Hi Mo64!
Lawrence gave you some good tips there!
I just want to add about having too much wire stickout; If your stickout is too long, and you're not allowed to make a slight increase in your gas flow rate (cfh) on your flow meter then, chances are that you'll lessen the amount of gas coverage also which may cause porosity and ruin the weld. Everything that Lawrence mentioned is correct so I'm just including this possibility also.
Are you you able to see the weld pool comfortably and gage the size of the pool clearly without hindering your travel speed? Make sure that you position your head, body, arms and line of sight so that you do'nt limit your full range of motion because many times with someone just starting out, they may overlook this possibility as to what may be an underlying cause of why they're not moving fast enough at certain locations along the joint. Of course, being that none of us can witness your technique, rate of progression or travel speed as you're welding, the actual joint configuration or the specified welding parameters, this limits us in giving you a real good assessment as to what adjustments you need to make when you're welding in the 2, 3 and 4 positions (2=horizontal, 3=vertical, 4=overhead).
One would think without knowing all of the particulars of course, that one would have to make a slight change in the power source (voltage) or wire feeder (amperage) settings in order to adjust for changes in position and still stay within the specified parameters in order to achieve acceptable results for each position but in reality, this is'nt always the case.
Like Lawrence mentioned, if the employer has parameters that they won't let you change then they must have folks that can make it work so, you may need to make adjustments related to your position in observing the weld pool clearly without limiting your range of motion or your travel speed for that matter and incorporate some or all of the tips that Lawrence suggested. If this is indeed the case, then you also might want to use a welding helmet with a larger size lens so that you can observe and maintain your travel speed better which seems to be one of the problems here - if you're able to have access to one from either purchasing one or borrowing one from a friend. Is your vision corrected? In other words do you wear glasses or some other form of vision correction? I ask this because maybe you might need to use a clear magnifying lens (cheaters) in your welding helmet if you cannot clearly gage the size of the weld pool from the distance you're observing the weld pool...
In any event, I wish you the best the next time around and most important of all - be patient because if you're frustrated, you'll lose your patience, do'nt forget to breathe, relax and never give up!!!
Respectfully,
SSBN727 Run Silent... Run Deep!!!