[StangGuy]

I would like to add a comment about welding and certain other skills in Japan. Unless you have a Japanese license to weld, drive a fork lift or crane, you are not allowed to do those actions in an industrial environment. My company ran into this last year when we were doing an installation of some tools for a Japanese company. Because we didn't have the time or language ability to take the required classes and tests we were unable use the cranes or forklifts. They looked the other way when we were welding but that was because there was no way for them to provide the quick and dirty welding that is typical on a tooling or machine install.

For all of those saying there is no such thing as a "welding" degree. Sure there are no bachelor's degrees in welding but many community and technical colleges offer associate's degrees in welding. However, they usually don't mean much other than you are thoroughly prepared to take the variety of different certification tests.