(MARSHALL, Texas) – Jason Clark chose to remain in East Texas after leaving the U.S. Army, where he served as both a medic and a health care recruiter for 12 years.
He decided to get back into welding, which he had done for several years prior to enlisting.
“I actually started looking at welding jobs, and every place asked if I had my certification,” the Ohio native said. “I could weld, but I didn’t have a certification. When I found out Texas State Technical College was over here, I thought I might as well go get that certificate.”
Clark said he was unemployed when he first enrolled in TSTC’s Welding Technology program. The staff at the Marshall campus guided him through the financial aid process, and welding instructor Cody Hill assisted him in securing a job as a fabricator at Fidelity Metal Works, a custom iron works fabrication company in White Oak.
“When I got word that a local fabrication shop needed a good, dependable employee, I had no hesitation in recommending Jason for the job,” Hill said. “He has been an impressive, creative and hard-working student. He displays a high level of maturity and intellect, which he uses to help his fellow classmates.”
Clark said he has enjoyed learning new welding techniques and is considering becoming a certified welding inspector in the future. He has also used his previous experience to help classmates when they get stuck.
“If they’re struggling with something and they see that I’ve done well, they’ll come to me,” Clark said. “I’ve had several of them tell me I could probably be an instructor.”
According to onetonline.org, welders, cutters, solderers and brazers earn a median salary of $48,500 in Texas, where the number of these jobs was projected to grow 23% between 2020 and 2030.
Welding Technology is offered at all 11 TSTC campuses across the state. The program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and several certificates of completion. Welding Technology is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which refunds a participating graduate’s tuition if he or she has not found a job in their field within six months of graduation.
For more information on veteran services at TSTC, go to tstc.edu/admissions/veterans.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
