Hello goweldyourself, First off welcome to the Forum. I am located just a bit north of you in Longview. I teach at Lower Columbia College. Have you shared your feelings about school/work with your instructor(s)? I know that many of my students have similar feelings regarding their schooling as compared to "real welding". My partner and I have many conversations with our students with regard to these sorts of things. For some individuals being able to go out and do some part-time work while they're attending school is really a good thing and they can handle the two at the same time and come away with really positive results. For others, going out and getting started working while they are in school isn't always the best thing, for some of these folks it leads to quitting school and never returning and then not being able to return to school because their life situations won't allow it. It can also lead to being in a position that they can't progress beyond a lower level welder or they just don't possess the additional skills that would allow them to advance in the trade. Without knowing your position and other types of details or experiences that you have had I certainly can't comment further. To speak to your question regarding employers or shops in your area, there are a number of large and small operations located there, just across the river in Portland there are even more. Even slightly to the north of you in Battleground there are more shops that you could check on. Currently, I can only name a few of the shops that are close to you, Thompson Metal Fab is one, it is in Vancouver, Hi-Tech Metal Fab is a smaller shop and is located in Battleground. Grab a Yellow Pages or go online and you will probably find a bunch more and then start pounding the pavement a bit to see what's out there, what they do, and if any of that fits what you're looking for. Explain your situation to them and see if they might have something part-time or otherwise that you could apply your skills to.
     Another thought here would be to check with some of the local unions to see whether you would be happy with applying for an apprenticeship. Depending upon which union you talk to, they will give various degrees of consideration for the schooling you have already completed. If you do some searching of the forum about apprenticeships you will likely see that there are some really good opportunities out there for "earning while you learn" by participating in an apprenticeship program. A bit of food for thought. Best regards, aevald