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A Quick Way to Land a High-Paying, In-Demand Career

Posted at 5:35 PM, Sep 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-06 19:35:10-04

Jacob Adkinson worked retail for 15 years. Then he took his first metal sculpture class at Salt Lake Community College and fell in love with welding. He took the SLCC School of Applied Technology's welding certification course, and just a few years later, became an instructor in the program.

Adkinson stopped by to tell us not only how fun and fulfilling a career in welding can be, but how lucrative it is becoming for even new workers. The average wage for a fabricator/welder here in Utah is $16 to $24 an hour, and that's $20 to $30 an hour for pipe welders. And there's not much competition; there are 4,568 job openings in Utah, that's 6% above the national average.

So how do you start making the big bucks? SLCC offers two certificate programs and one degree to get you trained quickly, and into the workforce.

The One-year Certificate of Completion in Welding Technology takes approcimately two semesters to complete. The big appeal with this one, is that you can earn it quickly, then articulate this certificate into the below degree program, or even a Small Business Management Emphasis or Associate of Science Transfer Emphasis, which then can transfer to a four-year degree.

There is also the Welding (KWLD) Certificate of Completion, which takes 1,105 clock hours.

And the Welding Fabrication and Inspection AAS degree takes an estimated four semesters to finish. This degree can then be may transfer to UVU to complete their BS in Technology Management or the Integrated Studies programs.

For more information, visit slcc.edu/satts.