What should I do with my life? (advice)

[Ele'ill]

Anyone on here do metal working (creative) or industrial welding etc for a living?

I've been playing around with the idea of getting certified and just immersing myself in it and of course getting a job doing it- instead of going back to school for social issue related stuff.

I don't want debt related to school- it would piss me off every day until it's paid off. I don't have the money for school and have been away from it for a long enough time that I'm unsure how I would react going back and taking classes that I don't necessarily want to take.

I enjoy learning and do a lot of reading on my own.

It seems like the metal working/welding would be perfect as it would be a job- it's a skill I could learn rather quickly in comparison to finishing school- it would tie together elements of labor struggles- being creative with my hands- and as my mind is constantly in a sci-fi/fantasy realm it would satisfy a portion of my desire to be a blacksmith making armor for our warrior dragons. (I slid that last bit in there a little too casually- yes I'm sort of joking but sort of not)

I figure that once I'm making money welding or whatever I can start to work my way through school- online classes or actual course work at a uni.

What should I do with my life? Help me out everyone.

I'm in my mid-late 20's

[Ele'ill]

I would also likely sell creative pieces of metal work- which is a big part of the attraction to this hobby/job.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I've done a bit of welding (two years in school), plus I know/have been around a lot of welders. It's a job with a good amount of pay (60,000 dollars a year when I was in AK...people who worked on the pipeline got often got payed into six figures), and there's a lot of job security; people are always going to need welders.

On the other hand, a lot of people find the idea of working in a enclosed, often hot space that's filled with the smell of burning metal to not be pleasant.

[Kuppo Shakur]

I've been considering getting into welding and such, myself.
I know there are schools in my area that advertise as having exceptional metalworking courses, but I have plenty of research to do yet.

Does anyone know of any good resources about the availability and variation of welding jobs?

[Os Cangaceiros]

Does anyone know of any good resources about the availability and variation of welding jobs?

A lot of large building projects use welding crews. When I worked briefly as an industrial painter, there were a lot of welders also working in my building (as well as pipefitters, electricians, plumbers, etc.)

[gorillafuck]

I'd say do it. Learning to do a job that sounds appealing to you seems so much more fulfilling to me than sitting in a classroom having a professor just reinforce your views about society.

[Bilan]

Learning to do a job that sounds appealing to you seems so much more fulfilling to me than sitting in a classroom having a professor just reinforce your views about society.

That's not really what happens.

Anyway, do it. Or at least, give it a shot and see how it goes.