Going back to work for a hack shop

Date 02-06-2009 15:22

So with my own shop laying idle right now, and all the talk of economic turmoil, I decided to look for a job at one of the shops around here. There aren't a whole lot of them in my part of West Virginia, and they all involve working on mining equipment. So after numerous calls and applications filled out, the only shop that is hiring is the shop I left three years ago. Back then, I had just finished a class at Lincoln Electric, got my D1.1 cert, and was anxious to actually make money at welding instead of spend it. This shop was close to home, and the guys I worked with were easy enough to get along with, but that's about all I can say for them. They did mostly rebuilds, so no print reading was required, and when we did get drawings to work off of, they were often inaccurate. Proper fit-up was viewed as an unnecessary waste of time, welding a 1/4" gap on 3/8" plate was not uncommon. When a new kid laid down about 30" of gas shielded flux-core weld with no gas turned on, did they make him grind it out? Of course not. Welding over paint and grease was typical. When they bought a bore welding setup and, due to operator error cladded the bore with the worst porosity infused weld I have ever seen, no one even batted an eyelash. Just run the line bore through there and hope the customer doesn't notice. So I was feeling desperate, and with a heavy heart I went back there for a job interview. They offered me a job at 11/hr. (which is what I made when I left) but they wanted me to be their Sigmanest programmer for their cutting table. I like welding, It is something I am good at, and I want to get better. Having never worked a desk job in my life, I accepted the job, but then turned it down the next day. I really want to be a better welder, and I just don't think this place has much to offer. So to all you old hands out there, what do you think? Is a hack shop worth working for? Can my skills improve there when quality work is not something they strive for. If I am going to be learning only from my mistakes, I can do that at my own shop. I also think that maybe having the shop experience on my resume might be worth more than self-employed experience. If I needed the money that bad, I could work at a hack shop and be okay, but I don't need it quite that bad yet. I just want to work at a place where they give a s**t about things like square and level, fitup, proper weld size. I am afraid that working for a hack shop will only give me crap skills that other employers won't want in their shop. I want to work at a place where after six months they aren't telling me how great I am, but where they are telling me how much more I need to improve...

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 02-06-2009 15:49

i understand where you are comming from but times are tough and are only gonna get worse. You may not need the money now but you will soon and there is nothing out there i have been idle for a month and if i could get a job working in a hack shop than yes i would. You know how good you are and dont need to prove it to anyone else. It's really up to you about what you wanna do but like i said times are tuff 11 an hr aint much but still better than nothing as long as you can keep a roof over your head and food in your familys belly i'd say thats pretty good these days

By OBrien

Date 02-06-2009 16:05

Im going to second that. Rate now the job market is in a downward spiral and nobody knows where the bottom is or if there even is one. If you go work for a bunch of hacks don't become one. Take the time and do it right the first time and don't settle for anything less. It all boils down to a small paycheck is better than no paycheck.

By Kix

Date 02-06-2009 16:57

You are correct in that you will probably only learn from your mistakes and won't learn much from the other guys. Like said above though, with everyone getting laid off and looking for work, pretty soon your disirable jobs will all be taken. That's what I told my buddy when he told me his plant was getting ready to have a big lay off. I told him you better hope your first on the list so you get the good pickins for jobs in your area before everyone else does.

By devo

Date 02-06-2009 22:58

Thanks for the input. My regular seasonal job will pick up in a couple of months or so, and I have a free shop to run my own welding business. Last year was pretty good, but I know this year won't be as good. Other factors in my decision are my seasonal employer is in deep financial trouble, and after 12 years of working for them, I feel as though I should stay another year and help them to recover. Plus, my rent is 100$ per month, the truck is paid for, and the wife ain't complaining, so I just can't quite bring my self to work there yet.

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 02-06-2009 23:56

if i were closer i'd take it hell the truck payment is 20 days late and the bank and callin for money and the wife walked out today cause theres no money and no work guess it's all my fault hell i brought home 12k in 1 1/2 months oh well

By rick harnish (***)

Date 02-07-2009 00:05

Shad, you are ****thg me

By Superflux (****)

Date 02-07-2009 00:03

100 bucks for rent????
I can barely get a decent storage shed for that.
Can I move in and pay 1/2? Promise not to touch the thermostat, look at the wife, or, beat the kids, kick the dog and WILL keep cold beer in the fridge!
OK, Got any more places nearby?
On a more serious type sota comment, isn't there a large powerplant project going up in your home state??? I was going to put in for it a few months ago....know I've got the number around here some where on this wallpaper of sticky-notes.

By devo

Date 02-07-2009 14:59

Yeah, there is a power plant going up in Morgantown, about 2 hours north, but I ain't no pipefitter. And yeah 100 bucks a month for a cabin on 500 acres. But there is an outhouse and no shower, but the outhouse is a two-holer, so the wife and I don't have to wait. And there is only wood heat so no thermostat to play with, but if you get lonely, the dog likes peanut butter........

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 02-07-2009 22:03

"but if you get lonely, the dog likes peanut butter........"

LMAO!!!!

By devo

Date 02-08-2009 01:22

Creamy, not crunchy. So here I am at a buddy's house drinkin some hooch and of the four people here, two of them have worked for my former employer, and they both have reiterated my feelings on the company, turning down job offers because the employer is b**##$$t and will tell you what you want to hear if it suits them. I have no debt, no credit card bills, a fully equipped rent-free shop (well not quite, but I've got a TIG setup with a watercooled torch, a fluxcore 110 welder, a drill press with x-y table, a disc sander, all the layout tools, an oxy acetylene setup, a vertical bandsaw, some tinsnips. and a burning f#&*^%ing desire to better myself with welding) . Yes the hooch is talking, but I ain't ready to sell out yet to a hack shop.

By OBrien

Date 02-08-2009 23:28

Crunchy needs to be chewed so keep that in the back of your mind. lol

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 02-08-2009 04:51

" two-holer" That is similar to the one on My Granddad's farm, but that one was high & low for adults & kids. He passed on in '73, the new owners put in a bathroom.