# Metal Fabrication Or Welder, What's The Diff?



## great white (Feb 7, 2016)

Retirement is looming in the future. 2 yrs at most. I'm being medically released from the military and there a 2 year retraining package that comes with it. 

I'll only be about 51-52 when I'm released, so I want to work a bit longer. 

I've got it narrowed down to metal fabrication or welder. 

http://www.nscc.ca/learning_programs/programs/PlanDescr.aspx?prg=MTLFB&pln=METALFAB

http://www.nscc.ca/learning_programs/programs/PlanDescr.aspx?prg=WLDD&pln=WELDINGDIP

Problem is, I don't see a lot of difference between them other than there's more in metal fabrication. Seems the welding is embedded into the metal fab course. 

I;m looking to get my courses done, get some work experience and eventually open my own little piecemeal work shop. Just something I can build, write the stuff off on taxes and make a few extra bucks. 

My military pension is going to be half decent (27 years) and the wife is still working. 

It's also pretty attractive to build a kick butt metal and workshop and write it off on taxes as a small business. 

That seems like the retirement for me.....

But, Anyone see a diff between fabrication and welding?

I've got 2 years to research it out and will likely make an appointment to talk to someone at NSCC about it....


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## Tony Wells (Feb 7, 2016)

Fab widens the scope to include shearing, punching, bending and other manipulation of metal in the overall construction of metal goods, without including machining. Given the choice, I'd definitely take the fab course, unless you want to stay with some specialty welding, which will or could be the focus of a retirement "career". Depends on what you want to do.


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