I would talk to him about what welding process you'd be using. Just being able to weld may not be enough. Will you have to read prints? Understand all the various symbols? Or will you be tacking parts together in a jig so a robot or experienced welder can finish it out. In a day with a machine you could learn enough to tack stuff up if you have good hand eye coordination. Funny thing about welding is there is tons to learn and many different directions to go. What you'd learn in a field/pipeline course is one thing and a shop course is an entirely different thing. Get some more info if you can and report back. What's he willing to pay? No sense spending a big chunk for school if it's a entry level lower paying job. Find a small shop or somebody you can grind and clean up for that will teach you. If you weren't all the way up north I'd put you to work! Y'all would melt here right now! Haha Junkyard.