Getting out the military soon 9 months exactly, but anyway I have been a welder off and on for about 7 years no certificates to show for though, I am a Aviation Structural Mechanic (AM) love welding everything about it I am farelly good at stick welding and just now learning TIG and its coming along great. Just wondering what steps I need to take to start a good career. Also what pays the best welding on the East coast (North Carolina) I have heard pipe welding and some said peteroleum that I have read. But I guess that is Mid West, any help will definetly be appreciated thanks.
If you have been working in the 2219 and want to stay in the aerospace world then get familiar with D17.1 and hunt up a job in the industry. Lots of aerospace work for good TIG welders.
By Lawrence 
Date 03-25-2008 17:03
Edited 03-25-2008 17:36
West,
Thank you for your service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was an AMS back during the Reagan administration... Stationed out of NAS Lemoore. A4's, A7's and F/A18's
I would suggest you get yourself to your station AIMD 500 Div. (Intermediate Level Maintainence Division) and make friends with the folks in the Airframe Division especially Work Center's 51C (welding) and 51F (NDT)....
In 51C, See if they will give you pointers, let you practice GTAW, they should have scrap material and componants laying about. Tell them you can stick weld and see if they might let you build them some racks or something in exchange for training on GTAW of Stainless, Aluminum and Inconel.
Talk to your Senior Chief and the Senior at the AIMD maybe you could get a TAD assignment for the rest of your hitch if you can sell them on your SMAW skills and their need for you to build them something nice....... If no TAD you could still hang around when things are slow (if they are ever slow) and pick up pointers.
Get what you can out of SAM now!
It can't hurt to ask.
For FL East Coast, you could get around $18 in our town as a D17.1 aerospace welder (at my current employer).
You could haul down $23 an hour in the shipyards, but would probably need to know how to do pipe.
Field pipe welding would bring the biggest wages, but would require the highest skill level, and possibly lots of travel, and mabye even your own mobile welding rig. I wouldnt make any investments until after I was able to pass a pipe weld cert test. If you could get some pipe welding in a shipyard that would be a better start.
The aerospace TIG is a better environment though. We have an air conditioned shop, quiet, with music and white tile floors that shine. TIG is very clean. Shipyards are VERY dangerous. People get killed!
Our aerospace TIG is mostly tubing and aluminum sheet metal boxes. If you can get a copy of AWS D17.1 you will see what the welder cert tests require.
Well I have done everything you said to do I am Intermediate level AM and I am TAD welding now getting a lot of TIG experience, and also know a lot of NDI guys but they are also all TAD but its cool, just love to weld and still getting the hang of TIG, but I weld with stick so much easier and better, should I just stick with SMAW or go to TIG welding, I mean do you make about the same kind of money doing either, I mean I dont know the buisness part making money. Just want to have a plan when I get out.
Thanks for all the help
If I were you, I'd learn stick and TIG equally...there are lots of good paying jobs w/ lots of overtime where you have to TIG and stick on pipe. that's called a combo welder. they TIG the root and 2nd pass (hot pass) and then stick weld the rest of it. it's good to diversify...you never know what jobs will come up, so when one contractor's workload drops off you can easily find another job somewhere else. learning how to MIG or fluxcore weld isn't a bad idea either.
tig welders in general, make more money
diversified welders make more money.
if you like tig and you like money, I'd say get proficient.
Thanks for the info I have 9 straight months of TIG welding M-F so I will get better I have the drive for it, and a question does welding Titanium pay a lot I have heard there is a lot to it, and what other kind of exotic jobs are out there, like nuclear plant welders or what not just trying to get a feel of whats out there did some searching online and found nothing but basic welding applications, thanks for all the comments
take a look at this website. look under the nuclear link to the left, then list all jobs. find out who is hiring welders, and you have your contacts. Also you can find out what type of welding is in demand. Being military will also help with security clearances. There are also other fields listed like construction, aerospace, ect.. Good luck. and thank you
