Where do I go from here

Date 04-01-2008 17:37

You should try your local community college. Check to see what certs are offered per course. You might need to take more than one course to get more than one cert. You could also try a welding training school, but it would be expensive - possibly thousands compared to a few hundred at the CC.

By slb4175 (*)

Date 04-02-2008 05:53

thanks for the help just thought i would try to get a cert or two for my current job at sulzer chemtech
i think im going to leave them though they're getting to the point i dont want to go to work because i have to listen to them complain about things i have no controll over like why someone doesnt produce the numbers they want and why someone wont do what they told me to tell them to do.

seth

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 04-01-2008 23:35

Seth,
You can have certs out the wazooo and when you hire out, you will have to take a welding test. If you can weld, go to places who are looking for welders and tell them you are one. Bring your hood, gloves and safety glasses in case the person ask you if you are ready for a test. I have guys every day who come to me wiht school certs. Great, you have gone to school, I value education, but code requires I test you, not accept papers from a school. Some codes allow testing centers to qualify you, but then again, your school certs will not get you much. If you can weld, somebody will give you a test. If you pass the welding test you probably will get a job.
Showing up with "Certs" is not worth much in the pipe and pressure trades. There are even guys, for $$, will manufacture certifications them for you. And now Section IX does not allow qualification by anothe contractor to be transfered or used by another contractor.
BABRT's

By Tommyjoking (****)

Date 04-02-2008 10:18

If you are interested in working with nonferrous clean metals then try to get a job in a boat shop.....all the tig bead you care to lay...I./E. experience. OR try for a job with a kitchen equipment company...tons of SS and they will be picky about your heat lines....either way tig tig tig. Most serious aerospace jobs will be tig only (lots of alloys). Far as working outside and doing field work....chemical plants, factories and some refrigeration work. Thing is there is not a specific cert that will let you walk on a job...almost all jobs working with exotic/expensive metals are going to have a test procedure in place no matter what card you have in your pocket. So its really not worth your while or money to invest in testing yourself...let the employers do it and let them pay for you gaining experience on their dime. Find some work you like and learn all you can from it then move on.....thats how you build yourself as a welder no matter what the process.

Best regards
Tommy

By slb4175 (*)

Date 04-03-2008 04:55

thanks guys that is what i needed to know but what about ASME B31.3??????????????

WOULDN'T THAT HELP ANY

I have been welding now for about two years and i realy want to go out into the field but dont know where to start as I see they are hiring code welders and such i just want to get as much experience as possible becous I am still young enof not to have anything holding me back but old enof to need something I can learn from im only 20 but what can I say I love to weld just thought I would ask the guys out there who have been there and done that

any help is realy appreciated

seth

By motard1 Date 04-09-2008 04:05

I say blow off schooling. On the job training is the way to go. I went to welding school years ago. I got out and found a whole new world. School can only teach basics, in a controlled environment. In school, we welded on top of tables, or fixtures. On the job, I have found myself dangling from a body harness, basically upside down, tig welding. That was something I never imagined in school. Plus, I started welding crappy metal buildings after I got out of school. I am now certified in aerospace and aviation, structural, and pressure vessel. All ojt. JUST A THOUGHT>

By OBEWAN

Date 04-09-2008 13:45

Yes OJT trumps school, but you have to learn to walk before you run. They always want "experience" to hire in. If you were not certified from a prior job, you can state school certs as "beginning" experience. Maybe someone will then take you for a hire in test. The test is usually a "controlled" environment like school - table top, or fixture, and then just a set of "specimen" plates as opposed to real deal part. Once on the job, things will be different. Especially if you are a field or pressure vessel welder.

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 04-09-2008 15:21

B31.3 requires you to be "QUALIFIED' by ASME Section IX. That means you must take a test either by the emploryer or his designated representative. Certifications from a school, other contractor or anyone else is useless EXCEPT to get you a test.
Code requires you test for every different contractor or emploryer you work for. You test to ASME Section IX and weld to ASME B31.3
Most of the ads you see for "Code"welders are written by HR people and HR is about the most useless, clueless group of people other than drug dealers and child molestors.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 04-10-2008 02:45

When I was looking for a job about 4 1/2 years ago I applied for a furnace operator/welder job [That wasn't what I was looking for, but I figured they might want a tool& die maker / machine builder or millwright as some time and wanted My resume on file]. I asked the HR person what they did at the plant, SHE DID NOT KNOW. The company was Timet, they smelt titanium ore there.