Welding school, for many people, is the best choice that they can make. It can lead to a very beneficial career that can set many people up for life with good pay, potentially good benefits with good companies, and the opportunity to travel around the world looking for jobs.
Costs for welding programs vary, just like the costs for any program. However, keep in mind that if you choose a good welding school, then the costs will be forgotten in a few years and you will reap the benefits of great training. Employers want welders who have good skills and have gotten good training, not welders who are welding because of who they know and the friends they have.
The three big welding schools train welders who can pass the certification tests and that is the main goal for the schools. This is great for welders because welders who have the certifications have the skills and employers know this. If you can’t pass the certification tests, then you won’t get the jobs so why go to a school that will settle for just the certifications that will make you an entry level welder?
It’s better to go to one of the three big schools and become a professional welder able to do just about any job and get any certification. Why spend the money to be just an entry-level worker? The three big schools are the Tulsa Welding School, Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, and Lincoln Welding Training program. These schools all teach you to be ready to pass the tests and get a good paying job, not just entry level.
Tulsa Welding School is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida. They are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.They offer 2 main programs of structural welder and master welder. Structural welder takes 3.5 months and is $7,000 – $8,000 to complete. Master welder takes 7 months and will cost you around $14,000. These lengths pertain to graduating in normal time. The difference is that the master welder teaches all major processes as well as structural plates, pipes, and thin sheet metal. For more information about their graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit their website at, http://www.weldingschool.com/student-resources/regulatory-information/
Hobart Institute of Welding Technology offers structural and welding po grams, as well as several smaller training course modules that are affordable and specific. For example, they offer a 2 week long Basic Tig Welding course that only costs around $800.
Lincoln Electric Welding School is one of the oldest programs in the country. It offers the standard programs for pipe and structural welding with all the major process and also offers a 1 week long GTAW TIG welding class for just $400. They also do sports welding training for working with sports such as NASCAR.