NEED INFO ABOUT CAREER CHANGE TO INSPECTION

Date 03-19-2007 11:55

This is truly a network based industry. The first two to three years you will have to take every chitty job that comes along to build your resume, network and your reputation. It will not take long before you develop friendships and relationships which will keep your career humming along. Get your CWI. Talk to other third party inspectors. Find out who they work for and contact them. Develop a resume. Keep it updated. Keep in contact with your network. You never know who knows who who knows who is looking for YOU. Put you resume up on NDT.org and InspectionJobs.com. Work the phone with inspection companies.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the road.

By hogan

Date 03-19-2007 17:34

with your experience i might suggest the cwi, and then look into the api 570. the 570 test is a lot more difficult but it will allow you to work as you desire for probably more than you make now

By Ariel D C (**)

Date 03-20-2007 15:35

it's best to start as a QC inspector in fabrication shop of structural steel work where you can learn to read shop drawings with many welding symbols, preparation of in-house reports, meet third party inspectors, witness different types of NDT etc

By hogan

Date 03-20-2007 16:38

i would hope that someone with 15 years experience as a pipe fitter/welder could read drawings and understand welding symbols. i would have to disagree that a fab shop is the place to start. starting out in a testing lab or geo-technical engineering firm would give a stronger foundation for your future, in my opinion.

By Ariel D C (**)

Date 03-21-2007 15:13 Edited 03-21-2007 15:18

As in-house QC inspector in fab shop, you will have a chance to do inspection work starting from verification of raw material up to the final stage - painting. Welding symbols on piping isometric drawings may not be extensive compare to the drawings for structural steel.

Testing lab may be a good place to start but not easy to get employed if you have no inspection experiences and qualification certificates... especially if the testing lab is providing third party inspection services.

So I think, fab shop is the best training ground for novice inspector. I started as in-house QC in fab shop and I learnt a lot from third party inspectors who checked those items that I'd been inspected.

What about others, can you tell where / and how you started as an Inspector.

Thanks

Ariel D C

By vagabond (***)

Date 03-22-2007 04:28

Thanks for all the input folks. Right now I am thinking I will go with the CWI and try for my 570 or 510 or both in a year or so. As for jobs I'm really going to try to stay in the field even as a CWI. I have never been much into fab shops or the great indoors. Give me a nice co-gen or a right of way any day!! Anyhow I've got to start getting my paperwork together etc. and who knows if workmans comp writes me a check for vocational rehab from my carpal tunnel I may take the CWI and 570 both. But as I am funding my own way right now I'm looking at getting some money stashed this season and doing the CWI in august or so.

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 03-22-2007 12:14

To qualify for the 570, 510 and 653, you must have EXPERIENCE in inspection! Get your CWI then 2-3 years as an inspector, then you can qualify for the API programs. I know people who have falsified their applications and had some Billy Joe Bob sign off as their supervisoe then send the check to API. They take the Code West Prep class, pass the test and their papers are as good as mine. Do it right. It will not take long for your employer to find out you know bipkis about 570 if you try to bluff your way through. These API certifications carry a lot of weight and responsibility. Do it right. I hope to see you on the road!

By vagabond (***)

Date 03-22-2007 17:10

Ok I went and read thru the qualifications for the API tests and I definitely see your point. It states in one I need at least 1 yr of inspection and in the other, (I forget whether it's the 510 or 570) that I need I yr in supervision of inspection. I think my experience in the field will be applicable for some of the other qualifications as I have a good deal of time welding and fitting around boilers, vessels etc. I definitely don't want to take shorcuts and am planning to learn as thoroughly as I can how to be a good inspector. One of the reasons I chose this career path is that I think there are far to many people working as CWI's who do not have a good background in the trades. I had an inspector last year who was 25 and said he'd been a CWI for 5 yrs. I asked if he had to prove 5 yrs code related work and he said yes he did. Than I asked what type of code related work he'd been doing from 15-20?????????? Still haven't gotten my answer to that one. As with a lot of things it seems there are guidelines in place to become a CWI but how much checking is really done into the backgrounds of the people taking the tests??? I and most welders I know feel probably at least a third of the people checking our work aren't really qualified to do it but they have a shingle which says they are. . . . . .Not trying to offend anyone, just my 2 cents. There are definitely a lot of good inspectors out there as well, and I guess the bad ones are there to make us appreciate the good?? Thanks again for any input on this thread.

By hogan

Date 03-22-2007 17:19

i knew a guy that took his cwi at 19, claiming credit for welding in boy scouts. i know of a few other with similar history that were cwi's. this is an area that people know will not be verified. it has always bothered me, but aws doesn't seem to think it is important enough to verify.

By Mwccwi

Date 03-24-2007 02:15 Edited 03-24-2007 02:19

hogan,
Seems like you hit the sore spot that prompted me to get my CWI. Let me tell the story that started in Central Texas. I began my welding career in a pre-cast concrete company mostly stud welding, anchor plate welding and repair to the forms and concrete mixer and shoots got to see plenty of different outside inspectors ICC, ICA, AWS (only one of these). Left that and bought a used Lincoln weld-n-power 125 amp machine that fit nicely in the trunk of my Chevy. Monte Carlo. I supplemented that with this a mini torch set and eked by doing odd jobs as I pursued other interests. Then went in the milling and grain business found a niche being a seed processor for seed stock and of course some of us just can't stay away from welding so I caught myself doing welding repair and maintenance which lead to working on the mills grower's equipment then right into custom fabrication of some pretty crazy farmer invention/ideas to make their lives easier. As the mills in my area began to see financial trouble everyone who knew me was suggesting going professional, 'because I was well versed in welding because I bought every book I could find and afford. I thought this was good Idea so I took a few continuing Ed classes (which I really enjoyed) to get myself some paper for employers to look at. Went into welding aerial lifts (cherry pickers, scissor lifts, and man buckets) which lead to some new learning and experiences. All the same time enrolled into an Associate degree program for welding while building lifts at night shift.
Back to the subject, during the continuing ed classes I over-heard a conversation between a couple of CWIs about this pass or repeat free training program and on of the companies that sent there employees to the school for print reading made a comment that stuck. He said instant do or die train to the test that they give are hurting the AWS CWI program by send unknowledgeable dumbaXXes into the once respected field. (Kind of made me think of semi truck driver cracking on JB Hunt's driver training). So after I graduated I took the CWI test, Kind of to prove I knew my stuff to a coworker engineer and to make JB Hunt jokes at the test site, well I didn't see any of the (JB Hunt type) pass or repeat free Inspector trainees (those places do at there location). Shortly after family issues brought me to Indiana and it seemed that the CWI credential scared more employers than it helped me, good thing I hand the welding skill and experience to get me in once I started to omit the CWI from the applications. Finally, I got into the job I have now which I really enjoy, and actually asked for the CWI and paid for my ASNT ACCP II cert. Only it seems that this area has some messed up issues with what is deemed welding knowledge and quality, I meet 20 welder veterans that bet me pizzas that you can't weld vertical up MIG. Anyway- even though I don't make enough to keep the ends meeting, Training is quite enjoyable and rewarding, which lead to me getting the CWE with the hope that I'll make the difference. I still dream of the romantic welding lifestyles that I read of on this forum and catch myself wishful without knowing how to get there. Family restraints are the excuse I use when my hart is telling I should let my nut hang and chase the romance. Speaking of romance Read the Forward of the Jefferson Welding encyclopedia to that is R*O*M*A*N*T*I*C.
Sorry I'll turn it off now, hell I'm starting *itch like sourdough and run on like Stephan (know offence intended) just sharing how much like a family this forum is to me, See YA'll

By CWI555

Date 03-24-2007 05:38

There is an ethics clause in QC1. Any one of these individuals in which is clear (such as 19 years old), that they could not have the requisite 5 years experience, could be simply turned in to AWS. This does not happen however; because everyone else has a problem with being a rat.
It turns into an ethical dilemma. No one likes the stigmata of being a rat, but they don't like the idea that some snot nosed kid of 19 is out there representing themselves as a CWI either, and at that, giving the general welding public a bad taste in their collective mouths.
So who's fault is it really? It's everyone's fault. AWS for not checking, the individual for lying, and the people like us who let these guys go buy when discovered. By extension, when something fails that kills someone that should have been caught by that CWI but wasn't for lack of experience, everyone is again to blame. Something to consider.

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 03-22-2007 20:08

You have a good plan. This is a networking business. If people find out you will cut corners, they know where to set the line. Then they want to move it. Doing welding inspection as a CWI for 2-3 years especially on the road will prepare you for the more demanding API work. Plus you will develop contacts that WILL pay off in the future. Just never compromise. I do not pall around or buddy up with the welders. When you are drinking with them, it can get hard on a test to tell them to spool up. I do not hang out in bars because tomorrow I may need to make a critical decision. As a career, inspection to me is rewarding. I make low 6 and all I show up with is my bag of inspection tools, code books and what resides between my ears. But it has been earned and I am proud I can work for every customer again I have worked for in the past. Maybe not some of the inspection companies, but my motto is "you take a man's money, you ride for his brand". Keep working and get that CWI, get the experience then get those API certifications.

By vagabond (***)

Date 03-25-2007 20:59

Just out of curiosity you make low 6 figures working for yourself as an inspector or for a company?? I realized the pay was pretty good but I guess I didn't think it was low 6. I realize of course like anything experience demands more pay and so on. I still don't really have a good idea of what newbie CWIs make and how many jobs there are out there. I guess that's my main reason for holding back on doing the training is that a couple of grand out of pocket is a lot if there are no jobs to be had. I have run into a lot of guys over the years w/ a CWI that are still welding (granted probably for a number of reasons!!) But when I make a career change I want to get out from under my hood fer good!! Unless I get discovered as a metal sculptor but that is a whole nother thread LOL.

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 03-26-2007 11:40

I work through companies. I tried being independent, but after insurance, DOT, drug and alcohol test and compliance programs I was spending 8-10K a year doing paperwork. Then add on the cost of the certification. $$$+++. It all is on how you hire out. Sometimes you get on by the hour, sometimes by the day , others by the month. Some pay OT, others do not. Some pay sub and tools, others do not. You find out what companies to work for and what customers will pay. I have a following of customer companies I have worked for in the past. When they call I get in touch with one of the inspector companies and see which one will give me the best offer. After a year or so in the business, you figure it out, but it is not like going down to Trinity and filling out an application and doing an interview.

By gyadon

Date 03-26-2007 13:48 Edited 03-26-2007 13:52

I also make good $$$$$$ but do not expect it over night. I have spent several years building a repuation. I took any job I could and net worked. I too grip when I have to send my $$ to AWS but it has been worth every cent for me. As was said after a year or so in the business you will find how it works. The shortage of good welders have made me alot of $$. Do not think this easy either I work 60 to 80 hours a week, have not been home in 2 mo. If you want to work it is there just don't expect a walk in the park. Every welder I see thinks I have it made, (I do but I put alot into it.) I have tried to soak up as much info from this forum as I can every one has been great. Thanks to each and everyone.

Gary

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 03-26-2007 20:34

You have summed it up. Look for 2 years to develop your skills and network. It takes a touch to tell a welder, today aint your day, without getting him mad and your butt kicked. The $$$ will come in 3-5 years. Right now get the CWI, do the time then start adding the API certifications. If you follow pipelines or do terminal/tank work a NACE level I or II can come in handy. ANYTHING to stay busy. Right now that is not a problem, but there have been years.......

By vagabond (***)

Date 03-27-2007 00:41

I don't expect being an inspector will be easy. I have to agree with you about the shortage of GOOD welders out there. I guess I just want a job where I can stay connected to the industry w/o welding. Anyone in this for any length of time will agree w/me that it gets in your blood, I think. I have days when I swear I'm going to leave construction for good and go drive a truck or ANYTHING but this. Buuuut at the bottom of the bad outfits, A****** boss's and broken promises is one indisputable truth. We get to build stuff and get paid pretty decent to do so. There is nothing like the feeling you get when a turbine you piped is brought online, or a boiler fired up during a steam blow-down. That I am convinced is why the lifer roadwhores are out there, because we like building it. We want to drive by later with our kids or grandkids, point at it and tell them we built that. Also because of the people we work with. I am sure that my next career as an inspector will be as rewarding as welding has been. I guess I think I'll like the work alright enough, but I am sure of one thing I will like the people I'm around (OK most of the time!!!!!!!!!!)

A pipefitter after having died meets St. Peter at the pearly gates and asks him "Are there any rig welders in heaven?" No St. Peter says no rig welders at all. OK says the fitter I'll try it out. After a few days the fitter is hanging out at the diner and in walks a clean-cut guy with a perfectly starched khaki shirt and welding hat on. He is also wearing a gold welding hood necklace, and sporting a custom belt buckle and shined cowboy boots. While he sits down the fitter storms out and heads straight for St. Peter. " I thought you said there weren't any doggone rig welders in heaven!! I just saw one down at the diner!!" He fumes. What did he look like? St. Peter asks. After the fitter describes him St. Peter says " Oh that was God, he always wanted to be a rig welder!"

By ZCat

Date 03-28-2007 15:55

How many hours do you inspectors generally have to work? I'm 48, and for a welder that's getting on up there, and I'm getting burned out on working 60 hours a week all the time. It kinda looks like the inspectors work more hours than the welders...

By hogan

Date 03-28-2007 16:18

you can usualy find what ever amout of work you want from 2 hours a day to 80 hours a week

By webbcity (***)

Date 03-28-2007 16:29

hogan , i usually prefer a job from 12:00 to 1:00 with 1 hour off for lunch meal included . and actualy have found some. good luck . willie

By gyadon

Date 03-28-2007 16:23

I inspect for the pipefitters, boilermakers, ironworkers, millwrghts, and elect. They work their shift and leave. Who does the paper work? Sometimes one craft might be working eight hours but the other is working ten plus. On an ASME project there are weld tracking to be done as well as D1.1 projects. NDT to look after sch XRAY, checking Xray flim, walking down P&IDs, taking care of Common Arc program and on and on. There is alot more to the inspection field than showing up to work. There is more than what I listed but there is only so much time. Meeting!

Gary