Basics & process choice
MIG or stick — which should I learn first?
Quick answer
Learn MIG first if you'll weld mostly indoors on clean steel; learn stick first if your work is outdoors, on farms, or on thick dirty metal. MIG builds fundamentals fastest; stick builds the harder, more portable skill. Most Australians end up needing both — and multi-process machines make that one purchase.
The honest split
| Your situation | Learn first |
|---|---|
| Garage/workshop, sheet & tube | MIG |
| Farm, site, trailers, repairs | Stick (or gasless flux-core) |
| Stainless/ally precision work | TIG (after MIG basics) |
| Not sure | Multi-process machine — start MIG, add stick |
Why not both?
A $400 multi-process inverter removes the either/or. Start on MIG for puddle-reading, switch to stick when the job is outside or filthy, and you'll understand within a month which process your actual work demands. That knowledge is worth more than any forum opinion.