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Posted: 27 Jun 2011 07:08 AM PDT  #1: Ask yourself, “Why am I going to school?” People have different reasons for wanting more education. Is it for your own personal knowledge? Is it to help you advance in your company or perhaps to move to another job? Is it to prepare yourself to compete in the job market? Only you know the real reason. #2: Now that you’ve thought through why you want to return to school, do a little research. Let’s say you plan to go to college because you worked in a warehouse for a number of years and your company closed. Now you’re looking for work and you’d really like to be a welder. What should you do? Check out the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website at www.bls.gov. When you reach the website, click on “Publications” and then click on “Occupational Outlook Handbook”. Then, on the left side of the page in the “SEARCH” box, type “welder”. This will bring up a number of articles about welding. Click on the top one. You are now on a page that gives you extensive information about the field of welding, including what the work is like, what training and education you need, what the current and future job outlook is, and what the wages and earnings are. Information provided here is based on data gathered by the government to give you an accurate picture of what you can expect if you go into this field. Here’s the education information you’ll find for welding: Training, Other Qualifications, and AdvancementTraining for welding, soldering, and brazing workers can range from a few weeks of school or on-the-job training for low-skilled positions to several years of combined school and on-the-job training for highly skilled jobs.Education and training. Formal training is available in high schools and postsecondary institutions, such as vocational-technical institutes, community colleges, and private welding, soldering, and brazing schools. The U.S. Armed Forces operate welding and soldering schools as well. Some employers are willing to hire inexperienced entry-level workers and train them on the job, but many prefer to hire workers who have been through formal training programs. Courses in blueprint reading, shop mathematics, mechanical drawing, physics, chemistry, and metallurgy are helpful. An understanding of electricity also is very helpful, and knowledge of computers is gaining importance, especially for welding, soldering, and brazing machine operators, who are becoming more responsible for programming robots and other computer-controlled machines. Because understanding the welding process and inspecting welds is important for both welders and welding machine operators, companies hiring machine operators prefer workers with a background in welding. Certification and other qualifications. Some welding positions require general certifications in welding or certifications in specific skills such as inspection or robotic welding. The American Welding Society certification courses are offered at many welding schools. Some employers have developed their own internal certification tests. Some employers are willing to pay training and testing costs for employees, while others require workers to pay for classes and certification themselves. The Institute for Printed Circuits offers certifications and training in soldering. In industries such as aerospace and defense, where highly accurate and skilled work is required, many employers require these certifications. In addition, the increasing use of lead-free soldering techniques, which require more skill than traditional lead-based soldering techniques, has increased the importance of certification to employers. Welding, soldering, and brazing workers need good eyesight, hand-eye coordination, and manual dexterity, along with good math, problem-solving, and communication skills. They should be able to concentrate on detailed work for long periods and be able to bend, stoop, and work in awkward positions. In addition, welders increasingly must be willing to receive training and perform tasks required in other production jobs. Advancement. Welders can advance to more skilled welding jobs with additional training and experience. For example, they may become welding technicians, supervisors, inspectors, or instructors. Some experienced welders open their own repair shops. Other welders, especially those who obtain a bachelor’s degree or have many years of experience, may become welding engineers. Welding may not be your field of choice, so use that SEARCH box for the field you want. #3: Now you know why you want to return to school, you’ve chosen the field you want, and you know what education and training you need. Think you’re ready to get started back to school? Not quite yet! You need to do a little soul searching. Going to school requires both personal and financial commitment. It also requires work. Schools will help you identify financing options. Make sure you closely examine the costs so you understand your financial commitment and can evaluate it against what your projected earnings may be. And remember, getting the education may help, but it’s not a guarantee of employment. In addition, while some fields historically have high average earnings, others have historically low earnings. Make sure you look at the potential. #4: Ok, so now you have thought about why you want to return to school, you’ve chosen the field you want, you know what education and training you need, and you’re ready to make the personal and financial commitment. NOW! You are ready to move forward. It’s time to select a school for your program of study. You can do your own research with the help of google or get some help at no cost from www.collegecomplete.com To use Google, simply search for the field you are interested in and you’ll get pages and pages of information. Happy reading! To get help from College Complete in finding schools that offer your program, just go to their website at www.collegecomplete.com/contact, submit a short request and you will be contacted by an Education Advocate who will do the research for you, at no cost. If you want faster service, just call them at 877-543-2655. Your call will probably take about 5 minutes. College Complete can help recommend schools that offer the program you want so you can make a good choice about where you go for your education. College Complete will also send you a list of common questions that you should ask each school before you make your decision. #5: Time to get started! The biggest obstacle to going back to school is procrastination. If education is right for you, don’t let procrastination stop you from your future. See you in class! For more Information: http://www.collegecomplete.com |
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