Erin Beaver

I really like to work with my hands. I like that you can take pieces of metal and create anything you can imagine as long as you have the materials, the creative mind, and the engineering knowledge.

There are so many different aspects of welding. I think that's what really got me into it - that you can do so many different things with what you’ve learned. There's something that's always changing, some new technology that's making things better. So you constantly have the opportunity to further your learning. After you have your degree, you're still going to run into opportunities where you can learn. You never stop. I think that's the main thing that I like about this field, all the opportunities to grow.

I would say that you can do anything you put your mind to. Again, it's the attitude and whether or not you have the drive or the inspiration to do it. I feel like when people have an interest in doing something that they're not comfortable with doing or not used to doing, that scares them away from it. But, if it's something that you have an interest in, you should learn about it and give it a try.

I signed up to take Penn College Dual Enrollment courses even before I knew whether or not I wanted to continue my education at the college level. Since it was free for me to enroll, I knew it could not negatively impact me in any way. And it would only benefit me if I decided to continue on to college.

After completing the program, I realized that there was so much more that could be learned and that earning a degree could help open up more doors and put me on a path leading to greater opportunities in the field.

Penn College Dual Enrollment definitely put me ahead in my curriculum and enabled me to graduate a semester earlier, which I believe helped me to find and secure a job that I liked. However, it was all a matter of timing. I happened to be in the right place at the right time when the job opportunity I got came about, but had I not been graduating a semester earlier than planned, that opportunity may not have still been available.

I highly recommend learning as much about welding and the related career fields as you can. If you enjoy welding and are considering a career in welding, that’s awesome. Make sure you look into all of the possible career paths out there before you set your mind to welding (in the most narrowing form of the word) as a career. There is more to a career in welding than just striking an arc, but in order to see that you have to first make yourself aware of the possibilities available, and then you have to have the drive and determination to achieve the ones you want.