You don't HAVE to have experience in welding in order to learn NDT. But it helps in understanding what you are testing and why.
I can't think of anything that will help in just 4 days, other that what you are already doing, that is net surfing for general info. I would just go in with eyes and ears open and take it from there and enjoy the learning experience.
It has always been my personal belief that a person can do nearly anything he/she sets the mind to do. If you do find yourself in over your head, just keep swimming. It really doesn't matter how deep the water is, you always swim along the surface. You will know what else you need to learn when you're done.
I hope all goes well for you.
Chet Guilford
Hi Jen,
I agree with Chet. But don't let all the new terminology get to you when you start in on those classes. You'll feel very overwelmed if you have never heard of the terms that will be used. Take good notes, this is very important. After you finish your classes you'll need those notes to refresh your memory when trying to put this new info to practice. Where are you going to take these classes? I spent some time at Krautkramer's NDT school in Lewistown, PA.
Good Luck and wish you the best,
John Wright
The UT class is a week long and the PT and MT are combined into one week. I was so excited getting into all this. I worked at DC COOK at their last outage and I loved the whole thing and I just wanted to throw myself into something so I could become a perminant part in all that and now that I am ready to go and do all this I am a little intimadated (didn't spell that right).
Well once I get certified, because you know I will ;) , what are some good company's that hire on entry level. I have talked to NIC and Cooperheat but I was wondering what others might be out there.
Jen
Jen......the courses are not anywhere near long enough. I hate to pop your bubble but there is no way for you to become "certified" with your experience. However, if you get good grades and study like a maniac you might just have a few entry level doors open..... possible (if your lucky) as a Level I. I personally wish you all the luck in the world, it's a tough one to break into but great once you do! By the way, I worked DC Cook too and am just over in Auburn Hills. Try US Inspection for a start.
OK mister yes I know its just for level I certification. I KNEW THAT. I am not some dumb blonde that jus tjumped into something not looking. That is why I asked if anyone knew of places accepting people as entry level. I want to go back and get the rest but I thought it would be better to get some job experience under me before I start taking levels II and III. I came on here because I freaked out a little bit and wanted someone to pump me up, thats it.
-
Go get em' Jen,
You gotta start somewhere. Get your Level I courses and gain some experience, it will mean more to you when you take the last 40 hours for Level II UT. Working as Level I, you'll most likely be paired up with a Level II who you can bounce questions off of. I didn't get my Level II for several months after taking Level I. It helped me have time to absorb more of what was being thrown my way. I had people in my Level II class that had been there all week taking both Level I and II UT. Some of them were overwelmed and had a hard time, others picked it up with no problem. The math was hard for some, because they hadn't used trig since highschool. I was a structural detailer and was very familiar with working a triangle. I don't think they are trying to discourage you in any way, just want you to be prepared for the hard journey ahead.
Keep your determination,
John Wright
Jen,
Ron is right in that our comments are made in the dark. We don't know your employment background or anything else. I can say that although there have been a few misunderstandings in this forum from time to time, I really believe everyone has the best of intentions.
There has been a lot of advice here, but the fact that you are on the forum asking questions shows that you have a desire to learn. Plus, why else would someone enroll in an NDT course unless they really want to. That alone will carry you wherever you want to go.
You don't need luck on this because you can make it happen.
Chet Guilford
Easy there Rosey, The comments are made in the dark, not intending to cause harm just saying things as we see them.
We have Level II's in our shop that got there pedigrees in about the same amount of time and they not only don't know any thing about welding they don't want to know any thing about it.
Not an ideal situation but they have plenty of other none welding related work also.
I am sure you will go far in the trade if you have love for it. Its a close knit industry that few people grasp the emmensity of.
If you confine your self to UT, PT & MT work only and do not learn how the codes effect them you will handy cap your self considerably
Its not that I don't want to learn to weld I do but I want to do this to and this is what I jumped at first. You see what I am saying.
Sorry about all that anyways. Just real tense about all this I've been out of school for a little while and I'm kinda throwing all my money and heart into this. I just really want it to work.
Thanks for the support
Jen
Hey go for it. You will never regret it. I have to deal with out side Level II & III Inspectors who work for consulting Engineering firms very often and very few have any welding experience. But they know how to read a spec. and determine if we meet the requirments.
Some times they come in just to see what some of the things they are dealing with really look like.
That may sound strange but you really don't need to perform an ERO or TIR to be able to interpret it (Those are not welding related tasks but they require Level II Inspectors).
You are on the right path and you have the riight idea. No one who knows any thing about the work will expect you to know every thing.
You will need to learn how to referance & understand specifications at times. You will need to develope as much skill in that area as you will in performing NDE task.
Jen,
Just try to relax, enjoy the class, and be confident that you CAN do it. Others before you have succeeded, you can too.
Chet Guilford
Rosey,
You should be back by now, We want to know how your week went in MO. Learn anything you can share with us about attending one of those NDT/NDE workshops? Great? Fair? Just Ok? Bad? Never again? How did it rate?
Just curious,
John Wright
You should keep in mind that although UT, PT and MT are inspection processes often used to test welds their use is not exclusive to welds or even metals, possibly with the exception of MT.
Dave
Hey Jen, you didn't tell us how long the course is. I agree with the others in here who have said you don't necessarily HAVE to have experience with welding but, I will say this, it will make life easier! So, having said that, how about telling us a little more about the courses you are signed up for? Keep looking for responses here! I also recommend (as I did in a different thread) that you obtain the AWS CERTIFICATION MANUAL FOR WELDING INSPECTORS. This will provide an excellent source of study that starts out at a reasonable pace. Let us know how you're doing?
There are Numerous UT, MT, PT there that have NO training in welding. Two seperate field. Don't worry about it. As you get into the inspection processes you will come across various types of products and welding may or may not be one of them.
Training or experience in welding isn't needed but its nice to have in my opinion because, ITS A GREAT JOB!.
NDT isnt bad either but no matter how hard I try, I can't build anything with a UT machine. I could probably rig it up as some sort of fish finder though :)
Best wishes and have a good day
Gerald Austin
UT or similar processes is used for everything from mapping underground structures, usually for oil exploration, to measuring paint thickness, to imaging unborn babies and other body structures. Bats and dolphins use it for navigation in the dark. PT and MT are used for prediction of fatigue failure, hopefully before something embarassing happens inside that airplane motor for example. Most of these other users can't weld either, surely not the bats and dolphins. I've not taken these courses but I'm betting that whatever boning up you can do on geometry and trigonometry will help. In any case I wish you well. Remember, others before you have done this and succeeded, there is no reason why you can't do it too.
Bill
Rosey,
How did your week in MO go?
John Wright
Ok Jen- Jan 13 plus 4 days plus 2 weeks is Jan 31 (today). You should be home soon. You've got people here who are rooting for you. It's time to give it up. How did it go. We hope well but want to hear in any case.
Bill
Anybody hear how it turned out?
Not a peep!
HEY ALL.... I just got back. I ended up taking 4 different classes. Level 2's in UT MT and PT. aced them all :) I am super excited about it all. Now all I have to do is land that job.
SOOOOOOOO if you know of anyone looking ;)
Thank you all for your support and I will definitely write back to let you know when I do snag that job.
Love you all
Jen
By -
Date 02-29-2004 03:26
they hire girl welders in major major companies?
To Jen- congratulations and good luck finding a job.
To oxyfuelwelder- First, Jen never claimed to be a welder, in fact the opposite is true. Second, there is little about this craft that would eliminate a woman from consideration. And third, if any substantial company were to automatically disqualify women from almost anything they could expect trouble from many sources. In World War II women proved capable of many jobs traditionally done by men. Watch Memphis Belle those B-17s were built by crews that included substantial numbers of women.
Bill
Bill you rock.
and Oxy you better listen to this guy
Jen
Hi Rosey,
Glad to hear from you, many were wondering how it went. I'm so glad you found it interesting enough to stick around for Level II's instruction. Take care and hope you'll grab a job to put all this to work for you.
John Wright
Jen, congratulations!!!! Okay, now that you've aced these methods you better get ready to travel!!! The only way I found of succeeding in this business, at least until you've "paid your dues" is to go to the work, because it won't come to you! Try these job shopping sites: www.roadtechs.com, www.inspectionjobs.com, and you may want to update and send your resume to a few jobshop company's like NIC in Ft. Meyer, Florida for example. Also, go into the AWS Jobfind and have a look in there from time to time. A couple of other job shopping sites to check on: www.monster.com and www.flipdog.com.
Best of luck and welcome to our world!
Congratulations!
Jen, What part of the country (world) are you in and where would you like to work?
First off thank you.
I live up here in Michigan but I have no ties here so I could work just about anywhere.
Jen; drop me an e-mail at my work address: jlambert@energysteel.com
Since I also live and work in Michigan, I can point you in some right directions and depending where you live in Michigan, maybe even introduce you to the company we use to do our NDE.
HEY ALL
Keep your fingers crossed. Looks like I may be getting a job with caterpillar down in Peoria
Great News!
John Wright
Good Luck.
That's in my neck of the woods.
Brian J. Maas
HEY. Apparently like everyone else out there CAT wants me to have some experience too. I just spent a whole lot of money to get me no where. O WELL thanks for all the support though you all have been great.
Jennifer
No you didn't Jenifer!
If somethings worth doing there are lots of people doing it. Hang in there and let them know they may as well put you on the pay role because there not going to hear the last of you until they do.
Don't expect to walk in to a top pay postion, just get in and get some stick time under you. Not only do you need to show you can do the job but that you will do the job. Make your self noticed.
Rosey,
I think I would keep in touch with CAT and let them know you will still be availible when they can't find that person with all that experience very easily. They may just have to let you gain that experience with them should no one else meet their expectations.
Have you seen the poster where the frog is being swallowed by the pelican, but the frog's arms are hanging outside the pelican's mouth and his hands are around the pelican's throat? The message is... to never give up! :)
John Wright
For heavens sake don't give up now. Cat must employ dozens of NDT people so it's probably worth being something of a pest there. Smaller companies are much more likely not to have rigid requirements for employment, try them. Be willing to consider a job as a helper so you can get some experience.
Watch out, inspirational story coming- Two frogs fall into a pitcher of cream. They swim around for a while and finally the first frog says "There's no hope, we'll never get out of this" and with that he stops swimming, sinks to the bottom and drowns. The other frog thinks "well I don't see a way out either but I'll just keep swimming as long as I can". After a while the turbulence from all that swimming churns the cream into butter, the frog climbs on top and jumps out of the pitcher.
Good luck
Bill
Jen,
Anything worthwhile takes time. You WILL get where you want to go, you just have to take a detour every now and then..
I was thinking you might want to apply at some of the inspection agencies, both local and national companies. It means being a road warrior for a bit if you are hired, but it is a good way to gain experience for your resume. Plus, you will meet a lot of people who might be good contacts later on.
I didn't take your post as meaning you are quitting because I know you worked hard to get your qualifications and that tells me a bit about you. But I think "Hang in there" is still appropriate.
Chet Guilford
You all are great. I'm hangin on thats for sure but I have been getting all these great oppurtunities that keep getting snatched away because I have no experience. It just gets a little frustrating when you have bills to pay and basically no income to pay them with.
ANY HOW..... thanks for keepin my spirits up you all!!!!!
Jenny
Jenny;
I must have left at least 4 messages and threads for you to contact me. I am also in Michigan and may be able to hook you up with an NDE firm. I am in Auburn Hills (about 30 miles north of Detroit) where are you?
HEY MAN..
Hey I think there has to be something wrong with my e-mail then. I wrote to you a number of times but then you would just write back saying I didn't. Heres what I will do. I think that you left me a number in one of them and I will try you that way other wise you can call me 2694221751.
I HAVE BEEN TRYING promise
thanks Jon
JENNY
Jenny, I'll give you a call later today (March 16th) and put you in touch with an inspection company here in southeastern Michigan (Rochester Hills area). Before I ask you to call them I will call their Level III and give them a "heads-up" always happy to help someone along the way hope it works in this case! :)
HEY ALL,
I have an interview in NEW YORK I leave Sunday keep your fingers crossed for me.
JENNY
Hey ROSEY!
I wish ya the best in my hometown! The Big Apple!!!
If ya never been there before, prepare yourself to be overwhelmed by the sights and sounds and that's no overstatement!!!
I no longer live there but, I still go back to visit every once in awhile and I still get overwhelmed by the sights and sounds even though I was born and raised in NYC...
Here's a tip: watch out where you park because they, meaning parking enforcement will salivate when they notice that you have out of state plates or a rental plates!!! They have no qualms at all about towing your vehicle and charging you a small fortune to release it from the pound!
I do'nt mean to scare you but, this is reality in NYC... It does'nt hurt to also carry a can of pepper spray either in case some idiot gets real dumb on you so, enjoy the place where I'm proud to come from but also, never forget to "watch your six" while you're there because it's one of the most densely populated cities in this great land of ours!!!
I'll be rooting for you!
Respectfully,
SSBN727 Run Silent... Run Deep!!!
Well see thanks for all that but I am going to Syracuse, NY not NYC. Although I suppose I'll have to watch out for some of the same things.
Jenny
Rosey I have been welding for a long time, went back to a tech. welding school in Show Low, Az. and found out that I had learned very little in all those years. I also overloaded my confidents I go to Troy Ohio to the Hobart Centre to take my C.W.I. test in May.
Four days isn't time enough for you to do anything but scare yourself silly.
My advice eat well, get plenty of rest, do homework every night and NEVER EVER go out drinking.
WELL..... I am no longer looking at this as the career I will be jumping into. I just wanted to thank you all for all your support and encouragement. I am going to be going back to school in the fall to take up Dental Hygiene once again. I figure third times the charm. Hopefully this will click and I won't be sitting somewhere else complaining and whining about how hard everything seems to be.
THANK YOU
Jennifer
Referring back to jon20013's offer above, if you haven't followed up on that you should. An introduction is a very valuable door opener. Whatever happens I wish you well. Come back from time to time and let us know how you're doing.
Bill
Rosey,
I have been following this thread and no offense but, DON'T GIVE UP SO QUICKLY! You started this thread in the middle of January. 3 months to get training and then look for a job is not very long. If you like it at all, if you did well in your training so far, if you don't want to waste the time and money invested in the last 3 months, give it some time. No doubt you will enter any position as a trainee, but everyone else here in the forum was a trainee at the beginning. Look back at your first posts and see how excited you were back in January. Give it some more time.
Jen,
Don't give up, Do keep in touch.
John Wright
