Automotive Careers - Welding career anyone?

Anyone in the welding field? i'm interested in doing that but would really like to get a point in the right direction from someone who has already been there

if you want to get into welding I think automotive welding is one of the lower paying fields. I was actually talking to a welder the other week about his work, union is def the way to go. he said he was getting anywhere from $75-125/hr to over $200/hr for the underwater jobs. try to get an apprenticeship and work your way up. im planning on taking some welding courses over the winter @ my local vocational school which offers night courses. im not switching careers yet but it cant hurt specially working on a fishing boat, hell some boats have guys that do nothing but weld on board for full share.

look for your local pipe fitters union hall & see if they are taking new members?

wow great thanks guys i didnt even know there was a union for that! do they have a website or somthing, i'm not really deadset on one field of welding, i like welding but want to turn it into a career

thanks again guys for the he4lp so far!

Check out weldingweb.com everyone pretty cool and all have ssome real experence and can help you out...

sweet, i didnt know there was a forum for welder's too!

thank you i'm going to be spending some time on that forum to learn something

Pipefitting is deffently the way to go.. Im thinking about switching from racing( which I weld a good part of the day) to pipefitting...

$75-100 per hour seems like a lot, i know underwater welders make a little over $100 at the right job but pipe fitters and iron workers are ranging from $35-44 i think right now i have a few buddys in thoes unions

I wouldnt underwater weld if it was the last job on earth. The avg. lifespan of an underwater welder is not very long. I heard of a class that was in a pool, one guy screwed something up while underwater and fried his entire class in the swimmng pool. Killed everyone instantly.

I like welding fine as a hobby but I wouldn't want
to do it for a living. As trades go it's got a lot of
hazards and as far as conditions, down here in
Florida you see the welding being done in open
steel-roof sheds, you're all bundled up with no
cooling but a floor fan and it's 90+ degrees outside
and more like 100+ inside. Screw that. I can only
take 10-15 minutes in my shed and I need a
cool-off break. Ain't going to get that luxury when
you're on the time clock. No union down here
either. Just rednecks making sparks and getting
beat up old, early.

Yeah, there was a weldor around here killed recently by a beam falling on him. Apparently he tacked it up but didn't tack it well enough. :(

My guess would be that the $75-$100+/hr guys are the ones toting their own equipment to the job, and using their own supplies, providing their own insurance, etc. You can easily tie up a lot of money in a welding rig, and you gotta pay the bills, hence the higher hourly rate. Plus they likely have to plan for backup... if your rig breaks, you don't weld. If you don't weld, you don't get paid.

The lower pay rate (say $35-ish range) I would bet are for positions where the company supplies the tools and supplies. But yeah, hot work for sure, especially in Texas. But, there are a lot of jobs around here (I drive past a "Hiring MIG Weldors" sign every day at a local factory).

hmmm maybe i should shadow a welding job first to see if i could hang with them. im used to the heat thats no biggie, just that hanging on ropes and shit isnt my kinda thing! lol. thanks so far for all the info guys

I was searching and came across this...

http://www.belch.com/welcome-to-world-wide-welding/

Maybe a wee bit pessimistic, but... worth reading! :lol:

The structural welding is done primarily by iron workers, its a hard trade from what I hear.
If you are dead set on welding go with the pipe fitting route, I know several.

If you like working hours (7-12hr days) then its for you!
Its not uncommon for a welder to make 12-13K a month

The average pay rate for a pipe welder is around 35.00/ hr

Most jobs give your per diem which varies, 40-125.00 a day (TAX FREE)

Pipeline welders who have their own rig can make the 150.00 hr range.

Another bonus is that the projected outlook for welders are high.

The downfall would be limited advancement opportunities, bad eyes at an earlier age, heat.

if heights arent your thing then i wouldnt suggest structural welding, i know a few guys that do it and you are walking on beams all day long in full gear. i love welding but you couldnt pay me to do it for a living

Yeah, there was a weldor around here killed recently by a beam falling on him. Apparently he tacked it up but didn't tack it well enough. :(

My guess would be that the $75-$100+/hr guys are the ones toting their own equipment to the job, and using their own supplies, providing their own insurance, etc. You can easily tie up a lot of money in a welding rig, and you gotta pay the bills, hence the higher hourly rate. Plus they likely have to plan for backup... if your rig breaks, you don't weld. If you don't weld, you don't get paid.

The lower pay rate (say $35-ish range) I would bet are for positions where the company supplies the tools and supplies. But yeah, hot work for sure, especially in Texas. But, there are a lot of jobs around here (I drive past a "Hiring MIG Weldors" sign every day at a local factory).
yeah the guy I was talking to had all his own equipment including these suits that pump warm water through them for the underwater stuff. he's a union welder in boston but does allot of welding on fishing boats too which is where I ran into him. he had some hairy jobs in the big dig tho like getting lowered 100feet down into a small, muddy water filled shaft w/ 0 visibility but he said he got $275/hr for that job, less visibility/more $. good luck to ya!

come monday im going to spin by driver pipeline here in irving and apply for a welding spot. hopefully they take me in cuss the neighbor i talked to told me they would train me the way they wanted

I was a welders helper working for a Shaw subsidiary (welding pipes for a plant), and theres no way in hell I could do that for a living. I would NEVER suggest welding as a career. It sucks majorly.

i worked in a sheet metal shop a few years ago and the day i quit i was walking out and the welder asked me where i was going....he said you made the right choice, cuz he still wasnt making $25 an hour after 15 years of working there...

I was a welders helper working for a Shaw subsidiary (welding pipes for a plant), and theres no way in hell I could do that for a living. I would NEVER suggest welding as a career. It sucks majorly.

why's that?

You'll hear mixed stories no matter what the feild, welding, Doctor ,Porn Star anything its up to the person involved to make a better future for themself.. Theres Nodoubt Welding is a tough dirty demanding job and some people cant hack the work load, hours or simply having to wake up every morning.Im sure they pay in certian areas is equal to or greater than someone sitting in an office with a college degree you prob wont get it if your welding production or small job shop type stuff, its nobodys fault a person only makes 25 an hour... but them selves.Im looking into doing Any type of Nuclear/pressure vessel or aerospace welding

You'll hear mixed stories no matter what the feild, welding, Doctor ,Porn Star anything its up to the person involved to make a better future for themself.. Theres Nodoubt Welding is a tough dirty demanding job and some people cant hack the work load, hours or simply having to wake up every morning.Im sure they pay in certian areas is equal to or greater than someone sitting in an office with a college degree you prob wont get it if your welding production or small job shop type stuff, its nobodys fault a person only makes 25 an hour... but them selves.Im looking into doing Any type of Nuclear/pressure vessel or aerospace welding

they way i read it...
youre broke because u want to
its true:emb:

i'm still going to apply there, my neighbor that i talked to has been doing that for about 30 years now, not with that only company but has been a welder for that long. the thing i liked about that company was that it was large within itself to where you could do different fields when ever you felt like needing a change of pace. come monday i'm going to apply and hopefully get interviewed so i can leave this current job i'm at. dosnt look like they want to move me up anywhere and keep me at that same spot

my cousin works for the gas company. he makes damn good money but its back breaking work.

and dangerous.

he nearly got killed a few years back when a spark from a backhoe ignited the gas that was leaking from a line he was working on.

I wouldnt underwater weld if it was the last job on earth. The avg. lifespan of an underwater welder is not very long. I heard of a class that was in a pool, one guy screwed something up while underwater and fried his entire class in the swimmng pool. Killed everyone instantly.

I haven't heard any stories like that, but I know that the actual career span of an underwater welder is short because of the health issues involved with diving that much. Which is one of the reasons the pay is pretty good.

I like welding fine as a hobby but I wouldn't want
to do it for a living. As trades go it's got a lot of
hazards and as far as conditions, down here in
Florida you see the welding being done in open
steel-roof sheds, you're all bundled up with no
cooling but a floor fan and it's 90+ degrees outside
and more like 100+ inside. Screw that. I can only
take 10-15 minutes in my shed and I need a
cool-off break. Ain't going to get that luxury when
you're on the time clock. No union down here
either. Just rednecks making sparks and getting
beat up old, early.

I was a welders helper working for a Shaw subsidiary (welding pipes for a plant), and theres no way in hell I could do that for a living. I would NEVER suggest welding as a career. It sucks majorly.

You guys are all assuming there is one type of welding career out there:)

I'm a maintenance welder/millwright, and as much as I love welding I doubt you'd ever catch me pipelining. But I probably won't have to. If you want a nice clean job pick up a tig torch and learn how to well stainless, aluminum, titanium, ect. You can make a lot of money welding non-ferrous metals if you can do a good job of it. And down the road you can become a CWI(certified welding inspector) or a welding engineer, and your welding experience will be a huge help.

Check out www.aws.org (http://www.aws.org) They have a ton of info on schools, employers, ect.

There are a bunch of really good welding forums. But as a general rule welders think they know it all, and their way is the only way to do things...so take it all with a grain of salt.

www.millerwelds.com (http://www.millerwelds.com) has a good forum, and so does hobart.

-Josh

Well I just started Welding School 3 days ago. We've been cutting plates with Acet/Oxy torches, and im "ok" at it, but I like it a lot. Im better with stick and that comes later in the course, and I want to get into Underwater Welding eventually. As for working conditions, I used to work at an Acid Refinery plant and guys welded all day long and went home just fine unless someone wasnt paying attention.You take risks at whateve job you have. What if an accountant decides to flip out and bring a gun to work, or a mailman gets in a hit and run, etc? I'd rather travel to globe, diving/welding making a great amount of money, and take the safety precautions, than sit in a desk and feel like im rotting away.. crunching paperwork. Bu thats just me

Well I just started Welding School 3 days ago. We've been cutting plates with Acet/Oxy torches, and im "ok" at it, but I like it a lot. Im better with stick and that comes later in the course, and I want to get into Underwater Welding eventually. As for working conditions, I used to work at an Acid Refinery plant and guys welded all day long and went home just fine unless someone wasnt paying attention.You take risks at whateve job you have. What if an accountant decides to flip out and bring a gun to work, or a mailman gets in a hit and run, etc? I'd rather travel to globe, diving/welding making a great amount of money, and take the safety precautions, than sit in a desk and feel like im rotting away.. crunching paperwork. Bu thats just me

You can definitely travel the world and weld. Don't fool yourself into thinking it is as safe as working in an office though, it just isn't, no matter what the safety precautions. To me it's definitely worth it though.

And with the underwater welding, there aren't any precautions you can take to make it as safe as "above water" welding. It's not the risk of sudden death or injury , it's the physical toll it takes on you. Talking to other guys that have traveled the globe welding, they told me underwater welders are done within 10 years because of what their body goes through.

But if you dig the water, and you can weld, and you want to travel, that may be a cool thing to do for a few years:)

-Josh

how do u go about finding a underwater welding job?seems kinda cool to me

To the OP, have you ever welded before? I had welding class ALL day for my senior year in high school. It was awesome. First half of the day I welded and then was a student teacher, the second half of the day, I got to go work at a local power plant as school to work. :D I entered welding competitions, and even got a welding scholarship to go to college, but turned it down to go straight to work. I started out of school in 97 welding on trains making about $18 I think it was. I got tired of that and went to a place making antenna towers, welding in a production shop. I went from there to a union ironworking job where all the old journeymen were pissed off cause I could lay down a bead better than they thought I should be able to.

Then one day a screwed up my back lifting up a bundle of rebar. :bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang:

I did a short stint in a sheetmetal fab shop making plastic tank molds, but there was more metal work in there than welding.



Now I own and drive a truck.



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Welding is fun man, and if you like doing it, do it. Not every job is in an air-conditioned shop 9-5. Someone in the country has to be outside welding in the heat.....that's how things get done. Don't listen to someone tell you that it is the worst.......heck don't decide on what I said. Go try it out for yourself. That's the only way you are going to know if YOU like it or not.

There is ALWAYS going to be a job opening for a welder somewhere.:nod:

jdustu......awesome site man......awesome site.

i did a little welding for work and HATED IT!!! Hot as fack in the summer and still pretty damn hot in the winter as well. tig is not bad at all, nowhere near as hot and ALOT cleaner. do yourself a favor and learn to tig. then get a job at a factory that does alot of it. if your really good then starting pay "could" be upwards of 20 an hour.

jdustu......awesome site man......awesome site.

Thanks a lot man:)

I love welding so much that it became a hobby besides being part of my full time job...and now it's a bit of a side business too!

I weld for a living, not structural though. I like my job. It just takes a certain kind of person.

You gotta stand all day welding and my back hurts and I have double vision just thinking about that. I'm healthy and fit too...How do you guys do it? Torch and sheild, heat and standing all day... Diving and welding sounds cool as I am cerified, just don't want to get the bens or shocked...

Have fun it's all you guys... I'm getting into Nursing as gay as that sounds.. Lot's of old people these days and not enough nurses to care for them.....100k a year to chill and change old man diapers..... 10-20 minutes of pure agony changing bed pans and what not, but the rest is all good.. If your lucky you might get in on the old mans will too...

Tunneling is a great paying job too, saw a special on discovery channel in New York, those tunnel workers make real bank working city underground jobs..

My girlfriend is in college for nursing, she was saying male nurses typically make more since there aren't many, and they can pick up and move heavier things female nurses can't.

I admire you.. I'd rather smash my balls flat with a wooden hammer than change a bed pan... Thing with welding or similar job You get your satisfaction from a job well done not just money....

I know lots of welders and they are nuts, literally crazy people but are awesome welders. If you want to make money at it, I'd pick a state that produces oil and go from there. I know for a fact AK needs welders and oil services companies start out at around $25-$30/hr for people with their plate and pipe certs. Usually they end up around $50/hr after a few years

The most dangerous thing about underwater welding is the fact that your diving to do it. the pressure of the water as your down there is what takes a toll on you, but most of the time your in shallow depths. but the pay is killer. and the welding is a reverse polarity, so thats not the danger, its the diving.

I weld for a living, not structural though. I like my job. It just takes a certain kind of person.

Youre not lying man. I used to be around a few welders over the summer and they are VERY unique people:punch:. Brought a Whole new meaning to the phrase "Work hard/play hard". These guys worked 16 hour shifts, burning pounds of rods. But MAN, one of had a 9 sec 67 SS camaro, another had two Busas with more HP than my Ws6, And two others had matching 10 second Big Block Monte carlos. Not to mention the jet ski's, boats, fishing trips, etc they all loved.

I work nuclear power plants for DZ Atlantic right now and I LOVE it. If you get into nuclear that is the place to go. It will ruin you though. I actually work about 6 hours out of a 10 hour shift. Nothing is done in a hurry, you get time to eat breakfast, an hour for lunch, and a bunch of what we call "nuclear hold" down time. That is all on the clock. A starting welder at Duke power for DZ Atlantic is 25 an hour, and after your first shutdown you get 27. Top pay is 31 an hour. You also get $525 a week for per diem, and that is tax free. In a 60 hour week i usually bring home around 1800 and that is claiming single and zero on my taxes. Welding is great if you can do it, and is one of the careers in highest demand right now.

Any welding job that is high risk pays good..experience helps (certs) Ive been a welder/fabricator for 22 years and the most I made working for someone was 6 figures +

Im 6 weeks into my welding course, and I'm almost done with basic M.I.G:D. A couple of guys have come back to the school and told stories of how there are 19,20,21 year old's making 50k in the Local Unions.I've got to get into a Pipefitting apprentice program A.S.A.P:nod:

im an underwater welder . the whole life span thing is bs. if you dont know what your doing you dont deserve to be in the water with a welding lead

im an underwater welder . the whole life span thing is bs. if you dont know what your doing you dont deserve to be in the water with a welding lead

Did you go to a trade school? I have been hunting around looking at various ones but I know sometimes a school wont do anything but screw you out of 40k... What type of diving/welding do you do... saturation stuff?

I Am A Welder And I Can Tell You One Thing You Will Always Be Able To Put Food On The Table With A Skilled Trade Like That.also Its Excellent Side Work.quick Good Money Good Luck