I did NDI for 16 years in the military on jets and helicopters ..I'm level 2 in UT,RT,ET,MT,PT ..I got out for about a year and half in 2001 and worked at a lil inspection company out of sulphur doing petrochemical NDE....it was ok but the work is a lot dirtier/dangerous than aviation...it made me decide to go back into the military to finish my 20 yrs lol If I decide to do NDI again it will prob be on the aviation side...If I go petro..I won't do gamma Xray again..I will stick to UT shear wave,MT,PT,ET or API...and of course since I'm retired now it will probably have to be part time
I enjoyed the NDI/NDT field.....its a great field..always in demand cuz its not a common profession... the opportunity's are limitless depending on your motivation to get certifications and you can make some serious cash doing it. your gonna have to work at one of the inspection companies for awhile to get your experience built up to go for your API's...I think it's like 5 yrs of experience to be eligible to take the API's...atleast there was back in 02...not sure though...biglake can help ya on that.....If it was me in your shoes, I'd concentrate on UT shear wave and CWI for those 5 yrs then get your API's .
if I was a young man looking for a career...without a doubt I'd choose NDI again....finish ya school and hit the ground running! Good luck and stay safe.