Welding Tips and Tricks

Did anyone else on here ever get a 4-year and was it beneficial for you? I've been working on 2 trade school diplomas and since March I've been gnawing away at this 4-year business management degree. I've gone to college on and off for the last 10 years and I've never felt so lost in my life studying 'business' lol. I've been thinking of either switching degrees or just dropping it all together because I have trouble absorbing that abstract info. personally, I don't think 4-years hold as much weight as they once did but I was just trying it anyway since no one else in my family went to college. thanks.

65chevyc20 wrote:Did anyone else on here ever get a 4-year and was it beneficial for you? I've been working on 2 trade school diplomas and since March I've been gnawing away at this 4-year business management degree. I've gone to college on and off for the last 10 years and I've never felt so lost in my life studying 'business' lol. I've been thinking of either switching degrees or just dropping it all together because I have trouble absorbing that abstract info. personally, I don't think 4-years hold as much weight as they once did but I was just trying it anyway since no one else in my family went to college. thanks.

almost got through 4 years of hs if that's what you mean

I have almost a 50 year degree in advanced idiotics. I also have a degree in aeronautics, I'm taking up space. I'm putting on some weight so I almost have a degree in advanced aeronautics since I'm taking up more space now.

Len

I put in four years.

Did not get my BS for several reasons, some beyond my control, but stopped only a few credit-hours short. Were I to go back, I would not pursue the same degree. I was studying industrial electronics in a comprehensive program including management and supervision, drafting, and industrial technology in general. I found my interest in work always came back to something involving welding.

However, the comprehensive program and what I learned from it, I still feel was valuable.

I can't tell you what value you may or may not find in the business aspects of your degree, only you can decide that, based on where you want to go. If you want to work as an employee and go where that can take you, you may or may not find value in teh four-year. If you want to work as a rig welder, an individual contractor, you don't need much more than some understanding of money management, insurance requirements, and an OSHA 30. If you want to run your own business, with employees, a storefront, and all the associated overhead, then the 4-year will have a lot of value to you. Even if you hire out all the money management stuff to employees, you need to understand it to properly supervise them.

Steve S

good reply otto. puts things in better perspective for me. thanks.

I am currently in my last semester of my 4 year degree. I am so sick and tired of this crap that I don't even want to finish. I am majoring in Agriculture Education and I don't even want to teach anymore. I come home from class everyday and tell my wife that all I want to do is weld. Welding is one thing that makes me happy and relaxed. I have told my wife a thousand times that the only good thing I got from this place is meeting her. It is stupid that they offer so many majors but only 1/3 of them have an actual job/career attached to them. As a teacher I would make $32,000 a year, as a welder, well you know. I am surprised I made it 4 years.
Matt

Matt, I'd say, "Stick it out!"

I would have, if circumstances hadn't intervened.

The degree may not ever serve you directly, it you no longer wish to teach, but having it proves you can stick to, and finish, what you set out to do.

The things you've learned will ALWAYS serve you, even if you don't recognize it at the time.

One example, from the top of my head... An education degree would make you more qualified as a supervisor or manager than a management degree... In management classes, they don't put much emphasis on "teaching" ("training"), which is a core requirement in management and supervision.

Even if you decide welding is your career path, you'll be stunned over the years how your education will serve you.

Steve S

Thanks Steve, I have already kicked it into overdrive and am doing everything I can to finish. I decided that it made me mad enough I am going to beat it. I really have an interest in teaching others how to weld. Part of my major is welding and how to teach it but up here they just teach you how to run a bead and flat joints. I learned how to weld in high school so this was cake for me but I really wish I would have went to welding school or something that direction instead of the degree I chose but like they say hind sight is 20/20 and no sense in worrying about it now. Just a few months left and I will be done!

Im studying my last year mechanical engineering in university of applied sciences here in Finland. Only 4 months to go and I will hopefully finish all my studies etc, so 4 years in total. I'm satisfied on occupation courses like welding and metallurgy. Those have been very usefull and interesting. Nevertheless about 70 % of the courses are total bullshit. Most of the courses haven't anything to do with welding or manufactoring and things which would be usefull in real life. In fact at the moment Im studying how internet and mobilephone nets work Sometimes it is just hard to find reasons for keep studying.
In the other hand studying here in Finland is 100 % free, so I don't really like to moan about it that much.

I have my 4 year in business along with a two year in electrical engineering and a bunch of weld certs. I am about halfway to my MBA, once that's done I plan on moving to an office role, preferably in conjunction with the weld dept as that's what I know and enjoy doing. All education is good IMO as its something that no one can take from you

Wes917 wrote:All education is good IMO as its something that no one can take from you

This ^^^^

Education is always a tricky thing as (as a student) it can be hard to 'see' why you have to do certain things that seem totally un-related to 'real life'. But IMHO a lot of these seemingly disconnected-from-reality courses can teach/train you in other ways than the subject matter itself. Eg. logical reasoning, structured work, 'self sufficient' work, etc.

As such any 'advanced' education you can get your hands on is a boon and will probably help you in a lot of other general areas than the actual/exact subject matter. The process itself helps to train your brain-cells to work in certain ways and look/think in (creative) solutions and how to work towards these solutions.

Of course some people do not care or want to 'understand' what they are doing, which is fine if that's what they want. Most of you probably know some people like that who (as I call it) tend to only do 'monkey-see, monkey-do' and don't progress anywhere because they simply don't want to or don't care.

But for those who do want to advance and 'understand' what you do (and I suspect a lot of people here have signed up to do exactly that.. 'understand' welding and get better ), any higher education is simply another tool in the toolbox and it helps to be able to work things out in a structured and methodical way.

BTW.. I'm not saying that you NEED an advanced education!! There's plenty of highly skilled and very smart/wise people out there who hardly went to school, but these people often have the same 'drive' to figure out stuff (instead of repeating endlessly) and do it their way. Education can just help to broaden the skillset and mindset..

Sorry for the long-winded post..

Bye, Arno.