Totally New!

I am interested in welding. I have always found it fascinating and something I think I would like to pursue. I have ‘played around’ with it since I was little with my uncle. I always thought it was a lot of fun and something I would enjoy doing.

I have lots of questions for those of you who know about this field.
First of all I am a woman. I have been told by countless people that this is not a field that a woman can get into. No one would hire me etc.

Secondly – I have a local junior college that offers a 1 year program, and a 2 year program. I am waiting as we speak for a call back for more information about this.

I also have children. I would like to continue to see them – and again, I have been told that this field requires travel (No way around it) and that I would be gone constantly. Is this true?
I do not need to be the main ‘bread winner’ for my household. I just find this field interesting, and would like to pursue it.

So – to all of you who know about this –
Should I even consider welding since I am a woman? Would anyone even hire me, being a female?
What do I need to do to seriously get this started? I assume take all of the classes that I can at my college. Then what? I’ve heard find a union… no don’t find one…. Just look in the paper for a job. I just have no clue about all of this!
I would be a brand new ‘graduate’, or whatever, how do I go about getting into the field?

Would I be away from my family for a considerable amount of time? Or is there anyway to work “normal” hours?

I guess – I just need advice.
Thanks in advance for any information you can give me!

Go for it i went to hobart with a chick that could out weld most old school guys.And if you gonna go too school go to hobart in troy ohio if you want to be taken serious then go to hobart.It's called the best welding school on the planet for a reason because it is!I went too school with people from all over the world witch is kinda cool.

You might be able to find yourself an easy-going assembly line job with MiG welding around your area. Make Fabrication your focus if you want to stay local.