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Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Dothan AL

How to Enroll In a Welder Degree Program near Dothan Alabama

Dothan AL welding school studentFinding the right welder vocational school near Dothan AL is an essential first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary issues when evaluating welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to create a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Training Programs

Dothan AL welder working on pipingThere are multiple options to get training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief summaries of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Dothan AL.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally offered by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed primarily to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Some states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welder school you pick should ready you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

Dothan AL welder working on poleThere are a number of institutions that provide welder certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Dothan AL employers not only require a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available dependent on the kind of work that the welder performs. Some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

  • Work in compliance with specific codes
  • Work with specified metal thicknesses
  • Work with certain kinds of welds
  • Perform in compliance with contract specifications

As previously mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welder vocational school you decide on readies you for certification if needed.

How to Choose a Welder Technical Program

Dothan AL welder working on carOnce you have decided on the credential you want to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder trade and vocational schools in the Dothan AL area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered 2 important ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might want to evaluate before choosing a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding tech school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, for instance Welding Technology. So verify that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation can also help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in Dothan AL for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welder certificate or degree programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Dothan AL welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welder program you select has a high completion rate. A reduced rate might signify that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Dothan AL contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have narrowed down your selection of welder schools to 2 or 3 options, you should think out visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are uncertain what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Dothan AL welding professional if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to address. You should bear in mind that unless you can move, the welding program you select must be within driving distance of your Dothan AL home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, apart from moving costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you subsequently will desire to work.

Small Classes. Individualized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be lost in bigger classes and not get much individualized instruction. Ask what the average class size is for the welder schools you are considering. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can experience how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, chat with some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Dothan AL, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Dothan AL?

Perhaps you live in the Dothan Alabama area, or have decided to enroll in a Welding Program that has a campus near there.  In either case, you may find this bit of history both interesting and informative.

Dothan, Alabama

Dothan /ˈdoʊθən/ is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the largest city and county seat of Houston County, with a population of 65,496 at the 2010 census.[1] It is in the state's southeastern corner, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the Georgia state line and 16 miles (26 km) north of Florida. It is named after the biblical city, the place where Joseph's brothers threw him into a cistern and sold him into slavery in Egypt.[4]

Dothan is the principal city of the Dothan, Alabama metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties; the small portion in Dale County is part of the Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area. The combined population of the entire Dothan metropolitan area in 2010 was 145,639.[5] The city serves as the main transportation and commercial hub for a significant part of southeastern Alabama, southwest Georgia, and nearby portions of the Florida Panhandle. Since approximately one-fourth of the U.S. peanut crop is produced nearby, much of it processed in the city, Dothan is sometimes called "The Peanut Capital of the World". It also hosts the annual National Peanut Festival at the dedicated "Peanut Festival Fairgrounds".[6]

The area that is now Dothan was inhabited for thousands of years by successive cultures of indigenous peoples. In historic times it was occupied by the Alabama and Creek Native American tribes who were hunters and gatherers in the vast forests of pine that covered this region. These tribes had developed complex cultures, and often used to meet and camp for trading near a large spring at the crossroads of two trails.

Online Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

pipe welder at work in Dothan ALWelding is very much a hands-on type of trade, and consequently not extremely compatible with training online. Having said that, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Dothan AL area that can count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to start their training and education. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be done online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Select the Right Welding Trade Program Dothan AL

Selecting the ideal welding school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training program that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you select is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Dothan AL.

 

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