If you’re a student, you can jump start your future over the summer and dramatically increase your career options, maybe even start your own business. AI is making it harder for anyone just starting out, so you need an edge. With a hands-on project you can build your confidence, learn new skills and show others what you’re capable of doing.
How do you start?
One of the best ways to learn valuable skills is project based learning. Pick a project, something you would be proud to point to and say “I built that,” and then, build it. Simple, yes. Easy, no. You’ll need to learn whatever skills are necessary to make it happen, but when you know exactly what you’re building and how that skill applies, it’s more likely your motivation will carry you forward, than if you are just trying to learn a new skill you hope will come in handy someday.
Here’s an idea
May is National Bike Month, so why not build a bike or trike? The trike shown above is surprisingly simple in construction at very low cost. Basic tools will do. You’ll need a welder and then learn how to weld, but nothing exotic. Sure, MIG welding would work great, but a very basic stick/flux core welder will do the job and those can be purchased for as little as $150 at Harbor Freight, if you just want to try it out, though you’ll need something better for long term use.
Decide to do it and get started. Maybe build two and sell one to pay for the first one and the tools you bought. Build three and start a business.
What’s the catch? If you don’t work, your project won’t work.
Any age, male or female, no applications or permission necessary
You have total freedom to build and learn whatever you want. Compared to other learning options, that’s huge. No gatekeepers to decide whether you are “qualified.” You decide. You will have to pay for materials and tools if you have none, but the cost is likely to be a tiny fraction of what you would spend getting a college degree, not to mention, a fraction of the time before you can start doing real work.
Another option is a trade school
One young woman, Chloe Hudson, who was planning to be a plastic surgeon, considered the $400,000 total tuition and after spending some time in a clinical setting thought she would rather do something else. She had taken an elective course for the last couple of credits she needed to graduate high school and learned the basics of welding. She made what seemed to be a rather radical change of direction and she loves it. She went on to formal welding training and then worked in a wide variety of jobs including welding for drag racing teams and now she’s earning six figures doing precision TIG welding on titanium components for an aerospace company.
If welding sounds like something you’d like to try, there’s a world class welding school just 90 minutes away in Cleveland, Ohio at Lincoln Electric, one of the premier manufacturers of welding equipment anywhere. Their training courses cover the entire spectrum of welding methods with a lot of options running from 1 to 5 weeks and their 16 week, $10 thousand dollar comprehensive course covers them all and you take a certification test at the end. Show that to an employer, you’ll be welding in no time. Compare that to the necessary time and cost of a college degree, one that may or may not pay off.
Hands-on skills are where AI isn’t
Welding is just one of many skills that can bring you great satisfaction and high pay. If you’re willing to travel, jobs are everywhere. Build experience, find out what you like and then decide where you want to live and work. It’s hard work and you’ll need to practice to get your skills up to a high level, but if you do, there’s a solid future waiting. All of that AI everyone is concerned about requires a lot of construction and welding for the data centers and the power plants to power them. The US is ramping up shipbuilding which requires massive amounts of welding. Infrastructure maintenance and repair, welding. Almost anything made of metal, welding. Even SpaceX rockets are welded together.
Not just for students
Students are the focus of this article, but in reality, anyone looking to move up or change directions at any age can make the decision and do it. Wouldn’t it be great if we started to see a lot of new builders around here?
Demographics are changing rapidly. Mike Rowe mentions the statistic that for every 5 workers retiring, only 2 people from the next generation are replacing them. Who is going to do the work, especially highly skilled work like precision TIG welding? How about you?