I'm currently located in Hawley, MN - smack in between Fargo, ND and Detroit Lakes, MN. I have NO experience in welding, of any sort. I am interested in getting into welding, but I keep seeing everyone say that you have to have 5 years of school, 5 years of on-the-job training, and multiple certifications just to be considered for getting hired. Really, this is asinine to assume that someone wanting to get a new career would have to go through more hell than a doctor or lawyer, but it keeps creeping up from other people so it's starting to seem valid.
I am 30 years old, have a wife and daughter. I remember stories from my grandfather that worked in welding for 45 years, and taught part-time during that, that welding was an incredibly fun career, something that you could truly take pride in what you were doing and creating. I've been pounding away at my current career for 9 years, earned a bachelor's and master's degree, and yet I'm still barely making anything above $30,000. I keep hearing about guys working in welding that are raking in over $65,000 and working less than 50 hours per week (compared to my 75 hour average per week).
As I said, I'm married and have a daughter, so I have no desire to leave them behind and have to travel for work. My grandfather worked at the same facility (Ingersoll-Rand/Cabot) most of his welding career, and was home every evening in time to do things with his family. He was not on-call 24/7/365. Are these types of welding careers dead and gone?
So, here are the questions:
What does it take to get into welding?
Do you have to go to tech school before anyone will even look at you?
Are there apprenticeships that take on 100% rookies?
Are you required to join a union and lose all your wages to their "dues?"
Do you have to provide your own tools and equipment?
What is the earning potential?
glyphrunner,
First let me say that the welding industry has a wide variety of welding applications and needs. Varying from light shop welding all the way to large cross country pipelines, with so much in between it would take quite some time to go in to.
Here are my answers to your questions, and hold tight becuase you will get alot more answers from others that you will have to evaluate and apply to your specific situation.
#1-The desire and drive.
#2- NO
#3-YES
#4-No requirement to join a union
#5-Job specific, maybe yes-maybe no
#6-Unlimited-It all depends on you and the amount of answer #1 that you have.
From your post I can say that you will have to start at an entry level position where ever you go. But I am sure that you realize that you must crawl before walking, and walk before running.
How fast you move through these "stages" in a welding career will be greatly effected by question #1 answer.
I hope this helps a little.
Good luck,
John
Real quick before I slide out for the day....use the search feature at the top of the page as some of these questions have been answered recently. Maybe search "apprenticeship" or "wages". As for your question about union dues, they are usually small so you won't lose all of your wages paying them. With your extensive education you may be able to leapfrog some of the normal basic courses that tech school would require depending on the school you choose. If I had a Masters degree and was struggling to make 30k a year I would definitely be looking for something else. Most likely you can earn Journeyman status within 5-7 years and maybe sooner as there are other jobs besides welding in this industry that you may find worthwhile and more lucrative. Pipefitting, Boilermaking, Plant Operations, heck even scaffold builders can make 50k a year, Safety, Iron working, are just a few avenues you might want to explore to get your money right.
Also, with your degrees, I'm reminded of a good friend who has no formal training as a welder (he can weld OK sorta, but is 2 hours short of an MS in Agriculture) and has taken a management roll in a fab shop and is close to a 6 figure income (he was my bartender when we first met).
As jrw159 said so eloquently..."#6-Unlimited-It all depends on you and the amount of answer #1 that you have." and also "How fast you move through these "stages" in a welding career will be greatly effected by question #1 answer."
Best of luck to you and your family.
Hey Gylphrunner and welcome to this forum. I have been in the trade for over 20 years so I'd like to help answer your questions.
Here they are the questions:
What does it take to get into welding? desire
Do you have to go to tech school before anyone will even look at you? It would help you to understand what you'd need to learn/master. Remember, there are many different types of welding processes. Each require different techniques and some are easier to learn than others, so the pay will also be affected depending on what skills you'll need to be considered worthy of more money.
Are there apprenticeships that take on 100% rookies? Yes, many companies like to train entry -level welders for a specific duty and therefore keep the pay level down. Other companies will train you to weld pipe per the industrial standard and you'll get top money, eventually.
Are you required to join a union and lose all your wages to their "dues?" I have never been in a union so I cannot say, but I know non-union companies do train top-level crafts people.
Do you have to provide your own tools and equipment? Usually you only need PPE personel protective equipment, such as: safety steel toed boots, welding helmet, cutting goggles, flame retardent clothing (leather jacket or sleeves). You'd want to own that stuff anyway as you'll be wearing it all the time. Safety glasses are usually provided and a hard hat IF they require it as it depends on what type of work enviroment you'll be in.
What is the earning potential? You can earn well over 100 grand if you own your own equipment, but from what i understand it is highly competitive and you'll need to be a master of several welding processes as well as have other skills. Like estimating a job: many fresh contractors don't survivie their frist big job because they missed something on the contract, the "fine print" which was as expensive as the whole quote you gave them and are obligated legally to provide. You have to know what you are getting into.
There are alot of jobs to be had if you can weld, The pay also varies greatly. I don't know the demographics where you live, but here in New England there are jobs from less than $10 an hour to over $20. Heavy industrial construction pays the most (other than being your own contractor) welding iron or pipe welding but you have to travel. I really enjoy my craft and really have not had to go more than 100 miles from home in the past 10 years, but like i said, the demographics are different everywhere and there is alot of work going on right now here.
Anyway, keep us informed of how you make out or what you decide to do. Best of luck to you, but know you really don't need it cause you CAN make it happen. Be well,
Hawk
Hey glyphrunner,
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