Welding as a career
 

I've been thinking of going to school to work as a welder to get my tickets and ----. Out here when you go work up north on the rigs, you start off at $28/hr + living allowance. It's something I've been considering, since I'm gonna be 19, making all that cash and ---- I could have a decent house by when I am 25, along with a s2k in the garage :6

I know it's a hard job, and it takes a hit on your body, but im young and dumb so i dont think it matters :1

Re: Welding as a career
 

become an underwater welder. CHA CHING. what school are you gonna go to? you could probably get on for less that 28 bucks an hour bein a bitch for them but slowly learn how to weld. my grandpa is a millwrite and so is my uncle and they have both said theyve pulled laborers off their job for a day and put them to work as welders and they could tell right there if they had what it would take, and to them a certification was just a peice of paper.

Re: Welding as a career
 

yes i understand that, but Spenser was taking the underwater welding classes, and he said its scary as ----. also i know a kid who was doing it, but lost 3 fingers.

Re: Welding as a career
 

Alot of welding done where he is talking about is Stainless piping,titanium tanks etc.You need to have a B or A level ticket and have the proper certification for pressure welding bla bla bla.If you can handle the work enviroment and the hours etc then go for it.I know lots of welders that have headed up to the oil fields and pipelines to weld and it is quite easy to make 100K a year.I will be heading north myself to work as a millwright as the demand is huge and labour is in a massive shortage.I plan on doing 4-5 years and make enough to buy a house and build a monster shop.The only downfall is finding accomadation as there is not alot of places for rent and what is available is grossly overpriced.They are going to be starting a major pipeline project that will be running the oil from the Alberta tarsands out across BC to the Pacifac ocean.There will be alot of work for welders as pipelines are a huge undertaking to build.A friend's father just took a 4 year contract up in Ft Mcmurry and the signing bonus was 25,000 a year signed and $36 a hour plus overtime etc.

edit- I just realized your in Manitoba not Alberta.Pretty much same deal but a little farther east.

Re: Welding as a career
 

90dx, i'll be moving to Calgary in about a week.

Re: Welding as a career
 

Nice.Calgary is great I have alot of friends that moved there after high school and they all love it.I always have a good time there when I visit.I live in Prince George BC about 750kms west of Calgary and some of the oil/gas companies have been dropping info,pamphlets etc at the college Im at doing my Millwrights schooling at.They have snagged a few B and A level ticket welders from the school to come work for them.Good for you that your on the ball at 19 as I took 5 years after high school ------- around being a auto mechanic and living in Whistler partying etc.If I had been smart like you I would already be making 80k a year and have a house half paid for :'(Being a welder has some great benifits as well because you can build all kinds of cool ---- for your car.

Re: Welding as a career
 

thanks man, if you got msn, add me: travis_123456789@hotmail.com .... it would be great to talk to you more about this ----, Beyond isn't that great for info anyway ;)

Re: Welding as a career
 

from what i've heard about underwater welding, its bad on your body, and people that do it have pretty short careers?
And talking to a buddy that was a welder in the navy for 9 yrs, he says the only way he would weld for a living is if he
was tigging in a booth. He sayed that there is quite a bit of labor involved being your average joe welder.

Re: Welding as a career
 

I added you.Yes Beyond is not that great info.I use it for the classififeds mainly.

Re: Welding as a career
 

true that :6

Re: Welding as a career
 

Your in Calgary too. 8) We'll have to start a "Canada west crew".ha ha

Re: Welding as a career
 

word, so far its you, me, fob, spenser, stan, highroller54 and a few others.

Re: Welding as a career
 

my brother is welding right now for a living and isnt making near as much as he thought he would. -he also just started, so has the expense of tools and all of that BS as well. So my advice, dont plan on bringing home lots of $$ right off the bat. :-\

give it a few years, and you will be makin some $$. just like any other skilled job IMO

Re: Welding as a career
 

have you looked into underwater welding travis? my 2 choices r either going to a tech school and get certified or this underwater welding school in seattle. done tons and tons of reasearch on it and know people whove done it. Its that kind of thing though just like pipe fitters,welders,carpenters,iron workers, its all union bullshit well at least most of it is.

Re: Welding as a career
 

Welding is a bad career. Yes they make good money but the fumes and eye damage is bad for you. Unless you are very careful all the time. I weld about everyday at home. Not really alot though. Most welders I know are scruffy men with one hell of a cough and bad eyes.

Re: Welding as a career
 

I saw a commercial on tv for settlements for welders who had health problems related to welding. Different kinds of cancers eye and lung problems. Ehh your gonna die anyway so weld on! 8) Naw I am gonna get into metal fabrication once my wife finishes school.

Re: Welding as a career
 

tig welding isnt nearly as bad as stick welding,

guys whodo alot of arc welding are the guys who suffer, burning flux coated rods in closed quarters will get you.

id weld for a living, but i enjoy it, so idont mind going blind.

but on a side note, ive been welding hard just about every day, and i do notice i am alot more stuffed up and have alot more headaches than i used to.

Re: Welding as a career
 

Welding creates microscopic metal particles which are breathed in and get lodged in the lungs. :-\

Re: Welding as a career
 

my cousin is up in canada welding as a career. she was pulling in about 40 an hour after about 2 years. she is now in management and doesn't weld as often because after three years she started having breathing problems

Re: Welding as a career
 

Ya unless you are smart and wear and invest in proper respirators in is brutal on you lungs! I have a freind who is a Ticketed welder in Canada. Does Stainless Fabbing all day on Mink Farm equipment, I made more then him on Co-op work terms from school.

You want big money in Welding, there is 2 jobs for you.
Underwater: Dangerous, Expensive Ticket, Hard, Cold, Lots of skill needed. Depending on what your doing You sometimes need to be depressurized before surfacing and you live underwater for about 3 days at a time, but nothing like 200.00+ Bones an hour!! Plus downtime pay (because you living in a underwater capsole 100s of ft down)

High Pressure: Dangerour, Expensive Ticket, Cold, basically that same as above.
Welding gas live in Northern Canada and Alaska. Hard as ---- to get this job. 100.00+ Bones per hour, Horrible work hours, Ticket can cost anywhere to 10,000.00CAN to write depending on how fast you want the system to move for you. I had a friend I worked with who qualified. He found out the price if he wanted this to get rolling in less then 3 months and was turned off. Not to mention Gas lines exploding and ---- like that!

Re: Welding as a career
 

haha travis quoted me in sig...i barely remember saying that.

welding is cool, im thinking about taking a community college certificate program, just for my own person gain.

a tig welder at our little podunk company makes about $22/hr, but we barely have stuff to tig ever, and we are underpaid vs industry standard