Schooling and Long-term Goals

In Summer 2023 I started an associates degree in skilled trades with a concentration on Welding at Delaware County Community College, using the Kelleher Grant for funding. So far I’ve completed seven welding classes.

My next step is finding a full-time stick or tig welding job with healthcare, benefits, etc, and making this small business something I do outside of that, while taking a once-per-week evening class per semester til I finish the degree.

This year I will be applying to three welding unions in Philly - Steamfitters, Ironworkers and boilermakers.

A union job with an apprenticeship period would be ideal as I would be set up for a long-term career with job stability and all the benefits that come with union work.

Taking classes alongside contracted metal work has given me a sturdy theoretical and practical foundation for a career in welding and metal fabrication— I’ve received training from instructors who’ve worked in the trade for decades.

Classes are three hours and are usually one hour in the classroom for theory and background followed by two hours of booth time where we apply what we learned in the classroom.

These are my two final projects for GTAW II — two multipass mild steel groove welds, one a 1g butt weld and the other a 1g pipe

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