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Still Building America—How one welder helps keep our world safer

Prison gates fabricated by Devin March.

When Devin March was a 15-year-old kid in upstate New York, his uncle suggested that maybe he should look into welding as a potential career path.

His next semester, Devin found a general welding class and signed up. During his last two years of high school in Salem, he spent half of his time welding in a voc-tech program. Like many of us welders, Devin was seduced by the intangible feel produced by the process.

"There was something about it; once I tried it, that made me want to just pursue it and persevere."

Upon graduating, he'd already obtained a D1.1 stick certification, and earlier this year he certified in flux-core.

Now 22, Devin is a fabricator building dump trucks and the gates used by high-security prisons.

"Favorite part of my job? Probably just knowing that what I know makes a difference. Always trying to do better. Knowing most of what I do now is prison gates and doing my best to make sure they serve their purpose while looking as good as possible."

Down the road, Devin sees structural welding in his future, perhaps even on bridges. Personally, I think this will be a booming niche in the trade as our country's infrastructure continues to decompose and fail. Hopefully, the government is proactive in shoring up our crumbling bridge network, and perhaps Devin will even be a part of that effort.

Other than that, he wouldn't mind becoming a CWI or running a shop. "The possibilities are endless, I guess."

I always ask the people we feature to add a bit of advice for their peers, and here is Devin’s: "The best thing I can say is to always do more than is expected. Be there every day, stay as long as you can, and always try to find a way to be a better welder."

All images courtesy of Devon March.

About the Author
Brown Dog Welding

Josh Welton

Owner, Brown Dog Welding

(586) 258-8255