CTSmechanic

iTrader: (2)

You'll hear mixed stories no matter what the feild, welding, Doctor ,**** 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

NemeSS

iTrader: (127)

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

Reject

iTrader: (24)

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

Dennis@SpectacleSolutions

iTrader: (16)

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.

jdustu

iTrader: (2)

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.

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 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 has a good forum, and so does hobart.

-Josh

Mr CHI

iTrader: (3)

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.

jdustu

iTrader: (2)

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

trans2000am

iTrader: (49)

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

loweredd

iTrader: (2)

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. 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.

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.

loweredd

iTrader: (2)

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

shtnfrds

iTrader: (1)

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

iTrader: (2)

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!

candidate zero

iTrader: (8)

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

JIBBBY

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..

candidate zero

iTrader: (8)

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.

CTSmechanic

iTrader: (2)

I admire you.. I'd rather smash my ***** 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....

zjt

iTrader: (1)

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

scrapecc

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.

Mr CHI

iTrader: (3)

Youre not lying man. I used to be around a few welders over the summer and they are VERY unique people. 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.

99345hp

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.