Welding Tips and Tricks

What's up guys? I'm a complete and total noob with welding in general I've tried a few times in a factory I used to work in but it was under the watchful eye of our experienced welders. They set everything up prepped it the whole 9 yards and 9 out of 10 times I screwed up. But I was always envious of the stuff they built outside of work and I've got 100's of ideas floating around in my head I was always good with numbers blueprint and basic architecture. So it seems welding Is a good fit for me. So I'm 26 been bouncing from job to job and decided it's time for a career so I've enrolled in a 2 year welding course that starts in January I've heard it's a good program with a high placement rate. Mostly I'll be lurking around and reading everything I can until I need some help but I just wanted to stop in and introduce myself. Any questions you guy's have or advice for a beginner is MORE than welcome. I'll take any help I can get.

Welcome to the forum Zach.

Welcome from Bemidji Zach.

What welding school will you be attending?

welcome to the forum Zach

Good to have you

John

It's not an actual welding school it's a tech college with welding courses available. It's st paul college i have friends that have gone there for other trades and fields and they don't have any complaints other than some of the shit heads that attended school with them. Due to the schools location no doubt. My friend's that have graduated there are all working and making decent money. One of em got laid off and the school hired him to help teach till the layoff was over which i thought was pretty awesome.

That's pretty stand-up of them, hiring him at the school.

Good luck to you and have fun man

Btw, I went to college in my 30's and younger students, just out of high school, were the problem.
Older ones were excellent to learn and work with.

Yeah I'm 26 and kinda worried about having to deal with the young punks again. I was always ahead of my age as far as maturity goes so I hated dealing with them even in high school. I'm just gonna do my best to mind my own and learn everything I can.
I appreciate the good wishes hopefully I'll be in the field and making some good dough within the next few years. One thing I figure I have above the rest of the guys is I have literally no large possessions. No commitments to a woman no children no financial commitments so I can basically maneuver freely and go where the money is. I guess I've always avoided such stuff because I watched others struggle because of that stuff. I'd prefer to be able to afford such things before jumping into them.

Zach,

That's a wisdom not usually granted to the young, and an advantage to you.

This wisdom usually comes from experience, and experience usually comes from mistakes.

My PSY350 professor said a wise man does not take on family (wife/children) until he is fully independant and had the resourses to provide real security for a family.

I didn't listen to that wisdom, and struggled more than once to provide.

Steve S

I appreciate the kind word's. I just see so many people struggle because they have children/car payments/wives/husbands/mortgages at such a young age they're basically stuck with what they got they roll the dice on a career and can't afford to explore other options later on.

Hey guys so I joined a while ago and ive started a few other threads ive been practicing with my hobart handler 140. Nothing cool to show off yet mostly playing with scrap. But I came here to relay some good news. I found a job welding nothing too awesome or crazy but its someone paying me to weld. Shits crazy 6-7 months ago the concept of welding was still foreign to me and something that amazed me. 14 bucks an hour 4 10 hour shifts friday saturday sunday off weekly pay. Cant complain considering my lack of experience and since im going to school still. Ill be working for these guys welding up bike racks. http://www.dero.com/ i start tomorrow. Cant wait ill post some of my work as soon as I c an get away with snapping pics of it...