Welding → Certification

Run good beads in MIG, stick and TIG, and prepare for a cert test.

Start with What is Friction Welding? (31 min, Alec Steele), then Introduction to Welding (13 min, Essential Craftsman). All 28 lessons in Welding → Certification are free. No degree. An AWS certification test. A starter kit costs about $450. About $52k a year (US median); pipe welders earn far more.

To start: No degree. An AWS certification test. Earning: About $52k a year (US median); pipe welders earn far more.

1. Welding basics

   Safety and MIG.

   • What is Friction Welding? (31 min, Alec Steele, Beginner)
   • Introduction to Welding (13 min, Essential Craftsman, Beginner)
   • Gasless Flux Core for Beginners #1 BIG Thing (12 min, Welding Tips and Tricks, Beginner)
   • MIG Basics All Positions--Horizontal, Vertical, Overhead (12 min, Welding Tips and Tricks, Beginner)
   • How To Weld with a MIG Welder | Beyond The Basics (4 min, Lowe's Home Improvement, Beginner)
   • Getting Started With Your Hobart™ Handler® 140EZ (5 min, Hobart Welders, Beginner)

2. Stick and TIG

   The other processes.

   • Welding Titanium to Steel: Part 2 (27 min, Alec Steele, Intermediate)
   • Laser Welding (20 min, Alec Steele, Intermediate)
   • Forge Build: No Welding Required (16 min, Essential Craftsman, Intermediate)
   • Welding Career Advice (10 min, Welding Tips and Tricks, Intermediate)
   • All About Gas Welding: w/ 87 Year Old Knife Maker Cy Swan (33 min, Essential Craftsman, Intermediate)
   • How to TIG Weld Aluminum Masterclass — First Arc to 5 Basic Joints (35 min, Welding Tips and Tricks, Advanced)

3. Fabrication

   Build things.

   • My Dream Power Hammer Restoration! Part 10 (32 min, Alec Steele, Intermediate)
   • My Dream Power Hammer Restoration! Part 11 (38 min, Alec Steele, Intermediate)
   • How to Mount an Anvil - Cool Trick (11 min, Essential Craftsman, Intermediate)
   • The 93-Year-Old Blacksmith That Outworked Me: John Adolf (12 min, Essential Craftsman, Intermediate)
   • Plasma Cutting & Oxy Fuel Cutting (14 min, Welding Tips and Tricks, Intermediate)
   • Miller Plasma Cutter- Spectrum 625 X-Treme Part1 (12 min, Welding Tips and Tricks, Intermediate)

4. Get hired

   A CV that gets read, interviews you are ready for, and the first offer negotiated.

   • Career Change to Code - The Complete Guide [Full Course for Aspiring Developers] (203 min, freeCodeCamp.org, Beginner)
   • If Your Job Interviewer Asks You THIS, BEWARE! (11 min, A Life After Layoff, Intermediate)
   • Write an Incredible Resume: 5 Golden Rules! (9 min, Jeff Su, Intermediate)
   • Can't Get A Job? You May Be On The "Do Not Hire" List! (18 min, A Life After Layoff, Intermediate)
   • Top 5 LinkedIn Profile Tips! (10 min, Jeff Su, Intermediate)
   • A Job Recruiter Critiques 5 Real Audience Resumes (23 min, The Financial Diet, Intermediate)

5. Money basics for your first pay

   Budget it, save it, and start investing early.

   • Investing 101 (20 min, Ben Felix, Beginner)
   • Using Your Money To Be Happier (21 min, Ben Felix, Intermediate)
   • 5 Things You Need To Do If You Make Less Than $100k (21 min, The Financial Diet, Intermediate)
   • 9 Things To Stop Spending On By 30 (26 min, The Financial Diet, Intermediate)