(MARSHALL, Texas) – Jacob Taylor recalled working in fast food for several years after his family moved from California to Texas.
“I decided I wanted to have an actual career — I didn’t want to work in fast food my whole life,” Taylor said. “That’s when I started looking for a school and found Texas State Technical College in Marshall.”
Curiosity led Taylor to enroll in TSTC’s Welding Technology program, where he said he fell in love with the craft. He said his first semesters were challenging but, as time went on, welding came to him naturally.
During one of TSTC’s biannual job fairs, Taylor was introduced to his future employer, Warfab LLC, an industrial services contractor. He began working at the company’s Hallsville location after receiving his certificate of completion in Advanced Pipe Specialization from TSTC in May. Previously he had earned a certificate in Structural Welding at the college.
“I’m really enjoying it so far, and my co-workers are all cool,” Taylor said of his job. “So far it’s a 10 out of 10.”
Billy Sipes, a personnel coordinator for Warfab, said Taylor was hired for both his technical ability and the way that he presented himself during his job interview.
“Based on his interview, I believed he had an excellent work ethic and a genuine eagerness to apply the skills he gained at TSTC, further develop his abilities in a real-world setting and advance in his craft,” Sipes said. “Since his hire date, he has consistently demonstrated that commitment.”
Taylor still stays in contact with his TSTC friends and former instructors.
“I’m always going to remember (TSTC),” Taylor said. “It’s where I started.”
According to onetonline.org, welders, cutters, solderers and brazers earn an average of $49,830 per year in Texas, where the number of these jobs was projected to grow 11% between 2022 and 2032.
Welding Technology is available at all 11 TSTC campuses across the state. The program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and certificates of completion, depending on location.
Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.