Good questions/comments! As a community college welding instructor, we offer low cost welding instruction and welding certs- a couple of grand, maybe if you don't mind a couple of years time while you continue working at your current employment. I don't sugar coat the employment opportunities to my students. The skills are a start and foot in the door, but not the end-all. The actual welding skills and knowledge are essential but only a part of the big picture. I try to emphasize the soft skills also- Showing up on time, good work ethics, etc.... Having the welding skills are a good foundation and start, but as you emphasize, there's a lot more to learn and talents to be developed after school. Many of my community college students use their skills to supplement their current trades- automotive, construction, etc.. and aren't looking for work as full time welders, though some pursue that direction. Had one student who was putting their welding skills to work at McMurdo, Antarctica! I gotta say at least welding school is a heck of a lot better than going into student debt for $100,000 for a degree in sociology or something else that you can only find work as a waiter, etc..!
That’s excellent to hear you are real with your students and I do agree, it’s a lot better than going into mass amounts of college debt for a degree you may never use
The welding school i plan on goin to is 6 months and it says on their website theirs additional training. Im stuck between and rock and a hard spot i wanna get into a painters union just dont think im ready yet and have side intrests like welding
this is why companies need to start training welders on the job welders who train on the job are exposed to shipyard and industrial eviroment and they learn how to weld from welders who is passing x Ray and bend tests not being lectured to death in a classroom or being a classroom welder in a classroom welding shop
I was able to get on at 2 different companies they trained me on how to take a 1g test & 3g mig plate. Not that hard. The hardest part is the blueprints in my opinion.
Im thinking about going to Missouri welding institute in Nevada Missouri. It’s 15,000 for 18 weeks there classes are 1 hour lecture and 7 hours of hands on welding it’s a 40 hours a week Monday- Friday total of 720 hours
I went to a union 5 year apprentice school which had a senior class year long welding school. What they didn't directly say, but implied, was that welding is the final step in the building process for that trade. If you can't fabricate, fit up, and connect, then being able to weld is useless. Other side, if someone attends a welding school, but does the study and research/ shop time on their own, then that person should make themself more well rounded and marketable, but that's not many people. More of the entrapeneur minded people. I'm a professional iron worker welder with a small start up side biz as a fabricator, metal repair, product designer, and welder.
For me personally as a 4'11 female, no one has taken me seriously about me pursuing this trade. Trying 4 years to get into it, finally chose to go to weld school. Hoping people will take me more seriously afterwards.
I agree with 99% of what you just said. The only thing that I would say is beneficial of a weld school is it can get you further ahead in the pool of people applying for apprenticeships. Depending on the area you live in, apprenticeships can be tough to get in to and if you are coming out of highschool having never struck an arc. The UA or the boilermakers or whoever you want to apprentice at might place you lower on their list when other people are applying who have certs from weld schools. Will we ever get to the point in our industry that weld schools are necessary to even apply for an apprenticeship? In my area it almost seems like it’s going that way which is very very unfortunate.
That is a good point and it does seem that weld schools are turning into the gate keepers for people wanting to get into apprenticeships. Im curious to see where this all leads in 10 years
Josh Kosak I agree with what you said about needing experience and or certifications to get an apprenticeship. I know both UA and Boilermakers unions don’t like to accept folks without prior experience welding.
It's been near 9 years since I got accepted into the apprenticeship and the welding schools didn't seem that big of a deal back then. Things have changed drastically and I honestly have not been paying attention to what the apprenticeships require anymore! Thanks for bringing that to my attention, I'm going to look into it more
Welderbeast for the boilermakers union in my area there is actually 4 separate “pools” they draw apprentices from. Pool #1 is if you have prior tube welding certs in 6G. Pool #2 is structural plate certs only pool #3 is vocational certification in welding pool #4 is zero experience at all. I believe the UA has a similar system as well as a written test to get the opportunity for an interview. But you can see how you might get buried pretty quick on that list of people if you have absolutely no experience. And in this day and age of weld schools just about everyone has a 6G cert. I still don’t totally agree with how much these schools cost etc. but they can open the door for an apprenticeship opportunity. It’s unfortunate that it has almost become a requirement since the length of apprenticeships haven’t changed and you still won’t be making the big bucks until about 5 years down the road if you go that route. ESPECIALLY with that big student loan you just took out. Just my 2 cents 👍
I’m pissed to say that I as a current welding student totally agree to what you say brother. I’m due to graduate in February 2019 and been in school since August 2017. And you won’t believe the crap I’ve gone through with some of the instructors when I ask questions about what I’m watching on RUclips and the idiotic responses. Only because they can’t or don’t know anything about anything I’m asking about. I’m in this school for $33,000 for 18 months and I would never suggest this to anyone. Especially how you described how much it cost u for your rig. I did the same while attending school and it was way cheaper to learn and study from RUclips
While it is helpful to gain ideas from RUclips, I will always believe real life instruction will be the only way to learn properly. I just wanted people in the future to realize there are other ways to get taught how to weld than by spending mass amounts of money. You can't avoid the time though, learning to weld will always take time but a person can gap the time out over 3-5 years and hold down a job rather than taking all that time at once in a full time 30 week welding course. Thanks for your time and sharing your thoughts brother
I agree with you in a lot of the points you spoke about especially about the lack of actual work experience that they don’t teach at welding school. However I am a high school student and take welding class and also go to a welding school after school Tuesday and Thursdays they teach you how to weld and pass bend test in both but my instructor in my high school courses dose not just teach that like you say they do they also teach it takes more than being able to weld to be considered a welder he’s very experienced and still takes jobs now and then he teacher us all the skills we will need to get a job like what are the actual steps to fabricate something and all the technicalities that come with it I personally don’t think that doing all this will get me a lot of money at first but it will help me get my foot in the door and then learn how to improve and be a actual welder like the one you speak of I’m not saying your wrong you have a lot of good points but i look at it in a different perspective
And I appreciate you sharing your perspective, it sounds like you have two things going for you that I did not talk about in the video. You have an exceptional teacher AND it appears you have a great attitude for learning. Those two things will set you up for success no matter where you go
I'm sure that the technical college I went to the program has change in the 17/18 years since I went to it but the 9 month welding program at that time was like an entry-level from 8 to 2:30 shop work welding on customer projects from ground up, if you wanted some machine lathe or milling machine time you could. it was like a Fab shop I guess With some kind of certificates at the end of the year. Northwest Kansas Technical College.
I agree. This happened to me. I got 3 certifications. But after I was done I had no in the job experience as a welder before. And I was young. And I couldn’t find a job. So I did what I could find. Went a different path. Lots of different trades. Now I’m a director for a general contractor. But am looking to rig out my truck and get started mobile like yourself. Loving your channel. Glad I found it.
Went to an 18 week master pipe welding/fitter trade school. Graduated a month ago. Had no prior welding experience. Now I’m on a job as a combo welder making $32/hr and $80 a day perdium.... 🤷🏼♂️
I went thru the same program. And now I can’t find a job. I don’t think it was a bad decision but I would’ve been better off being a helper, which is what I’m currently trying to get into.
Welding schools can be expensive, but are a good option to have. However, there are many other ways to learn eg. on the bench in a welding shop, on the farm, from your father, uncle, night school courses etc. All welding tests should be done by an independent govt. certified testing facility. Schools shouldn't be allowed to certify welders because they have a financial interest in the student. In Canada there are various trades courses (incl. welding) in some high schools(occupational education high schools). The students get 1day of regular classes and 1 day of trade classes. By the time they graduate high school, they've had a FREE 3 yr. course in welding or whatever other trade they've chosen. At that time, they can go for various welding tests at a Govt. run test facility(NOT FREE). Anyone can go for welding tests, even if they've never had any formal training. Our tests are very stringent and our CWB (Canadian Welding Bureau) certificates are recognised world wide. Once a welder is hired, the boss has the right to let the welder go if he doesn't perform.
That sounds like a great system, I'm not sure if their are schools like that In the United States but I would love to be able to find them! Thanks for your time and your expertise
well thought out commentary man. I have a similar background as you and have experienced the weld school thing too, except mine wasn't expensive. Keep it up. The only problem I have with the apprenticeship route was that you're expected to basically conform to the Roudy / macho attitudes that they encourage and loose your individual thinking . That was my experience through the Boilermakers anyway.
Expectations can go unfulfilled, I had many expectations of me that I never fulfilled and kept to my individuality. I wouldn’t say I fit in very well with the herd lol but I kept to who I was and in the end have no regrets. It takes mass amounts of courage to not conform to everyone else’s standards but I preached it as often as I could to every apprentice that worked with me to not change themselves. I hope you pushed through and are in a good situation now!
YES!!! All you welders NEVER loose your individual thinking. Think critically. Question everything. But ACCEPT when the industry or the world TELLS you that there is a right way to do things. But even then question it to a small degree. The world and all of us welders could benefit from your critical thinking.
I’ve been in the welding field for right at 10 years now. Couldn’t agree with you more on your stance. I’ve worked jobs ranging from mom and pop fab/job shops to structural iron and pipeline. I’ve worked with a lot of people straight out of school and they would constantly say well my instructor said or my instructor said that. When I did a little research on their instructor, he had only been welding for 4 or 5 years and that was only for a place building rail cars. They were really apprehensive to being taught anything other than what the text book said. The only thing school teaches you faster than you learn in the field is the technical stuff about the physics, chemistry, and metallurgy. You are better off finding a journeyman who has been doing the trade for 10+ years instead of someone who just got their card to learn from. If treated with respect, they will let you pick their brain like an open book. Have an attitude and disrespect them, and they will let you hang yourself.
I might be the exception. After the military I utilized my gi bill to enter a local CC's welding program. My initial intention was to complete the program and pursue an apprenticeship in pipeline welding. About 2 semesters into the program I took a job at a local steel foundry as a fabrication maintenance mechanic . I used that to hone what was taught in real world situations and learn new skills from the "old school" guys . Long story short. After completing my deg. Not only did I learn welding but I was taught blueprint reading, metallurgy, robotic programming, destructive testing/NDT and Cad. After the company I worked for realized the training i had recieved and was offered a position in the engineering department. During the last 5 yrs I have moved on to designing steel castings, running our pattern shop, diagnosing guality issues and being called in for gauging and specialty welds. I took a different path which going to a trade or "welding school" has offered me.
That is excellent, I’m glad things worked out so well for you! I certainly never claim to be the know all end all and you just proved that there are situations where a school was very beneficial for you!
You explained perfectly everything this guy can’t comprehend. A degree opens up opportunity. The path he is on isn’t everyone’s path, not everyone is going to own a business. Furthermore, those who decide not to go to school and are 60 with multiple surgeries are going to want to go then when they can’t muster physical labor anymore.
Hey huge fan of your vids I had a quick question about welding : I believe you went the best route (apprentice) ; however, I’ve been waiting over a year for mine local union to accept applicants again so I enrolled in college ( which is free for me ) instead of being a welder helper but I heard they do make good money /communication and you meant hands on, but than I also heard a school teaches you more with welding techniques like uphill , reading prints where as a helper is more of a shortcut and I’ve seen many in my local union (breaking out ) over a year just to pass a test. As a plan b Do you believe I should enroll in school or helper would be a better route ?
I got an associates degree at the same time. I didn't pay extra to go to weld school. Come out aws and my local collage certified, they put out there own certs. My welding instructer was wesome and he's a local cwi. Kinda convenient takes the stress away when he gives the test. Do get other cwis. but nice when it's him, to come test. I took business classes at same time. I'm into it for 18,000 yea it's alot. I outfitted my truck for less. It has helped. My res is flawless. And going to collage makes it look better. I don't hand in res and not get job. There will always be work for me.
Just found this video, my 2 cents...I went to weld school on my Gi bill after the military. Already had a family, so didn't really want to travel. Always welded on the farm growing up, so it was pretty easy. Had a job before I graduated, so that was a huge plus. I put alot into getting as much knowledge in a short time, paid for some certs to add to the resume, and I was happy with getting work for myself near home. Now, the bad...you're exactly right, the pay is bs if you go to work for a weld shop or fab shop. The old guys at the shops don't really like to share knowledge because they think you're after their job. And in my area like many,theirs more than one school so always someone else in line.you're disposable. After 5sh years in the trade, I'm branching out and starting my own stuff on the side as well, hopefully doing what you're doing now with a truck soon.👍🏻good video man
That 1% I support because I came up in the industrial turnaround world where each work is performed by a professional that is highly skilled. So yes there are advantages of going to weld schools because there are technical subjects they teach in classes that aren’t taught in the fields such as metallurgy how to translate a certain electrode by letters/numbers, causes of arc blow, magnetic fields, differences of amps/volts, hours and hours of learning how to read puddles in different positions, heat input etc. But there are also really good welders that have never went to school that can read a puddle very well and deliver X-ray shots. I’ve seen the difference between the two (schooled and non-schooled). Ive attended and successfully completed 6semesters of community college. I took my time and invensted into this trade because I knew If I can become a damn slick bead hand no one would ever deny me of employment. Even if there’s no welding going on they’ll always keep me around learning something else. That’s how my career has been pretty much. I only knew welding but because I was so good at it we’ve come to an agreement with supervision that there isn’t any more welds to make but we can keep u around if u like. But u have to learn other skills and be efficient as u are with welding..... Cheers hopefully that helps.
Trade or on the job learning is the way to go , some school is good , trade school is one of best way , i worked oil field and roofing, construction , sheet metal , iron working , though all this learned to weld , my skill is layout and Fabrication , heard -welders are dime a dozen , did not under stand until started working in oil field Off shore , the big part is to get work to the weld point, or Nail point , there is more to a job than the end , its all the skills , I still have trouble getting others to think and do and this is a Skill just like all trades , I love the work , to Creating ! thanks
There's a technical school near me that charges 4.3k for a 12 month class, they state to teach to pass entry level tests/certifications(you can pay to take AWS SMAW and FCAW certifications) and teach Mig, Tig, Stick, Oxy cutting/braising, plasma arc gouging/cutting and carbon arc gouging and cutting. All though there's alot of potential jobs around here to
I’m just going to be graduating here shortly from a 15 week course. 23k. Through grants and such from the government, I’m coming out 0 debt. But I’m not a kid out of highschool, I’ve been around multiple trades all over my area. So the cost isn’t a con for me because these days you can get that price pretty low after financial aid. BUT, there are a lot of arrogant 17 18 19 year old kids in my “class” that think they are a hand sent from god. And being I’m not much older but I’ve been around, they won’t hear nothing from me, cause they know everything, but I’m just waiting for when they get out there and are butthurt cause they ain’t making $30-40 an hour. Hell I’ve seen em upset with $20-25. Life’s gonna hit em hard. You gotta be a teachable and humble individual coming out of these schools and understand exactly what you said, we can weld alright, some really good, but for the ones new to all this, we ain’t fabricators, some never even been on any type of job site. I preach union apprenticeships to everyone I see, but a lot of the times it’s hard to get in without having any type of Contacts, which kids out of highschool don’t have. So they are just out here trying to learn something that they can turn into a valuable tool in their blue collar career.
Thats why I’m doing an apprenticeship, not just trade school. But the school portion also helps a lot, and its good to have an insteuctor who is dedicated to instructing you and you’re focused on learning not just production. But in the real world you need production, and the best experience you can get is on the job in the real world, it can just be hard at times to find the right guys who want to train someone so you have to be patient. We’ve had guys come in right out of a weld school with out work experience. Some guys thought they knew everything cuz they went to school and they were the worst. But my experience guys just coming out of weld school usually arent that great simply due to lack of experience. But when you do a three year apprenticeship program, where you work on the job and get trained, along with courses in school, I think that is really beneficial imo. But the apprenticeship is best because you learn the trade not just a trade skill :) Ps there are some weld school that are actually pretty good but u have to do ur research. U cant just go to a weld school and think ur a welder now
I agree with you , also believe they should still go learn a trade at a trade school not stop at welding keep going , learn rigging or crane operations and pipe fitting also boiler making , keep going more trades and skills you know it’s how you become a fore man and supervisor and maybe ceo 👩💼 don’t stop because the money is good keep going and going learning and learning CWI inspections and more
Welderbeast, you make a few good points, but then some of the other comments reflect attitude. No matter how one gets started into the welding trade is a credit for this industry. Whether school or OJT you are going to have good welders and lazy welders. I by no means know all there is to this great trade, but I know one never learns it all. I learn or realize something new every day. That attitude can by all means make one a better tradesmen. I would never discourage someone from expanding their education in any field whether it be a technical school or go out and hit the trenches as a helper. I started in the trenches in 1958, (High School break in the summer). Old timer welder for Superior Oil took me under his wing and thought me a lot. He was also very good at other things. Love to drink whiskey, play porker, and he could cuss. Each summer I would learn more. During the school time I would practice and practice. That's where you can learn welding, under the hood. I also later attended some welding schools. Discovered several of my errors in my ways. What I'm saying is that one should never discredit someone for their choice of education. Who knows that kid out of welding school could someday be the best in this field with the proper guidance. Or being discredited he could go into something else for a living and the industry just lost a good man.
Very good points, I would never discredit where a person learned. I discredit a school or any welding organization that misleads or tricks a young person into the trade when it might not have been their best choice. Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts!
I wouldn't trade my learning experience for anything, lots of school, college classes, plus books, & I was around old masters, in both welding & when I took body work, if you can be trained by second or third generation of masters, maybe..... but most are not, so then I will agree. most are just good welders. & what type of welding do you want to learn? as you will not find 1 person trained & great in all aspects. so if you can find old masters, seek them, whether a school, or apprentice or however, but seek knowledge. in my body shop training, I took it just to be taught by person that shouldn't be teaching, he never moved on due to so old & set in ways with health problems, but old car repair, using nothing but torch for welding, or brazing or lead skim, we wasn't allowed to use body filler, had to learn how to hammer and dolly & metal finish panels, even if normally would replace, we had to know how to fix, my second year I was exposed to MIG to do body work & body filler with a different teacher, he was hired 2 years before other teacher retired, but was expected to die, & they got things in place so college wouldn't stop due to his death, he lasted 3 more years after retiring, but my second teacher was no better than any other good body man. my first year I wouldn't trade for anything, my second year is different, I could have got that working in any body shop. my welding classes, 1 of teachers was old master, in his 70's & was a torch welding master, & between those helped make me a person that still enjoys torch work. in my mechanic program 1 of my teachers was an old mechanic master from bygone days, he retired my second year in mechanics. the new guys didn't have anything to interest me. a little bit more about me, I pushed myself to excel, to be above the normal, I sought older people to learn from, I don't usually bring it up, but I have 18 degrees in automotive or fields related in and around automotive, including welding I stopped going when our govt blackmailed colleges in early 1990's & said would withhold funding if the colleges didn't ban guns, so when guns were banned I stopped going, however I reached a level that I cant carry on a conversation with average mechanics. if we get into true engine theory, & understanding of systems, I have mentioned I started learning to weld when I was 9, but when I was 6 my dad bought books for me to learn to rebuild small engines, & by time I was 7, I was rebuilding mini-bike, lawnmower engines, just from what I was able to read, by time I was 10 I was building overhead cam motorcycle engines, modifying car engines by time I was 13, & now I am 51, & I am burned out of automotive scene, but not afraid to tackle anything automotive.
Communit trade school welding program 5 thousand dollars, 1 year long, 3 nights a week (20 hours). Learn all 3 major processes and pipe. No lecture, all hands on in a booth. But maybe were just lucky around here
Different places have different opportunities for sure, I personally would say no lecture is a bad thing though. There is a lot to be learned that is not hands on. How many hours total do you get in the whole coarse?
I went to tulsa welding school 2015/16. It's a joke in my opinion. A young person pays all this money to sit in a booth and weld. They demo torch use and do classroom stuff but it's not full on job training. What makes the welding world so hard for generic welding school is what field is that person going into. Tig mig or stick? Ok on what material? sheet, structural, or pipe? What alloy? A person cannot be trained to work in an generic environment. Train for what you want to do.
You mirror my exact thoughts, choose the trade you want to apply your welding to FIRST and then learn how to weld within the structure of what that trade will require you to weld. Thanks for your time and comment
@@Welderbeast I think people that want to get into the industry need to either find a job as a helper for non union or apprenticeship for union. Looking in hindsight i wish i would've done my education differently but also i wouldn't be where i am today if i didnt go to tulsa.
my 900 hour course cover flux mig tig and stick plate and pipe total17000 i owe 9 when schools over, ive nto been accepted as an apprentice so this is the best way to go for me, but for guys in the same situation whove never welded before a trade school can absoluetely be beneficial.
School teaches things u don't learn in the feild. Yes u have to get work experience. But school teaches so much. I can weld all prosses and metals. How many welders that didn't go to school can do that. And they teach u metelurgy. And so much more. There is nothing I can't weld or machine I can't use. Love your vids. I'm in prosses of starting my mobile welding business right now.
An excellent point but to counter you there are a lot of people that can do that that didn't go to school, they practiced, read and learned on their own time. Most of my knowledge has come from my own desire to learn more and to get better so I've practiced and read outside of what I was taught in an apprenticeship and a weld school. A school is a great way to learn things that you won't in the field but is also not the only way to achieve those same results. Just a thought, thanks for taking time to watch and comment
None of em are at the stage of humility, humbleness, and thankfulness yet to go anywhere in this trade or any trade, but they are young, and someone will straighten em out quick, they will realize quick that welding on some coupons no matter the position or however many certs you have from any school, ain’t gonna give you $40 bucks an hour. You gotta learn your trade, you gotta earn that pay scale, in the trenches with your brothers, bleeding and sweating like the ones before you, it’s a culture, but they are young.
Welding schools have been around for many years. Unfortunately there is a lack of skilled trade labor that is steadily decreasing over the years. I have experience in different labor fields but until i went to welding school, i saw that there was a lot of difficulty in getting placement into apprenticeships in trade unions. unions near me are very picky and it is hard for someone with little labor experience to get into them. There is a duality to this. in my opinion, Welding schools and trade programs are necessary for the dwindling industry labor force, but the costs can be exorbitant. The welding school i attended, taught me a skill that i use everyday as a structural welder in the field. Common sense and a general aptitude for tactile learning helps immensely in this trade. People that want to go to a trade school should go into the field with an open mind. The amount of knowledge i have gained cannot be bought nor sold. Trade schools are a tool and should be used as a stepping stone. the costs of schooling should be subsidized by the government , because or nation needs the trades for a functioning society.
Excellent point, with the right attitude a weld school is a great stepping stone. Im concerned with the misconception spread by deceitful recruiters that young men should eagerly spend the high prices to learn because of how much money they will make and that they will be expert after the class. If you knew it was just the beginning of your career it would be so much better. I must admit I was not aware it was so difficult to get into trades as I got in on my first interview and within a years time. In that I will readily admit I was naive, thank you for sharing your perspective
@@Welderbeast i do agree with you on some of your points. The school i attended had instructors that had to have a minimum of 5 years in the field to be able to instruct. Our school had no recruiters because it is in a public school system. Being realistic is a must in this trade. graduates should not expect high paying top shelf jobs out of school because those jobs in the trades is earned through experience and cant be bought with welding certifications
My local welding school wants 13 thousand dollars and has night classes I found 2 community colleges one offers certifications and the other college has certifications and a degree program how do you feel about community colleges?
I honestly don't understand a degree being applicable in trade work so my answer is skewed but I believe learning paired with time and experience will make you a better welder than most that just have one or the other
I go a technical college , I have to take math and English and professional development. I graduate in May 2020 and I probably will spend 5, 6k total. I don't know about 20, 30 grand people are talking about
If a person has the attitude to do both then I can almost guarantee they will succeed! Just because doing both would requiring the desire to learn and the humility to put in your time
Welderbeast look up penn college of technology in PA. Some people have that mentality but it takes more then just sitting in a classroom/welding in a lab. If there would of been an opening for the union where i am located i would of went that way, but the in depth education of welding but also the secience of welding. I got from there is very impressive, i can't speak for other schools but We didnt just sit down to weld I know my teacher made us get out of position and weld 5g/5f 6" off the ground under a table still and tig. I know its nothing like a jobsite but it wasnt easy either, and the turn over rate is 90% . I had 5 interviews with big name welding companies before I even graduated. I think welding schools are a good tool but it mostly depends on the person because if you just wanna make the money then an apprenticeship or weld hand job is the way to go. Its a good school to look at i dont know of many that are like it. Well hopefully you see this and look at it, if you need or want to know more let me know. Love the videos man!
You are absolutely right! I had some awful experiences with a college that teaches welding. They are a waist of time. These technology schools and colleges just want your money. You have to go out there and learn the trade. I am a structural welder. I have been welding for 6 years and still learning. There are some very good schools that teach you the trade and they get to the point with very little money. But they are hard to find. But you are right. Keep up the good work.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Maybe I'm late to this but I enrolled in TWS Tulsa about a month ago and started findng out more n more about them and the fact you pay that much to not become certified so I withdrew from there and now this is what I plan on doing now. Pisses me off places do this to people happily and could give a shit less
Thank you for sharing.. Im 36yrs old and tired sittin behind a desk for 15yrs still making less than 16$ per hour.. i was thinking of goin to welding trade school but now im not sure cuz 15k-20k is a bit too much for me with 3 kids and a wife to support..
This is kind of where I’m at trying to figure out what I’m doing when I leave the Marine Corps in a couple weeks. I’ve been looking into trying to join the UA as an apprentice but at the same time, my education is paid for and I’d also like to go ahead and get a decent amount of generic experience (all I’ve ever done is stick and it’s been years since then). What would any of y’all recommend?
I still recommend the apprenticeship and save your GI bill for more education down the road when you decide a specific route you want to go. Don’t spend the GI until you are absolutely positive it’s what you want to get a degree in, in my opinion!
Welding is only the tool you need to do fabrication or pipe fitting or any trade associated with metal,working. What needs to be learned on the job or in a school is fabrication which includes math, geometry, thought process. I think you are confusing a tool with a trade. If you have the tool, then your path in apprenticeship will be more swift or your advancement in a job will be more quick. Everyone needs to start at the bottom of the ladder in any business. I don’t know how many if the welding schools are promising instant high paying jobs out of school. When I went to vo tech, part of the training included projects that encouraged fabrication skills, don’t know if that is still the case.
Hi mate I personally got RPL (recognition to prior learning) for my Certification then went further to do my Structural Cert .. I believe any school is like a driving school yeah you can drive but put a 25000lb gooseneck on the back on downhill in cyclone rain or snow ... you cant teach life experience
Majority of process piping will become unionized, Happeing in California starting this year, I imagine it will spread across the country shortly, With that comes alot of politics, from what I've seen as far as government funded apprenticeships and work to men ratio.. more specifically "list" guy & " call by names" I've been independent 4 years now and love it, I guess it kind of worked out... Side note.. welding schools used to be funded by the state which made it easier to access after work and what not, I dont know what's going on now. Side note x2... if you dont like school learn something you dont mind waking up and doing everyday. Stay off the internet get to work !
I agree, with everything there is good and bad and the union is certainly not perfect, lots of politics but I like the opportunities it gave me. I never knew the states use to fund the school, that's why I brought the subject up to learn more about what I don't know ha and for your last point I'm not sure I understand you clearly. Are you telling me to stay off the internet and get to work because I posed this question or are you speaking to the general populous to learn by doing?
In '96 I went to Hobart Institute School of Welding Technology, wright out of the Army which was paid for by the GI Bill. The 9 month program was about $9000. It was pipe and plate program, Learned a little about everything. If I could do it over, I'd go with a union pipe . Or under water welding.
I should have went through an union. I go to AIM and I have to pay 18k. Plus they don't help with job placement. I go there just for the certifications.
Well good luck if you are not in contact with Josh or John who are your buddies and get you in that apprenticeship because you know how many apprenticeship programs of union halls I have a plied in the past four years and gotten no callback or answer ever other than my app is pending on the list
I agree with a lot of this, but there are some things you miss. You obviously can't pay a guy fresh out of welding school jman wages since welding is only one skill - and usually one of the last ones the unions teach whether UA, or ironworkers, or steamfitters or whatever. By the same token - how is it that you can pay a guy thats been on the job for 20 years the same as somebody that's been there 5? Some things about the unions just don't really make that much sense. Imagine going 20 years and never getting a raise because you're topped out... But then there is the opposite problem that ... you're 5 years in, got your jman card - how is it right that you can make less than another guy with the same job? And that's kind of a reason unions exist - is to make sure that everyone is paid fairly. I think unions should maybe set not only a jman wage, but maybe also set an experiencec factor in ... but then again I've also seen guys with many years of experience that aren't producing as much as a less experienced guy too. So, this is an old video, and you've moved on but another thing jumps out at me - you came to the conclusion that welding school only teaches one skill, and you didn't want to be a part of that. But did you think of maybe teaching the other stuff along with it? It's not the same as being on the job though, and unions already do that for free, while you're working. There could be other angles too though - maybe some companies hire welders, but they have good helpers that they can't put the time into the practice / theory part of the learning - maybe a better model would be like a "night school" to train different types of welding where a company could send some of their guys a couple of nights / week to get that training? It could be paid for by the company, or have a reimbursement program, or whatever. I worked at a shop where I had a job to do - I was a fitter ... and I did spend some time with my machine running out beads and whatnot - but I didn't have the benefit of someone teaching me. What am I doing wrong? What are the parameters for different types of welds? It would have been very helpful to me. I 100% would have done some kind of accelerated welding course to teach me all the various things that I couldn't learn ONLY on the job beacause their welders had their own work to do too.
Is working your way up really not a common idea to live by, especially when starting something new? The advantage of schooling that I see is you learn various types of welding skills and theories which may lead you into your passion. If you only apprentice under a stick welder you may never find out you thrive as a tig welder.
Excellent point of view, I am a fan of apprenticing under all types of welders but schooling would help you pinpoint exactly the type of welding you like in a compressed time frame.
Yeah I went to a trade school but it was free it was 2 years it helped but still your not gonna no how to do a lot of the whole spectrum of the trade that requires on the job training those really expensive schools your talking about I think are a waste of money it's just not nearly enough time to learn much
It is a rather short amount of time for so much money, but if you get a good school I guess your paying for the instructors experience rather than the time you get out of it
News flash, all companies have that same mentality. It’s not just the sacred trade of welding. There are companies that do take the gamble on the young school kid. These are the companies that you want to work for.
I'm currently in a diesel technician school and I'm paying $45k for 45wks of training and I extremely regret my decision and because of this I started to look at welding which has been my backup plan but the weld school that I am considering going to is 15k for 8 month training and I cant work while in school so I really dont know if it would be worth it or if it would turn out to be like the school I am currently attending Any suggestions?
@ Welderbeast LLC What are your thoughts on AWS? What you said about schools is true but I don't see industry side of AWS giving practical advice to students/beginners
I don’t really have a say on AWS, they are a good standard as far as certifications. It’s a good place to start when your work requires quality and you can piggyback off AWS reputation by having a cert or two of theirs.
What we would like to see happen and the way we'd like things to be, often never comes to pass. You want more pay for better productivity, more pay for better quality work, and more pay for more experience. That very seldom happens. It's not a perfect world. I'd like to see potatoes grow on trees like apples, but that'll never happen either. After years of moaning and belly aching about it, I just accepted it and moved on. I suggest you do too.
I appreciate your advice but can't agree to stopping. You said you spent years of moaning and belly aching about it but did you ever actually DO anything about it? With the right leverage anything is possible. There just hasn't been a welder yet that has had enough influence to change things. I believe the solution to a problem is not to avoid talking about it but rather to get as many minds as possible thinking on it to come up with solutions and then ACT on them. Keep following me and see where I go and what I'm up to in 10-20 years. I've got much larger plans than anyone knows about and I've just got started, but if you are disappointed by my videos feel free to stop following me and stop watching them. Just know that your perspective and expertise will be greatly missed if you leave
I have been attending a welding program for three quarters so far and I already feel like a total turd. I cannot lay a good bead to save my life. I drive home so pissed off every day. My teacher is always pissed off at me about something. I learned most welders are absolute pricks.
I agreee 100%. The USA education system is flawed, universities and trade schools alike. NOTHING beats real world experience. All of my 5 years of primarily mig welding experience has been artistic, full time job 40+ hours week for 5 years. I started with maybe 10 hours hobby welding with my tiny garage welder. However my employer, an Artistic welder, preferred non certified welders because certified welders have had the "STACKED DIMES" mentality so crammed in their head that they couldn't get away from it, thus the only thing they could produce was a stacked dime look, not very artistic. Now after 5 years and 30+ hours of arc time and "puddle viewing" for every 40 hour week I have such and intimate understanding of molten metal weather its joining tubing or making art, that I outperform some certified local welders with 20+ years experience. I learned more from practice in the real wold than 10 years of school could ever teach me. I suggest artistic welding as a starting point for any aspiring welder, get the coordination, speed, steady hand, and an intimate understanding of the material your working with, without the stress of x-ray inspection, or the fact that your weld may be literally holding someones life in its strength.
Regardless of the quality of education in a good weld school, i believe they get a bad rap. Because people might have a kinda nuanced attitude as like being a part of a union, A in-club. And if they arnt teaching al kinds of fab and manual machines and fuxruring, what is it damn for. I think the small business don't want entitled people because they need to be competitive. So they just "in house train" and dont take crap from anyone.
yes you worked hard to get where you are but if someone doesnt have to then why get mad? its not like theyre taking anything from or really affecting your life in anyway
There is no way to prove you wrong! Paying your dues at the school of hard knocks, and on the job training are waaay more beneficial. Just my old guy opinion...
@@moedammit8477 It's who I learned my trade and welding from. I figured out real quick the trick to becoming the best, be respectful to the best and they will teach you all they know haha I still got a LONG way to go
@@Welderbeast we all have so much to learn, and there is NO way to grab it all,and a school trying to teach it...no school that big. Great videos man.I recommend your channel to all the kids I know,hell veterans too.
@@moedammit8477 I really appreciate that! Most days I still feel like a dumb young kid but still hope the videos help someone somewhere in the world and in the future.
So your whole point was that you don’t want younger folks to come out of school earning as much as you do? It’s weird you have all this hate towards school. There’s good and there are bad. 14k-20k is more like 5-7k in reality. The good schools will tell you that there is more then just welding, the good schools will have fabrication, robotics, safety, and an internship program to show them that. Not only that but your main point of “no work experience”.. majority of those going to these schools have plenty of work experience, but just want a change of careers. If there’s one thing that bothers me the most is people who rant on RUclips with a one sided point of view with nothing concrete.
So you make all the valid points & have the balls to say you were either trying or attempting to open a school of your own... hop on the money train if you cant beat em right. Sounds like you need to work on your content bro, no sub here.
No need to work on my content, your just not the subscriber I’m shooting for;) thanks for watching though, I stand by my points. I’m not going to relax on my morals because it’s where the money is at, plenty of people in the world doing that.
Good questions/comments!
As a community college welding instructor, we offer low cost welding instruction and welding certs- a couple of grand, maybe if you don't mind a couple of years time while you continue working at your current employment.
I don't sugar coat the employment opportunities to my students.
The skills are a start and foot in the door, but not the end-all.
The actual welding skills and knowledge are essential but only a part of the big picture.
I try to emphasize the soft skills also- Showing up on time, good work ethics, etc....
Having the welding skills are a good foundation and start, but as you emphasize, there's a lot more to learn and talents to be developed after school.
Many of my community college students use their skills to supplement their current trades- automotive, construction, etc.. and aren't looking for work as full time welders, though some pursue that direction.
Had one student who was putting their welding skills to work at McMurdo, Antarctica!
I gotta say at least welding school is a heck of a lot better than going into student debt for $100,000 for a degree in sociology or something else that you can only find work as a waiter, etc..!
That’s excellent to hear you are real with your students and I do agree, it’s a lot better than going into mass amounts of college debt for a degree you may never use
The welding school i plan on goin to is 6 months and it says on their website theirs additional training. Im stuck between and rock and a hard spot i wanna get into a painters union just dont think im ready yet and have side intrests like welding
this is why companies need to start training welders on the job welders who train on the job are exposed to shipyard and industrial eviroment and they learn how to weld from welders who is passing x Ray and bend tests not being lectured to death in a classroom or being a classroom welder in a classroom welding shop
I agree!
I was able to get on at 2 different companies they trained me on how to take a 1g test & 3g mig plate. Not that hard. The hardest part is the blueprints in my opinion.
Im thinking about going to Missouri welding institute in Nevada Missouri. It’s 15,000 for 18 weeks there classes are 1 hour lecture and 7 hours of hands on welding it’s a 40 hours a week Monday- Friday total of 720 hours
I am about to start there at the end of November. I had some buddies who went to that school and got jobs right away making decent money.
I went to a union 5 year apprentice school which had a senior class year long welding school. What they didn't directly say, but implied, was that welding is the final step in the building process for that trade. If you can't fabricate, fit up, and connect, then being able to weld is useless.
Other side, if someone attends a welding school, but does the study and research/ shop time on their own, then that person should make themself more well rounded and marketable, but that's not many people. More of the entrapeneur minded people.
I'm a professional iron worker welder with a small start up side biz as a fabricator, metal repair, product designer, and welder.
Very well said, I agree 100%
For me personally as a 4'11 female, no one has taken me seriously about me pursuing this trade. Trying 4 years to get into it, finally chose to go to weld school. Hoping people will take me more seriously afterwards.
I can so relate to you. I'm a female also. I hear "but you're a girl."
I'm Nashville TN
I agree with 99% of what you just said.
The only thing that I would say is beneficial of a weld school is it can get you further ahead in the pool of people applying for apprenticeships. Depending on the area you live in, apprenticeships can be tough to get in to and if you are coming out of highschool having never struck an arc. The UA or the boilermakers or whoever you want to apprentice at might place you lower on their list when other people are applying who have certs from weld schools.
Will we ever get to the point in our industry that weld schools are necessary to even apply for an apprenticeship? In my area it almost seems like it’s going that way which is very very unfortunate.
That is a good point and it does seem that weld schools are turning into the gate keepers for people wanting to get into apprenticeships. Im curious to see where this all leads in 10 years
Josh Kosak I agree with what you said about needing experience and or certifications to get an apprenticeship. I know both UA and Boilermakers unions don’t like to accept folks without prior experience welding.
It's been near 9 years since I got accepted into the apprenticeship and the welding schools didn't seem that big of a deal back then. Things have changed drastically and I honestly have not been paying attention to what the apprenticeships require anymore! Thanks for bringing that to my attention, I'm going to look into it more
Welderbeast for the boilermakers union in my area there is actually 4 separate “pools” they draw apprentices from. Pool #1 is if you have prior tube welding certs in 6G. Pool #2 is structural plate certs only pool #3 is vocational certification in welding pool #4 is zero experience at all. I believe the UA has a similar system as well as a written test to get the opportunity for an interview. But you can see how you might get buried pretty quick on that list of people if you have absolutely no experience. And in this day and age of weld schools just about everyone has a 6G cert. I still don’t totally agree with how much these schools cost etc. but they can open the door for an apprenticeship opportunity.
It’s unfortunate that it has almost become a requirement since the length of apprenticeships haven’t changed and you still won’t be making the big bucks until about 5 years down the road if you go that route. ESPECIALLY with that big student loan you just took out. Just my 2 cents 👍
@@koshjosak I agree with you 100%
I’m pissed to say that I as a current welding student totally agree to what you say brother. I’m due to graduate in February 2019 and been in school since August 2017. And you won’t believe the crap I’ve gone through with some of the instructors when I ask questions about what I’m watching on RUclips and the idiotic responses. Only because they can’t or don’t know anything about anything I’m asking about. I’m in this school for $33,000 for 18 months and I would never suggest this to anyone. Especially how you described how much it cost u for your rig. I did the same while attending school and it was way cheaper to learn and study from RUclips
While it is helpful to gain ideas from RUclips, I will always believe real life instruction will be the only way to learn properly. I just wanted people in the future to realize there are other ways to get taught how to weld than by spending mass amounts of money. You can't avoid the time though, learning to weld will always take time but a person can gap the time out over 3-5 years and hold down a job rather than taking all that time at once in a full time 30 week welding course. Thanks for your time and sharing your thoughts brother
I agree with you in a lot of the points you spoke about especially about the lack of actual work experience that they don’t teach at welding school. However I am a high school student and take welding class and also go to a welding school after school Tuesday and Thursdays they teach you how to weld and pass bend test in both but my instructor in my high school courses dose not just teach that like you say they do they also teach it takes more than being able to weld to be considered a welder he’s very experienced and still takes jobs now and then he teacher us all the skills we will need to get a job like what are the actual steps to fabricate something and all the technicalities that come with it I personally don’t think that doing all this will get me a lot of money at first but it will help me get my foot in the door and then learn how to improve and be a actual welder like the one you speak of I’m not saying your wrong you have a lot of good points but i look at it in a different perspective
And I appreciate you sharing your perspective, it sounds like you have two things going for you that I did not talk about in the video. You have an exceptional teacher AND it appears you have a great attitude for learning. Those two things will set you up for success no matter where you go
I'm sure that the technical college I went to the program has change in the 17/18 years since I went to it but the 9 month welding program at that time was like an entry-level from 8 to 2:30 shop work welding on customer projects from ground up, if you wanted some machine lathe or milling machine time you could. it was like a Fab shop I guess With some kind of certificates at the end of the year.
Northwest Kansas Technical College.
Was it worth it to you to go?
I agree. This happened to me. I got 3 certifications. But after I was done I had no in the job experience as a welder before. And I was young. And I couldn’t find a job. So I did what I could find. Went a different path. Lots of different trades. Now I’m a director for a general contractor. But am looking to rig out my truck and get started mobile like yourself. Loving your channel. Glad I found it.
Went to an 18 week master pipe welding/fitter trade school. Graduated a month ago. Had no prior welding experience. Now I’m on a job as a combo welder making $32/hr and $80 a day perdium.... 🤷🏼♂️
So it worked out well for you, that's great to hear! Where did you go to school and how much did it cost you?
I went thru the same program. And now I can’t find a job. I don’t think it was a bad decision but I would’ve been better off being a helper, which is what I’m currently trying to get into.
Keaton Garcia what school did you go to?
I hope this kid reply.. give some of us hope😁
Keaton Garcia which school ?
Welding schools can be expensive, but are a good option to have. However, there are many other ways to learn eg. on the bench in a welding shop, on the farm, from your father, uncle, night school courses etc. All welding tests should be done by an independent govt. certified testing facility. Schools shouldn't be allowed to certify welders because they have a financial interest in the student.
In Canada there are various trades courses (incl. welding) in some high schools(occupational education high schools). The students get 1day of regular classes and 1 day of trade classes. By the time they graduate high school, they've had a FREE 3 yr. course in welding or whatever other trade they've chosen. At that time, they can go for various welding tests at a Govt. run test facility(NOT FREE). Anyone can go for welding tests, even if they've never had any formal training. Our tests are very stringent and our CWB (Canadian Welding Bureau) certificates are recognised world wide.
Once a welder is hired, the boss has the right to let the welder go if he doesn't perform.
That sounds like a great system, I'm not sure if their are schools like that In the United States but I would love to be able to find them! Thanks for your time and your expertise
well thought out commentary man. I have a similar background as you and have experienced the weld school thing too, except mine wasn't expensive. Keep it up. The only problem I have with the apprenticeship route was that you're expected to basically conform to the Roudy / macho attitudes that they encourage and loose your individual thinking . That was my experience through the Boilermakers anyway.
Expectations can go unfulfilled, I had many expectations of me that I never fulfilled and kept to my individuality. I wouldn’t say I fit in very well with the herd lol but I kept to who I was and in the end have no regrets. It takes mass amounts of courage to not conform to everyone else’s standards but I preached it as often as I could to every apprentice that worked with me to not change themselves. I hope you pushed through and are in a good situation now!
YES!!! All you welders NEVER loose your individual thinking. Think critically. Question everything. But ACCEPT when the industry or the world TELLS you that there is a right way to do things. But even then question it to a small degree. The world and all of us welders could benefit from your critical thinking.
I’ve been in the welding field for right at 10 years now. Couldn’t agree with you more on your stance. I’ve worked jobs ranging from mom and pop fab/job shops to structural iron and pipeline. I’ve worked with a lot of people straight out of school and they would constantly say well my instructor said or my instructor said that. When I did a little research on their instructor, he had only been welding for 4 or 5 years and that was only for a place building rail cars. They were really apprehensive to being taught anything other than what the text book said. The only thing school teaches you faster than you learn in the field is the technical stuff about the physics, chemistry, and metallurgy. You are better off finding a journeyman who has been doing the trade for 10+ years instead of someone who just got their card to learn from. If treated with respect, they will let you pick their brain like an open book. Have an attitude and disrespect them, and they will let you hang yourself.
You nailed it on the head with your last statement! To learn from a master it doesn't take money, it takes humility and patience!!
I might be the exception. After the military I utilized my gi bill to enter a local CC's welding program. My initial intention was to complete the program and pursue an apprenticeship in pipeline welding. About 2 semesters into the program I took a job at a local steel foundry as a fabrication maintenance mechanic . I used that to hone what was taught in real world situations and learn new skills from the "old school" guys . Long story short. After completing my deg. Not only did I learn welding but I was taught blueprint reading, metallurgy, robotic programming, destructive testing/NDT and Cad. After the company I worked for realized the training i had recieved and was offered a position in the engineering department. During the last 5 yrs I have moved on to designing steel castings, running our pattern shop, diagnosing guality issues and being called in for gauging and specialty welds. I took a different path which going to a trade or "welding school" has offered me.
That is excellent, I’m glad things worked out so well for you! I certainly never claim to be the know all end all and you just proved that there are situations where a school was very beneficial for you!
You explained perfectly everything this guy can’t comprehend. A degree opens up opportunity. The path he is on isn’t everyone’s path, not everyone is going to own a business. Furthermore, those who decide not to go to school and are 60 with multiple surgeries are going to want to go then when they can’t muster physical labor anymore.
Hey huge fan of your vids I had a quick question about welding : I believe you went the best route (apprentice) ; however, I’ve been waiting over a year for mine local union to accept applicants again so I enrolled in college ( which is free for me ) instead of being a welder helper but I heard they do make good money /communication and you meant hands on, but than I also heard a school teaches you more with welding techniques like uphill , reading prints where as a helper is more of a shortcut and I’ve seen many in my local union (breaking out ) over a year just to pass a test. As a plan b Do you believe I should enroll in school or helper would be a better route ?
I got an associates degree at the same time. I didn't pay extra to go to weld school. Come out aws and my local collage certified, they put out there own certs. My welding instructer was wesome and he's a local cwi. Kinda convenient takes the stress away when he gives the test. Do get other cwis. but nice when it's him, to come test. I took business classes at same time. I'm into it for 18,000 yea it's alot. I outfitted my truck for less. It has helped. My res is flawless. And going to collage makes it look better. I don't hand in res and not get job. There will always be work for me.
Im glad to hear it worked out well for you and that you will always have work, keep it up!
Just found this video, my 2 cents...I went to weld school on my Gi bill after the military. Already had a family, so didn't really want to travel. Always welded on the farm growing up, so it was pretty easy. Had a job before I graduated, so that was a huge plus. I put alot into getting as much knowledge in a short time, paid for some certs to add to the resume, and I was happy with getting work for myself near home. Now, the bad...you're exactly right, the pay is bs if you go to work for a weld shop or fab shop. The old guys at the shops don't really like to share knowledge because they think you're after their job. And in my area like many,theirs more than one school so always someone else in line.you're disposable. After 5sh years in the trade, I'm branching out and starting my own stuff on the side as well, hopefully doing what you're doing now with a truck soon.👍🏻good video man
Thanks for sharing and good luck on your venture!
I went to welding school. Outside of the union they offer the best training. I excelled much more quickly in school than I would've in the field.
That’s great to hear you had a good experience with a welding school!
@@Welderbeast I should add that I received 4 regular school semesters of training for $10,000.
Welder Bear you pay for it or was it all scholarships and grants?
@@Welderbeast I was the only student who wasn't there on a grant or scholarship.
That 1% I support because I came up in the industrial turnaround world where each work is performed by a professional that is highly skilled. So yes there are advantages of going to weld schools because there are technical subjects they teach in classes that aren’t taught in the fields such as metallurgy how to translate a certain electrode by letters/numbers, causes of arc blow, magnetic fields, differences of amps/volts, hours and hours of learning how to read puddles in different positions, heat input etc. But there are also really good welders that have never went to school that can read a puddle very well and deliver X-ray shots. I’ve seen the difference between the two (schooled and non-schooled). Ive attended and successfully completed 6semesters of community college. I took my time and invensted into this trade because I knew If I can become a damn slick bead hand no one would ever deny me of employment. Even if there’s no welding going on they’ll always keep me around learning something else. That’s how my career has been pretty much. I only knew welding but because I was so good at it we’ve come to an agreement with supervision that there isn’t any more welds to make but we can keep u around if u like. But u have to learn other skills and be efficient as u are with welding..... Cheers hopefully that helps.
It absolutely helps, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the subject!
Trade or on the job learning is the way to go , some school is good , trade school is one of best way , i worked oil field and roofing, construction , sheet metal , iron working , though all this learned to weld , my skill is layout and Fabrication , heard -welders are dime a dozen , did not under stand until started working in oil field Off shore , the big part is to get work to the weld point, or Nail point , there is more to a job than the end , its all the skills , I still have trouble getting others to think and do and this is a Skill just like all trades , I love the work , to Creating ! thanks
It is an awesome trade skill for sure
There's a technical school near me that charges 4.3k for a 12 month class, they state to teach to pass entry level tests/certifications(you can pay to take AWS SMAW and FCAW certifications) and teach Mig, Tig, Stick, Oxy cutting/braising, plasma arc gouging/cutting and carbon arc gouging and cutting. All though there's alot of potential jobs around here to
I’m just going to be graduating here shortly from a 15 week course. 23k. Through grants and such from the government, I’m coming out 0 debt. But I’m not a kid out of highschool, I’ve been around multiple trades all over my area. So the cost isn’t a con for me because these days you can get that price pretty low after financial aid. BUT, there are a lot of arrogant 17 18 19 year old kids in my “class” that think they are a hand sent from god. And being I’m not much older but I’ve been around, they won’t hear nothing from me, cause they know everything, but I’m just waiting for when they get out there and are butthurt cause they ain’t making $30-40 an hour. Hell I’ve seen em upset with $20-25. Life’s gonna hit em hard. You gotta be a teachable and humble individual coming out of these schools and understand exactly what you said, we can weld alright, some really good, but for the ones new to all this, we ain’t fabricators, some never even been on any type of job site. I preach union apprenticeships to everyone I see, but a lot of the times it’s hard to get in without having any type of Contacts, which kids out of highschool don’t have. So they are just out here trying to learn something that they can turn into a valuable tool in their blue collar career.
Thats why I’m doing an apprenticeship, not just trade school. But the school portion also helps a lot, and its good to have an insteuctor who is dedicated to instructing you and you’re focused on learning not just production. But in the real world you need production, and the best experience you can get is on the job in the real world, it can just be hard at times to find the right guys who want to train someone so you have to be patient.
We’ve had guys come in right out of a weld school with out work experience. Some guys thought they knew everything cuz they went to school and they were the worst. But my experience guys just coming out of weld school usually arent that great simply due to lack of experience. But when you do a three year apprenticeship program, where you work on the job and get trained, along with courses in school, I think that is really beneficial imo.
But the apprenticeship is best because you learn the trade not just a trade skill :)
Ps there are some weld school that are actually pretty good but u have to do ur research. U cant just go to a weld school and think ur a welder now
I agree with you , also believe they should still go learn a trade at a trade school not stop at welding keep going , learn rigging or crane operations and pipe fitting also boiler making , keep going more trades and skills you know it’s how you become a fore man and supervisor and maybe ceo 👩💼 don’t stop because the money is good keep going and going learning and learning CWI inspections and more
Welderbeast, you make a few good points, but then some of the other comments reflect attitude. No matter how one gets started into the welding trade is a credit for this industry. Whether school or OJT you are going to have good welders and lazy welders. I by no means know all there is to this great trade, but I know one never learns it all. I learn or realize something new every day. That attitude can by all means make one a better tradesmen. I would never discourage someone from expanding their education in any field whether it be a technical school or go out and hit the trenches as a helper.
I started in the trenches in 1958, (High School break in the summer). Old timer welder for Superior Oil took me under his wing and thought me a lot. He was also very good at other things. Love to drink whiskey, play porker, and he could cuss. Each summer I would learn more. During the school time I would practice and practice. That's where you can learn welding, under the hood. I also later attended some welding schools. Discovered several of my errors in my ways. What I'm saying is that one should never discredit someone for their choice of education. Who knows that kid out of welding school could someday be the best in this field with the proper guidance. Or being discredited he could go into something else for a living and the industry just lost a good man.
Very good points, I would never discredit where a person learned. I discredit a school or any welding organization that misleads or tricks a young person into the trade when it might not have been their best choice. Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts!
I wouldn't trade my learning experience for anything, lots of school, college classes, plus books, & I was around old masters, in both welding & when I took body work, if you can be trained by second or third generation of masters, maybe..... but most are not, so then I will agree. most are just good welders. & what type of welding do you want to learn? as you will not find 1 person trained & great in all aspects. so if you can find old masters, seek them, whether a school, or apprentice or however, but seek knowledge.
in my body shop training, I took it just to be taught by person that shouldn't be teaching, he never moved on due to so old & set in ways with health problems, but old car repair, using nothing but torch for welding, or brazing or lead skim, we wasn't allowed to use body filler, had to learn how to hammer and dolly & metal finish panels, even if normally would replace, we had to know how to fix, my second year I was exposed to MIG to do body work & body filler with a different teacher, he was hired 2 years before other teacher retired, but was expected to die, & they got things in place so college wouldn't stop due to his death, he lasted 3 more years after retiring, but my second teacher was no better than any other good body man. my first year I wouldn't trade for anything, my second year is different, I could have got that working in any body shop. my welding classes, 1 of teachers was old master, in his 70's & was a torch welding master, & between those helped make me a person that still enjoys torch work. in my mechanic program 1 of my teachers was an old mechanic master from bygone days, he retired my second year in mechanics. the new guys didn't have anything to interest me. a little bit more about me, I pushed myself to excel, to be above the normal, I sought older people to learn from, I don't usually bring it up, but I have 18 degrees in automotive or fields related in and around automotive, including welding I stopped going when our govt blackmailed colleges in early 1990's & said would withhold funding if the colleges didn't ban guns, so when guns were banned I stopped going, however I reached a level that I cant carry on a conversation with average mechanics. if we get into true engine theory, & understanding of systems, I have mentioned I started learning to weld when I was 9, but when I was 6 my dad bought books for me to learn to rebuild small engines, & by time I was 7, I was rebuilding mini-bike, lawnmower engines, just from what I was able to read, by time I was 10 I was building overhead cam motorcycle engines, modifying car engines by time I was 13, & now I am 51, & I am burned out of automotive scene, but not afraid to tackle anything automotive.
I agree, seek masters no matter which way you go and you will become great
Communit trade school welding program 5 thousand dollars, 1 year long, 3 nights a week (20 hours). Learn all 3 major processes and pipe. No lecture, all hands on in a booth. But maybe were just lucky around here
Different places have different opportunities for sure, I personally would say no lecture is a bad thing though. There is a lot to be learned that is not hands on. How many hours total do you get in the whole coarse?
I went to tulsa welding school 2015/16. It's a joke in my opinion. A young person pays all this money to sit in a booth and weld. They demo torch use and do classroom stuff but it's not full on job training. What makes the welding world so hard for generic welding school is what field is that person going into. Tig mig or stick? Ok on what material? sheet, structural, or pipe? What alloy? A person cannot be trained to work in an generic environment. Train for what you want to do.
You mirror my exact thoughts, choose the trade you want to apply your welding to FIRST and then learn how to weld within the structure of what that trade will require you to weld. Thanks for your time and comment
@@Welderbeast I think people that want to get into the industry need to either find a job as a helper for non union or apprenticeship for union. Looking in hindsight i wish i would've done my education differently but also i wouldn't be where i am today if i didnt go to tulsa.
You can't change your past but you can maybe help a young persons future by sharing what you would do differently and why when the time comes;)
my 900 hour course cover flux mig tig and stick plate and pipe total17000 i owe 9 when schools over, ive nto been accepted as an apprentice so this is the best way to go for me, but for guys in the same situation whove never welded before a trade school can absoluetely be beneficial.
School teaches things u don't learn in the feild. Yes u have to get work experience. But school teaches so much. I can weld all prosses and metals. How many welders that didn't go to school can do that. And they teach u metelurgy. And so much more. There is nothing I can't weld or machine I can't use. Love your vids. I'm in prosses of starting my mobile welding business right now.
An excellent point but to counter you there are a lot of people that can do that that didn't go to school, they practiced, read and learned on their own time. Most of my knowledge has come from my own desire to learn more and to get better so I've practiced and read outside of what I was taught in an apprenticeship and a weld school. A school is a great way to learn things that you won't in the field but is also not the only way to achieve those same results. Just a thought, thanks for taking time to watch and comment
None of em are at the stage of humility, humbleness, and thankfulness yet to go anywhere in this trade or any trade, but they are young, and someone will straighten em out quick, they will realize quick that welding on some coupons no matter the position or however many certs you have from any school, ain’t gonna give you $40 bucks an hour. You gotta learn your trade, you gotta earn that pay scale, in the trenches with your brothers, bleeding and sweating like the ones before you, it’s a culture, but they are young.
Welding schools have been around for many years. Unfortunately there is a lack of skilled trade labor that is steadily decreasing over the years. I have experience in different labor fields but until i went to welding school, i saw that there was a lot of difficulty in getting placement into apprenticeships in trade unions. unions near me are very picky and it is hard for someone with little labor experience to get into them. There is a duality to this. in my opinion, Welding schools and trade programs are necessary for the dwindling industry labor force, but the costs can be exorbitant. The welding school i attended, taught me a skill that i use everyday as a structural welder in the field. Common sense and a general aptitude for tactile learning helps immensely in this trade. People that want to go to a trade school should go into the field with an open mind. The amount of knowledge i have gained cannot be bought nor sold. Trade schools are a tool and should be used as a stepping stone. the costs of schooling should be subsidized by the government , because or nation needs the trades for a functioning society.
Excellent point, with the right attitude a weld school is a great stepping stone. Im concerned with the misconception spread by deceitful recruiters that young men should eagerly spend the high prices to learn because of how much money they will make and that they will be expert after the class. If you knew it was just the beginning of your career it would be so much better. I must admit I was not aware it was so difficult to get into trades as I got in on my first interview and within a years time. In that I will readily admit I was naive, thank you for sharing your perspective
@@Welderbeast
i do agree with you on some of your points. The school i attended had instructors that had to have a minimum of 5 years in the field to be able to instruct. Our school had no recruiters because it is in a public school system. Being realistic is a must in this trade. graduates should not expect high paying top shelf jobs out of school because those jobs in the trades is earned through experience and cant be bought with welding certifications
Very well said
Welding school helped me out a lot, definitely gives you more choices and opportunities with jobs
I’m glad to hear you had a good experience with it
your right tho it is a journey after welding school you gotta work your way up
Work always precedes success;)
My local welding school wants 13 thousand dollars and has night classes I found 2 community colleges one offers certifications and the other college has certifications and a degree program how do you feel about community colleges?
I honestly don't understand a degree being applicable in trade work so my answer is skewed but I believe learning paired with time and experience will make you a better welder than most that just have one or the other
@@Welderbeast Mine offers a tig and stick certificate
I go a technical college , I have to take math and English and professional development. I graduate in May 2020 and I probably will spend 5, 6k total. I don't know about 20, 30 grand people are talking about
Technical school must be different but I’ve priced 3 welding schools( 2 near me and one in Texas) and all were at least $14,000
I say do both if possible. I am helper and did school. It helps having both done.
If a person has the attitude to do both then I can almost guarantee they will succeed! Just because doing both would requiring the desire to learn and the humility to put in your time
Welderbeast look up penn college of technology in PA. Some people have that mentality but it takes more then just sitting in a classroom/welding in a lab. If there would of been an opening for the union where i am located i would of went that way, but the in depth education of welding but also the secience of welding. I got from there is very impressive, i can't speak for other schools but We didnt just sit down to weld I know my teacher made us get out of position and weld 5g/5f 6" off the ground under a table still and tig. I know its nothing like a jobsite but it wasnt easy either, and the turn over rate is 90% . I had 5 interviews with big name welding companies before I even graduated. I think welding schools are a good tool but it mostly depends on the person because if you just wanna make the money then an apprenticeship or weld hand job is the way to go. Its a good school to look at i dont know of many that are like it. Well hopefully you see this and look at it, if you need or want to know more let me know. Love the videos man!
Thanks for sharing
I would love to attend the South Coast Welding Academy in Houston, if it was free
They do seem to have a good thing going on
They're not as great.. i did night since i worked during the day. There's way too many guys to one instructor
You are absolutely right! I had some awful experiences with a college that teaches welding. They are a waist of time. These technology schools and colleges just want your money. You have to go out there and learn the trade. I am a structural welder. I have been welding for 6 years and still learning. There are some very good schools that teach you the trade and they get to the point with very little money. But they are hard to find. But you are right. Keep up the good work.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Maybe I'm late to this but I enrolled in TWS Tulsa about a month ago and started findng out more n more about them and the fact you pay that much to not become certified so I withdrew from there and now this is what I plan on doing now.
Pisses me off places do this to people happily and could give a shit less
Thank you for sharing.. Im 36yrs old and tired sittin behind a desk for 15yrs still making less than 16$ per hour.. i was thinking of goin to welding trade school but now im not sure cuz 15k-20k is a bit too much for me with 3 kids and a wife to support..
Have you thought about joining a trade union like Pipefitters or Boilermakers?
I mean community college programs are Cheaper. But the best route is a apprenticeship
I’m going to Tulsa welding school in Houston I’m learning so much.
I attended welding school for 10 months. I paid $4500. I go to school 4 nights a week while still holding a 40 plus hour work week
Awesome hustle, that makes me happy to hear!
This is kind of where I’m at trying to figure out what I’m doing when I leave the Marine Corps in a couple weeks. I’ve been looking into trying to join the UA as an apprentice but at the same time, my education is paid for and I’d also like to go ahead and get a decent amount of generic experience (all I’ve ever done is stick and it’s been years since then). What would any of y’all recommend?
I still recommend the apprenticeship and save your GI bill for more education down the road when you decide a specific route you want to go. Don’t spend the GI until you are absolutely positive it’s what you want to get a degree in, in my opinion!
Welding is only the tool you need to do fabrication or pipe fitting or any trade associated with metal,working. What needs to be learned on the job or in a school is fabrication which includes math, geometry, thought process. I think you are confusing a tool with a trade. If you have the tool, then your path in apprenticeship will be more swift or your advancement in a job will be more quick. Everyone needs to start at the bottom of the ladder in any business. I don’t know how many if the welding schools are promising instant high paying jobs out of school. When I went to vo tech, part of the training included projects that encouraged fabrication skills, don’t know if that is still the case.
Hi mate I personally got RPL (recognition to prior learning) for my Certification then went further to do my Structural Cert .. I believe any school is like a driving school yeah you can drive but put a 25000lb gooseneck on the back on downhill in cyclone rain or snow ... you cant teach life experience
Couldn’t agree more lol
Majority of process piping will become unionized, Happeing in California starting this year, I imagine it will spread across the country shortly, With that comes alot of politics, from what I've seen as far as government funded apprenticeships and work to men ratio.. more specifically "list" guy &
" call by names" I've been independent 4 years now and love it, I guess it kind of worked out...
Side note.. welding schools used to be funded by the state which made it easier to access after work and what not, I dont know what's going on now. Side note x2... if you dont like school learn something you dont mind waking up and doing everyday. Stay off the internet get to work !
I agree, with everything there is good and bad and the union is certainly not perfect, lots of politics but I like the opportunities it gave me. I never knew the states use to fund the school, that's why I brought the subject up to learn more about what I don't know ha and for your last point I'm not sure I understand you clearly. Are you telling me to stay off the internet and get to work because I posed this question or are you speaking to the general populous to learn by doing?
@@WelderbeastThe United states future tradesmen and women Yes !
In '96 I went to Hobart Institute School of Welding Technology, wright out of the Army which was paid for by the GI Bill. The 9 month program was about $9000. It was pipe and plate program, Learned a little about everything. If I could do it over, I'd go with a union pipe . Or under water welding.
Awesome thanks for sharing your experience!
I should have went through an union. I go to AIM and I have to pay 18k. Plus they don't help with job placement. I go there just for the certifications.
I bet you can make it work for you though, don’t let 18k slow you down now if you’ve learned the skill
@@Welderbeast that is true. I have to agree. I really appreciate that.
malazkm 2010 no problem
Well good luck if you are not in contact with Josh or John who are your buddies and get you in that apprenticeship because you know how many apprenticeship programs of union halls I have a plied in the past four years and gotten no callback or answer ever other than my app is pending on the list
I agree with a lot of this, but there are some things you miss. You obviously can't pay a guy fresh out of welding school jman wages since welding is only one skill - and usually one of the last ones the unions teach whether UA, or ironworkers, or steamfitters or whatever. By the same token - how is it that you can pay a guy thats been on the job for 20 years the same as somebody that's been there 5? Some things about the unions just don't really make that much sense. Imagine going 20 years and never getting a raise because you're topped out... But then there is the opposite problem that ... you're 5 years in, got your jman card - how is it right that you can make less than another guy with the same job? And that's kind of a reason unions exist - is to make sure that everyone is paid fairly.
I think unions should maybe set not only a jman wage, but maybe also set an experiencec factor in ... but then again I've also seen guys with many years of experience that aren't producing as much as a less experienced guy too.
So, this is an old video, and you've moved on but another thing jumps out at me - you came to the conclusion that welding school only teaches one skill, and you didn't want to be a part of that. But did you think of maybe teaching the other stuff along with it? It's not the same as being on the job though, and unions already do that for free, while you're working. There could be other angles too though - maybe some companies hire welders, but they have good helpers that they can't put the time into the practice / theory part of the learning - maybe a better model would be like a "night school" to train different types of welding where a company could send some of their guys a couple of nights / week to get that training? It could be paid for by the company, or have a reimbursement program, or whatever. I worked at a shop where I had a job to do - I was a fitter ... and I did spend some time with my machine running out beads and whatnot - but I didn't have the benefit of someone teaching me. What am I doing wrong? What are the parameters for different types of welds? It would have been very helpful to me. I 100% would have done some kind of accelerated welding course to teach me all the various things that I couldn't learn ONLY on the job beacause their welders had their own work to do too.
I have friends that have went to trade for welding and after the program they got 25$ hour jobs and some of them went to work at teco and he’s 20
That’s great!
Is working your way up really not a common idea to live by, especially when starting something new? The advantage of schooling that I see is you learn various types of welding skills and theories which may lead you into your passion. If you only apprentice under a stick welder you may never find out you thrive as a tig welder.
Excellent point of view, I am a fan of apprenticing under all types of welders but schooling would help you pinpoint exactly the type of welding you like in a compressed time frame.
Yeah I went to a trade school but it was free it was 2 years it helped but still your not gonna no how to do a lot of the whole spectrum of the trade that requires on the job training those really expensive schools your talking about I think are a waste of money it's just not nearly enough time to learn much
It is a rather short amount of time for so much money, but if you get a good school I guess your paying for the instructors experience rather than the time you get out of it
You make very good points. There is a lot of room for improvement.
Do you have any suggestions on how to improve? I would like to hear your perspective
News flash, all companies have that same mentality. It’s not just the sacred trade of welding. There are companies that do take the gamble on the young school kid. These are the companies that you want to work for.
I'm currently in a diesel technician school and I'm paying $45k for 45wks of training and I extremely regret my decision and because of this I started to look at welding which has been my backup plan but the weld school that I am considering going to is 15k for 8 month training and I cant work while in school so I really dont know if it would be worth it or if it would turn out to be like the school I am currently attending
Any suggestions?
Is there anyway to get work as a helper so you could learn to weld on the job from field welders and be getting paid?
@
Welderbeast LLC What are your thoughts on AWS? What you said about schools is true but I don't see industry side of AWS giving practical advice to students/beginners
I don’t really have a say on AWS, they are a good standard as far as certifications. It’s a good place to start when your work requires quality and you can piggyback off AWS reputation by having a cert or two of theirs.
What we would like to see happen and the way we'd like things to be, often never comes to pass.
You want more pay for better productivity, more pay for better quality work, and more pay for more experience. That very seldom happens. It's not a perfect world.
I'd like to see potatoes grow on trees like apples, but that'll never happen either. After years of moaning and belly aching about it, I just accepted it and moved on. I suggest you do too.
I appreciate your advice but can't agree to stopping. You said you spent years of moaning and belly aching about it but did you ever actually DO anything about it? With the right leverage anything is possible. There just hasn't been a welder yet that has had enough influence to change things. I believe the solution to a problem is not to avoid talking about it but rather to get as many minds as possible thinking on it to come up with solutions and then ACT on them. Keep following me and see where I go and what I'm up to in 10-20 years. I've got much larger plans than anyone knows about and I've just got started, but if you are disappointed by my videos feel free to stop following me and stop watching them. Just know that your perspective and expertise will be greatly missed if you leave
I have been attending a welding program for three quarters so far and I already feel like a total turd. I cannot lay a good bead to save my life. I drive home so pissed off every day. My teacher is always pissed off at me about something. I learned most welders are absolute pricks.
I agreee 100%. The USA education system is flawed, universities and trade schools alike. NOTHING beats real world experience. All of my 5 years of primarily mig welding experience has been artistic, full time job 40+ hours week for 5 years. I started with maybe 10 hours hobby welding with my tiny garage welder. However my employer, an Artistic welder, preferred non certified welders because certified welders have had the "STACKED DIMES" mentality so crammed in their head that they couldn't get away from it, thus the only thing they could produce was a stacked dime look, not very artistic. Now after 5 years and 30+ hours of arc time and "puddle viewing" for every 40 hour week I have such and intimate understanding of molten metal weather its joining tubing or making art, that I outperform some certified local welders with 20+ years experience. I learned more from practice in the real wold than 10 years of school could ever teach me. I suggest artistic welding as a starting point for any aspiring welder, get the coordination, speed, steady hand, and an intimate understanding of the material your working with, without the stress of x-ray inspection, or the fact that your weld may be literally holding someones life in its strength.
Great idea, some might really benefit from starting out with artistic welding first
Regardless of the quality of education in a good weld school, i believe they get a bad rap. Because people might have a kinda nuanced attitude as like being a part of a union, A in-club. And if they arnt teaching al kinds of fab and manual machines and fuxruring, what is it damn for. I think the small business don't want entitled people because they need to be competitive. So they just "in house train" and dont take crap from anyone.
Honest video I love it thank u
Refineries pay anywhere from $28-$35/hr.
Pipefitters can’t weld anyway
I would have to disagree since I’m a pipe fitter myself and weld lol
In the south u got the fitter and the welder ...fitters don't weld
yes you worked hard to get where you are but if someone doesnt have to then why get mad? its not like theyre taking anything from or really affecting your life in anyway
The best is otj is best
Is that a school?
What if the school is 100% free
Then use it for everything you can, always take advantage of free
There is no way to prove you wrong! Paying your dues at the school of hard knocks, and on the job training are waaay more beneficial. Just my old guy opinion...
Old guy opinion or not it’s one I agree with ha
@@Welderbeast you have ancient insight.I guess you've worked around a bunch of Salty Roosters. Good job man
@@moedammit8477 It's who I learned my trade and welding from. I figured out real quick the trick to becoming the best, be respectful to the best and they will teach you all they know haha I still got a LONG way to go
@@Welderbeast we all have so much to learn, and there is NO way to grab it all,and a school trying to teach it...no school that big. Great videos man.I recommend your channel to all the kids I know,hell veterans too.
@@moedammit8477 I really appreciate that! Most days I still feel like a dumb young kid but still hope the videos help someone somewhere in the world and in the future.
So your whole point was that you don’t want younger folks to come out of school earning as much as you do? It’s weird you have all this hate towards school. There’s good and there are bad. 14k-20k is more like 5-7k in reality. The good schools will tell you that there is more then just welding, the good schools will have fabrication, robotics, safety, and an internship program to show them that. Not only that but your main point of “no work experience”.. majority of those going to these schools have plenty of work experience, but just want a change of careers.
If there’s one thing that bothers me the most is people who rant on RUclips with a one sided point of view with nothing concrete.
Nope, that was not my whole point at all. Sounds like you missed the whole point all together. Sorry you were bothered
So you make all the valid points & have the balls to say you were either trying or attempting to open a school of your own... hop on the money train if you cant beat em right. Sounds like you need to work on your content bro, no sub here.
No need to work on my content, your just not the subscriber I’m shooting for;) thanks for watching though, I stand by my points. I’m not going to relax on my morals because it’s where the money is at, plenty of people in the world doing that.