Aug 11, 2026 · 28 min · 13 segments
Trent Konrad didn’t start in an office, he started in the welding industry, grinding mill scale, learning the trade, and working his way up from the shop floor. In this episode, he breaks down how he…
Trent KonradGuestBeau WigingtonHostAnd so like when you were first getting into it, you know, so you're like, "Okay, I'll make the leap."
You know, when you first started, what was that experience like? Like where ...
And so you, you kind of start from the bottom, right? And I remember them, you know, giving you ...
You, you think you're going to go and weld cool structures because you went to welding school, and they give you a seven-inch angle grinder and, "Hey, take the mill scale off this I-beam," you know what I mean?
And, and you, you just stay with it and, and you prove yourself, right? And it's like, hey, if I'm going to grind that or I'm going to fab that, I'm going to be the best at it, right? And I think that's been a lot of my approach with welding is, is, is this where I want to be? Well, maybe not, but I'm going to be the best at it so I get other opportunities within this industry to do it, right? And so th- that to me was really the start and that was like kind of like that aha moment of I'm never going to be satisfied, but the way to move up is just being dialed in and being the best version of myself.
But [laughs] I was never the best welder, but I could outwork people, you know? I could show up early.
I could, you know, just pin the ears back, right? And, and that I think to my benefit helped me throughout my welding journey for sure.
You know? Like you got to shoot those shots because no one's ever going to just be like one day, "Oh, you know what?"
And so like when you were first getting into it, you know, so you're like, "Okay, I'll make the leap."
You know, when you first started, what was that experience like? Like where ...
And so you, you kind of start from the bottom, right? And I remember them, you know, giving you ...
You, you think you're going to go and weld cool structures because you went to welding school, and they give you a seven-inch angle grinder and, "Hey, take the mill scale off this I-beam," you know what I mean?
And, and you, you just stay with it and, and you prove yourself, right? And it's like, hey, if I'm going to grind that or I'm going to fab that, I'm going to be the best at it, right? And I think that's been a lot of my approach with welding is, is, is this where I want to be? Well, maybe not, but I'm going to be the best at it so I get other opportunities within this industry to do it, right? And so th- that to me was really the start and that was like kind of like that aha moment of I'm never going to be satisfied, but the way to move up is just being dialed in and being the best version of myself.
But [laughs] I was never the best welder, but I could outwork people, you know? I could show up early.
I could, you know, just pin the ears back, right? And, and that I think to my benefit helped me throughout my welding journey for sure.
You know? Like you got to shoot those shots because no one's ever going to just be like one day, "Oh, you know what?"
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