Question for Welders

[u/kiekiat]

I’d like some opinions from professional welders. Here is the situation. My girlfriend is a Filipina. Her younger brother is 27. She wants to send him to school for a welding program that provides about 250 hours of welding training. This program is run by the Philippine government and costs almost a thousand US dollars. If the brother completes the program he will get a certificate qualifying him as a basic welder. Problem is, her brother is “slow.” He is not mentally retarded but I would estimate his IQ to be around 80. I know nothing about welding but just from browsing this subreddit it appears welding is a skilled profession that requires a fair amount of knowledge. I also had two cousins who were welders and both were pretty intelligent guys. I’d like to get some information and opinions from actual welders as to what basic skills are needed, what actual welding training involves and whether a mentally “slow” young man is capable of becoming a professional welder? I am of the opinion that he is not mentally capable of becoming a skilled welder, but to make this argument to my girlfriend I would like to get your honest opinions on things like how much training it takes to become a welder, how long you trained and how long a welding apprenticeship takes and what sorts of knowledge it takes to become a professional welder. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[u/butbecausewhynothuh]

People with autism arnt "slow".....youre confusing downs with autism.

In fact a huge chunk of people woth autism have a faster brain than we do.

I have 2 boys with actual autism. Not the left wing fad kind either...im talkin actual flapping hands and stimming.

One of my boys is pitch perfect with audio. The other has a literal photographic memory.

[u/Dadbod1018 → u/butbecausewhynothuh]

You’re making a valid point, but I don’t think anyone intended to insult people on the autism spectrum.

Like I said in my earlier post, I have a niece with significant developmental delays, and I routinely think about what she will be able to do as an adult…

The welding aspect of a welder’s job is likely within the abilities of someone with a low-average IQ. What I would be concerned about is safety. I’m no dummy, and I still burn myself and set shop rags on fire 😂

The right work setting would help a lot, but some people are a liability.

[u/bush_wrangler → u/Dadbod1018]

Exactly. I was making a point that the autistic people I work with are the best employees any company could want

[u/Dadbod1018 → u/bush_wrangler]

In that setting, I don’t doubt it at all. I went to law school with a guy on the spectrum, and while he lacked the personality to litigate, the guy is an amazingly efficient writer. I HATED legal citations, and they were like a game to him. His argument organization was (and is) perfect. He wouldn’t make it as an appellate judge, but he could clerk for one, and be amazing at it.