After reading all the recent posts regarding wages, future, competition, and the laughable ranking given by the wsj to our trade I've become curious to find out what some of you knocked down last year. I personally cleared 44k last year I work in a high production mfg shop and have been for 6 yrs. I'm somewhat of a big fish in a small pond so to speak with not much room to grow. I'm only 24 just trying to get an idea of what's out there.
I started out as a welder, got my act together and got my CWI, left my tools in the dust. Did my time on the road following construction, took the odd seminar here and there, a few home study courses, read codes for years (religiously, every day for at least an hour), continued taking courses and studying on my own, joined as many volunteer code committee's as would have me, spent loads of time with them, met the leaders in our industry and some how, by the grace of God maybe, managed to gain their confidence. Got my first opportunity to work overseas in 1999 and have never looked back (with exception of a 5 year gig in Michigan).... are ya sitting down? For the last 3.5 years my gross pay has shown an average of $350K each and every year since.... stick to it boys, welding is most DEFINATELY not a dead end, low paying job, its what YOU make of it.
In case you're curious, no, I do NOT have a degree in ANYTHING but freely admit it would have made the jouirney much easier and a lot quicker!
Congrats on Your success, but don't You miss getting sparks in Your ear?
lol, or the smell of burning hair? To tell you the truth, I absolutely loved welding when I was doing it but recognised very early in my career that no matter how hard you work or how good you do your job, most managment still treats you like sh*t. If it hadn't been for that I probably never would have left. In my opinion, in spite of the downturn in salary, etc., it has to be one of the best careers in the world. Problem is most people don't recognize it as an art... yeah, any goober can stick two pieces of metal together but when we get right down to doing it correctly, with how many processes or how many alloys or how many shapes, thats when the rubber hits the road.
I really can't complain they've always kept me busy even in the slowest of times but as I said I'm quickly running out of room to _grow. That's dam good 350k! However I didn't mean for this to turn into a competition just wanted to get a range on wages.
the best I have done is 54k in Arkansas, that is working aerospace with moderate amount of OT. If I would have stuck it out doing millwright work (travel) I probably would have cleared 80-90k that year but that was buttloads of hours. I have never ever got close to breaking 35k in a job shop, overtime or not.
Honestly EMANRESU, I didnt say what I said to make a competition because I doubt there are any in here who have been as blessed as me. My intent was only to say if you work damned hard for a long time and have very good luck the doors are open.
I wasn't directly referring to your post, I'm, glad you chimed in it's good to see that hard work does pay off. Just hoping to here from everyone not just the big shot's (no offense.) Again I'm glad to here that there are opportunities for big $$$.
I can chime in on jon's point. There are several gentlemen in here that do not have degrees, that worked hard, and elevated themselves to the highest levels of the industry. Though I would temper jon's comment about a degree in that having gone the route I did I soon discovered was an asset not a liability. A point driven home when I presented a paper on Grade 91 at a conference filled with Phd's and was wondering just exactly what I could offer such a crowd. Some of those folks had been involved in its very development. The answer was simple, though I did not arrive at it without some consternation. They were starving for real learning from a perspective from under the hood. What they needed was REAL PRACTICAL knowledge on how to weld the stuff and the REAL PRACTICAL issues involved in doing it well.
What did it look like and how did it react when you lit up on it.
Learn everything you can. Hard work only pays off if you have sense of direction about making it pay off.
well i certainly have a long way to grow to try and match that very impressive. I use to make 65,000 to 70,000 with my hood down
working spot OT here and there. I personally know welders that easily clear 100,000 a yera but there also working 7/12'S a good part of
the time i like to have a life besides work. im still fairly new to inspecting have alot to learn, just bought the study material for the
API 570 examination. Just having a CWI im averaging about 50,000 a year but im not killing myself burning rod lol. When i see a welder
now crampted up in a ball trying to make a weld with the hot sparks engulfing them i just thank the lord its not me in the hole. i wish
i would have gotten into inspection 20 years ago when learning something new seemed much easier. I find that you can teach an old dog
new tricks but will he remember them next week lol. sounds like you've outgrown your little pond and its time to move on to the lake lol
education is the key to your goals I know from personal experience that clases are'nt cheap, books are'nt cheap but the compensation
for having multiple certifications is priceless go get em Joe
I started out in Welding in High School. I stuck with it and went through the Ironworkers Apprentiship in 1980. After a few years Welding with them, the bottom fell out here in the South. Unions pretty much "stuck it to" all of there members. I rigged out a Truck and went to work with National Oilwell.I never looked back. Over time situations presented themselves to me. I taught at a Local College in Houston for awhile and I spent time as a Demo Welder for Hobart and ESAB. I went back to the Oilfield and stayed. I figured out everything there was to know about Rigs. Had a few lucky breaks, made several friends and all was well. Then I had the chance to Start building Oilfield Equipment on my own. I manage to keep a few Welders busy from time to time. Over the Last 10-12 years I have a consistant Mid to High 6 figure Income with my best year in 2008 I made over 7 figures. I am 49 and I am in the middle of a couple of deals now that will probably have me Retired very comfortably within the next 6 months. Welding is a Great Career. Like others have said. It is what you make of it.
I do well for myself, I am only 29 and have worked for myself for over 5 years, sure I have had it tough, but that is all part of the game of life. Last year 2010 was good to me, I have a gig doing plant shutdowns, that is a good chunk of my year. I also have been picking up customers left and right due to the local old timers retiring. This year is starting out strong, a new truck , machine, and a shop are in the future. Not bad for a dumb kid that told all his teachers (except for the "Shop God") that I knew how to weld and was making more money than them.
Last year my gross was around $38k, minus deductions, maintenance, etc., etc., and not so impressive on the "owners salary". But, that is more than double the business I did the year the before(09), December of 2010 was the busiest December in my companies short history(3 or so years). As far as my personal income, can't even tell ya, I might make minimum wage! Figure it's better that I don't know, I might get depressed! hahaha!
Got my degree in welding and fabrication, then a degree in welding engineering. Worked as a welder or in the metal fabrication business the whole time I was in school.
Now I'm making 60K+ as a welding engineer working for the DOE on nuclear reactors.
I decided to get out of the welding game too hard on the body, still do some work on the side for fun.
I started welding in a fab shop at the age of 15 and made $3.50 per hour in 1972, welded all through high school and 2 years at a local Jr. college. Then I went to Lincoln Electric Welding school and learned to weld uphill and futher my welding knowledge. After school I got in with the Boilermakers Union and worked 2 years welding on tanks in several different states. I worked for G.A.T.X. and earned $15.75 hr. Then I moved on to coal power plants for 2 years until I was hired on for an oil refinery in my home town. I could not get into the welding department as it was a bid only job and worked in operations making gasoline for 24 years. Then they opened up a few welding jobs (without a pay cut) and I jumped on it. I had to test out on ASME section IX for my certs on SMAW & GTAW before I got the job permanently but did get to practice some before the test. I have been welding now for 8 years and have made on the average 90K per years with all the benifits. I work approx. 250 hours of ot a year and have worked as much as 900 hrs. 2 years ago I got my AWS CWI and work with it during turnarounds. While I am still here I would like to get my API 570, some NDE certs and possibly API 510?. I know this is a very different path I have taken than the average but I was not happy with my work with this company u n t i l I got back into welding. I now have 32 years in for this company and think I would enjoy using my inspection certs and working part time after retirement. So there is my story, I hope it helps.
Tim Rich,
To do a job you didn't want for 24 years! I wouldn't be able to do that for 24 DAYS!
But, my comment for the original Poster is;
If you are able to do what you love doing, progress in your knowledge and skills, and make a decent income...the actual dollar figure is immaterial. Some of the welders and QC's making over 6 figures spend a lot to make such a respectable salary. That big money often comes with a heavy toll on your relationship with your wife, children, liver...
I try not to work more than 9-10 months a year on the average. Spend a little every year on schools, seminars, and certs. Welding, fitting and the QC thing have provided me with what I think is a better than average income for a working class man, that bought a few toys, some great vacations, and stories I have to downplay to make believable.
Hi all,
My life story in 5 minutes.
Left school at 15 and went to work in an engineering shop.
Cut my thumb off in an automatic hacksaw and had it reattached so that took me out of work for about a year.
Went off the rails a bit for a couple of years and got in a bit of trouble with the authorities.
Got a good kick in the ass from my old man and that got me back on track.
Pouring beers in a bar at 18 (legal drinking age was 20) when a pipeline came through town.Got jealous of all the money flying around so quit my job and went to work as a Trades Assistant (I think you call them Helpers).
Worked my way out of the trench and onto a Sideboom and then ended up back in the trench as a welder.
Started on fill & cap, then ran bead and finally ended up running a tie-in crew.
Went back to my home town and did an 8 week full-time GTAW/SMAW pipewelding course while pouring beers at night to make ends meet.
Bechtel were sponsoring the school so when I finished they offered me a job on the US$1 billion Synthetic Fuel Project (quite a bit of money in 1980).
Finished there and then spent 7 years alternating between gold mines in the jungle in Papua New Guinea and gas processing plants in the Australian desert.
Returned to New Zealand and got married, had kids and spent the next 5 years welding in refineries, power stations, boilers,petro-chem plants and wineries - basically every process in every major industry.
Got my CWI (CBIP NZ) and RT2 in 1996 and that was the end of my welding days.
Have since added the CSWIP CWI (British/European) which has enabled me to chase international work.
I have been lucky enough to work in New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Indonesia, Fiji, Samoa, Singapore, Philippines and now Thailand.
I am now permanently based in Thailand working for an Australian company earning between 350 - 400K gross (cost of living is ridiculously cheap so I can live like a king).
My message is if you have the passion for welding and the ambition the sky is the limit - you can be anything you want to be and go anywhere you want to go.
Good luck with your career,
Regards,
Shane
Hey, look at Obama he did it.
I had to say it
