Anyone here a welder?

RedRiver0415 · 2020-06-30T15:34:44+00:00

My brother is...just to put things in perspective....

He is 2 years younger..

I went to a 4 year school, and got a degree in Finance/accounting. He enrolled at a community college for less than a year, got his certification, and was hired within a week to a union shop.

I was 21, he was 19. I was making barely 15k a year as a part time grocery clerk while going to school. He was making near 50k as an apprentice.

By the time I graduated college, he still lived at home so he had well over 50 grand saved up and invested. The trades are a great path, and there is little to no student debt involved.

KeyRepresentative · 2020-06-30T15:21:01+00:00

Go to the union for the trade your interested in. Some trades are on the job training, some will provide paid training, some will not. In my area my understanding is that the electricians union will pay for training, but welders need to have their first certification, usually from a community college, before starting.

Candyman44 · 2020-06-30T15:52:03+00:00

There are most likely Tech / Trade Schools in your area or close. Not sure where your from, but I know a kid who lives in an Airbnb while going to school for Welding. This is 3+ hrs and a State over from where he’s from. Welding would be a fantastic choice. There is a lot of income potential and most likely steady work. Hell if your near ship yards there probably more potential to learn a niche skill like underwater welding which would give you even higher earning potential and an ability to travel while working.

Candyman44 · 2020-06-30T16:38:02+00:00

They are trade schools they want students, most likely there is financial aid available also. Look, I have no idea why your in a shitty place but you have an opportunity to step out of the dark. Make the Fn call, do some research and take the leap. Worse that happens is you find a trade that you don’t like and you can become a starving artist who welds art pieces and hangs out at art fairs across the country selling his shit. Your 21 you have time to fail and get back up.

Candyman44 · 2020-06-30T17:01:36+00:00

I don’t know, you need to make that choice. I’m not sure what things are like in your area. Where I’m at, there are several “Colleges” that provide these types of training, they advertise on tv all the time. If your in an out of hotels go where one of these places are, find some part time work so you can cover expenses and take the certification classes.

TFWnoLTR · 2020-06-30T17:15:35+00:00

As a former commercial carpenter and current general contractor, I always recommend electrician as a career path for guys who seem to have some brains, but lack direction. Where I am, electricians are in short supply half the time. Companies here would hire you as a helper, and I'd tell you to negotiate some formal training as part of the deal.

The best way to get started is through a union contractor. The union handles your training, but you need the job first. Most union contractors are desperate for new apprentices these days as they are still trying to dig out of the pension holes left by the housing market crash 12 years ago, but few millenials ever went into the trades. Just go up to the main office of a local union commercial electrical contractor or five and ask if they're hiring, then go back again and again until they call you. I cant tell you how many guys I've seen get hired just because they were annoying the receptionist to the point where she walked to the bosses office and said please hire this guy and see what hes worth so he stops coming here and asking for a job.

The trades are stupid informal. Most work you'll get comes from having a solid handshake and being well spoken, and it keeps coming when you show up on time reliably. The work itself is easy, and the money is solid. This is a great time to get into the trades, let me tell you. Dont believe what the news is saying about the economy. Interest in new projects never wavered during the lockdown, and I'm still getting around one new contract per week, which is way more than I was getting 4 years ago.

Like my old man always says: "make hay while the sun is shining."

Title	Anyone here a welder?
Author	misfithustle
Upvotes	8
Comments	14
Date	June 30, 2020 2:45 PM UTC (6 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/hioot5/anyone_here_a_welder/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/anyone-here-a-welder.701146 https://theredarchive.com/post/701146

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