Welding for a living?

[Colorado_Outback]

I GTAW for a living, I went to FRCC in Fort Collins to learn. Then spent the last 5 years actually learning this business.

CO Ospray is right, lots of people out there calling themselves welders couldn't tell their wiener from a chunk of 4043 rod. The kids coming out of the machining programs arnt much better.

Yes their is a demand, we turn away work on a regular basis.
Starting wage depends on what your burning
AWS Certs (after welding school) and are extra $$. More certs you have the more marketable you are.
If you want to run the full gambit at a community college your looking at about 1.5/2yrs
Unions? Nah.
Welding is physical work, even GTAW. Get ready to get down, as we say around here.

Hope this helps.

[BPTactical]

I weld daily... but I am not a welder. We are always hiring people who can weld. I am very skeptical of anyone calling themselves a welder in a the fab industry.
I work in a fab and repair... steel, stainless and aluminum

Is there really a demand for welders?
Yes there is a demand for welders. Specifically in the oil shale and oil pipelines. I know people in these fields. Pay and demand is awesome. Conditions and hours are crappy. Most burn out within a year or two and go somewhere else.
Another great demand for welders is in the Gulf. Oil platforms and underwater welding. Platform pay is ok, again conditions are not. Underwater has some of the best pay and good conditions when not working, but is very hazardous.

For your questions directly:
What would a starting wage rage be? (I know there are many different types of welders out there, so this can vary big-time)
Non-certified welding pay could start at minimum wage. Certified welding of Titanium going into space pay is in the six figures.
Average pay for a welder is $17/hr or about $35k a year
Is some sort of certification required?
Yes and no. To weld you don't need to be certified. There is some confusion to certified welding because a certification is also for a job, not a person. Some employers want you have been certified before.
How long is welding school?
Most community colleges offer welding programs. They start with entry level in a semester and have more complex level courses. So, one semester or more.
To get steady work, do you almost "have to" be in a union?
No, good welders can get work.. they are sought after. I'm also NOT saying that only bad welders are in unions. Many a good welders is in a union.
Obviously, welding involves METAL, so are you busting your back all day? (I'm not exactly "young" anymore, but not too old to start something new...IMHO anyway)
Yes, I need two new shoulders and knees.... I have also had my ear drum burned out... and been flash blinded too many times to count.(late night burn)

Lays it out very well.
I have fabbed/welded since high school and one thing I will say, I have always been able to find work.

Osprey-dont you just love the sound of your ear sizzling?

Oh, and never weld in frayed jeans.


Very nice stacks o nickels MtnMan

[Bailey Guns]

Oh, and never weld in frayed jeans.

What are they frayed of?

[Hound]

Been at it for 40 Years.
It's an art if you are good, it's a job if you are not.



TIG'd tank, time consuming, gotta move around to keep from warping.

Very nice "stack o' dimes". I grew up with my father welding. I can do it but not at this level or his. If you have been in Bass Pro you have seen his metal work in things like the chandeliers and the fireplace. He has also done a lot of work at places like Disney, etc. He is a true artist featured in places like Architectural Digest, that being said, he is the exception and not the rule. It is possible to make good money. It is never an easy life, even at the top. I remember coming from a meeting with my Dad with him in a suit, bidding on a marque for a historic theater and an hour later being in the back of a garbage truck pushing maggots out of the way (and them popping like popcorn) so he could do an emergency fix on a rip it got somehow. I can also recommend "Jim" over at Pickens tech. I took a refesher TIG course a bit ago from him and he is old school. Great guy to learn from and the guys over there were great also. Welding really comes down to time and persistance. You have to put in the time to get dimes like above and that comes with persistance.

[sniper7]

A good friend of mine is a welder working on power plants and other large industrial buildings, all welds must be x-rayed to verify their quality, higher end stuff. He is on the road all the time. Does some work locally in sterling but a majority is out of state in very crappy motels or sleeping in the truck.

Something to think about

[Mtn.man]

Yup^^^.
I certified at Nuclear Installations Company Way Way back and they even had Xray capability then. We had to account for our rods going out and the stubs coming back.

However the wages I see now are not as good as they were say 25/30 years ago. I mean look at some of the job offers, wanting you to read prints, weld symbol knowledge, all position tests, gmaw, smaw, tig, mig experience,,, $8.00 to $10.00 starting???
Gimme a break. And as for the oil fields, if you have your own equipment then you can make good $$$ but if you are on their dime, $25, 26, 28 is about it.

[KS63]

I have a very good friend who's a welding instructor at the Lincoln school off of I-70. I could get you in contact with him if you'd like.

[StagLefty]

However the wages I see now are not as good as they were say 25/30 years ago. I mean look at some of the job offers, wanting you to read prints, weld symbol knowledge, all position tests, gmaw, smaw, tig, mig experience,,, $8.00 to $10.00 starting???

I'm seeing this trend for most skilled trades nowadays.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

I will weigh in briefly. I don't believe everyone has the ability to weld, kind of like wood working. And there is lots of money to be made as a welder. I used to be multi certified and knocked down some big boy money. I was laid off a couple week a year but I used those as well needed vacations. You will make 1/2-1/3 in a shop than you will in the field.

[ray1970]

We have lots of welders where I work. I'm pretty sure starting pay is about $55K to $60K a year but you wouldn't even get hired on unless you were experienced and certified. Most of their welds have to pass UT and X-ray inspections.

Here is a true story about what it's like to weld for a living....

Imagine you are in a six foot deep trench at about 2:00 am. It's about 14 degrees out and it's starting to snow. You are ankle deep in water and every time you strike an arc you shock yourself. You are doing a hot tap on a 24" natural gas pipe that is loaded with gas and under pressure. You have been working for about 12 hours that day and still have about four to go before you can head back to the hotel for a few hours sleep before you have to get up and get back to work. Oh, and your last performance review didn't go as well as you thought because you really didn't "go above and beyond". You only did what what asked of you.

Sounds like fun, huh?