I could be summed up in one short phrase: A simple man that loves working with his hands.

Working with my hands has always been where I put my attention, and in high school I was always looking for something to get my hands burred in. During my junior year, I discovered welding. On a field trip into San Antonio at Southwest Research Institute the workers there were welding on exhaust lines in one of their test cells and my curiosity was lit. Later on that year in the summer time I started work at a local test facility called Electronic Microsystems as a night and weekend operator and maintenance man. I was able to watch and take part in some of the fabrication of parts for tubing or mounting needed to test new engines. Most of those parts had to be welding with TIG or SMAW which I learned more about the field of welding and continued to be eager to learn welding. I remember my first weld was at that company, it looked absolutely horrible but it worked for the job. I was put in charge of figuring out how to put a jack to straighten a bent handrail that was outside, and what I came up with was just a half  box C-bar frame to put on either side of the bend which was what I put together using SMAW. I continued to work for the company for my senior year as well as two years after I graduated.

At the job I rarely got to weld which led me to consider looking for a better place to learn the art of welding. I found Texas State Technical College to start my studies at from hearing about their great program and job placement rates. I’m already on my fourth semester at TSTC and have had extensive training using multiple welding processes. Starting on my first semester learning MIG and SMAW, our lab objectives covered basic positions and weld types as in vee groove and fillet welds. My second semester I was started in TIG welding and really enjoyed it. Third semester I learned how to read blueprints and by using them to construct gates correctly in the fit up and lay out lab.  Fourth and current semester we are back at TIG doing advanced studies and pipe objectives in lab. This semester I am also covering metallurgy and how all the alloying elements affect steel and their weldability.

  

I can’t wait for next semester when I start in the automated welding course. I’ve always been fascinated with robots and automated processes so this course is highly anticipated for me. Between automation and TIG I’m not sure what I would enjoy more as a future job. When I graduated after my summer pipe welding course next year and I start looking for a job I hope to stay local in this great state of Texas. Being here for my family is important to me but I’m always looking for new opportunities and have no problems with traveling elsewhere.  Speaking of looking ahead, next semester I’ve signed up for blacksmith classes. Always been interested in it but never had the opportunity to do so, but that will change this next semester. I’m hoping to combine what I know from my welding classes with blacksmithing as a hobby to eventually home make furniture, tools, and other items for myself and family. I will be graduating August 2016 with an Associates degree in Welding Technology and a certificate in Advanced Welding Pipeline studies.

I hope you have come to a greater understanding of this simple welding man and have helped you in some way after reading this brief summary of myself. Feel free to check out my resume for an official listing of my achievements and previous job history.