Oh Geez

I have an interview.

I sent in a resume and cover letter for this job back in the middle of July and heard no response. Their ad popped up in the paper again on Friday, so I rewrote my cover letter and gave it another shot. And this time, I heard.

So Yay, right?

And guess what else, the job is being an Apprentice Welder!

Remember me and welding? Four years ago, I was putting a lot of thought into how I could possibly become a welder, which seemed to me to be just about the coolest job possible. Welders are one of the last remaining skilled trades in the world. There's an art to welding. Consequently, welders are well paid (definitely making more than cabinet makers, for example). And what's more--and this is a really beautiful thing--in most job situations, welders are left to do their work without anyone looking over their shoulders.

And this could be my shot to make it happen.

So like I said, Yay, right?

Well there's a catch. They're going to have me do some test welds in the shop.

Yikes!

When I took that class at the Upper Bucks Vocational Technical Institute I did pretty well. But let's be clear: that was three years and eight months ago. And I was really good with stick welding, and I did alright with MIG (metal inert gas) welding, but TIG (tungsten inert gas welding), which is supposed to be the easiest to master, I have to admit I never quite got the hang of.

I hope they ask me to do something simple like fire up an oxy-acetaline torch and do a cut.

Maybe welding is just like riding a bike: you never really forget how to do it. Learning to weld was definitely like learning to ride a bike: I couldn't get it and I couldn't get it and I couldn't get it and then all of a sudden I got it.

Thank the Lord I took lots of notes.

At the very least, I still have my face shield. I'll be able to practice that thing that Jesse James did on Monster Garage where he'd just give the slightest barely perceptible nod of his head and the visor would go drop down over his face. That I definitely had down.

Ah well. Tomorrow I call and schedule an interview, so I'll at least have twenty-four hours or so to re-learn everything I learned way back when.

And if I can pull it out, maybe I'll get to be a welder.

That would definitely be the happy ending to all of this turmoil.