Welding Tips and Tricks

Just a little rant here...

I've been in between jobs recently (long story; but basically I got laid off against my direct supervisors wishes, while he was on vacation), and I'm just not seeing this demand for welders, or at least decently paid ones, that I hear preached about so much. Before people lecture me about how most jobs aren't advertised and word of mouth gets you a job more than an application, I know. But, that's not what I'm talking about here, nor am I crying that I can't find a job- I'm being picky and not just taking any half-ass job I can find. What I'm curious about, is there really a "shortage" of welders and a large market of good paying jobs? I'm in the Seattle area ($350k+ average house price) and all of the advertised jobs around here are $16-$20/hr and most want 4-5 years experience, multiple certs and other abilities as well. Looking in other states, the pay seems to be even worse. Now, $20 isn't bad pay per se, but when 1 bed apartments are $1,000+ within 50 miles of Seattle, it suddenly isn't a lot(and minimum wage IN Seattle is $15). Seems to be union is the only way to make any money around here and they have a pretty long waiting list from what I've found. On the contrary, electricians are hiring like CRAZY and paying apprentices better than the average welder salary around here I've seen.


Rant aside, is any one else seeing this, too? Again, this isn't about not finding good paying work personally, but the welding field as a whole. Seems to me that if welding was in as high of demand as people say, jobs with good pay would be popping up a lot more. Please, don't let this turn into a bash fest. I'd like to have a good discussion about this, and get some input from others, especially those that have been welding for a long time now and seen the industry change for better or for worse.

Same story around Chicago. A few mig-dog production jobs for $14 an hour and very few others jobs for more skilled workers. My union boilermaker buddy is working for me for the next few days because they are all out of work and the industrial workplaces are all going non-union so it looks grim around here for well paying welding jobs. I am self employed but have been looking for a job because work has slowed down so bad. I have had a few interviews but no calls back. Us guys over 50 are stuck in a hiring vortex. Things aren't looking great for welders around here.

When I see mig dog jobs for $12 an hour or less, or wanting a 1099 contractor to pay Their own taxes off the hourly wage, it tells what shape the country is in. Seen house clean up wages of $8 and pay your own taxes.

I agree with Weldakota. Too many ads promise 'high pay'. You can find that, but it is in the unions. Also, unions have slow times as well, so be ready to travel to feed the family.

Pipefitters in Chicago are making crazy money, with no end in sight. But you gotta be a pipefitter to get in on it. I have certs in SMAW 6G, 5G - also GTAW stainless 6G - GMAW 3G vertical up short arc. I have other exciting certs too, but I could really care less. I know more than a few fitters, and I know some guys who teach at the school, and none of that was going to get me working on permit through 597 union hall. I have a journeyman ironworker book, had that since the 1980's, but that was no help.

Here in South Bend/Elkhart In, skilled welders are making $18 to mid $20s, but they bring home a lot more due to the massive overtime. I might suggest getting a CWI? Doing quality control or inspections? I got into teaching welding at the community college level after I was injured (back, knee and shoulder at the same time) in 2008. I really enjoy the teaching, helping the guys get jobs, and it is dry in the winter. Also, I don't have to poop in a little plastic house.
Gary

Hey Boomer...long time no see! Hope your doing good. The job situation at the refineries and power plants is grim for welding jobs around me. My buddy is a boilermaker and he tells me the fitters are doing all their work so they are sitting home. He has been helping me paint an office building for the last 2 days and no work on the horizon. If you are 597 you are shittin in tall cotton but everyone else is suckin hind tit. Plus the refineries are trying to go scab. They are hiring double breasted companies, the union guys get the work prepped and then they get laid off and the scabs come in and finish the job. Turner got rid of almost all of our guys( carpenters)at Citgo in Lemont and brought in non-union scaffold builders. They are retro-fitting the coal plants in Joliet and Romeoville to natural gas so there won't be much boiler work in the future. The nukes are just short turnarounds so work is drying up around me. I guess the refineries are tired of paying guys to sit in the smoke pits and truck-fuck them for 84 hours a week. Fun while it lasted.

Not sure how you are at troubleshooting or turning a wrench, but I am mechanic/fabricator in the food industry. They paid for my last round of ASME IX and AWS testing, feed my need for fabrication and welding (which I typically do daily) along with my other responsibilities. Typical pay is anywhere from $25-$35 hour plus overtime and 6 figure + yearly salaries are common for the better guys I will say I typically work 6-7 day weeks, 70-80 hours some by choice, some by need, some based on my skill set.

Hi Exnail! I have been very busy for awhile. I was promoted to Program Chair for Welding over here, and I have a load of work to do trying to fix the mess we are in.

Right now it just a difficult time for work for everyone. It really is tough all over. The 597 fitters are sitting pretty - for now. If the economy turns around, work and wages will pick up for everyone.

I feel terrible for these guys who are out of work; I been there and done that. Until I got this job, I was out of work for about two years. Taking a pay cut to get into a good apprenticeship may sound foolish, or unworkable, but what would happen if you lose your job and that wage you were making completely disappears? I think that when any tradesman does a home purchase they need to buy something in an area where houses sell fast. Career ending injuries happen at any time. What happens if you get hurt away from work and you will be out of work for a couple of years? Who pays the bills then, when you have absolutely no income? I been there; I was unable to work for two years after I spent three weeks or so in a hospital with fevers that were from high 103 to over 104. I mean, I couldn't work, no matter if I wanted to or not. Being single, I lived in a shitty efficiency apartment or rented a room in a shared situation in a house. It was all I could afford, too bad. Most times, I could only afford two peanut butter sandwiches per day. Too bad. I survived and I am slowly getting on my feet again, I hope to buy a house next year.

If you have a job, you need to do whatever it takes to keep it. This is no time to move around and play Prima Donna! These are just my thoughts, anyway!
Gary

exnailpounder wrote:Same story around Chicago. A few mig-dog production jobs for $14 an hour and very few others jobs for more skilled workers. My union boilermaker buddy is working for me for the next few days because they are all out of work and the industrial workplaces are all going non-union so it looks grim around here for well paying welding jobs. I am self employed but have been looking for a job because work has slowed down so bad. I have had a few interviews but no calls back. Us guys over 50 are stuck in a hiring vortex. Things aren't looking great for welders around here.

I'm in Chicago and been looking for a welding job for a long time. The job market SUCKS here.
Literally everything I see they want experience with reading blueprints, certs, work 10-12 hour days and start at 5am and pay $14/hr. WTF is that shit.
I can weld but I have no experience reading a blueprint, but I bet you can teach me how to read that faster than you can teach someone to weld. And $14/hr to work when it's been blazing hot in this area with no a/c, and lift all the heavy shit. Literally back breaking work for pennies.
Found a local place that was hiring someone to run their cnc plasma table and their cnc brake. I can run my plasma table with my eyes closed, mig and tig, but never used a cnc brake. No call back

Even finding side work in Chicago is a joke.

One thing about these job requirements, If they want all these skills at low pay, they are not filling the positions. Thus if you have some of the skills, can weld but never read blueprints, apply anyway and tell them you are willing to learn. You might be surprised that they may hire you on the spot.

I suspect that in many cases, they're listing the position with nonsense pay so nobody fills it so they can bring in H1x foreigners or other forms of chicanery.

Supply and demand, simple as that. We've got guys going without work, yet they're letting in a million+ more people every year.

I know here in Chicago it's a sick mess. I know steel fab companies down in the South side war zone, where they employ non-English speakers of unknown legality, pay them crap, but get paid union scale from the GC. I don't have an answer, a legal one anyways, but there's a lot of treachery and scammery going on, and that's not sustainable for a society where we all live in the same country. S/F....Ken M

Chicago used to be a great place for work, but that is gone, gone, gone and I don't think it is coming back. I am currently living in the South Bend area and pay is around $14 per hour, but the cost of housing is far less than you will pay in the big Windy. Remember, times are tough all over, lots of guys can't find work. I think this is why it is important to give citizen status to the 11 or 20 million working age folks who are here illegally but who want to work. If we give those guys the jobs, then Americans can stay home and .... do what ever. Besides, making labor a glut on the market will drive down wages.

It's doing just as bad in the oilfield out here as well trust me..it's picking up a bit..but it seems my company is keeping all the new. inexperienced worms and letting go of the guys with longevity pay here..and I work for one of the big 3 drilling companies. A lot of betrayal and throat cutting..it's not good for the soul...

Charlie337 wrote:It's doing just as bad in the oilfield out here as well trust me..it's picking up a bit..but it seems my company is keeping all the new. inexperienced worms and letting go of the guys with longevity pay here..and I work for one of the big 3 drilling companies. A lot of betrayal and throat cutting..it's not good for the soul...

That is what happens when times get tough. I saw this when I was a kid back in the late 1980's. But, remember, our best friend, the government is going to bring in millions, many millions of willing workers to do the jobs that 'Americans don't want to do". I don't know about you guys ... wait .... I DO know about you guys, and I believe that we all are they type of people who will do ANY job to provide for the family. Anyway that is just my opine ... for what it is worth
Gary

Boomer63 wrote:

Charlie337 wrote:It's doing just as bad in the oilfield out here as well trust me..it's picking up a bit..but it seems my company is keeping all the new. inexperienced worms and letting go of the guys with longevity pay here..and I work for one of the big 3 drilling companies. A lot of betrayal and throat cutting..it's not good for the soul...

That is what happens when times get tough. I saw this when I was a kid back in the late 1980's. But, remember, our best friend, the government is going to bring in millions, many millions of willing workers to do the jobs that 'Americans don't want to do". I don't know about you guys ... wait .... I DO know about you guys, and I believe that we all are they type of people who will do ANY job to provide for the family. Anyway that is just my opine ... for what it is worth
Gary

You said it right Gary..We are men doing mens work and anyone that is not up to the task deserves low wages and shitty, dead end jobs. I have worn alot of hats in my life and have never felt like I was above doing any job. My kids can't be fed with my pig-headed pride...nor can anyone elses. Welding is slow right now so I have my tool belt on and I am doing siding....and fucking with the Mexicans on the job as bad as I can

Hey Exnail! You gotta do what you gotta do! If you are working with illegals, give 'em hell!
Gary

Totally what I have seen. I'm working decent now but back from 2007-2011 I worked a total of 22wks. All while seeing the big front page on the building tradesman on how welders are at an alltime low and huge demand. All while I'm working 4 wks a year. Work is up now and I am working well but no big demand for welders that I am seeing. Been in the business for 22 years with 7 different certs. Now if I wanted to travel there is tons of work. I would rather go work at mcdonalds and come home everynight myself. Thankfully I have a 7 year old baby girl and a wife who works so I dont have to go on the road. But yea, no big demand at all as far as I can see.