Welding School Update

[iso50]

I have been talking to the Dean via email, and hope to discuss the situation with him tommorow morning. Doesn't mean I'll be returning to the program, just have to wait and see what happens.

[arcdawg]

baby steps man baby steps !

[iso50]

If it wasn't for this group I would have given up

[GunLocators]

iso I took welding in Jr High thru High School and I was nervous at first. I now weld for a living. Hang in there. Once you start i really feel you will say hey this is no big deal. I recommend starting with Mig in your case. It is easier and will not have to worry about sticking a rod. After you get a feel for mig move on to stick. This is the oposite from the way I learned but may be right for you. Hang in there.

[iso50]

At school you dont have a choice what you start with

[lramberson]

Good Luck, Laurence

[iso50]

One of the instructors was a complete jerk, and frankly I don't know how they have him as an instructor, but I won't be going back into that program as long as he is there.

[Steved]

ISO50

I am quite happy that you are at least looking into this. Good for you!

About the instructors. I went to school for a total of 7 years, 2 at a college and 5 at university.

There were about 3 profs at the university level that were not *******s and the rest were.

As for the college, there were a couple of 'poor' instructors. In the end you really have to jump through the hoops and get through some of the courses. I know that it sucks but sometimes that is what you have to do.

Keep us posted on the progress as I am sure that you have figured out, most of the regulars on this post are cheering for you.

Take it easy,

Steve

[jeffscarstrucks]

Try to stay in communication with the school, make sure they understand the the "big picture". Good Luck, JEFF

[iso50]

Well I had a metting with the instructor and one of the associate deans, and he even said that the instructor was a jerk. Doesn't say much for the instructor when his boss thinks he is a jerk.

[Paul Seaman]

A personality contest this isn't, its education and we pay so they will teach us what they know. If its easy your not learning as much as you could if you had to struggle a bit. I've spent weeks trying to get an overhead weld right and I am a much better welder for the struggle. Teachers will push you and challenge your mind and make you want to quit, but its up to you to decide you want to learn at any cost.

I am signed up for Tig starting tomorrow night and I expect to be challenged every night.

Don't allow someone else to steal your dream, be determined.

Peace,

[iso50]

Well lets just say I won't be taking lessons from him. Someone else, thats a possibility. Problem is I need it free, or financial aid. I don't have a job at the moment, which I hope to work on ASAP

[JSR]

overcome the instructor as a matter of strategy

This is the kind of subject close to me; been there in my "past"...

In the early 80's the only course I needed to pass for getting an Associates in System Analysis/Programming had (what at least at the time was for me) one of the most arrogant "professors" I thought existed, and to boot it up he really didn't knew much at all about Computers (making matters worse was that "I" thought I knew much more about the subject being I had been working with Mid Sized Computers for several years by then). I started and dropped from his course two times. Before trying again for the third time, I sort'a "wisen" up... heck, what was my ultimate goal? "to complete the Asociates's so I could move on to a BS, etc." Sure, learning is and still is very important in my life, but you have to learn to put things into perspective.

So I did things "his way", overcomming my propensity to judge other's people knowledge and my own arrogance (early 20's, Maintenance Service Technician with at the time 6 years experience in the computer field, etc). So if he said "this is black" even when almost everyone in the class including myself perceived as "dark gray", when testing time came and asked "what color is this?..." of course, I answered "BLACK". That Class included a final programming project as a thesis and final test, so again I make sure to incorporate everyone of his "inputs" during the Class trimester. Lo and behold, I not only passed his course but he praised my discipline "as an example to follow, etc" (remember I had dropped two times from it). Truth is, It wasn't till that moment in my life that I "experienced" what true discipline was. Overcomming that particular situation became a true milestone in my life.

Right know I am 6 classes away from an MBA, and believe me, I still have professors "like that" (Petty Tirants in Castaneda's terms); it is no different in what can be seen as a more academic setting. But being I was there once, I had prevailed now...

Formal Education in any field is just one way of the many for beginning the road on "true learning" which, by the way, you ultimately learn it really falls squarely in your hands. Discipline and persistence will get anyone a degree (I've seen enough jerks with Phd's and MD's to fully validate this), but true knowledge (good or bad ) comes from direct experience and "doing". Now, for good or for worse Society do have certain requirements which help us collectively define boundaries of responsibilities, etc and "recognized and accepted" aprons of education are part of them.

As somehow stated previously, learn not to miss your goal because of the rocks in your path. All paths have them; we just have to learn to "overcome" and keep going...


JSR:.

Welding and Fabrication Apprentice (still in the neonatal stages )

[arcdawg]

i had left my highschool to go to night school (**** gym credits) started working at a pool company and the owner got me into welding ....so i bit the bullet and enrolled in a 36 hour stick welding class....

i wanted more so i signed up for a 1080 hour welding course. the first day of class i gave the teacher a additude and SHE told me where the door was !!!

i had never given a **** about any school besides welding school..... my teacher was great !!! the BEST welder i have ever seen to this day.... i got over the fact that she was a woman real quick.... that was the first time in my education that i had ever gotten an A

not only did i learn about welding...... i learned about life, diffrent people and that a SKILL is invaluebul......... even though i dont weld for a livining at this time in my life i still benfit from my welding education everyday.......

point being is that do you think that i was scared to take that first step.... **** YEAH I WAS ..... but now i have over 1200 hours of weld time, worked at a race shop, have welded everything from buckets to titanium

not a lot of guys out there can say that !

oh and p.s. i gotta laugh .... i walked into that class at 21 and today im 26 **** IM GETTING OLD !

DAWG

[Paul Seaman]

Dawg a great little tune from the Fabulous Thunderbirds, "You can't judge a book by lookin at the cover" comes to mind. The best Aluminum welder I've ever seen was female, and super to work around in a school environment.

Peace,