass a 80 question test on D-1.1 welding code including identification of correct code section along your answer?" Ten welders step forward. "Who has completed at least a two year degree form an accredited college or university?" Two welders step forward.
Chris I ask you! Which would you rather be one in a hundred, one in fifty, or one in two when competing for some of the best welding jobs in the business. This is true life!! Just ask the people who hire welders for goverment/city jobs and especially for school districts. Good pay, great benefits, tenure, advancement, retirement, you name it. My significant other's little brother was recently hired by Los Angeles County Fire department as a welder/ fabricator their only welder/fabricator. If you know anything about big city fire departments you know that this is one great job. 37 yrs a welder/fabricator, 17yrs inspector, 2 college degrees; trade it all for that job!!! Now you know what it takes. More than just a cert for sure. Best of Luck to You and Your Future! Just remeber the best advice you will ever get will be from people like those in this forum and it will always be free. Sometimes the free part makes a little difficult to realize it's actual value.
Hey XPERRT,
That's a great analogy and is the truth. Although some may feel that "piece of paper" really means nothing, I would say it means the most as it shows a person who can START and FINISH any assignment, education level, project, or application that is presented to them. There is much value there.....Denny
Well, what I'm hearing sounds promising. At 28 years old, I'm a couple of days away from finishing a welding certifacation class, and I should be leaving the school with around 35 certifacations. I've never laid a bead out in the real world(the workplace). I do however have a B.A. in Liberal Arts from a respected 4 year university in AL, and a 6 year enlistment with the Marine Corps Reserve honorable discharge as 2 main points in what I've done since high school. To make a long story short, I made the comment to my welding instructor the other day that I felt like my degree has shut more doors for me, than opened. He gave me a sit-down, and more or less drove it into my skull that in the welding industry today...someone with a 4 year degree in just about anything(even my General Studies degree) and the mental ability to continue to go for the next certifacation/license, that basically the sky is the limit. I intend on taking my CWI class and test within a year, provided I can afford it. What I wanted to really get at with this post is this...Hearing someone say the sky is the limit to you is great, but sometimes the reality is very different. What should I expect as a college grad with no actual paying welding experience, but with 30 different certifacations? I really don't want to hear, "You're just a little overqualified" or "Well, we just can't afford to pay you what your asking." What is a reasonable pay? I'm not trying to sound all hot-to-trot, but I've invested so much time and money into making myself as appealable to an employer as possible, and intend on giving some company out there exactly what they want. So there it is. That's what I've got. Does my education and my certs. entitle me to a higher grade of pay even with no experience? It's pretty confusing.
Time will tell.....really
Your pay will be decided by what you actually do...
Tech college and your BA will be good to get you in the door.. but don't expect riches at the get go...
Don't expect to command wages for something you have not proven yourself at just yet. As a welder with no experience you will get normal starting wages for what ever testing you happen to be able to pass at a job interview. If you test for more complex or difficult jobs you will make more money just like anybody else who passes that same test. If your looking to supervise you may still need to come in at the bottom and prove yourself, but that should be no problem.. the cream always rises t the top.
I think your question is a bit wrong... You are not "entitled" to anything ever, other than the things you have already earned.
The sky really is the limit for a guy like you... in time.
As far as pipeline welding goes you need the API 1104 certification.
By dbigkahunna 
Date 02-01-2007 13:47
Edited 02-01-2007 13:51
There is a difference between certification and qualification. If someone offers certification, where is is from? Billy Joe Bob Inspection Services, Rogers Arkansas? Fifty bucks will buy that. AWS allows a welder to be certified at AWS designated locations. These certifications are good only for D1.1 type work. They are not recognized by ASME or API. Some companies recognize the D1.1 but you still have to take the ASME test for pipe or plate. Once you qualify, your papers are good only for that company and good only as long as you work using that welding process every 6 months. If you do not use the process, then you have to re-qualify. API 1104 requires either a 5G, 6G or a multiple qualification. The welding procedures you will qualify to are furnished by either the contractor or the pipeline company and utilized by the pipeline contractor. After the jop is over, the qualification papers are no longer recognized.The test for cross country pipelines on the front end and firing line is a 5G, with tie in and repair welders having to take the Multiple. Welders doing in-service repair work have another test in the 6G. API allows these qualifications to be used for 2 years and this is recognized by DOT, however a majority of the pipeline companies require re-qualification every 6 months. 12 on 12 butt and branch. ASME requires qualification on pipe, plate, or pipe/plate depending on what you are welding to Section IX. The company you are working for may give you "certification" papers but for ASME and API, they are not recognized.
certs don't mean much from school. pass a test, do really really well on a test then you can name your price within reason. someone with no practical experience will be lucky to get in the door.
IF you want to be a CWI then why bother with welding???
Paper impresses people. Mostly those who have it themselves. It has been my experience that entry level pay will be higher with some sort of paper verification (certs, diploma, etc.). Once in, it is based more upon ability and accomplishment. However, in larger arenas, such as the corporate world, run predominantly by people with paper, and people making decisions about your future who may not be personally familiar with you, there is a bias, whether justified or not. Paper will facilitate more rapid advancement. Paper will not make you better at what you do. The world is full of paper verified incompetants(noun intended). But it will make advancement easier and more lucrative in most cases. Though there are notable exceptions. If you wish to advance really high without paper you have to take your career out of the hands of those with paper. As far as your competance is concerned its about as worth as much as the stuff you roll off the wall next you at the porcelain alter, but it will definately grease the skids.
My recommendation, get as much paper as you can.
Let me rephrase: As far as 'measuring your' competence.
