10/07/2026
Bored with his desk job and unnerved by multiple layoffs thanks to the disruption caused by the emergence of artificial intelligence, Mike Mullins has pivoted to a fulfilling and well-paid career in welding thanks to Laurel Ridge Community College Workforce Solutions.
“I worked in cybersecurity for nearly 15 years and I was what some people consider pretty successful,” said Mullins. “At one point I was an executive vice president. It just wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
The amount of traveling he had to do was wearing, and eight years of remote work got to him, too.
“It was just really boring staring at four walls nonstop,” Mullins explained.
Then, came the AI impacts.
“As it all started, I got laid off four times in a row,” Mullins said. “We ended up losing our house because of it. I started to look for a change, something that was a little more stable, or kind of AI-proof.”
Mullins, who lives in Front Royal, had been doing hobby welding, making go-karts, bookshelves and metal art. He had taught himself basic welding techniques through YouTube videos and had his own mobile welding business. He was paid $200 an hour by one client.
“That’s when I started to realize welding was good money,” Mullins said. “I started looking at classes, and they were pretty expensive in the area – I hadn’t found Laurel Ridge yet.”
Then, Mullins’ wife mentioned that the older sister of their daughter’s friend was taking an Electrical class at Laurel Ridge. A Blauch Brothers Inc. Skilled Trades Scholarship allowed him to take the MIG Welding course over the summer at no cost to him.
“I had a lot of fun,” Mullins said about the class. “I took it seriously and I love what I do now. I think it was one of the greatest experiences. Instructor Jake Rust was pretty incredible.”
He said he learned more advanced welding techniques and got to use much better equipment than he owned at the time.
“If you’re really into welding, in the Saturday class you pretty much get the opportunity to weld for no less than six hours straight, which in my book is awesome,” Mullins said. “Jake was absolutely amazing. I had multiple job offers, and he even pointed me in which direction to go.”
Mullins was accepted into the Ironworkers Local 5 union, which credited him with 1,000 hours towards his apprenticeship thanks to his Laurel Ridge class and his passing the American Welding Society 1G certification. He had multiple options when it came to jobs, and remembered Rust had mentioned the union to him. Mullins said he sent an email to the union, got a reply within an hour and was asked to come in the next day.
“I did a weld test that day, and was signing paperwork two days later,” he said.
Currently, Mullins is working on a construction site in Ashburn.
“I love it,” he said. “I work with some really great guys. They’ve taught me a lot. When I started the job, I had an absolute fear of heights, but that quickly changes. I’d say the apprenticeship program [with the union] is well laid out.”
Even now, Mullins said he is able to reach out to his former instructor, Rust, and get advice.
Learn more about the Welding program at laurelridgeworkforce.com/welding.
