In my experience, older apprentices are actively ignored by employers. I had to switch careers after my own business failed in the last few years, and I (perhaps unwisely) chose to try getting into the trades, went to trade school, and am now being ignored by all the companies apparently “crying for workers”. Yeah, crying for easily exploitable workers, maybe.
That sucks man. I'm 31 just getting I welding myself. I just landed my first job fabricating diesel tanks on production. it's hard to eat crow but with no welding background you don't really have much choice but to just take what you can get till you build a reputation for yourself. Good luck out there.
Glad to see you're going through a Apprenticeship, I'm 69 retired I was a pipe fitter, Taught myself to Weld, My father-in-law got me in the Union but did not want me to go to a Apprentice School, I guess he wanted his daughter To have the big money, But it caused me a lot of difficulties on the job, Some of these guys worked a long time to be journeyman and you put a young guy in there and give him the big money it don't work, It's not fair and I got punished for it, Big time , If there was a shitty job I got it. Good luck
Apprenticeship is where it all starts the journeyman and companies love a good Apprentice . That's where you build your reputation. Your father in law should've known better.
@@santiagopino2407 He did but he didn't care about me, He asked me a year into our marriage if he could buy me a quarter of a million dollar Life Insurance Policy. Even young and dumb I looked at him and said are you planning on knocking me off. He said no I just thought that would be a good present I said yeah for her if I'm dead. Very very few rich contractors can you trust, Even if they're in your extended family. Good luck to all you Apprentices, And journeyman👍👍👍🤘🤘🤘
@@yurunning5574 🤣🤣Exactly! Get yourself an uncle union member, then you guys are made. Don't fall for the regular applicant selection money scam unions are mandated to conduct every year by the states. Its just that, a money scam to take your math and english testing fees and pay for their union office staff and utilities. It's a waste of your time and money and union brass know already who they are hiring even before the sham interviews end. It's their family relatives and the guys who know a guy who talked to his union friend about this other guy! Unions are mafias lol!😂🤣😂
Been doing it 6 years and kinda starting to feel this way. Thinking I wanna get my cwi and be a instructor or a inspector. Don't wanna be on my knees all day with me face in the fumes until I'm 60
People don’t realize that there is more to welding than Just welding. That’s the easiest part of the job ( welding) it’s the other crap that goes with it that runs a man into the ground
That's why we have helmets, safety glasses and respirators and leather jackets and what not. I believe it's called personal protective equipment. Nobody is going to make you wear it but if you have half a brain cell, you would.
I make 21 an hour working in logistics, but I'd love to get into a trade: plumbing - too gross for me electrical - too risky for me carpentry - I'm afraid of heights painting - too boring CNC - that's interesting to me, I've taken programming courses know just a little about CNC (wire bending) already auto technician - I'm not mechanically incline, at least not that much lol welding - was told years ago that it would destroy my eyesight, but apparently you can avoid that
@@atlantic_love I think the risk of some sort of cancer or being crushed is probably worse than losing your eyesight. I haven't seen any decline in my eyesight but it was already bad before I started welding haha. Cnc especially the programming is definitely a good career.
@@zacharytuttle5618 Hard disagree there my friend. I have a 2 year degree in IT. Unless you have at least a bachelor's degree (if not a master's degree) you're not going to have any real career revolving around computers. There are people who get contract work with web design and development, but it's mostly just stuff that lasts for months and then they're looking for work again. I wasn't willing to play the expensive certificate game.
Can you go to school and get paided everyone says go to school because I can weld but I find it impossible to work full time and go to school full time so how do you get a good trade position while still trying to live and pay your bills
Apprenticeships are free trade school that you attend while also working in the field and getting a paycheck. It's done differently in different places, but mine was 2 nights a week during the school year for 5 years.
@@467076 that's good also. I'd respectfully like to point out that all welding is not created equally either. Don't get me wrong, what I am saying is that skills vary with experience and practice. Who's the best guitar player? We playing blues? Hard rock? Country? Metal? There's a metric shit ton of processes for welding. There's no plateau of skill in this trade.
@@467076 I don't think we disagree on anything here. We both agree that welding is a legitimate trade and there's options for advancing education at the same time. I'm down.
Was union my first 2 years as a mechanic. No thanks. The seniority system sucks. I was in the IAM. I was 25 at the time. You have to be 45 plus to have the weekends off and day shift. You had to be 62 plus to get the major holidays off. All of the overtime went to 55 plus. These guys had lots of toys and income. It was bullshit as a helper I got no overtime and had to live on ramen while paying the same union dues and insurance…
Unions are shit. They don't protect good workers, they insulate bad ones and stop companies from getting rid of them. Which keeps everyone's wage down.
That’s a trash wage for even first year welders! Be smart start your own business or get on where you don’t have to go through this crappy pay scale! My helpers start out making more..!
If you genuinely don't like welding get the fuck out of it. I am so sick of people going into welding because they are told they can make a shit load of money in the trade.... If you don't have years of experience and only know how to MIG weld you probably will get paid shit but I will say if you stick with it and you are passionate about it the money will come. I am just so sick of going to work and seeing new hires bitch and complain all fucking day.
@@Dabaroo Im making journeymans pay which in my state that is over 20 an hour.... but I have busted my ass to get to the point I am at... i dont even know what your comment means?
Ryan Hutchins comments go for all industries. Too many people went to university to get an education they can't use or can't complete and then they want to go to a trade because they hear the money is good. Bad news. If you don't like cold or heat. If you don't like confined spaces. If you hate to cut, burn or bash your hands. If you mind getting dirty. If you mind showing up on time. if you have no hand eye coordination. If you have no drive to perfect any manual skill. if you have no strength. If you can't work constantly for 8 hours with only a quick sandwich (usually eaten with dirty hands!). If you can't adhere to production schedules. If you think your are smarter than everybody else. If you think the job is actually beneath you. Don't show up and just get people their coffee because you only qualify to be a $hit talking fake barista. Most of these people's parents have protected them from real work and sent them to school and now they are 26 and never swung a hammer. I have NEVER seen one of these generational slackers be able to do a trade. Their hands and their hearts aren't in it and they tolerate the job and do as minimal work as possible and bitch the whole time. Then they want a raise or to become management, sometimes in as little as 2 months.
@@Todd.T hey man I’m trying to get into welding I was wondering if you need any degree or diploma for it I have no experience of welding I been watching videos and trying to learn it. I’m also trying to go to school to get more knowledge of welding would you recommend going to a college or just trade school.
@@meekness1968 I’m thinking trades schools with co-op. That way you get paid and go to school at the same time. The best thing I can tell you about money is is compounds when in the right investment. The longer you have it, the more it makes. A lot of people I went to high school with that got a trade as soon as they graduated killed almost all but the brainiest elites. Not by making more maximum pay, but by making more above average pay for a longer time. When I comes to welding, I can’t weld. I did buy a stick welder, welding helmet, gloves, brush, wire wheels, grinding discs, hammer, rods, installed a 220v outlet and got scrap steel from the bins at work. I’m going to practice my face off. I found out what the numbers on the rods mean. I got appropriate rods for my welder. I’ve watched several videos on how to do it. I’m very finicky and have some OCD. I’m determined, I’m going to do it. I’m not going to make it a career, just a hobby, but I like perfection. My current job pays six plus figures. Imagine if someone who never struck an arc applied for a job and came across a guy who has tried and continues to try but just needs guidance? Who would they pick? My friend started stick welding on commercial garbage bins. He sloppily repaired the bins and them painted them. Garbage bins don’t have to look good, but it was a great way to get some practice in. I’m going to modify my smoker by adding another grate level. I bought the metal. Now I practice, practice, practice before I make it.
I have Indian welders at work. Zero safety standards. No weld standards. Just what they believe to be good enough. "Good enough" ain't good enough in this trade. Stay in India, please.
I dont think I KNOW, from Military, that these People need Protection, HEARING, I am near Deaf and will get a Cochlear Implant in one ear, EyeSight, they ALL need to know about the vision, wavelengths, different ones that will affect there Macula, and ALL of this should be monitored with Medical Input, what about the byproducts o the welding processes, they need to have hoses with clean and fresh air, to protect their lungs, and ALL of this needs to be incorporated into the process !
