Do what you think you should be doin, because your the one who knows what you want out of life.  I know several people who have a degree but they don't make as much money as us welders do! I enjoy welding, so I weld.  I was'nt smart enough  or financially able to go to college, I wish it had been different, but I'm happy with myself. The welding universe is infinite, with your knowledge in marketing and welding skills, you should have a successful business. Your only limited by your imagination!

I have a BS  in Animal Science and have been welding on my own almost 9 yrs. Welding helped pay for my education along the way(started in HS). I also did a stint in the Ironworkers, loved the work but could'nt survive the pay. I would'nt trade what I do for anything. A degreee to me is a piece of paper that says you survived four years (six for me) of studying and parties. I got married young so I figured I better cover all the bases.

JohnJohn

Rick,
I graduated HS in 1989.  Went to a 9 month welding school 'til April 1992.  Welded until 2001 then I got tired of the lack of jobs and lack of money in Kansas City.  I quit working (thanks to my wife) and then  I went to DeVry until June 2004.  I received a BS in Network and Communications Management.  I tried to look for IT jobs with no luck.  I had several interviews around town with no takers.  I even stooped to the most basic help desk positions with no luck.  I finally got fed up with the whole aspect of white collar work and scored a welding job again.  Now as of Oct. 2, I am unemployed with very few prospects.

If your business is putting bread on the table and covering your student loans, I assume you have them too, then hell with the white collar world.  The vibe I got from the tight a**es in the interviews I went to where this:
     "Oh, I see you have been a..........welder for 12 years.  Have you had any other experience?
If it's going good, run with it.  Its better to run your own thing, than have someone else run you.

the way I see it you went to collge to get a job, and you weld for a career. Atleast, thats my position. Seems like I wasted a lot of money for college seeing as I was a welder before, during and still going. But hell, seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

No, You can't run Your own welding business "forever", but You CAN do it for another 30-35 years. Is that long enough?

I have a 2 and 4 year degree in Welding Technology and Welding Engineering.  I have a somewhat white collar job in the auto industry, and also have my own shop.  In my own shop I weld everyday and in my "real" job I don't.  It works great for me and my family.  My goal is to just run my own shop some day, but for now the "real" job covers the health and retirement that some self employed have to pay out of their pocket and profits.  I started my shop 8 years ago because I missed the hands on welding and fabricating.  So I guess to answer your question, why not run your own business until you don't feel the reward or passion to do it, then fall back on your education to carry you later in life.  It's like any job, if you don't look forward to going to work everyday then change it up and do something else.  If you work for yourself until your 70 and don't ever loose that passion then I guess you have no reason to change and use that education.  In then end you need to do what ever makes you and your family happy, that's all, who cares what everyone else thinks or says about it.  Family is the true factor that really matters and sometimes the challenges of running your own business can stress that.  Some people only want to work 8 to 5 everyday and they are happy with that, others feel like they are just spinning their wheels working for the man.  In the end it all goes back to being happy and having a good life with your family.

Nice post stkwldr.  I graduated from Oklahoma State over twenty years ago and have been involved in the welding field one way or another (helper, pipefitter, welder) ever since.  When I finished college, jobs weren't really easy to come by and I was able to get a job with a local contractor as a helper.  I too heard many of the comments "Why would a college boy want to get into this type of work?   The fact was I was taught (like many others on this forum) there were no free rides in life and I didn't see any sense trying to find my way with prospective employers who "might" find a place for me in their organization or system.  I thought it better to continue learning and get paid while doing it in a field that would reward one for skill and work vs. an annual review and completion of an annual objective list.  I have no regrets and having a degree may not have necessarily provided a big boost, but it hasn't hurt either.  The great thing about this field as you know is there are always opportunities to learn.

It has always amazed me how folks with a little bit of education often look down on those with not as much.  I have worked with and around people with eighth grade educations or maybe quit high school who had more skill in two fingers than others did with both hands.  Often times the same ones had more common sense than others way up the food chain.

Good luck with your business.  

I have a BS Welding Engineering Technology and I still weld.  I guess that is expected.  Actually, most of the time I am a desk jockey, but I weld all our new hardware to qualify the weld procedures.  It is something I always look forward to since I enjoy hands-on work.  To be fair though, it is all computerized orbital welding, so the machine does the actual skill work.  They always try to give me credit for inputting the right parameters though.