Choosing a school - Lincoln or Hobart?

By Arc Light Date 03-08-2010 02:37

My questions are similar to many others I've seen on the internet already : I enjoy welding and I want to pursue it as a career by enrolling in formal education. I've done just enough research on the topic to get myself thoroughly confused so here goes...

Lincoln Electric offers an 18 week course for about $5,000 dollars. Hobart offers a combination welding program that is 36 weeks and is $14,000.

I would like to go to one of these two Ohio schools and my questions are these :

1. What kind of job(s) could I realistically hope to get entering the workforce as a fresh graduate of either of these training programs? I think I would be interested in TIG welding and pipe welding but since I've never done either of these I don't even know what I don't know yet.

2. Entering the workforce, would there be a decided advantage in either job opportunity or pay rate as a graduate of the Hobart program that would justify the additional training time / tuition expense vs. the Lincoln school?

I know that the answers to these questions will probably depend on all kinds of things and may be hard to answer with complete certainty.. but even some general advice would be very helpful as I try to understand all the angles and make the best choice for what will be a very a big decision in my life. Thanks for your help and responses!

By Metarinka (****)

Date 03-08-2010 17:58

I can't speak too much to the lincoln or hobart schools. I went to community college and recieved a AA in welding and fabrication.

It's good to get your foot in the door, put it as a line on a resume and it proves that you have some formal experience. usually an AA or degree from a community college has a little more weight as you had to take some general credits (english math etc).

Anyways That's about it, in the welding world you constantly have to prove your skills a degree or certificate in welding won't get you that far, outside of helping you land interviews. It's also a little slow overall right now so jobs would be tight. Either program would be good and the more experience the better, but school really only gets you into an entry level position.

Coming out with an AA graduates could expect 15-20ish realistically a lot depending on the employer and local market and job duties. It's hard to compare programs because a lot depends on the skill and drive of the individual as well as work ethic.

By OSUWE85 (*)

Date 03-09-2010 02:00

Arclabs is a welding school in South Carolina. They offer a 10 week, 400 hour welder training course for $7100 and they also offer partial scholarships to those that qualify for tuition assistance. I know that Arclabs is NCCER certified, they're an AWS Accredited Test Facility and they also actively assists their students in finding jobs before graduation. I believe their web site is www.aclabsusa.com

By yorkiepap (***)

Date 03-09-2010 04:20

Hey Arc Light,
The world of welding is a vast arena.....your processes & applications are limitless. Choosing an education is definitely advantageous to anyone contemplating getting into welding as a career. All knowledge is an asset and most assuredly would enhance your income potential. Personally, I would agree with Metarinka as to a more substantial level of value with an AA.....& that is not to demean either the Lincoln or Hobart schooling in anyway. Believe it or not, math, literacy, & comprehension play a very important role in your welding career.

I also strongly suggest some formal training in the metal fabrication arena, ie., sheetmetal, machining, tool & die, or any facet of metal manipulation. Each process intertwines with each other. The more you are experienced in each, allows an employer to surmise your value that would enhance their operation & PROFIT. Their profit is what keeps you employed & allows you to advance your skills & your value to them. If you could find work in a welding/fab shop, you would get your "feet wet" & really learn the fascination of metal. I live near Pittsburgh & I see several postings every day for shop work welding, so there are still jobs available. The question is whether you want to live in the city or away from the city..... any city.

Even though many are facing tough times with the job losses in the last year, many are still staying afloat & some have not been affected at all. It all comes down to your "value". You can never stop learning. Listen, I'm 66 now, semi-retired, very comfortable lifestyle, & after 47yrs welding, I still get up every morning ready for the new days' challenges. Welding & fab get into your blood.....you will know it. If you never get to know it, you are in the wrong career. I still work p/t at my employer & my home shop has been busy even more with the downturn with the economy..... everyone is fixin' rather than replacing......nice $$$ to be made.

Look into the mirror & just simply as yourself......"How bad do I want it?" Only you can answer.

Denny

By Arc Light Date 03-09-2010 07:50

I sincerely appreciate the direction given by the responses so far. I can readily understand the relationship that welding has with other related processes : machining, tool & die, sheet metal, etc. I used to do web programming during the dot com days and at first I started by learning HTML. That led me to style sheets. Then I saw how JavaScript fit in and learned that.. and that led me to PHP / MySQL database programming. It was like an onion.. there were deeper and deeper layers of things that lay behind or worked in tandem with the base technology, HTML, that I learned. I can understand how welding would be very much the same. I've been lurking on welding boards for the last few months and have read time and again that success in the industry comes down to 'how bad you want it'. There are other things in life I could do, I have a silver bullet resume in the restaurant industry and usually am choosing between offers when I job hunt. I could make $38-40K+ per year doing that.. but I don't have a passion for it. I left that industry to work on the family ranch and of all the things I do out there, nothing makes me happier than welding. I could do it all day and not get enough of it. I've fixed every gate, every hinge, and built everything that I can get away with out there that involves welding. When I get started in the morning, the first thing I think about is if there's anything on the ranch that might need to be welded. I love the sound of that old Lincoln SA-200 revving up when I strike an arc..the sizzle of 6010's.. the smell of flux.. and the complete attention and focus I feel when making a weld. I'm critical of my work.. I only want to get better. No rancher cares what a weld looks like on an H-Frame fence post out in the middle of nowhere.. but I do. I drive the foreman nuts because I want to clean and inspect my work. I get sad when it comes time to paint over it. I stop at cattle guards and get on my hands and knees so I can look at the welding work other people did probably before I was even born. Anywhere I come across something welded, I want stop and look at it. In airports, on the street, on top of a 30 foot feed bin, at a tractor dealership.. You name it. A girlfriend once told me that she could usually tell when I had been welding on the ranch.. she said I sounded different on the phone. Happier

There are things that I guess could hold me back : my math skills are abysmal, for starters, and I am also starting this career a bit late in life.. I am 35 now and haven't even started my training. I may not have the best mechanical mind for the profession but I know one thing, I love to do it. I don't expect it to be easy and I know that it's not. I've spent a few 8-10 hour days under the mask, in the Texas summer, in all kinds of weird positions.. getting sparks in my gloves, down my shirt, catching myself on fire, all the while trying to DC weld magnetized oil pipe...laying on the ground getting stickers in my back with the arc blowing all over the place. I'm sure that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to welding discomforts.. but here I am, still lovin' it.

I appreciate the community college / AA suggestion... that is something I will look into. Also, I can see the merit in working at a shop to get my feet wet. I would imagine that's a great training environment to start seeing a lot of different looks and gaining experience while developing a more well rounded skill set. Ultimately, what I would like to do is work overseas and perhaps move from job to job in different countries of the world. I'm not married, no kids, and I'm free to go anywhere I want to. It would be a dream come true for me to take a skill like welding and see the world with it.. even if seeing the world means burning rods in some dirty hell hole more hours than not.

I appreciate the suggestions so far... because money is an issue I believe I will focus on either the shorter Lincoln program or look into the community college route as a part time student. Any tips on my dreams of working overseas?