In-Demand Career Spotlight
AJ Sandlin, United Launch Alliance AJ Sandlin was one of the first of four people to graduate with an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Aerospace Technology at Calhoun Community College. This program led him to a career in welding at United Launch Alliance in Decatur. AJ’s interest in welding began while taking Career Tech welding classes at Lawrence County High School. While in high school, he learned the basics of welding, which led him to receive several scholarship offers for postsecondary education. “I was interested in the field because I knew there was so much demand,” says AJ. “I also had a lot of friends going into the field and my parents encouraged me as well.” Darryl Boykins, who is in human resources at ULA says that they were waiting on AJ and his classmates “with open arms.” There is a large demand for skilled welders in a variety of settings in our area, including aerospace, Boykins says. In fact, before AJ worked at ULA, he did construction-based welding, pipefitting and had experience with various types of materials and processes to fabricate different things as small as an ink pen to as big as a room. Today at ULA, AJ is responsible for cutting and machining processes to fabricate tube and duct assemblies with different surfaces. He performs both manual and automated welding processes. He works with stainless steel and aluminum and performs TIG welding, GTAW welding and does some orbital tube welding as well. “Attention to detail is important in welding,” says AJ. He has to ensure that when automated welding processes are taking place that the fitting is done correctly and the environment is free of debris. “I work in a very clean and safe environment, and that is part of what I like about my job,” he says. “The world can’t do without highly skilled, highly trained people,” says AJ. Coupled with this realization and the desire to live in this area, which he says is the best place to live in terms of the hospitality and work ethic of the people, AJ was led to this field. He says that he is earning at least in the top 10% of his graduating class from high school. “I make an extremely good living,” he says. In addition, his benefits are second-to-none at ULA. He sees the field continuing to grow within the next 5-10 years because of retirements and from the simple fact that welders are needed in a variety of settings including manufacturing and construction. For people interested in the field, AJ says that hand-eye coordination and dexterity are important. In addition, the desire to work hard and continually learn are ways to succeed in the field. “I don’t think you can become a skilled-trades technician without a lot of hard work and effort. You are going to have to try and practice,” says AJ. He also tells students considering a career path, “You’ve got to realize it’s your choice, you need to do some exploration, need to have a path to pursue. Don’t wait until you are out of high school to consider a career field.” Click here to learn more about a career as a welder.. Included is a career video, wage information, and growth trends. Interested in learning more about in-demand careers in Morgan County? Visit www.careerpathway.info and like “Career Pathway” on Facebook.