Welding certifications

[Sberry]

The reason I say that isn't t point out that I am an expert but to agree with the post above about real apprenticeship and school. 46 an hour for a first welding job is hard to beat. I didn't do that well but mine was at journeyman Ironworker pay and I didn't know how to do a thing. Work was good at the time and there was demand, they had a fairly stiff weld test.
I have never been a great tester and have a bit of fear of it I guess due to the fact I never failed I really slid thru on a couple occasions. I didn't test at the rate a pipeliner might but half a dozen times in 10 yrs or so tested at hire, power plant etc.
Real good work is quite competitive in this nature, as much as true expertise is human nature. I didn't have a good mentor in my home local but booming out I fit right in. I think I spent maybe a year or 2 total and 8 out of town. American Bridge, Chicago Bridge and Iron, Been Hur and a year with Bechtel, a couple rat here and there, whe someone here mentions Southern ********, etc I know what they feel like so,,
Bridge was maybe my fave. They had some characters. They were about absolutely unjudgemental about a click and who was blowing who as it could get. Innershield was a big deal and super in demand.

[Sberry]

Apprenticeship can give a license to move around to some various work and see how its done. Some good some bad. Gives chance to work on highly inspected projects. In any number of trades a true journeyman would be able to pass the test demanded in the trade.

[Sberry]

Its worth learning your way around a union hall. Aint none of the bench warmers every morning gonna jack their hand up for an out of towner like Bridge. It usually involved hanging by some rope float on some gripping astromical mf with the wind blowing swinging rolls of 4/0 copper lead. To top it off you do this with a bunch of really ornery fuggers that are mostly social misfits that managed to live long enough to float to the top. About half had some disfiguring injury and a bad limp.

[ryanjones2150]

Welding certifications

That's some encouragement right there if I ever heard it.

[Sberry]

That was way before internet. I had a collection of pictures but lost them in a fire. I went back to see if I could find negatives but it was a no go. It was an experience. Everything was oversize. Lead, chokers, cumalongs, planks. 6 and 8 packs of welders and whole semi trailer full of welding wire.

[Sberry]

That's some encouragement right there if I ever heard it.

I have seen good welding schools paint a pic that was not very accurate. They were leaving the impression that there was a huge demand for them all at NASCAR or that there would be someone bringing them a latte while they sat between beads. I got to admit a couple jobs were close but they are few.