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Up Topic American Welding Society Services / AWS Learning & Education / Welding School?
- - By Tyson (*) Date 08-28-2008 07:37
Hello

I've been working in the welding industry for three years now after deciding my degree wasn't getting me the pay I wanted. I've been traveling working power plant shutdowns in Rock Spring, Casper, Kemmerer, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Farminton, Joseph City, Page, etc... I've learned a lot and have made good money. Despite the money I have struggled with finding steady work because of my lack of welding certs and contacts. I'm looking into welding school to hone my skills and was wondering if Hobart Institute is worth the time and money. I ultimately want to be a rig welder and get away from the four to six week shutdowns. Any information/feedback about the school or any other schools would be much appreciated. Thanks Tyson
Parent - By jrw159 (*****) Date 08-28-2008 13:45
Tyson,
  Hobart is a little pricey but well worth the money in the long run.

jrw159
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 08-28-2008 14:17
Jr is right.

Hobart is spendy... But the reason behind the cost is that they employ specialist instructors... When you take a pipe class at Hobart your instructor is a Master pipe welder... When you take a Titanium class the instructor is a master at that... They offer very focused courses that prepare students for what ever specialty they have in mind.

There are some other schools that also specialize in the pipe trades...  Maybe TheBigKahoona will chip in as I think he is in touch with that stuff.
Parent - - By vagabond (***) Date 08-28-2008 16:31
Have you considered a Union Apprenticeship???  I have heard that the Pipefitters is running a 16 wk. course right now because of the lack of welders.  You go 8 hrs. a day on their dime, if you get 3 weld certs. in that time you can work at Journeyman pay as a welder.  You still need to do the school for apprentices but that's a pretty good way to go if your looking to get some training.  I guess it depends on what type of welding you want to do.  Most schools out there IMHO don't prepare you for real world applications i.e. pipelining, tube welding or a real X-ray job.  They do a great job of teaching you to make pretty welds in a climate controlled booth on pipe with machined bevels.  Personally I think a person is just as well off with a community college as any voc-tech out there.  A couple of pipe certs. will get you on most any job unless you want to go pipeline.  I've heard Hobart and Lincoln are good, but they are spendy.  I've also heard some good things about the one in OK I think it's in Tulsa.  But for 12-18 grand I think I'll have my boy build a truck, buy a machine and I'll teach him to weld.  I've thought about opening my own school for years now and next spring I just might but it's an expensive gamble to say the least.  I think there is a market for a real world training school out there right now.  Because a lot of the trick stuff you just can't get in a school.  As an inspector I get kids who can't even set up a machine to test with it.  They are used to walking into a booth with it already done for them.  If I have any doubts about a welder I strip the machine down and they set it up, I used to do the same thing with the orbital boxes.  Makes em pretty irritated but at least I know if they can do the job or not.
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 08-28-2008 19:49
Vagabond,

Those are some powerful points.

Union apprenticeships are awsome for Iron Workers, Boiler makers and Steamfitters... When they are finished they can tackle about any job there is.  Many locals test prospective apprentices and the list will be based on skills tests, exams and resume along with interviews face to face..

Most community colleges are set up to train folks from scratch who have zero experience and the program grads for the most part come out with entry level skills... The pipe trades require skills above entry level for sure.  But I do make it a point to strip the machines down to parade rest on a regular basis, and force students to become proficient on Red, Blue, Old and New equipment. (and yes the students are disturbed when they come in and find everything zeroed out)

Most students who enter semester long process class (180 hrs) with no previous experience will not have sufficient skills to go out and get a pipe job. There is just too much to learn to cram into that short a period of time unless every other competency is jettisoned. You can teach somebody to weld pipe in that short time but not much else.

The original poster seems to already have a good set of background skills and several years in welding, so attending a Community College or Votech should be done only after making sure they have the instructors and curriculum and equipment to meet his need.
Parent - - By Tyson (*) Date 08-28-2008 21:54
So attending community college would be for someone with zero experience or knowledge? I have experience fitting a lot of pipe in plants. I'm also a certified rigger. I'm not sure if those would help me in the pipeline field. I also have experience welding pipe (coal piping 6010 route and 7018 fill and cap).  Of course these welds aren't being x rayed and only have to pass visual inspection by a QC. I'm just lost at which direction to enter the field with the experience I have. I'm knowlegable in field I work in now but I'm not sure how much of it is useful in pipeline.
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 08-28-2008 22:12
I wouldn't say Community college is out of the question at all.  Just that you should have a face to face with the program director and the instructor of any class you are considering... There are some instructors out there that have what it takes to train you... You just need to be sure before you lay down the cash  :)
Parent - - By Tyson (*) Date 08-28-2008 22:34
If I wanted to specialize in pipeline would I be better off only taking pipe classes or taking a full comprehensive program like Hobart offers (36 week program).
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 08-28-2008 23:36
That's a really good question... I hope you will recieve a lot of opinions from the posters here.  I'm not a pipeline specialist so can't give you the best advice on that.

Your idea of being a helper out on the pipeline is also a notion that some of the cross country pipe hands that frequent the forum could comment on..  I would think if you are experienced in pipe prep and fitting that you would quickly be a very valuable helper and might be able to work yourself into the kind of situation your looking for in a reasonable amount of time.
Parent - - By Tyson (*) Date 08-29-2008 01:06
Lawrence

Thank you for all the advice you and everyone else has given me. I haven't been recieving much help while I'm in the field and hardly ever get answers for questions I have. Being a new memeber everyone has been more than helpful. I know I'm probably looking for instant gratification but if I can I would like to avoid spending 20 grand on school and learn in the field as a helper. Being a previous votech student I know that school no where near prepares you for real world work. They prepare you for more "ideal" situations. I'm just trying to find the most realistic and practical way to pursue my career. If any experienced pipeline guys have some advice if they were to do it all over again it would help also.
Parent - - By JTMcC (***) Date 08-29-2008 03:27
I'm a pipeline guy and if you want to become a pipeline rig welder then starting as a helper is the way to go.
A friend of mine ask me the same question a little over a year ago, he joined 798 as a helper (he had a few years welding experience but no pipe experience and not a bit of pipeline experience), he worked as a helper for about 8 months or so, got in the 798 welding school, spent 3 months there and tested out. Today he's working on his third job welding. So i think he made the entire transition, from never having set foot on a right of way, to welding in close to a year. He is a very motivated individual and in his early 40's.
People ask me this question all the time, I give them all the same answer. That dude's the only one that's had the drive and the cajones to go out and actually do it so far.
It's difficult but it can be done.

That's my opinion.

JTMcC
Parent - - By Tyson (*) Date 08-29-2008 04:32
I haven't looked into joining the union but I hear a lot of good things about them. How does the union work say if I were trying to join as an apprentice?
I've always worked non union and have no idea about how they work.

Thanks,
Tyson
Parent - - By johnnyh (***) Date 08-29-2008 18:39
Tyson,
You can use the search at the top of the screen and access many threads about working union and non-union.  There is normally a current one going at any time but I guess the forum has been focused on some other issues lately.  Search keywords like "union" and apprenticeship and you will find hours of good reading.

John
Parent - By Tyson (*) Date 08-29-2008 18:51
Thanks John I will do some searching
Parent - By david.crawford (*) Date 09-14-2008 05:25
If you are looking for an Associates Degree for welding, Fox Valley Technical College has a very good program. It isnt a program with just book learning, you also have a lot of arc time in classes. Here is a link to the program's site http://fvtc.edu/public/academics/degree.aspx?plan=10-621-1 it has a description of the program, and tells you what classes you would take.
Up Topic American Welding Society Services / AWS Learning & Education / Welding School?

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