Serving as a welding mentor

I’ve had a unique position over the last 7 years of being able to help and mentor other up and coming young welders. It is a pleasure to work with these men and women.

My shop door is always open for welders to come in and try something, and my phone is almost always on to answer a call about welding, whether I am on the clock or not. To be honest, no I don’t know everything about welding. I am still learning things myself. But I’ve found that a lot of people don’t have a clue where or how to start with welding and a few simple words of advice from time to time or an hour’s worth of time is often all that is needed to cement a new recruit’s resolve to learn welding. In a few cases, it has saved a few people the time and money involved in getting started with welding because they realized they just didn’t have the time or fortitude to spend to get started in welding. But thankfully that is more rare.

The industry needs new welders, whether they are formally trained in a school or not. That’s why I am encouraging other people to serve as a mentor to another fellow welder.

Qualifications are not high to be a mentor. You don’t have to be the best or most experienced welder. If you know more than the guy that is needing help, you can mentor him. In many cases, I know some of these guys are now better welders than I had hoped to be. Don’t let someone possibly being better than you stop you from lending a hand.

Consider it an honor and a job well done. All it takes is a little time to lend an ear, to give out advice, and sometimes to just stand there and watch. We all should have that planned. If you are like I am, someone took time to do it for you at least in some small way. If not pay it forward. It’s rewarding and you won’t be sorry.