Welding as a career?

[Mercury[BKM]]

Im kind of in a transition point in my life and considering going to a tech school or something. Ive got a lot of family members who do fabrication and welding (run shops or work in them etc etc)

I was hoping to get some advice from you folks who do it day in and day out.
Like if its worth it, maybe other options (not really wanting to get ASE as of yet since its not a very marketable skill as welding)

just some general insight i guess would help

[A Sucked Orange]

Hard on your body but I hear they are in demand and you can make some decent money.

[e30e]

Mrsleeve will chime in, I'd personally get every cert you can get. Do you want to be in fabrication or in construction, that'll help determine what certs you will definitely need.

What's your career background and education?

[drumad]

I know the welders here in the shipyard make a good living, especially if you're good at pipe welding and can cert for nuclear welds.

But like what ^^^ said, it is HARD on your body. Whenever I walk into work with the blue collared folks, you can easily see how the job affects you physically over time.

You did say you have family that does it, why don't you ask them?

[Mercury[BKM]]

prior Marine infantry until injury, bartender for past 5 years, high school education with some college (not much though),

i was looking at getting into fabrication, but seems like if you can do 1 you can do the other

and yeah i have family that does, but most of them are really hard to get a hold of (both are out of the country right now actually working in iraq )

[z31maniac]

From what I gather from friends/co-workers who have welded:

You're normally working in hot, dirty environments, as mentioned, it's hard on your body and if you want to make the REAL money, you've got to be willing to travel.

[Brandon12V]

I work in the same building(separate dept) as a bunch of welders. They don't really make shit but they don't really need any certifications to weld what they do... just past experience and know-how with a mig 220. on the other hand I have a friend who's been my buddy since elementary school. He took an after-school program an then went on to graduate from Hobart with honors at the top of his class. He's done fabrication for C&R Racing straight out of school and now works at an 18/hr job doing tig for basketball goals. He also has a small LLC where he nets roughly an extra 35,000 a year. You can make money with the right knowledge and paper to show it.

[Mercury[BKM]]

i make a little over 40k a year right now bartending/serving, but the late hours are rough, and Id like to have a marketable skill where i can fab up things for personal cars and bike projects, as well as not get off work at 2am every shift.

20 an hour plus side stuff would be nice and steady which is kind of what im trying to switch directly into.

[drumad]

blue collar + part time don't really go together tho

I'm not speaking for all but here, the trades show up at 700 and leave at 1530 on the dot. There's a horn and everything. Work weekends if necessary, which is almost every weekend.

[Brandon12V]

Sounds like you should stick with bartending and take up welding as a hobby. take cheap night classes to learn and buy a nice welding "kit". You can get a really nice, quality setup for under 1k. If it's something you want to pursue, consider opening a business buidling your own products. My advice would be start simple if you go this route. build crazy lamps or artistic dinner tables. Build you own automotive prototypes and test them on one of your vehicles at the same time. once you have enough products you feel satisfied with, open your doors! I don't think you'd enjoy working under somebody as welders can be worked into the ground... good or shit money.

[mrsleeve]

blue collar + part time don't really go together tho

I'm not speaking for all but here, the trades show up at 700 and leave at 1530 on the dot. There's a horn and everything. Work weekends if necessary, which is almost every weekend.

hahahahaha your a funny guy. Yeah this is some times the case if your on a building trades job.

Not for me or any of the welders I work with lots of 80-100 hour weeks for us.

OP I will get back to this with a little more insight for you when I get back from town.

[Ryan...]

I've had a lot of welders in the family; brother, father, uncles, and grandpa. They were all in the construction side of welding, and as said before, it takes a toll on your body.

My brother works about 50 hours a week, and has been for the past 5 years.

My dad was an ironworker for 27 years before dying of cancer (related to inhaling the chemicals/dust).

Grandfather was an ironworker for 39 years, also got cancer in his mouth/throat from inhaling the chemicals.

[hoveringuy]

Grandfather was an ironworker for 39 years, also got cancer in his mouth/throat from inhaling the chemicals.

No lie.. you can get exposed to some nasty stuff

http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm

[Mercury[BKM]]

oh wow, that was a pretty good read.

[HiTheNameIsBJ]

I Like Turtles