Hello Greg!
Welcome to the forum! WOW, that was a heavy question! I knew I would be a weldor since I was a kid. I would certainly rather be on a jobsite filled with like minded people than pushing a pencil. My necktie is a starched Carhartt.I couldnt imagine staying inside everyday in a cubicle or something. I LOVE WHAT I DO! I am proud of who and what I am. But thats ME and MY way of thinking.
The money is widely varied. You can make a comfortable living in time.
So far the only harm to my health are the scars on my skin. Saves money. No need for tattoos!
As said, I love what I do. But I can blabber all day about it. There are some intelligent and insightful people on here who can give you a better answer than I can. I guess I will that some of them do that. Whatever you decide, I hope its satisfying. Welcome to the forum!! Happy 4th!

When I am welding I sleep good at night. Though I may have a cough or spell slightly charred skin, I sleep GOOD.

I have gone back and forth over the years as a welder and inspector or manager. As far as headaches and decisions, very few for me as a welder. Sometimes the biggest decision I have to make is weather I want to go find some cardboard to lay on or "Just Waller In It".

Of course this guys take on it is worth reading. There is a great deal of truth regarding what he speaks. http://www.belch.com/welcome-to-world-wide-welding/

Myself, I drop the hood, its just me an the fire. No worries about codes, specs, what I missed, what I misinterpreted, blah blah.  Just me and the fire. It makes the day go by nicely sometimes.

Right now I sit in front of this box during the day and I miss welding a great deal.

Hi Greg. Welcome!

It's really all about what you are accustomed to doing now & what kind of work you like to do. Both career fields you are contemplating are drastically & completely different from one another. One is a job in an office setting, clean, climate controlled, but with it's own worries & stresses, the other usually in dirty, hot surroundings & usually long hours on a regular basis. There are literally hundreds of different facets of welding work, so to speak in an all encompassing generality would be of no benefit in trying to give you an accurate view into the world of welding.

I would seriously do some first hand research (like you're doing right now) & supplement that with perhaps a trip to some local factories or places of manufacturing (if available) & straight out ask for a brief tour. Most places would probably be happy to show you around, being the circumstances involved. That would be a very simple & free way to get a little glimpse into what a weldor does for a living. But, you will also need to take into consideration that there are SO many different kinds of welding jobs, & a couple of field trips will barely scratch the surface. I will say, that going to a few places that build stuff will most likely give you view of a more production (usually long hours & dirty) type of welding, as opposed to a very precision type, such as TIG, Aerospace & pipe welding.

Your local comm. coll. will also offer beginning courses in welding. These will usually focus on shop safety, use of a cutting torch, gas welding, brazing & some beginning arc welding with stick electrodes. You will also receive classroom instruction about safety, different types & processes of welding, basic welding theory, the manufacture of steel & manufacturing processes involving welding. It would be another good way to learn about welding & get some informative instruction as well as hands on experience in an environment tailored towards learning.

I did see that you do have some familiarity with the work welding's about, but you will really have to do some looking at a lot of different types of welding to really get some first hand insight. Some welding pays excellent, (pipe, aerospace, nuclear) some (usually production welding) pays poorly & it's hot filthy work. A lot also depends on your geographical location. If you want to make big money, travel constantly  & work 80+ hours a week, cross country pipe is where the money's at. If you want to make $12 an hour & work 80+ hours a week, go into MIG production welding. Again, lots of different fields & pay scales, just depending on the place & job.

Stick around and become part of the "gang". There's a lot of excellent people around here to give you a little insight as well as some good conversation & a few laughs too. Again, welcome. Steve

"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside.." (Karn Evil 9 1st. Impression, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Brain Salad Surgery LP)

Hassels are putting up with QCs that don't know the code that you're welding to; company men that will do what ever, when ever, as long as it gets them ahead; and engineers that , no matter what they gave you, it's your fault the part or spool piece (pipe), didn't work.

What makes me angry is when they aint got work for you to do, but don't want you standing around so your foreman can find you, and when they want you to do something that you know aint right but they want you to do it anyway.

When you become a welder, don't worry about the job on your own time, you'll become old fast if you do. When I leave the jobsite, I don't think about it at all. My time is mine and the time their paying me for is theirs, simple as that.  Usually the test is what most people worry about, treat it like another weld. Do your best and it'll work out.

The worries and frustrations are totally worth it in the end. You get to see what you've accomplished at the days end and have pride in what you've done. Totally worth anything that you go through.

I love what I do. It's all I know and all I think about. The compensation is great but in the end, if you don't like your job, you might as well be doing something else. Doing what you like/love will give you more satisfaction at the end of the day than doing something that you hate day in and out, no matter what you make. I'd hate to have a job where I dreaded going to everyday because you've already started off bad and the day just gets worse from then on. If you like what you do then you'll excell at it, if you don't, you'll never get ahead of the game.

Hello Greg. Let me tell you about a friend of mine who had to make a similar choice. He did janitorial work and realized that he wouldn't go far like that, so he decided to go to a local commnity college to get some kind of degree. Business is what he chose, not knowing where this would take him at the time. So he got his degree in busines and now owns a billing company which does all the billing for hospitals and doctors, and there is still a need for more people like this out there. He drives around in a new porche and lives in a big beautiful home and his future is very much secure. Remember, this was a janitor which now has people working for him. I've been a pipewelder for 20 years and even though i make pretty good money when i am working i still seem to struggle most of the time making ends meet. Right now work is pretty good but there is not always work out there for everybody. Welding is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. You finish up one job then it is time to find another job. Lots of long hard hours and never at home. I am thinking about going back to school myself for business, they say it is never to late, Don't be discouraged. Follow your heart and the money follow. Good luck!

well, greg welcome
i always knew that i would be a welder my dad, his brother, my brother and i r all rig welders i have chased shutdowns, drilling rigs and follewed pipelines i sleep good at nights now when i first started i would stay up a little tring to figure out a problem that i was having but that is me and i push myself hard but if u r going to chase shutdown it would be ezer if r a singel man as far as the money i make 65 an hour and i get to stay at home every night but it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter but i do love what i do i cant see myself doing anything else, i did go to school 


best for luck
zach 

Greg,
You certainly have put alot on the table for consideration. I believe many have posted and have given some very sound advice/suggestions.

I will put it to you from the perspective of a 42yr old Man who has been going to welding school ( and working in the field a bit)....Go to school for welding for at least one semester to see if You really want to be a professional welder. The allure of Big $$ is something that you will have to put aside for a little while. That will all come in due time. The love for the Trade is what matters most at this stage in your search for a career. Welding is something that gets in your blood and it is very addictive. That's been my experience. If after some technical training, You find you love it...get all the education you can and seek out a job in the trade while continuing your schooling. Most community colleges offer their welding courses at night. This will afford you the time to work a day job. it's easier to learn the trade while getting  OJT and school courses. Just mt $.02 worth.
Respectfully, Jeffrey Grady

PS. welcome to the forum and don't be a stranger. There's alot you can learn here, and alot of folks willing to help.
Oh, as for the hassles being worth it.....Absolutely yes.

Greg, let me offer you a perspective from a bipolar welder. lmao

When I figure out a price on a bid, I have already lost many hours of sleep going thru it in my head, (when I should be sleeping.)

..........less sleep = less wit.

When I finally win the bid and need to start orchestrating the entire piece of work from start to finish, I lose even more sleep.

........more lost sleep = less awareness.

When I am working on the job in the first stages, (going by the blueprints), I get more sleep, but dream of impossible geometry, and fittings that don't seem to exactly come together just right.

............more dreams = more abstract logic.

The very next thing that happens to me is that I don't sleep for an entire night, and figure out exactly how the entire job needs to go down.

Moral of the story is this: You have to love what you do. What many of these guys say is true, when the hood goes down the world goes away. When you smell your flesh burn, but know that if you flinch it may cost you the prettiest bead of your career - that's when you know that you are in love w/ what you do!

Whether it's welding or pumping septic tanks, you have to have a love affair with it. It has to be like a marriage.............................I gotta go eat dinner!

Being pipolar = PRICELESS!

I came from an academic family and my parents and family friends were shocked/curious that I picked a blue collar career. however I must say I'm just finishing up my 4th year in a welding engineering degree.

I payed my way through school working at various production welding MIG and TIG jobs they paid good for part time but very poorly for a career. It's hard to say if welding is right or wrong for individiaul people that's only something you can answer, but right now as a career it's a very good field to be in.

I consider myself a welding nerd, which is why I got a welding engineering degree. now I'm back in the office checking over ferrite numbers detailing blue prints and visiting the shop floor to solve problems. I love welding and do it for myself on the side. The best feeling is starting the day with a pile of metal and ending with a finished product that you built

You don't have to make huge commitments to start out.  You could take one class at community or tech college.  It might even be enough to get you an entry level job.  That is exactly what happened to me, and it caused me to change my major to welding engineering technology.  We had several non-welding majors in my classes who were interested in it as a hobby and they used the credits as transfer credits/electives.  As for your business degree, you could still go that route with a few welding classes.  There are plenty of jobs in welding equipment and materials sales, and they often hire business majors. Having a few welding classes could open up those doors too.