Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Becker
Hi Jason, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started welding at the age of 15. While in high school I had the opportunity to take welding classes through dual enrollment at West Side Vo-Tech in Winter Garden. After graduating I joined the United States Marine Corps and was selected to be a welder in the Marines. I served for 4 years and did two tours to the Middle East, once to Kuwait and the other to Iraq. Once I left the military, I got hired on with a structural steel company and worked there for a year before getting a new job opportunity to be a field welder for a company that erected pre manufactured metal buildings. I worked there for 4 years and then decided to join the Ironworkers Union 808 in Orlando. While working through my apprenticeship, I earned an AA Degree at Seminole State College and went on to pursue my Bachelor’s in Construction at Seminole State. Prior to completing my BS Degree, I was offered a position with Seminole State to rebuild and teach their welding program. After 2 years of working at SSC, I was recruited for a full-time position at Valencia College to build and teach their welding program. I taught at Valencia College from 2016-2019 when I was recruited by the YouTube channel Weld.com to do welding and education videos. After a year I decided I preferred teaching in person to teaching in front of a camera so I went back to Valencia College, this time as a Program Manager. During this time, I built their new Program in Orlando and hired additional instructors to teach at the new campus. In 2020 I started hosting the Arc Junkies Podcast which I own and host today and release new episodes every Monday. In 2023 I decided to go off on my own and start my own welding school. In June 2023 my business partner and I purchased Underground Metal Works from my friend Stephanie Hoffman in New Jersey and moved the school to Eatonville Fl. We opened July 17, 2023 and have been running short term week long, weekend, and evening classes since. Our program is geared towards makers, home hobbyists and DIY’ers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. As most people know, education does not pay as well as industry. When I was at SSC I was an adjunct instructor. I was making way less than I did as an ironworker/welder. I used to go to a cash advance place once a month to make ends meet. It was a vicious cycle. I could have went back to industry at anytime, but I saw the impact I was having on my students and that made me want to stick it out as a welding instructor. Once I got a full-time position at Valencia, I was making better money to support myself and family.
Doing the YouTube videos was a little difficult as well. The recording location was in Largo Florida so my daily commute would often exceed 5 hours for a round trip.
Setting up my own school went pretty smooth, I knew exactly how I wanted to run it and what I would need. I put so much into the planning that when it came time to execute, everything just seemed to fall into place.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I teach short term welding classes to people interested in learning to weld as a hobby or to those who are considering getting into the welding industry. It’s a great into before committing to a full-time welding program to see if this craft is right for you.
I specialize in welding, welding education, welding inspection, welding certifications, and welding procedure development. Pretty much anything and everything as it relates to welding.
I am an American Welding Society Certified Welding Inspector, Certified Welding Educator, and Certified Welder Performance Qualifier.
What I am most proud of is my ability to give back to the welding community. I didn’t have these resources when I was learning to weld, so to be in a position with the welding educational videos, my podcast and my school to help educate and inspire the next generation of welders is something I am really proud of.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
It’s a melting pot of so many diverse people. I really enjoy learning about different cultures, experiencing the different foods, attending different festivals and concerts. Orlando is just a great place to live, there is so much to do and so many places to see. There’s a reason we are the #1 tourist destination so to live where everyone else wants to travel says something about Orlando.
What I least like is without question, the traffic. Fun fact, it’s takes an hour to get to Orlando from Orlando.
Pricing:
- Week long Comprehensive class $900
- Evening Class $850
- Weekend MIG Class $500
- Weekend TIG Class $500
- Corporate training Call for Prices
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.underground-metalworks.com/classes
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underground_metal_works?igsh=MXNmbTgzZGNrMmk4
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/undergroundmetalworks/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/2RvceZXL5jtxMCLsAfwXRL?si=gHGObGc7S6uZ_7VQ_LDR8Q
