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Is there anything you would suggest to me to be wary of in the welding field?
In a welding career is there anything I should be aware/wary of? Or is it pretty cut and dry?
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6 answers
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Christine’s Answer
As a former supervisor of nuclear mechanical maintenance including welders, safety, safety, safety! Always make sure you have eye, hearing, and hand protection. Getting metal particles in your eyes could cause catastrophic events. Also look at nuclear industry for job openings. I know they pay dividends more for welders and dare I say, underwater welders.
Thank you very much for your reply. I am glad to know that safety is such a big concern. It makes me feel a little bit better.
Aidan
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Rajeev’s Answer
You might find a good job as a field welder in the pipeline industry. Also as a structural welder for vertical construction. You must pass all tests like ASME IX and AWS D1.1 for performance qualifications as a welder in 1G, 3G, 5G, 6G positions. You should master SMAW, TIG, MIG welding procedures and oxy-acetylene cutting. If you want to go into an independent business, buy a Lincoln outfit and freelance. Be careful because you will need liability insurance if something goes wrong.
Thank you, sir. The advice is much appreciated. Especially the freelance part. I'll be sure to get some advice from my mother about insurance as she works in that industry.
Aidan
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Michael John’s Answer
If you are just starting out, I would ask about training and advancement, do they offer an apprenticeship. What am I expected to provide : tools, safety equipment or uniforms? Is this a shop job or is it field work ? Will I have to be able to pass any type of certifications? What is my work schedule, days, nights or weekends ? Is overtime mandatory or is my workweek flexible? Is this a union shop? What are my benefits and when do they start, the cost and is there a savings program or a pension ?
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STACY’s Answer
Safety is always number one. That is in any field you go into. I think with Welding and any fabrication always double check, triple verify to make sure what you are doing is according to the blueprint.
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Julie’s Answer
Our local high school offers an apprentice program for welding in addition to offering night classes thru an area community college. I signed up and did a 6 week class at night for fun/hobby. It was a great class and in addition to people like me doing it for fun, there were some people taking the class for a new job. I was intrigued by what the teacher was evaluating them on and why some people were passing and others not. The ones that weren't passing, had created a sloppy end product. In addition to welding, they also had to sand and polish the metal - some of the pieces were amazing in that you couldn't see where they had welded and others were pretty bad. If you take pride in a job well done, this is a great choice to demonstrate that pride. It is messy, dirty and hot but you get to see immediate satisfaction on a job well done.
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Brian’s Answer
Always wear protection, make sure any exposed skin is covered even if you are doing light work ( such as tacking). Back in the day, my welding instructor would perform tack welds without any gloves on, and while he didn't get burned, the UV light caused him to devleop skin cancer on his hands.