Like others have said. Go to trade school. I went to trade school for welding and it was one of the best things I ever did. Its one thing to teach yourself off books / DVDs, they are out there and they provide a considerable amount of information. But when it comes down to it there is nothing better than having a VERY experienced teacher with over 30 years in the field as my instructor had, guiding you on the path to enlightenment. I believe that having a solid instructor with first hand knowledge of how things are really done in the field and real world environment makes all the difference, when compared to self teaching from books. I was one of the best students in the class, I excelled quickly through the program where I was then allowed to surpass the curriculum and he helped me complete all the projects I had and always had real world answers for any questions or problems I ran into. My instructor told me when I stopped by to say hello a few weeks ago, he had recently been honored by the NJ AWS chapter as Welding instructor of the year for the state. I was not surprised.
Its never too late to change the path of your life or career. Get the needed training / education and your options are endless from that point on.
Good luck.
