New Thread, same topic, my CAREER is on the line, please help ON TOPIC.

[Trip59]

Welcome back.

You will find your heart is key too. I am not sure what school Donor76 went to, or Jesse James (the TV guy), but I bet none. A lot of practice and hard work. You'll be fine. The fact you are back leads me to believe that. Sounds like you are ready to continue your venture. Getting closer to the metal

I too hope I will be here to see that Cobra too.

Time and time again I've seen self taught guys with a deep burning desire, run circles around top name school educated twerps.

Mike has a key point, self taught or school taught, it's all about heart. I'm a college professor (yeah, seriously) and I see students come through self taught that run circles around professionals, and other students who have years of school behind them who are retaking classes I teach because they can't design their way out of an open door. It's nothing more than they don't put into it what they want to get out. I've gotten under the skin of a few tow and three time repeats and after long motivating speeches I've stood back and watched them rocket to heights that made me wonder if they were cheating (they weren't, it was just that dramatic of an improvement).

[fdcmiami]

Time and time again I've seen self taught guys with a deep burning desire, run circles around top name school educated twerps.

Mike has a key point, self taught or school taught, it's all about heart. I'm a college professor (yeah, seriously) and I see students come through self taught that run circles around professionals, and other students who have years of school behind them who are retaking classes I teach because they can't design their way out of an open door. It's nothing more than they don't put into it what they want to get out. I've gotten under the skin of a few tow and three time repeats and after long motivating speeches I've stood back and watched them rocket to heights that made me wonder if they were cheating (they weren't, it was just that dramatic of an improvement).

you're a college professor and you see self taught students come through all the time that run circles around professionals; i would have to ask why these self taught prodigies did not test out of your class and why these professionals are there at all. what do you teach? one thing is for certain, these days it is hard to find anyone that thinks or reads critically; which is the reason posts like the above are taken at face value.

since i have run the fab end at a couple of machine shops i know that most stock arrives in 10, 12, or 20 foot lengths; guess where it goes next? to the horizontal bandsaw or cold saw. of course if you ran a machine shop you would know this and you would know how they work and their applications and capabilities.

regarding jesse james; here is a quote from an interview done with him.

Q: How did you learn to weld?

A: I was 13 years old and a freshman in high school. I was in metal shop, and my teacher showed me how to gas weld steel. I was instantly good. The welds had good penetration, and the beads looked great. I used to take everybody else’s welding tests for $10 each; everybody else in the class was a stoner making bongs or something and I was the only one taking it seriously. There were maybe 40 kids in the class and my teacher would come and sit right in front of my desk and he’d talk to me as if I was the only one in the class. I still have the first thing I made of metal, it was a dustpan.
Soon after that California enacted a proposition that cancelled trades education in schools. I’d just found a reason to go to school and then the class was cancelled. That’s when I got a job at the VW place.
Next door to the VW shop was Roger’s Radiator Repair, and he also taught me how to braze and do other things.

[Trip59]

you're a college professor and you see self taught students come through all the time that run circles around professionals; i would have to ask why these self taught prodigies did not test out of your class and why these professionals are there at all. what do you teach? one thing is for certain, these days it is hard to find anyone that thinks or reads critically; which is the reason posts like the above are taken at face value.

Good point about thinking critically...

I teach in several areas, mostly IT and web design/development (disparate fields, I know). As far as test-out, due to accreditation and credential issues, only X number of courses can be tested out of. Additionally, even though students may know 90% of the material, there is ALWAYS something to be learned; new methods, tips, tricks, the reasons WHY some things are done, etc. I've taken courses where I've known more than the instructor, but I've always learned something.

As far as the 'professionals' side of the question, we can all recognize individuals who have the credentials and who are performing a job where you can tell they're barely cutting it... the mechanic who takes twice as long as the 60 year old shade tree wrench, the painter who leaves rough edges, etc.

My point was that it's almost more about what the individual puts in, the heart, than about the title or their background. There is also something to be said for natural talent, but that's not always the whole of it.

[performance]

As someone who sees a lot of people in trade schools, been through it myself as a seasoned welder, taught people how to weld etc, there is unmeasurable value in going through the paces, just to make sure that no stone is left unturned, and to get more knowledge about the "theory" behind the weld. I've seen many a good welder who couldn't even set up his own machine, or know how to adjust it correctly when thrown a curve. A structured environment like this, if done properly does give the welder an opportunity to "grow" his knowledge with a watchful, experienced eye who can help the student, professional or not expand his abilities through a positive experience.

[everlastsupport]

Funny, I recall setting up the machines for my sons and they would lay down some really nice welds and have a great time. Not know what the knobs did. They were all probably in the 12 year old range back then.

Now, well, they do there own thing and can see better than me. But it did not take them long to figure things out.