Welding Tips and Tricks

I have some questions on my welding certification I just obtained through arcet (stick unlimited thickness) after I welded the test and turned it in I realized that it "will not enter me into the AWS certified welder program" considering this is my first time obtaining a certification on my own and not employer sponsor, can anyone explain this? Is it not beneficial to get certified this way? I just want to make sure before I take anymore welding tests on my own.

Thank you!

Hotshot01,

All certifications have some value, and the value depends on your intentions. If you intend to be self-employed, being certified in every process and position you intend to do assures your prospective client that you're qualified for the work you're selling.

If you intend to work for employers, it's still nice to have a certification or two in the process you're hiring for. They will (99.9% of the time) require you to test for them, to their specific WPS, so they can document that you're qualified, but having an independent certification tells them you already know what you're doing, so it helps you get past that stack of applications and into their test.

In over 30 years, I've only had one employer take my "certs" at face value, and my broker had pencil-whipped those.

Steve S