Enjoyed your reference to high school students earning “big” money as a welder. There has always been a open demand for welders. l Learned how to weld when I was 14yrs old. In the seascouts, the skipper and first mate were welders and fitters in the local shipyard and setup a welding booth in the skippers barn to teach anyone interested in how to weld, while they and us built a four foot steel stern to add on to our 36′ open motor launch. After serving in the military, went right to work as a welder in the shipyards making more money than any of my friends. At that time, many/most of the welders would get their paycheck on Friday and not go back to work until all of the money was gone. If you worked 40 hours during the week, you were eligible for week-end work which paid double time from Friday evening until Sunday evening with meals provided while you worked. As a welder it is advantage to join the American Welding Society where classses in Non Destructive Examination and other areas were offered. After being hired by the shipyard engineer, used Ultrasonic Testing to reduce Radiographic Rejects. Later, earned a BS in Welding Engineering at Ohio State University and worked for Brown & Root, Newport News Shipbuilding, Groton Shipyards, General Electric, Perry Nuclear, Cleveland Electric Fossil Plants. Also, did research with Electric Power Research Institute where we became world experts in high cycle fatigue. Last job title was Nuclear Design Engineer.
My point is that being a welder is just a start to do things that were never on your dream list.