Anyone here a welder??

XbajajeepX

NAXJA Forum User
Location
So. Lake Tahoe
I am seriously considering pursuing a degree in welding technology. I am 24 years old and haven't really done much in the past few years... I figure its time to start doing something!!

For those of you who are welders..

What are the pros and cons to the job?
Whats the pay like?
Is there much opportunity for self employment as a welder?
How did you get to where you are now??

Thanks!!
2thumbup.gif


Mike
 
i am.

welding is hard on your body and hard on your respritory system.

i am state certified in all positions and all thicknesses with or without a backing. i learned how to weld in high school and kinda took jobs that i used as a stepstool to get my resume up to par. i took crap jobs that would get me a little bit more experience and then when i felt good about my skills i would search for more pay and more consistant welding. pay varies drastically so you need to be flexible here because just starting off you may not get what you hear welders are getting paid.

as far as self employment i think it would be alot of work and alot of money to get going. i would also look into having someone who can at least run a mill or a lathe to really bring people to you. i know a lot of customers dont have things already built and just need the pieces welded up.

what type of welding are you looking into doing?
 
Welder here.
Worked at, rhymes with Don Beer. Welding is very hard on your body, but can be very rewarding. Made lots of money production welding. I make decent money using my welding experience in my current position.
I agree with funvtec, X2.
 
Hard on your body eh?? Can't be any harder than underground pipeline... Did that for 3 years...

Not sure on the type of welding yet... The school I will be attending has a 2 year certificate program. Within the 2 years you will be certified in SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, and FCAW.
 
Much of my experience is kind of dated, I learned to weld with Acetylene and oxygen.
Caterpillar sent me to school (paid for the coarse) to learn stick, MIG and Heliarch (early 70`s), when my contract was up I moved on. Politics, not the job, the job was great.
Like mentioned, it messes with your lungs, I developed a chit load of allergies over the years, most likely due to inhaling fumes and increasing my sensitivity.
If I had to do it again, I'd include a forced air mask (and particulator/filter) into my kit from the beginning.
I've burnt my eyes on numerous occasions, no matter how good the mask, reflected UV can find it's way in and in production work you repeat positions constantly. You often don't realize you've burnt your eyes till the next morning. I finally found a redundancy for this, I wear UV filtered glasses (wrap around), near clear lenses that filter UV as my regular eye wear. They are also ballistic plastic, hardened Lexan and scratch resistant. Even if you don't need glasses something similar is a good idea, redundancy is smart.
I'm retired now, but still have a pickup, generator, gas, MIG and stick setup that I can drive out into the field to repair farm machinery. Spring and fall I keep pretty busy. Sure helps supplement the retirement. Actually more of a blacksmith than a welder, I do a lot of fabrication that doesn't require a micrometer to do. I also keep some sheet metal breaks and other sheet metal tools around.
A lot of ways to go once you have your ticket, I did a lot of work with high pressure gases and liquids.
Take metallurgy along with the welding coarse, they offer some with the welding coarse. But supplement it with some serious study, it opens up all kinds of doors that a regular welder might not be able to access. Be a complete welder. Good math skills are also a must. Drafting, isometric drawing and CAD are also helpful. Now on days you almost have to have advanced computer skills, to setup the welders in manufacturing.
 
Last edited:
3 things I know to be true about welding as a career

1: your gona want to wear a respirator to keep your lungs free from the fumes, I know a older guy who lives on a oxygen bottle after 25 years of welding for the train yards

2: eventually your gona have bad knees and a bad back the 6 or so welders I know all have the same ailments and all say it's from crawling around into odd positions trying to get the job done, hands get arthritis often too but any repetitive motion job will do that

3: the pay is = to your knowledge and skill IF you get in with a good company youll know what your worth and you will get it. the job takes a good amount of skill knowledge and practice employers know it too.

I personally enjoy welding as part of my career but it is not my career in a whole. I would suggest looking for a job that does a good amount of welding that will also let you do other things and learn other skills, like for a crane company.
 
8Mud said:
Much of my experience is kind of dated, I learned to weld with Acetylene and oxygen.
Caterpillar sent me to school to learn stick and MIG, when my contract was up I moved on. Politics, not the job, the job was great.
Like mentioned, it messes with your lungs, I developed a chit load of allergies over the years, most likely due to inhaling fumes and increasing my sensitivity.
If I had to do it again, I'd include a forced air mask (and particulator/filter) into my kit from the beginning.
I've burnt my eyes on numerous occasions, no matter how good the mask, reflected UV can find it's way in and in production work you repeat positions constantly. You often don't realize you've burnt your eyes till the next morning. I finally found a redundancy for this, I wear UV filtered glasses (wrap around), near clear lens that filters UV as my regular eye wear. They are also balistic ülastic hardened and scratch resistant. Even if you don't need gasses something similar is a good idea, redundancy is smart.
I'm retired now but still have a pickup, generator, gas, MIG and stick setup that I can drive out into the field to repair farm machinery. Spring and fall I keep pretty busy. Sure helps supplement the retirement. Actually more of a blacksmith than a welder, I do a lot of fabrication that doesn't require a micrometer to do. I also keep some sheet metal breaks and other sheet metal tools around.
A lot of ways to go once you have your ticket, I did a lot of work with high pressure gases and liquids.
Take metallurgy along with the welding coarse, they offer some with the welding coarse. But supplement it with some serious study, it opens up all kinds of doors that a regular welder might not be able to access. Be a complete welder. Good math skills are also a must. Drafting, isometric drawing and CAD are also helpful. Now on days you almost have to have advanced computer skills, to setup the welders in manufacturing.


extremely good advice!

and if you do decide to move forward and start welding. WHEN you do burn your eyes cut a potato into slices and rest it over your eyes.
 
The highest payed welders get wet.
Breething aparatus included with every job: :D

underwater%20welding.jpg


.
 
Always wear a mask! You wont know you've been burned at the moment but wait a few hours...or before you go to sleep.
 
I'm extremely interested in offshore oil rig welding...

Anyone in that field or know someone in that field??

Thw whole 3 months on 3 months off thing is VERY intriguing....
 
I know a navy welder thats in that type of stuff. I think i've heard him say he hates his life...but who doesn't and it's good money!
 
I got that picture off of Google.

I just happened to notice - THE GUY'S WEARING BLUE JEANS!

LOL :roflmao:
 
Back
Top