I know the feeling! Just remember my freind; you can replace them far easier than they can replace you!
And it will only get better as the demand for skilled welders increases!

Still I have no illusions about who and what we are. In the eyes of these companies we are nothing but a bunch of plow horses. Just like a farmer would hitch a plow up to a horse and whip his a$$ until he can't pull anymore, in my experience, its pretty much the same with us. When the horse can no longer pull the farmer gets a new horse. He has no loyalty or compasion for the old horse. Nor should he. He has to get the job done. Its the same with most of these companies. You can do a great job at a fair price for them but the minute you can't drop everything you're doing and come running they're on the phone looking for someone else. I'm not complaining just stating a cold, hard reality of the business.

Its a potentialy rough way to live but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love being in almost total control of my own future, meeting new people and working in different places almost everyday.

GH Weidman