[Thomas Dean]

If possible I would opt for an apprentice program, especially if you can learn the whys and why nots of welding. I have known several "welding instructors" at the local tech school and Jr. college and I wouldn't hire them! let alone their students. Just as j@j metal works signature states "You can spend all the money in world but a tool is only as good as the person using it!" , the same will go for learning a trade. I am not union either. On-the-job training is probably the best as far as learning to weld beads, but anything you can do to learn metals and metalargy will by far better serve you in the long run. Two men in the crew I work in (a Fortune 500 chemical co.) went to a 'tech school' to learn to weld, 25+yrs ago, and they still don't know much more than how to burn a rod. It's a shame as they have been exposed to some very exotic materials and know very little about them. I also believe PRIDE in your work plays a MAJOR part in how well you will do. My oppinions, yours may vary...