As you get ready to graduate from your welding school program, you are probably thinking about a new career in this exciting field. You have a lot of options from working in construction to pipe welding and even ship building. First, you need to prepare yourself to be hired by working on your resume, interview skills, and on passing the National Construction Career Test in welding. The education you get from a welding training program will set you off on an exciting and lucrative new career path. Welders work with their hands, creating new things every day on the job. It is rewarding and interesting with room for advancement and growth. There are plenty of opportunities for welders right now and by getting a job in this field you can look forward to earning more. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were nearly 400,000 positions for welders in the country and these workers earned a median salary of over $38,000 per year. Welding school is what will put you in a position to join the ranks of these skilled workers. If you are preparing to graduate from your diploma program, now is the time to think about what your options are. Start thinking about what kind of career you want, where you would like to work, and how you will achieve your career goals.     Career Opportunities after Welding School As a welder you will find that you have a lot of different opportunities for your future job. Welders may all do approximately the same work, but they do it in different settings, working with different materials, and in all kinds of industries. The main industry that relies on welders and employs the most workers in this field is manufacturing. The manufacturing industry relies on welders to make metal products, machinery, vehicles, and other types of equipment. The construction industry also needs skilled workers who have been through welding school. Professionals in this field work on joining girders, beams, pipes, in both commercial and residential properties. Welders are needed to build and do maintenance work in power plants and oil and gas refineries. Welding trade school can also lead you in a direction you never expected. Welders are needed in the shipbuilding industry, for instance. You could be a part of building new ships and repairing existing ships. You may also work in the aerospace industry working on air craft. Imagine working underwater. Underwater welders are particularly skilled workers and are in demand for jobs building and repairing bridges and other structures.   Advancing Your Welding Career  Fresh from welding school, being new in the industry, you are likely to start out in an entry-level position, but there is plenty of room for growth. Welding training through your initial diploma program is just the beginning. You will continue to learn on the job and you can even advance to better positions by learning new, more specific welding skills. For example, once you have mastered basic welding, you may want to train as a underwater welder. This would involve learning how to dive and learning the specialized skills for doing welding work under water. You might also just want to advance your skills and your experience enough to be able to become a self-employed or freelance welder. This can give you the chance to move around, to take jobs you like and avoid others, and to earn as much or as little as you want.   Professional organizations like the American Welding Society can help you advance your career beyond basic welding training. Through groups like this you can earn extra certifications, take professional development courses, and learn specialized skills such as using robotics, teaching welding courses, or welding inspection.     Your Next Steps after Welding School Once you have given some thought to what kind of career and future you want in welding, you need to start preparing to get that first job. It’s time to think about finding open positions, how to apply, creating a great resume that showcases your skills, and learning how to have a good interview that impresses prospective employers. Start with your welding trade school’s career services department. Here you will find the resources you need to get started on pursuing your career post-graduation. The best place to start is with job placement. Professionals in career services can give you a leg up on finding the open positions. They can help you find specific types of jobs. If you know exactly what kind of position you want, let these career helpers from your welding school find it for you.   Crafting the Perfect Resume Next, start to work on your resume. This is the one thing that has to represent who you are and what you have to offer employers. Again, career services can help you, but only you can provide the necessary information. Include past and current jobs, even if they are not related to welding. These experiences tell an employer that you have what it takes to hold down a job and be a good employee, no matter what kind of work. Your resume should also be specific about what you learned in welding school. List the courses you took, so a future employer knows exactly what you can do and what your skill set is. Another great thing to include in your resume is proof that you can do the work needed for welding. You can do this by including pictures of some of your projects from welding classes. Pick a few that showcase specific skills you learned.   Interviewing Skills A resume represents you on paper, but to land a job you also have to represent yourself and your skills in person. A lot of people feel nervous about interviewing, and you may too, but the way to overcome that is to practice. Do mock interviews with friends or family to get better at being interviewed. It’s a skill, and the only way to be good […]

Manufacturing and construction are booming and that means careers for skilled tradesmen and women are increasing as well. This is matched by an uptick in enrollment in schools that offer certificates, diplomas and degrees in career-oriented programs, like Florida Technical College and its welding training program. More young people—and adults making career changes—are choosing trade and career colleges over traditional universities. So why should you choose welding training to launch your new career? Companies in the manufacturing and construction industries need all kinds of skilled workers, including welders. And, choosing a trade program over a four-year degree gives you plenty of advantages. You can get a career instead of a job and you can get it sooner; trade programs help you get into careers that are lucrative; and trade school is flexible and convenient so you can learn at your pace and on your schedule. Welding Training Leads to a Career Sooner One of the top reasons that people are choosing a trade like welding is that it leads to a real career much sooner than a four-year university program can. Even after finishing a four-year degree too many students find that their career options are limited, that the education they received was interesting, but not practical for employers. In less than a year of studying and training in hands-on classrooms, you can be finished with your coursework and ready to be hired. You won’t have to worry that your education will be wasted. Welders and other skilled trade workers will always be in demand. If you have a family to support and you don’t have the luxury of taking four years to get an education, trade school must makes sense. Become a Welder, Earn a Great Income The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual salary for a worker in the welding profession is $38,150 and the median hourly rate is $18.34. These numbers only represent the middle earners. As a trained professional you have the opportunity to work toward even higher earnings as you gain experience. Welders are also often in enough demand that working overtime to earn more is usually an option. If you choose a more traditional school instead, you not only will have to wait years to finally start earning, you won’t be guaranteed a good income. Skilled welders are always needed, so they can always command competitive wages. As a welder you can make earning a good living more than just a possibility. It’s practically guaranteed. Trade School Lets You Work at Your Pace, on Your Schedule Another reason that more students are choosing trades is that the training is much more compatible with the kinds of lives real adults live these days. Maybe you have a family and kids who need your time. Maybe you need to keep earning at your current job while you get your welding training done, so you can afford your rent and other bills. Whatever is going on in your life, trade school as compared to a traditional four-year university, allows you to take courses on your schedule and finish your training at your pace. Most students at FTC can finish the welding training program in nine months, but if your life is complicated and you need more time, you can have it. Take as long as you need to get your education, or get it done quickly. The choice is up to you. Enjoy the Comfort of Job Security Welding as a career is growing every year. As construction continues to expand, especially here in Florida, skilled welders are needed. Because only skilled and trained individuals can do this job, your welding training puts you at an advantage over other job seekers. Living paycheck to paycheck and never knowing whether you will be needed from one month to the next is no way to live. As a skilled worker you can finally enjoy better job security, yet another reason many people are turning to trades like welding. Technical and trade skills will always be needed and with the right training, you’ll be a step ahead of everyone else. Trade schools are getting more popular as people begin to realize the many benefits of ditching traditional education: earning sooner, earning more, getting good job security, and just having a job that is meaningful and rewarding. If these benefits sound good to you, get your welding training started at Florida Technical College. Get more information about the Welding Diploma Program and learn how you could be off to a new career in just nine months.