Page 9 - HIWT Summer 2016 World of Welding

How Did My Spark Get Started?

By Ian Janson

I wish I knew the exact moment, but I think my spark for the trade
has been with me my entire life. It was only a few years ago when
my class took a trip to several schools in the Tri-Star school network
and made the spark waxed stronger and brighter. The program I
felt drawn to the most was welding. However, it was not until my
sophomore year, where I had the opportunity to go to a Tri-Star
program, when that spark started to burn brighter and hotter.
I think the potential and the desire has always been within me. My
dad was a metal worker, a machinist, and a mechanic, and he could
also weld. The reasons for me to select welding for a career though
are vastly different.

I feel as if I have found a skill that I know I can always continue to
learn. I feel that welding is an art that few can do, but those few
make the world we live in possible. Everything that I see and use in
my everyday life depends on welding, in one way or another. Also, I
have always had a love of science. Welding is an industrial process
that combines the hands on aspect that I crave with the science
that has always inspired me to create and experiment with different
scientific principles on various materials. With the scientific aspect
I know, that my appetite for the sciences will be continuously filled
with knowledge of different metals and their atomic structure. I will
also learn how to manipulate and work the different metals into any
shape in the world. With the knowledge of the different metals and
the skills to work them I know that I will one day be able to make
the world that I live in better in some big ways, but also in some
little ways.

My career goals are a little wild because of my imagination.
However, my ideal goal would be to be able to weld exotic metals
like titanium and Inconel. The reason for this is because I could
one day potentially weld on the next generation of space craft that
would go to other worlds and explore space. I have always been
curious of what lies beyond our solar system, and what different
kinds of elements and alien worlds, planets and solar systems there
might be. In order to do all of this my, hopefully, future employer,
would be N.A.S.A. Ever since I was little I have always been
obsessed with flying animals and machines. I say that the reason for
my obsession has to deal with my father, who built and flew, model
airplanes. I feel that my dad supports me in my choice to become a
welder.

Visit HIWT At:

2016 SUMMER ISSUE - 8 - www.welding.org www.welding.org - 9 - 2016 SUMMER ISSUE