Welding certifications

[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.

[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.

[ryanjones2150]

Welding certifications

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

[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.

[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]

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]

I was a compulsive job hopper after I was a journeyman, went on a big binge and worked for a lot of small outfits for a while. Being a good welder was always a foot in the door, I could change jobs on most days and its a skill almost unfakeable and highly noticeable.
A lot of guys had experience and people that worked along side thought they knew until they saw a torch and welder used as it can be, most of the time they went,, oh ****. Guys in sign plants, installers, maintenance types had some experience but I was almost always a step ahead, maybe 2 or 3 in welding. In about 10 minutes became the go to welding guy.

[Sberry]

I had a guy recently apply with me. His pitch was that his Dad was a mechanic for 28 years and that he had all the rotating parts to the block in a small block Chevy. Both of these things he repeated couple times. He had about a 10 minute attn. span.
I had another a while back who continuously said,,, I do it this way at home, I do it this way on my car, had another who has advanced degree do the same. I have to splain, this isn't your car, it doesn't have front wheel drive, this is not your home, this is not your garden etc. It needs some efficiency and effectiveness. These were people willing to work hard, one had sweat running, arms going, didn't do a thing. A gallon of sweat and didn't kill a single weed all morning.
Nice enough people but impossible to train. When one gets some real skill then how one did it the last place they work may be relevant but until then do it like I fukkin say then maybe we will take a look at changes.

[Sberry]

I agree with the above. While some experience is good it sounds like a lot of it is rather hand to mouth here. It is usually easy to spot when young guy has had some trade school. On day one a guy that has been helping Dad change an engine in the backyard may know a couple things more than a guy starting a school green but after a short bit the schooled comes whizzing by and cant be caught.

[jsm11]

The advice IMO...

Quit jackin around with your current job if there is no room for upward mobility. If you want to weld for a living, get in school any way you can. Loans, night classes, beg, etc.

When your in school learn the processes, learn the procedures, codes, how to read drawings, weld symbols, etc.

When I was 26, I went back to school to learn to weld, after I had graduated with a teching degree and could not find work. I took out another loan and pursued more education, this time in welding and it's the best move I ever made. It's opened tons, tons of doors... I went to welding school 50 hours a week and worked 60 hours a week for 1.5 years until I got out of welding school and had an opportunity to amke money. First welding job out of school was $46hr welding pipe in a hospital expansion.

You can't wish it, you have to do it... If you can see your job is a dead end, treat it like a job, not a career and put yourself in a position to be the hero of your own movie!

Or, drive down to the Union Hall and begin an apprecticeship...

Good Luck!

[Sberry]

For real service work it pays to be a very good stick welder. Same for cutting with a torch.

[89chevywelder]

welding certifications

You are doing what you need to do to learn. A spin thru a welding course at a local college wouldnt hurt. Training on the job is good, can be good and while a guy can pick up a few tricks from the uncle many of the guys with some formal training blow right past the guys that learned hand to mouth.They have short courses in metallurgy and blueprint reading. The good instructors help shift the focus toward the talent. This is a huge field, the boat thing is about a whole trade unto itself. The skillsets cross over some but even the welding is quite different as are the conditions.he time to move round is while work is good, find niche. There is nothing wrong wit tests but they are not needed for most of this work and really don't mean a lot to most people. The ones that do are vey specific, they need to be retaken often, its not a one shot deal.

hey thanks sberry. if I every go to do my own thing I might stick to doing truck up fits and truck repairs. like I do for work now. Also might try and specialize in car hauler repairs. because I have been doing that for years with my dad. this week ill half to be helping him do repairs on his rig. the main thing I half to do is change out a 12ft post that the decks slide up and down on. so ill be having fun every day after I get home after a 10 hour day at work. all I can say is I have the drive to push hard under pressure and keep pushing. I would like to maybe take some classes but I don't have the money and I I don't have the time to be able to take off work to go to class. I have to be there every hour I can at work. have to be able to pay the bills. but I would like to go one day. well other than what u have told me. do u have and advise for a 26 year old kid that like to burn metal and play with fire89chevywelder

[Sberry]

You are doing what you need to do to learn. A spin thru a welding course at a local college wouldnt hurt. Training on the job is good, can be good and while a guy can pick up a few tricks from the uncle many of the guys with some formal training blow right past the guys that learned hand to mouth.
They have short courses in metallurgy and blueprint reading. The good instructors help shift the focus toward the talent.
This is a huge field, the boat thing is about a whole trade unto itself. The skillsets cross over some but even the welding is quite different as are the conditions.
he time to move round is while work is good, find niche.
There is nothing wrong wit tests but they are not needed for most of this work and really don't mean a lot to most people. The ones that do are vey specific, they need to be retaken often, its not a one shot deal.

[Sberry]

You need to get experience in the line you want to pursue, maybe start collecting some equipment and tooling down that line, general tools for that matter so when reaching out you are a bit prepared and the demands do not come at once.

[89chevywelder]

welding certifications

Its great you may want to test but at this point its likely a waste of time and energy. So you get some help with the specific question not sure how it would help.
I had a guy tell me he is a certified mig welder about 3 times, I finally asked where. As it turns out it was in a class he vaguely remembers 30 yrs ago in high school, he figures he is still some kind of certified welder.
No one asks me anymore but I do have an answer which is usually from someone don't know anyway but I usually say I certified about 20 times over the years.
It normally only applies to the job its on, there may be some blanket stuff in some of the area trades for general work but for the beginner it doesnt really apply in a general fashion athough we got a couple guys here that flash it past their insurance co's in lieu of a general contractors and a lot of people wouldn't know the difference including some agents and procurement at plants.

ok Sberry let me ask u this. if I would like to break away from my job wouldn't it be a good thing to have the certification. because of insurance and stuff like that to help protect my ***. If I break away I might try and stick to truck upfits and truck repairs. I do all the repairs on my dads car hauler so if I ever open my own place that's what I might try and gear my shop to. so Sberry what would ur best advice be for me. every day I try and improve my skills in welding and fab work. when I have time I try and research. ive have self taught my self every thing I know. any thing ii have been taught by any other welders I take what they say and apply it to my skills. my uncle was a mobile welder. hes taught me a few things. and I took what he told me and practiced until I got it right. when I was working at my first job I was bending tubing for boats. that shop did all tig weld. so I wanted to lean how to weld tig. so I ask one of the welders if he could teach me how to weld tig. well after that I used every lunch break to practice and I caught on quick. theres been a lot a seasoned welders that I have talk to and they have said to me I have the natural talent for welding. so if u have any advise that might help me out it would be great.