Article: Commercial welders must be physically and mentally fit, with excellent hand-eye coordination, and the ability to stay focused on a repetitive task for long periods of time. The clumsy and careless need not apply. Welders take serious pride in their work and in the skills required to complete a job properly.  A good welder also needs to be self-motivated and a self-starter, since part of the job might involve freelancing, finding your own projects and jobs. Welders can be in high demand, but it'll be up to you to seek out that demand and find the jobs that require a good and knowledgeable welder. As a welder, you'll be around hot metal, bright lights, and noxious fumes every day. In many welding jobs, you will be working around heavy equipment that can cause serious injury. It is imperative to gain some understanding of all of the potential dangers possible prior to embarking upon a pursuit of welding certification and employment. If you don't have any experience welding on-the-job, finding a training program is the best way to get started. Many community colleges have welding programs, as do adult vocational programs and trade schools. These are the most reliable way to get into the industry, and a good program will include job placement assistance to help you get a foot in the door. The American Welding Society (AWS) provides a searchable database of welding schools found here.  In the United States, the three most prestigious  private welding schools are the Tulsa Welding School, the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, and the Lincoln Welding School.  Scholarships are available on the AWS scholarship page on their website. Many companies and unions will also provide scholarships, as many regions have a shortage of welders and both types of organizations have an interest in training more. . You can't learn welding from a book. Welding is a hands-on trade that you can only learn by taking an introductory-level class, signing up for an apprenticeship program that will give you on-the job training, or enrolling in a welding school and building the skills necessary to weld metal.  If you've got no experiencing welding, or have some informal training from tinkering around at home and you want to learn more, start by taking an introductory welding course at a community college or tech school in your area to learn about the safety skills required and the mechanics of the job, then practice on your own as much as possible. Learn to strike an arc, tack, and control your puddles. You've got to start somewhere, and the first essential skills in welding are in making small welds, called tacks, to get the metal to stick together without clamps to hold it, and then accurately controlling your arc and wire or rod feed as you connect the pieces. It'll take some practice and guidance, so seek out experienced welders to show you the ropes when you're first getting started.  Many industrial welding jobs these days are done with flux core welding machines, which automatically unspool wire, making jobs much easier and more efficient. If you want to get experience welding and getting paid for it, practice this kind of welding, which will be one of the most common type of work you'll encounter. Welders are needed for many different tasks, and some industries or types of job use certain kinds of welding more than others. Learn the basic types, and if you're aiming for a specific industry, learn the correct type:  MIG welding, or metal inert gas welding, is commonly used to fabricate steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. The automotive industry, shipyards, and many other industries use MIG welding, increasingly the flux-cored variety. Stick welding, also called Shielded-Metal Arc Welding, is a simple and popular type of welding due to its low cost and ease of use. It is often used in construction jobs and in home projects.   TIG welding, or tungsten inert gas welding, is a slow process that requires clean metal. However, it can make a high quality weld for almost any metal. Architectural fabrication shops often use TIG for stainless steel welding. TIG welding is considered high-skill, so if you train in TIG and find a place that uses it, you'll increase your chance at a job. There are many more varieties of welding which tend to be less common than the three above. Some of these, such as Gas Tungsten-Arc Welding, are highly specialized and only used in a few fields, such as bicycle and airplane manufacturing. Many companies offer on-the-job training through apprenticeship programs, where you'll be doing entry level welding work but hopefully have the chance to learn more. As you complete more hours in apprenticeship programs, your level of accreditation will rise.  Typically, fully completing your apprenticeship and rising to "journeyman" rank takes around three years. However, this varies widely by region, even within the same country in the case of United States and Canada. Some areas of the world may not have a formal apprenticeship program at all, but on the job training programs will still help you land a job when you're not yet an experienced welder, and gain the skills you need to qualify for more advanced jobs. Find programs with job placement assistance. A good welding program should assist its students in finding a job once the program is complete. Preferably, your program should include opportunities to meet potential employers.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Understand the demands of the job. Research welding training programs near you. Get some basic experience welding Learn which types of welding you'll need for specific jobs. Participate in an apprenticeship program.