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Looking get into welding, machining, and fabrication type work

JD955SC

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
1,349
Location
The South
Hey guys. Currently in SC and I am looking to get out of my current career due to low pay and no real advancement opportunity. Going back to school to do what I should have done 6 years ago instead of getting my current degree. I'm going to go to the local tech school and take welding and machine shop classes to gain some more experience with metalworking. Already do some crude welding and fabrication at home just to get stuff fixed and I enjoy that kind of work a lot.

Once I get some basics under my belt, what should I be looking to do to get on with a company and find work? I'm told some of the welding and stuff down here is union. Should I try going with an apprenticeship program with them if they offer one? I don't even know how to find them and get in touch with them at this point.
 

bobb

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2011
Messages
136
Location
onarock
Occupation
Mechanic
the union jobs will often pay more but not always. there all kinds of welding work out there. i dont know how some of these guys are on the job cause they dont weld very well. not that i am a great welder but i do almost all my own welding, on and off the job. construction equipment repair companies always need a good welder. welding fab shops get into all kinds of stuff. machine shops are always getting broken stuff, castings and non ferous metals. from what i see most of the union work is building related. shipyard work around here seems to be real boring from the pace i see. however the pay is good. around here the only good paying jobs are union. seems that nobody wants to pay top dollar for good hard work here. i dont know how it is in your area. i would contact the ironworkers union to find out more. it will probly come down to who knows you so get connected. if you are a facbook kind of guy, keep it serious show your works cause people are out there watching. also look at you tube, there is a lot to be learned there.
 

TozziWelding

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2012
Messages
57
Location
Marlborough, MA
Occupation
Welder/Equipment Repair
I will tell you right now and I hope TomV hops in, what they teach you and what we do are totally different. I went to school, learned how to weld, passed tests, and all that stuff. Fast forward to real life, being able to pass a welding test in a booth is a joke. When the X-Ray man is up your ass to finish a joint in freezing weather, and your numb to the bone, welcome to welding. When you get called at 3AM because some monkey rips the wing plow off his Mack, and you need to fab up a new frame, pin, and lift assy with nothing but what is on your truck, welcome to welding. When you get called for a "small job" and it is a 12 hour bucket rebuild, welcome to welding. Sure there are some gravy jobs and I love getting them, but most of it in the equipment world is dirty nasty bull work. If you plan on working for your self be prepared to drop a **** ton of money on the tools and equipment you need to do jobs efficiently. I am not trying to discourage you, just giving you a reality check. I have been doing this since I was 15, working for my self since I was 22, I have made a ton of money and lost my ass all in the same year. If you get in with the IUOE and do the equipment thing you will learn alot, the Ironworkers are more of a grind house do as they say deal, Pipefitters is nice work. I could go on and on, but it is a good trade and I have never gone hungry from it.
 

KevD815

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Messages
88
Location
Connecticut
Well said Mr. Tozzi! Passing a weld test in the booth really is a joke in comparison to the real weld tests out there. A booth test will show that you know what you are doing in a controlled environment on well prepared steel. But thats just the begining. You'll end up in positions, conditions, and work with time constraints that are unimaginable. But thats the real welding test. When everything is against you and you can still deliver high quality work on schedule, you sir are a welder.

Ive bounced around the welding world a bit. I started out doing equipment repair and fabrication and then moved into structural steel, which was great but it was a ton of bull work. Not to mention, getting stuck in a basic structural fab shop gets boring quick. I went back to welding on equipment and never looked back. Now I run the weld shop for a large construction company and get to play with everything from dump trucks to rock crushers. Sometimes its just general repair work and sometimes its all out custom fabrication. It can get pretty wild at times but at the end of the day its all worth it.
 

fixou812

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2013
Messages
677
Location
Buffalo NY
Occupation
Millwright Equipment Mechanic Welder
You have to work for a very good welder who is doing diverse work
and become an Excellent welders helper before you can become one
Just school won't cut it
 
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