Career guidance and advice

Hi Welders... I'm looking for some career guidance.

I'm taking a welding course, and I'm enjoying it so much that I'm considering a career change to some sort of work that involves welding. It seems there are a wide range of industries, trades, union and non-union jobs, shops, etc. that will hire CWB certified welders.

Every week my instructor asks me, 'so, are you going to be a plumber' or 'so, are you going to be a steamfitter?'... and they all sound interesting.

Can you direct me to any good resources for learning about the different employment opportunities open to welders?

What can you tell me about your welding work that will help me decide what to persue? What type of welding do you do and what industry do you work in? What do you actually do in the course of a day? How much of your time do you spend welding, and what else does your day involve? Do you get to travel?

In my present freelance career I work a lot of hours, but have time flexibility, and a lot of variety, both of which I enjoy.

While I really like what I do now, I'm ready for a change; increased income, maybe travel, and the chance to weld would lure me away. I really like the freedom of selfemployment, and someday I might like to have my own fabrication shop, but I'd like to try some jobs first to gain more skills and experience (and save up to buy equipment).

Any guidance you can provide would be much appreciated!

Reply to
pipsqueak
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I am sorry to be a party pooper, but I feel that I must say it.

Many years ago, when I was in high school in Russia, they had a program where children could learn a trade of their choice, as part of the school program. One day a week we'd go to another school and attend a class and practice that profession. That's how I obtained my lathe operator certification.

It was all fun and very interesting and exciting. I began to think, why not do this for life.

Later, as part of that training, they took us to a couple of factories. After I saw them, I realized that I should do everything that I could to get educated and avoid working there. That was perhaps the most important lesson of that trades training.

To the OP, I must say that welding is fun, many other things are fun, but working in a place where you do the same thing every day (like weld the same pipe section or the same kind of bicycle) is not fun.

If you can find a place where your professional skills would be used in a unique and varied fashion, great, but it is not easy.

Also, it is hard to compete with Chinese workers who agree to live in squalid dorms and work for 50 cents per hour, and weld in terrible conditions.

So, my point, condensed, is that wedlding may be great, but working at factories is not.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus26744

Welders are always needed. Why is that?

Tell him you are going to take the easy way out and become an instructor. That should shut him up.

Your local paper. The want ads of papers online.

I am retired. I still do work, but from a home shop, and a specialty niche. I worked in the offshore oil industry. The work is hard, filthy, and dangerous. Depending on what we were doing, the days varied from 99% welding and 1% standing around to 99% standing around and 1% welding. Lots of rigging and prep work. Don't confuse travel with travel time. Travel is when you actually have the time to stop and look at things and enjoy them. I have been a lot of places, and whizzed through them so fast that I didn't get out of the airport or even get pictures. There's no glory or glamour spending hours in a crew boat in rough seas getting to a job, and getting minimal hourly rates for travel time. If you get to go to a location where you can have some offtime to see what's there, that is nice.

Use your time now to investigate, and possibly start buying tools.

Having your own shop is great. But instead of working for someone else you work for the Overhead Monster. That monster that has to be satisfied before you get to keep any of the goodies. It's like you are in a wolf pack, and you're the one that always gets to eat last. If you can stay small and efficient, I believe that is the best way to go into business. Employees are the kiss of death, and an efficient one man operation that fills a niche will do well. A guy can make more per hour for going out and repairing a gate then he can by making and installing the whole thing from scratch. There's a good calling for people who will just show up when they say they will and do a good job for a competitive price. Note I said competitive. That's what someone else would charge. So if everyone else is charging a lot, don't cut your own throat. You earn the extra by being reliable and doing 100% guarantee work.

Go for it. It's doable. You might not get rich, but it is a great creative outlet, and a trade where you feel appreciated and paid what you are worth. Unless, of course, you will weld in some shop for $8-$10 per hour and give it away.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Post script to my other post. If you want to make money and have security, check out how to get into unions and companies that have top pay and benefits. Go for the best kind of welding there is that will make you a good income and retirement. Getting into unions may be difficult, but put one foot in front of the other until you are in. Ironworkers, operators, etc. Hard dangerous jobs, months of work and months of idleness. You have to decide if you want that or going out on your own. And you will have to be realistic as to whether your talent will take you there.

STeve

Reply to
SteveB

A CWB would be the first thing to get so that you can earn some money. As soon as you can afford it go back and work on getting a pressure ticket such as the Alberta "B" I don't know where you are living now but Alberta is the place to be for welders. Keep working on more tickets and qualifications. In less than five years you should see some good dollars. If you stay in a shop with a simple CWB flux core ticket it will get pretty boring. Randy

I'm taking a welding course, and I'm enjoying it so much that I'm considering a career change to some sort of work that involves welding. It seems there are a wide range of industries, trades, union and non-union jobs, shops, etc. that will hire CWB certified welders.

Every week my instructor asks me, 'so, are you going to be a plumber' or 'so, are you going to be a steamfitter?'... and they all sound interesting.

Can you direct me to any good resources for learning about the different employment opportunities open to welders?

What can you tell me about your welding work that will help me decide what to persue? What type of welding do you do and what industry do you work in? What do you actually do in the course of a day? How much of your time do you spend welding, and what else does your day involve? Do you get to travel?

In my present freelance career I work a lot of hours, but have time flexibility, and a lot of variety, both of which I enjoy.

While I really like what I do now, I'm ready for a change; increased income, maybe travel, and the chance to weld would lure me away. I really like the freedom of selfemployment, and someday I might like to have my own fabrication shop, but I'd like to try some jobs first to gain more skills and experience (and save up to buy equipment).

Any guidance you can provide would be much appreciated!

Reply to
R. Zimmerman

My god.....so true......what Stevie B said !!! Having your own shop and working for your self is great , Not having (or can't afford to pay for ) health insurance is not.

manufactoring a unique product is great. feeling all secure about it , is great.

thinking you have job security (if you are self employed), welding, making a unique product...false !!!!

read this !!! my CPA told me this as we were talking about job security. In my own town, the same CPA does income tax for a lady , her job is to find unique products that are manufactured here (USA) if the product is succesfull, it gets researched, than sent over to CHINA for mass production.

It makes me puke......

pattenting products, does not work for a small company..too expensive.

I agree about the overhead monster. $$$$... it craves lots of over time, money.

welding is a nasty /dirty business. getting material, cutting fitting, welding , grinding , cleaning , finishing, coating , selling . nasty nasty :)

:)

Reply to
acrobat ants

-- snip --

Now I can't stop chuckling. Too true. And not just for welding.

Reply to
Tim Wescott

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