WAITE PARK — Trent Wollenburg's high school experience was very similar to that of a lot of kids. He attended classes, hung out with friends, did homework. And in the midst of it all, like most high school students, Wollenburg attempted to figure out his post-secondary plans.

"My dad's a construction worker," Wollenburg said. "And I was going to go work with him. And he's like 'You don't want to do what I do for the rest of your life. You probably want to do something else.' "

As a sophomore at Browerville High School, Wollenburg enrolled in his first welding class. That class sparked a passion that lead Wollenburg on the fast track to one of the more in-demand careers in Central Minnesota.

"I took more welding classes in high school and eventually went to college at Alex (Alexandria Technical & Community College)," Wollenburg said. "And then there it was."

For the past three years Wollenburg, 22, has been employed full-time at CWMF, a metal fabrication and asphalt equipment manufacturer in Waite Park.

While the work might not be the easiest — or the cleanest — it is something Wollenburg loves to do.

Question: Did you ever think you would become a welder?

Answer: As a kid I've always liked taking apart stuff and building stuff. And I didn't mind getting dirty at all. Initially, I went to school for welding just to go to school for something. I was like 'I'll try it for a little while.' I wasn't quite sure how I was going to like welding all the time.

Q: Was money a factor that motivated you to go into welding?

A: Yes and no. It was still something I liked to do and it didn't pay terrible. It was a little bit of a factor, but it wasn't the main factor.

Q: Talk about school. What is a typical classroom setting like?

A: For the first two weeks you're pretty much in the classroom learning about safety and what welding is. Then after that, it's usually two or three hours in the morning you were in the classroom learning blueprint reading and math. Then it was four hours in the afternoon in the shop with hands-on training. There were about 27 different processes I think we learned.

Q: How long was your program?

A: 10 months.

Q: So what brought you to St. Cloud?

A: I was looking for a job at the moment and I was talking with the teachers (at Alexandria Technical & Community College) and they asked me what area I wanted to be in. I said I was looking at the St. Cloud area. And they have a book about where past people from school (were employed). I looked through it and I saw CWMF and thought I'll go give that place a try.

Q: What was the process like for being hired at CWMF?

A: Right when I came for my interview I took a weld test. Then I walked around the shop with Brian (Brian Mick, CWMF production manager) and he showed me what they did. He was like 'Do you like what we do here?' I was like yeah. And he offered me a job.

Q: How long did it take for you to get acquainted with your job?

A:Once I got here and settled in with the different machines it probably took me six months to become good. I mean, I was good when I came. It's just to be as good as the guys around you. That's going to take a little while. It was a better part of a year to get the nerves out and everything.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you?

A: We do all sorts of stuff during the day. You're not always just welding. It's saw-cutting and torching. Sometimes it's drilling. I mean, you do a lot of different things.

Q: What's the most challenging thing about being a welder?

A: The heat, to be 100 percent honest. You wear long sleeves and pants to work because you're going to be welding because it's hot and of all the sparks.

Q: What sort of information would you like to let parents know if their son or daughter were interested in welding?

A: There's always going to be a demand for welders. Because there's always going to have to be some type of stuff that's going to be built out of metal that needs to be done. And there are very comparable wages to other professions, too.

Q: For kids who are considering looking into professions like welding, what advice would you give?

A: I would take a welding class in high school and see if you like it or not. If you are wanting to get into welding, you want to get into a tech school. You learn stuff on the job that you don't learn in school, but learning the basics at tech school helps a lot. And they get you ready for the field work. It's a good thing to get into.


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