I know absolutely nothing about welding, but I'm signed up for a night class at my local community college just to learn something new, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I realize a single community college course isn't going to teach me even a fraction of what experienced welders know, but I'm curious about something.

What are the handful of fundamental skills or concepts that, if you really master them, will make you a competent welder across a wide range of applications?

I'm thinking along the lines of the 80/20 rule. What 20% of welding knowledge or skills accounts for 80% of what makes someone good at it?

I'd love to hear what those of you who've been doing this for years think are the most important things for a beginner to really focus on.