wannabe wrote:
This school will help me get a job and learn how to weld, how can you tell me this wont help?

Not saying it wont help, just saying, dont believe everything your told. I found out not too long ago that Wyotech requires its students to do overhead welds as a series of tacks, instead of teaching them how to do a proper overhead weld. So that, combined with the people who have been "schooled" that have come and gone here, have me wondering about schools.

Also just giving you an option if you want to get your foot in the door, most of the high paying places require 1-2 years of professional experience before you can get a job with them.

DrifterExtreme wrote:
also were joel is there a huge need for tig welding most places mig so why do you want to tig????

If you want to TIG there is another place in Jamestown here, Champ Industries, base pay is $15/hr and goes up with years of experience, they only want guys who TIG right now, they build bus frames. I would be there but I dont know how to TIG.

wannabe wrote:
I never said I was going to be king shit, but quality of welds talks, and bullshit walks.

What you think is a good weld, means bullshit. You may think you have a good weld or good enough, but its up to your employer if its good enough or not.

And whoever tells you you won't make big bucks welding, well, they arent looking for the right oportunities.

A guy I work with, his parents work for Bobcat, and are just about to retire early, his dad has been working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week to get as much money as he can, he figures he is getting roughly $50/hour for the overtime he's putting in.

Like I said, welding jobs in Fargo start, (read start), at $15-17/hour, once you've had that one or two years of experience for most places. Bobcat pays $18/hr start, and you dont even need experience, just need to be able to weld. You can go to the railroad as well, start out at $17/hour and they will send you to school to do rail welding.

If I were you though, I would be honing up on your stick welding. Why? ethanol plants are opening up all over ND, they are trying to open up the old oil pumps, there is gonna be a big demand for welders here once things get going.

If I knew how to stick, I could be down where my folks live making $22/hour working on a pipeline rig, or I could be running my own pipeline rig and making like $50/hour.

Theres money to be made all over with welding, welders will never be replaced in ND by robots, certain parts are made by robot at our plant, but one of the best welders we have runs that, and robots would never be able to weld most of the stuff produced in ND (farm equipment).

PSiedTSi wrote:
Just remember Joel, that when you get out of this welding class, you aren't going to be king shit. If you keep that in mind I think you will do fine.
I never said I was going to be king shit, but quality of welds talks, and bullshit walks. I was told by Mr. Rood that I was the quickest to take to oxy acetylene welding he's ever seen, and Me and Jeremy were some of the best stick welders he'd ever seen go through his welding class. I know its just a highschool welding class, but I take pride that I was actually good at something, and I want to continue to do it.
StangerBanger96 wrote:
And actualy Joel, it depends on the types of welding you're planning on going into. Computer operated welders are taking over in a lot of industries in order to guarantee strong/perfect welds. I know there will always be a market for human operated welding processes, but former large welding oriented industries (the Military, Automotive, Construction, Ship making) are switching over to machines. I know for sure the Military REQUIRES only computer-oprerated machines weld ship/sub structures due to the high tolerances the welds need to withstand.

Sure there will always be a market for welder, but when the supply of skilled welders is greater than the demand for them, the pay will suffer and # of job openings will as well.

All that negativity aside though, if welding is something you truely love and think you'd enjoy making a career out of, more power to you and I'd definitely say that you should go through with this schooling and try find a job that will hire you at a wage you'll agree with. Good luck with whatever you do!
Why does DMI hire welders? they have people who know how to weld really good run those computerized robotic welders u speak of. Same way at bobcat and Case...
99slowGSX wrote:
Good luck Joel, dont know why everybody is hating on you.........
Me neither?

wannabe wrote:
The thing with that is, hardly anyone starts out at age 18-19 with an above average tig skill, if I can master that, or atleast get a good handle on it, whats to stop me from making as much as the guys who have been doing it for 3-4 years if i am the same skill level...

His sisters BF is quite a talented welder/fabricator at some place in town and for the hours and work he does, he isn't make jack from what I've heard.

Just remember Joel, that when you get out of this welding class, you aren't going to be king shit. If you keep that in mind I think you will do fine.

Sure there will always be a market for welder, but when the supply of skilled welders is greater than the demand for them, the pay will suffer and # of job openings will as well.

All that negativity aside though, if welding is something you truely love and think you'd enjoy making a career out of, more power to you and I'd definitely say that you should go through with this schooling and try find a job that will hire you at a wage you'll agree with. Good luck with whatever you do!

92BlackTT wrote:
i think you should do some more checking before you get all excited about walking out of there making 30 dollars an hour. Im not trying to talk you out of it, but you might be surprised what the starting rate for welders is
The thing with that is, hardly anyone starts out at age 18-19 with an above average tig skill, if I can master that, or atleast get a good handle on it, whats to stop me from making as much as the guys who have been doing it for 3-4 years if i am the same skill level...

protege menace wrote:
From what i've seen, you only make the big bucks once you have plenty of experience doing it. till then 10 bucks is all you can probably get (unless you are unusually talented)
I consider myself a pretty good welder, and I have taken half a semster of welding in highschool, before that, I never had touched a torch/welder in my life. I figure with a good solid 80 hours of mig for a base and 40 hours of tig, I should be able to walk the cup, and be good at it. Thinking about switching up to the 80 hour tig now...

tjamz wrote:
but I know a good number of people w/ management/electronics/networking degrees making ~$12/hour...
Precisely why I cant stand to go to 5 years of school, who knows what the job market will be in 5 yrs...? But there will always be a need for on site welding... cant ship that overseas...

StangerBanger96 wrote:
Yeah the average income for the FM area is around 40,000 annually. That averages out to $20.83/hr wage as the average wage.

Yup...and a LOT of people are making a LOT less than that and living on it....I don't even know if its fair to say that that is the "average" wage. I'd be willing to bet that the average wage of a job that most of us could get into (with schooling) is around $15....some will make more, some will make less but I know a good number of people w/ management/electronics/networking degrees making ~$12/hour...

AntiBling wrote:
If you can weld even slightly right now, you can come work at Duratech for $10.25/hr and learn how to weld.

Bobcat pays 18.55 starting for welding. Case pays 17.49. $10/hr jobs are a dime a dozen though if you want to work that low. My eval is coming up next week and if the money isnt there its time for me to move on. The problem with $10/hr places is, its hard for them to find welders, and the ones they get arent worth a shit. In the year I have been at Duratech there has been over 30 people that have left, they either came and left while I've been there, some of them have been with the company for 10-15 years or more and left for better jobs. elsewhere.

Oh, and my opinion on welding school, within the year I have been with Haybuster, we have had a couple "welding school" boys, that didnt last a month. They didnt know jack and they thought they were right because they went to school for it.

IMO, schools have an agenda, to get customers and move students out at as low of cost to them as possible. So if you go out and try to find a job, listen to your co-workers when they give you advice. The compiled hundreds of years of welding experience I have had helping me has been invaluable to me.
Thanks for your input, I'm goin to school to learn how to weld, and my parents are paying for it. This school will help me get a job and learn how to weld, how can you tell me this wont help? The class size is 8 people, and everyone has there own equiptment and welding booth. They arent just trying to move people...

AntiBling wrote:
If you can weld even slightly right now, you can come work at Duratech for $10.25/hr and learn how to weld.

Bobcat pays 18.55 starting for welding. Case pays 17.49. $10/hr jobs are a dime a dozen though if you want to work that low. My eval is coming up next week and if the money isnt there its time for me to move on. The problem with $10/hr places is, its hard for them to find welders, and the ones they get arent worth a shit. In the year I have been at Duratech there has been over 30 people that have left, they either came and left while I've been there, some of them have been with the company for 10-15 years or more and left for better jobs. elsewhere.

Oh, and my opinion on welding school, within the year I have been with Haybuster, we have had a couple "welding school" boys, that didnt last a month. They didnt know jack and they thought they were right because they went to school for it.

IMO, schools have an agenda, to get customers and move students out at as low of cost to them as possible. So if you go out and try to find a job, listen to your co-workers when they give you advice. The compiled hundreds of years of welding experience I have had helping me has been invaluable to me.

You have gotta start somewhere. And as with any profession, it is either through who you know, or with schools. My boss never really went to school. He just started out at OK tire back in high school. Then learned as he went on and had training while he was at AIT. As of me, ya I have learned the most through who I have worked with and hands on experience. All jobs are that way. But you need to start somewhere, and school is where i started.

wannabe wrote:
depends what u consider good paying, I love welding and would do it for 10 dollars/hour. A good tig welder start making 25-30 per hour.

i think you should do some more checking before you get all excited about walking out of there making 30 dollars an hour. Im not trying to talk you out of it, but you might be surprised what the starting rate for welders is

wannabe wrote:
depends what u consider good paying, I love welding and would do it for 10 dollars/hour. A good tig welder start making 25-30 per hour.

If you can weld even slightly right now, you can come work at Duratech for $10.25/hr and learn how to weld.

Bobcat pays 18.55 starting for welding. Case pays 17.49. $10/hr jobs are a dime a dozen though if you want to work that low. My eval is coming up next week and if the money isnt there its time for me to move on. The problem with $10/hr places is, its hard for them to find welders, and the ones they get arent worth a shit. In the year I have been at Duratech there has been over 30 people that have left, they either came and left while I've been there, some of them have been with the company for 10-15 years or more and left for better jobs. elsewhere.

Oh, and my opinion on welding school, within the year I have been with Haybuster, we have had a couple "welding school" boys, that didnt last a month. They didnt know jack and they thought they were right because they went to school for it.

IMO, schools have an agenda, to get customers and move students out at as low of cost to them as possible. So if you go out and try to find a job, listen to your co-workers when they give you advice. The compiled hundreds of years of welding experience I have had helping me has been invaluable to me.