{"podcast":{"title":"WELD","slug":"weld-3832015","podcast_index_feed_id":3832015,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/56a6df3c/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.weld.com","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/14437767/14437767-1755264467747-d098ddd100ba2.jpg","author":"Weld.com","episode_count":250,"summary":"WELD is the show that opens real doors in the welding world. From first arc to six-figure specialty work, host Beau Wigington talks with industry professionals as they share wins, mistakes, and the various pathways available in the welding industry. Whether you are in school or on the tools, guests will share practical steps, safety-first habits, and career plays to help you master the trade. MIG, TIG, stick, flux-core, pipe, fabrication, repair, inspection, and business growth all live here. New episodes each week.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-23T04:17:34.443660+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/weld-3832015"},"episode":{"title":"Job In Welding OUTSIDE Just Welding","slug":"job-in-welding-outside-just-welding","published_at":"2025-12-08T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/weld-3832015/job-in-welding-outside-just-welding","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/weld-3832015","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/welddotcom/episodes/Job-In-Welding-OUTSIDE-Just-Welding-e3bsuiv","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/56a6df3c/podcast/play/112146463/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-11-4%2F413761187-44100-2-e8bb5334886e6.mp3","summary":"In this episode, host Beau Wigington chats with Justin Lafond — applications engineer (ESAB) who calls the role the “Swiss Army knife” of welding support. Kaeleigh Wilkins — 3M Metalworking Application Engineer who moved from sales into a highly technical role without an engineering degree. Frank Vargas — national sales leader focused on relationship-driven technical selling in welding distribution. Cody Vigeant (American Welding Program) — on what makes a great instructor in today’s rapidly changing trade. Austin Hargett (“Dr. Welds”) — on staying energized as a welding instructor and balancing life, side work, and the classroom. Key Topics Covered: Why many high-pay welding careers don’t require holding a stinger every day (inspection, applications, distribution, education). Applications engineering: field problem-solving, process development, training, and customer saves—plus the reality of travel. No engineering degree? Mapping hands-on welding experience to technical job descriptions (Kaeleigh’s playbook). Distributor roles: technical sales and “solution finder” jobs that value people skills and fluent welding lingo. Teaching welding: avoiding burnout, finding the “small wins,” and staying current with robots/cobots. Future-proofing: adaptability and cross-process literacy as automation spreads. Memorable Quotes: “We’re the Swiss Army knives… expected to do all of it, anywhere, anytime.” — Justin Lafond “You can’t really learn our job unless you’re out there in the field doing it.” — Justin Lafond “I’m the only person on the team without an engineering degree… you can still be a fit if your experience matches the need.” — Kaeleigh Wilkins “The welding trade is moving at the speed of light—instructors have to stay keyed in.” — Cody Vigeant “The little wins from for…","meta_description":"In this episode, host Beau Wigington chats with Justin Lafond — applications engineer (ESAB) who calls the role the “Swiss Army knife” of welding support.…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":991,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/weld-3832015/episodes/job-in-welding-outside-just-welding/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/weld-3832015/job-in-welding-outside-just-welding.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}