My Daughters to-be Father in law is a long time boilermaker.....He seems to work as much as he wants to and is pulling around 100k a year with several months off.  Mid South area.  Here the local is always advertising for the apprenticeships programs they run....Its rough work, the welding can be pretty tough as well....but can be rewarding.

Good luck
Tommy

The better you can weld and the smaller you are, the more you will work.;-)  If your a good all around welder, you will be able to pick and choose your work after your apprenticeship.  If your Local is close to a lot of industry then there will most likely be lots of work year round at times.  It might be slow at times to, but with unemployment and the amount of coin you have saved up in your account will get you through the dry spell.

I'm a Boilermaker. If you are interested in that type of work I would suggest it if you have the chance to get in. The apprentice pay is good, the training is good, and the current pay/benefits are even better.

It can be hot, cramped, dirty work with lots of noise. It can also be a gravy train. It depends on the job and how you mesh with others.

I went through apprentice classes as a 39-40 year old who had been welding for 20+ years with quite a few years of boiler experience. I think the apprentichship programs are very good.

Gerald Austin