06-09-2016, 03:23 PM
One of the benefits of going to a vocational school is certifications in the area of study, and, that many offer job placement services, as well. I'm a pretty fair welder, but self-taught. If I wanted to work professionally, I'd have to get certified.
I will say that the only way to achieve cosmetically beautiful welding is investing time in practice practice practice. In that vein, be as greedy as possible with practice time at school: if they offer "open shop sessions", do every single one you can do... you're paying for them to supply you with materials and power, USE IT. Even though I've been TIG welding for 20+ years, the look of my welds gets better when I do a lot of welding.
Here's something to shoot for:
https://www.instagram.com/weldporn/?hl=en
I will say that the only way to achieve cosmetically beautiful welding is investing time in practice practice practice. In that vein, be as greedy as possible with practice time at school: if they offer "open shop sessions", do every single one you can do... you're paying for them to supply you with materials and power, USE IT. Even though I've been TIG welding for 20+ years, the look of my welds gets better when I do a lot of welding.
Here's something to shoot for:
https://www.instagram.com/weldporn/?hl=en