Welding has changed me forever
I know this must sound weird or crazy but I took a welding class and it chanegd my life! I thought it would be a fun and useful skill for art projects but it is so much more than that. Welding is generally considered a man's job, and a job for someone that's not too bright. In fact the American Welding Society promotes welding for women because women tend to be excellent welders. A lot of welding work is delicate and precise and often it's useful to have smaller hands and not be a huge rough handed burly dude. It also requires a sophisticated understanding of the materials, chemistry and physics so that you can get a good strong weld that will withstand the apocalypse. You can learn the basics without a lot of math in a vocational school, but it's really helpful to have a college education. I was entirely discouraged from doing any sort of career related to trades (cosmetology in my case) because I was too smart, and I read stories of other folks discouraged from going into welding because they were too smart for trade work. I feel incredibly powerful for having learned a skilled trade and being able to do this skill that is actually quite complex and crucial for modern life. I've been doing these dumb office jobs that require very few skills but for some reason require a college education that has nothing to do with the work. Any level of welding above entry-level seems to require a college education. Welding is something that I can actually use in my life. It's not a bunch of academic hot air. Welding makes me feel powerful and accomplished. It also triggers my carpal tunnel like crazy so it's not likely that I'll be able to work in the field, but I want to take more classes so that I can do better welds and more types of welding. This is going to be incredibly useful for my art and fixing things around the house.