What You Learn in Welding School

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Welding can be a rewarding career that gives you the opportunity to work across a wide range of industries. As a welder, you might work in construction, automotive, aeronautics, manufacturing, shipping and much more.

Could welding be a good fit for you? You might like the profession if you like to work with your hands and want some flexibility in the industry you choose. But it’s critical that you’re prepared to stay safe. You’ll need to:

  • Wear protective gear and clothing
  • Take care around open flames and high temperatures
  • Avoid exposure to UV rays and toxic fumes
  • Be ready for possible accidents
  • Follow local and federal safety requirements

Once you decide that this could be the career path for you, a Certificate in Welding program can teach you about:

Welding Safety and Personal Protective Equipment

A welding project gone wrong can be dangerous. That’s why it’s critical that you wear protective clothing and follow safety protocols. You’ll need gear like flame-resistant clothing, steel-toe leather boots, heavy gloves, safety shields, and more. You also need to adhere to policies set forth by the state and your company’s safety guidelines.

Welding Processes

Learn the latest tools and processes to be knowledgeable and competitive in the industry. Your welding program should teach you processes, welds, and skills that are used in the real world, like oxy-fuel cutting, shielded metal arc welding and gas metal arc welding.

Experience in Welding Basics, Cutting, Layout and Fitting

Since welding is such a hands-on job, your training should be too. Learn from a welding program that teaches you welding basics, cutting, layout and fitting skills that are critical to learning the trade. But then you need plenty of opportunities to practice. The more you weld, the better you’ll become at your craft.

Welding Fabrication

This is especially important if you think you want to become a fabricator, which is someone who creates a metal product from layout to finishing. Learn the fundamentals in a hands-on program that allows you to plan, design, prepare, and execute a project like you would in a welding fabrication shop while you practice necessary safety procedures.

Blueprint Reading and Design for Welding

Welding blueprints are how designers communicate their plans for a project with the welder. If you understand a welding blueprint, it will help ensure that you do a job efficiently and correctly the first time. These blueprints are full of letters and symbols that tell you what kind of weld to use and where to place it. For example, a right triangle tells you to use a fillet weld, while a rectangle means you need to use a plug or slot weld. A circle with parallel lines through it indicates a seam weld. By the time you launch your welding career, you’re going to know your own secret language!

Are you ready to start on the path to your new career in welding? Contact Charter College today to learn about our Certificate in Welding Program in Vancouver and Anchorage. You could earn your welding certificate in less than one year.