New to Welding..Completely..
Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:06 am
Hello Folks,
I'm looking forward to this forum as I'm a member of a couple other forums for completely unrelated topics and I know first-hand that the best way to learn (for me at least) is from someone else, just like me, doing or trying to do the same freakin thing..lol
I'm hoping to perhaps squeeze a little guidance right here out of this very first post...lol
I'm looking to eventually join a welders union. I hope I'm allowed to mention unions here because I know there are people who are extremely for and also extremely against and even hate them. I don't care to argue this or try to persuade anyone else out of what they believe to be the right stance for them. I am however extremely pro-union. Having been a member of IATSE (stage and film production union) for over a decade now I know the pros (and of course there are definite cons) to being a union brother and I say union everytime.
Unfortunately, I recently moved to CO from NYC where I got most of my work and therefore I'm looking at welding for future options. I currently live in Colorado and I'm curious as to what type of welding I should be looking into so I don't have to travel too far out of state. I'm not a pussy and I don't mind traveling but I'm under the impression that CO is a hotspot for welding jobs. Am I correct in thinking this?
Also I'm not sure which union would specialize in the type of welding that would allow me the most work in CO. If that makes any sense. I'm definitely in this for the $$ at the end of the day as well as mastering something artful. Mainly the money though so which type of welding should I be focused on?
Alot of you would laugh at me because I am COMPLETELY NEW. I don't even understand most of the terminology, so I have quite the curve ahead of me. I realize this and that's ok. But can someone point me to a basic guide where it explains the different abbreviations and what not? I know I sound like an idiot but I promise I'm not one. That's why I'm confident I can eventually do this. I seem to focus on and then master anything new that I'm into. Not to downplay the difficulty and sound too incredibly ignorant as I know I'm a complete noob. This will take many years.
I've noticed that there seem to be a few possible shortcuts. For example the boilermakers website says that if I already have previous welding ability or experience then they can put me at the top of the apprenticeship candidates list. The apprenticeship program would be my personal best-case-scenario as far as my inexperienced-ass sees it. I understand that these can have extensive multi-year waiting lists unless your certs put you near the top.
So it's my understanding that if I go take two semesters at a school who's focus is passing certifications, then I go for a basics semester and then also a tube welding semester and get my tube cert, I should be able to get at the top of one of these apprenticeship eligibility lists, right?
Does this sound feasible to anyone?
Thanks for your help, hopefully someone sees this..
I'm looking forward to this forum as I'm a member of a couple other forums for completely unrelated topics and I know first-hand that the best way to learn (for me at least) is from someone else, just like me, doing or trying to do the same freakin thing..lol
I'm hoping to perhaps squeeze a little guidance right here out of this very first post...lol
I'm looking to eventually join a welders union. I hope I'm allowed to mention unions here because I know there are people who are extremely for and also extremely against and even hate them. I don't care to argue this or try to persuade anyone else out of what they believe to be the right stance for them. I am however extremely pro-union. Having been a member of IATSE (stage and film production union) for over a decade now I know the pros (and of course there are definite cons) to being a union brother and I say union everytime.
Unfortunately, I recently moved to CO from NYC where I got most of my work and therefore I'm looking at welding for future options. I currently live in Colorado and I'm curious as to what type of welding I should be looking into so I don't have to travel too far out of state. I'm not a pussy and I don't mind traveling but I'm under the impression that CO is a hotspot for welding jobs. Am I correct in thinking this?
Also I'm not sure which union would specialize in the type of welding that would allow me the most work in CO. If that makes any sense. I'm definitely in this for the $$ at the end of the day as well as mastering something artful. Mainly the money though so which type of welding should I be focused on?
Alot of you would laugh at me because I am COMPLETELY NEW. I don't even understand most of the terminology, so I have quite the curve ahead of me. I realize this and that's ok. But can someone point me to a basic guide where it explains the different abbreviations and what not? I know I sound like an idiot but I promise I'm not one. That's why I'm confident I can eventually do this. I seem to focus on and then master anything new that I'm into. Not to downplay the difficulty and sound too incredibly ignorant as I know I'm a complete noob. This will take many years.
I've noticed that there seem to be a few possible shortcuts. For example the boilermakers website says that if I already have previous welding ability or experience then they can put me at the top of the apprenticeship candidates list. The apprenticeship program would be my personal best-case-scenario as far as my inexperienced-ass sees it. I understand that these can have extensive multi-year waiting lists unless your certs put you near the top.
So it's my understanding that if I go take two semesters at a school who's focus is passing certifications, then I go for a basics semester and then also a tube welding semester and get my tube cert, I should be able to get at the top of one of these apprenticeship eligibility lists, right?
Does this sound feasible to anyone?
Thanks for your help, hopefully someone sees this..