Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey all,

My name is David Strassburg and am 29 years old living in The central part of Georgia, near the Macon area. I got my diploma in welding roughly 8 years ago, got certificates for stick, mig, and tig welding. Sadly I was unable to get my hands on a welding job at the time. Everyone I went through told me that the 2+ years That I have been welding did not count as experience since it was for school. Hah, again on a sad note, I was discouraged from being told this many times, that I decided to go an easy route and went back to school listening to my vices advice! I got my associates degree in business and went on and achieved a great job at GEICO. hahaha.. I had a blast! lol that is a joke... I sat on my but all day and was strapped to a headset.. The pay was great, but I am not and have never been the type of person to have a desk job requiring me to sit on my but all day! I just got comfortable with the pay and thought I should stick with it, knowing many others that work there and make 6 figures a year. Well.. To speed up the introduction, I'll just say that It took 4 years for myself to finally say that's enough. I quit working there.. And had to get a job with more hands on. I started working with a great HVAC company that did a lot more than just heating, ventilAtion and air conditioning. They actually gave me a chance to show them what I can do with a welding machine. I haven't touched a welding machine in about 6 years before this, and I have to say that it was great. It was an easy project, basically cutting some older racks made out of steel, re fabricating them to the correct size and mig welding them back together. It felt like riding a bicycle, getting my hands on a welding machine again. I've had plenty of jobs there that required me to weld, and I must say it just brought me back in to the mind frame I was when I was younger. I love and know how to weld, and know that I should not be doing anything other than that.
Sadly, due to issues with some co workers, I decided to quit. The company I worked for was great, the bosses were amazing, but my co workers had integrity issues which in a nice way to put it... Just pissed me off. The crappy part about it is that after I quit, it took about a week before the bosses there fired the two guys and wanted me back, but I chose not to go due to the fact that I NEED to find a job welding because it is what I love to do.

Haha.. Sorry for the long introduction, but that is my story ATM I am just throwing my resume out into the welding industry hoping for a bite... while I am living off my 401k money, which is coming to an end I should say! Haha..

But yeah, I have been watching a ton of videos from welding tips and tricks and must say this is just making me itch so much more about getting a job in an industry that I love... These videos are great and can be so helpful. I will recommend this site to anyone I know that welds.

Thanks,

David Strassburg

Welcome David! I hope you find a welding job soon.

David welcome to the forum.

Thanks guys. I hope I get myself a job in the industry soon as well!

Mayhemncarnage wrote:...
Sadly, due to issues with some co workers, I decided to quit. The company I worked for was great, the bosses were amazing, but my co workers had integrity issues which in a nice way to put it... Just pissed me off. The crappy part about it is that after I quit, it took about a week before the bosses there fired the two guys and wanted me back, but I chose not to go due to the fact that I NEED to find a job welding because it is what I love to do.

David Strassburg

Ohhh, man,

They tossed the douchebags and made you an offer to come back? And you declined without a replacement job? Did you negotiate?

WTF?

I have the best job I could have imagined because a previous employer called me back. I hesitated and was offered more money.

Welding is only part of my job. Everything I do challenges me, including the welding, but I don't back away from any challenge.

Steve S

Yeah man, I'm starting to think its a mistake nowadays, but I'm looking ahead not in the past. I loved the work I did, but know I'd. Be much better off with a welding position. Really brightens up my day.. Hah.. Stupid pun... But really does.. I know if I am happy at work I am even more happy at home with the family.. Which is always that way.. but good days at work always takes away stress...

I'm blessed in my current job (my old job I held out for money on when they called me back).

I'm now the top-paid man in the shop, above others with seniority. (I'm not supposed to know that, of course.)

I'm paid that for two things... I can find the simplest and quickest way to do any task I'm assigned, and I know the theory behind what we do better than the top man in the company.

I usually get to decide what I'm doing on any given day, and when I don't, it's because I'm the one who will solve the problem in the shortest amount of time.

When a previous employer calls you, trying to get you back, acknowledge that they respected what you did before enough to call you, and negotiate. There's a solid reason they're calling you, and you can take advantage of it.

Steve S