It is good to take these classes too. You can weld for 4 hours straight every night of the week (at least my classes are that long) and it's worth it. You get the metal, welder and everything and weld for as long as you want and it's not your materials your buying either. You can burn over 50 rods a night and after 400 or so you will tell a HUGE improvement. The degree I am going for includes MIG, TIG, Stick, Oxy acetylene, plasma, ESAB robot, submerged welding, Fabrication, Metallurgy, blue print reading (actually I don't think I am taking this blue print reading because it will not be of use to what I am doing). Those are just some of the classes I am doing. But what I am getting at is for the price of the classes it is MUCH worth it. You will get a LOT out of it and even get discounts at welding supply stores and other places as well.