Still Building America—Champion welder passes on his knowledge

Andrew Cardin

Andrew Cardin and I met at Fabtech in Atlanta a few years ago. He had sent me a message about the SkillsUSA competition that was taking place in the lower level of the Georgia World Congress Center, so I had to check it out. I was impressed with his welding skills, but maybe even more so by his passion. Andrew talked about traveling, about doing some pipe welding or even oil rig welding. In my head, I was telling myself, “Damnit, I hope he doesn’t wander off too far for too long, because his is the type of voice the industry needs!”

He mentioned an email with questions he’d sent me years before, how my answer had helped him, and how much he appreciated it. Once he brought it up, I immediately remembered that particular message, one out of so many others, because it was well thought-out. It wasn’t, “Any advice for arc welding?” It asked a specific question about a specific situation. Asking the right question is a lost art in an era of information overload.

Now I have some questions for Andrew.

JW: Could you explain what kind of work do you do? What got you started?

AC: As of right now, I am a welding instructor at the Lincoln Electric Welding and Training School in Cleveland. I am formerly a 2015 WorldSkills Competitor, competing in Sao, Paulo Brazil, where I placed 5th in the world. The WorldSkills Competition opened this opportunity for me by putting me in direct contact with those in an authoritative position at the school. I declined the job offer, multiple times, because I wanted more experience in the welding field before instructing others. Now, after a lot of persuasion and multiple bumps and bruises, I’ve come to really enjoy the position, one in which I get to transfer my knowledge and skill to someone else. So, in essence, I feel I’m contributing more to the field by helping to educate and train more welders to fill the ever-increasing gap.

JW: What type of background and training do you have? How did you decide on your career path?

AC: I never had intentions of being a welder! My father had taken welding and didn’t enjoy it, and I listened to his advice to stay away from it, while going to Blackstone Valley Tech, back home in Massachusetts. God, however, had a different plan for me than getting into automotive technology. I started in the manufacturing shop my sophomore year and was taken in by a brand-new instructor, Dan Rivera. He was the first person to help me strike an arc. On my way past his desk that very same day, I saw the medals from when he competed in SkillsUSA (formally known as V.I.C.A). Then, I remember him telling me how his friend, Mark Belliveau, represented the United States at the 1989 WorldSkills. The rest is history; this is how I got into the trade.

I also have work experience in pharmaceutical, API gas piping, ASME work, and military-grade aluminum welding. I never stayed long at any one of those jobs, because I was always looking at moving up in the next competition.

JW: What is your favorite part of your job?

AC: I couldn’t nail down one favorite. First off, I work with some of the most intelligent minds in the welding industry. These aren’t just co-workers. These are AWS members I see at tradeshows and meetings, WorldSkills Competition Committee members, instructors from around the world, and even some of the students that come through the school. I am always and forever around endless information about welding, which keeps me interested and humbled at how much there is to know. I also get to work with different processes every week, which keeps my knowledge and skills sharp.

JW: What's your future goal for your career?

AC: My goal for the future is to be the most knowledgeable and skilled welder and instructor that I can be. God gave me the ability to weld, the desire to learn, and the skill to communicate. I want to be able to help instruct to the best of my ability, so that I can help give back to the welding field community and to the country.

JW: What advice would you give your peers if they wanted to find a similar path?

AC: First advice I would give is that you need to “learn how to learn.” I had mentioned this before in an interview with Jody Collier from weldingtipsandtricks, but it’s worth saying again. Everyone learns differently. If you don’t know how you as an individual take in information, you will never be able to apply what is given to you. That’s the problem most people like me have in school. Once you can get a grasp on your learning style, coupled with something that interests you, an interesting thing starts to happen: You begin to learn faster and retain more information.

Second piece of advice: Don’t be afraid to quit. That’s right, you heard me. I was always afraid to quit something, even if I hated it. I didn’t want to be known as a quitter or lazy or whatever else is associated with quitting. This doesn’t mean that at the first sign of trouble, you drop it like a bad habit. This is something that, if you have given it some time and you still can’t stand it, find something else. I quit baseball, J.V. football (two weeks before the end of the season), my first shop, and electronics before I came upon welding. If I hadn’t quit those things, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now.

Lastly, once you find something you love, pursue it. Pursue it with everything you have. It won’t be easy, it won’t be glamorous. I spent a stupid amount of money, time, and energy when no one was watching to pursue a dream of representing the U.S. in welding. Even if it didn’t happen, I was going to give it my all and not regret one minute of it. God had given me something to enjoy, and I did it and continue doing it with all my might. Someone once said “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

All images courtesy of Andrew Cardin.

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