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686897 No.686897 [Reply] [Original]

Any skilled workers here?

Is joining a plumbers/welding union tough?

Thinking about going to college and getting an associate in welding. Would also like to work in other countries like Germany (U.S. now) but they apparently have there shit down with skilled trades I don't know. It is this or suicideboyz

>> No.687037

>>686897
>Any skilled workers here?

Yes.

>Is joining a plumbers/welding union tough?

Welding is all about procedure certification. That's the club ticket. If you can get certified in structural or pipe procedures you will have no end of work. Pipe pays better, but mostly because you'll be working in the middle of butt-fuck-nowhere for 12 hours a day, three weeks straight welding pipelines together. Structural still pays well and will more likely be shop work with regular hours.

>Thinking about going to college and getting an associate in welding.

Here, I'll save you the money and the time. Get a job that pays the bills. Rent a house with a garage and get a welding machine*. Watch youtube videos for welding instruction. Don't spend your money on useless shit. No booze, no whores, no drugs, no parties, no cars. What you will be buying is E7018 welding rod, steel plates and electricity. You will rack up a monstrous electricity bill, because what you will be doing in your spare time - ALL your spare time - is practicing the AWS structural procedures. You will weld until your mind becomes one with the welding rod.

Then you will go pay $800 for a all-position structural test at a community college, pass it and you're in the welding club.

College is great - it's the route I went - but if you really want to go far and go fast, you can do it by yourself for a fuck load less money. You need to want it though. You need to fucking want it.

*220VAC input, 150amp AC/DC output.

>> No.687048

Don't know shit about welding or unions but I work in HVAC.

Started working for my Uncle long before I got any certifications, and got my foot into the door at another company when I reached adulthood because of my past experience with my Uncle's company. They paid for all my certs.

Money is good, especially on call work. I walked away once with a little under $2000 in 1 night. Just filed my taxes and I did a total of $92,000 this past year which is really good for my area and I am only 26 years old right now. The guys with 10+ years experience in the company make my income look like chump change as well.

A lot of other co-workers just went to a school, usually a community college and did some sort of program to get their certifications. There is also companies that'll hire people right out of those programs, but they don't pay very well so after you get 1 or 2 years of experience you would want to jump ship.

I know it's not welding, but still it's a skilled trade. Thought i'd just give you some info.

>> No.687075

>>687048
>>687048

Do you live/work in CA Anon?
I just graduated with a shit degree and no jobs so I was actually thinking about going back to community college to do HVAC, get certify and look for work in this field

>> No.687092

Bumping for precious non-shitpost information. I'm going to a CC but I'm looking at trade programs to start in the fall. What trades are the most lucrative? And the most accessible? What are the costs and benefits of said trades?

>>687075
I live in CA anon the academic "scene" as it is around my area seems like its massively over saturated

>> No.687097

>>687092
>>687092
Southern CA? OC area? That's where I'm at. Saturated or not, I don't have a choice if I go down this route, I just don't know anybody who can help me get in the door. I'm not afraid to work, it's just landing a job that's a bitch.

>> No.687107

>>687097
Yea I'm in SoCal. I can see DTLA from my house if that gives you a clue. I'm also assuming you're most likely 22-25 given that you stated you have your degree. As of this point in time, learning a trade/specialized skill seems to be the most profitable path. Also, I appreciate your discussion. This board has a lot of crypto-shills diluting all of the useful information and commentary from other people.

>> No.687128

>>687107
>>687107
Yeah i agree with you on that, there's such a glut of people with college degrees now that it's not worth what people think it is. I should have gone down the trade/specialized skill route instead of going to college, immigrant parents, all they know is school.

>> No.687140

>>687037
Don't listen to this guy. It's way more worth it to pay the pittance for community college and have someone else teach you rather than waste effort trying to learn on youtube.

>> No.687147

>>687128
>I should have gone down the trade/specialized skill route instead of going to college, immigrant parents, all they know is school.
I'm in the same situation. Parents thought that with the right major I'll have jobs thrown at me. The reality is that despite having an supposedly desirable major (engineering) getting a job if near impossible without connections.

The worst part is that I expected such an outcome, and wanted to go into trades from the get go.

>> No.687153

>>687147
Have you done internships?

>> No.687169

>>687153
>>687153
Internship is a good way to get in if you still live at home with your parents, unfortunately for me, I am on my own so unless the internship pays me enough to pay for bills, internship is a no go for me.

Speaking of wich, where do you even start looking for internship for HVAC anyways?

>> No.687187

Any Canadians in HVAC/another trade?
I'm looking to drop out of uni because I'm in a useless humanities degree at the moment.
It seems like I need to start some college classes first and then find an apprenticeship?

>> No.687233

I cant speak for trades in general but my best friend is a Master Plumber in the union. When we works (all your jobs are handed out by the union, you cant just go find your own work or you can get your card pulled) he makes $67 an hour. The problem is, he has worked 4 weeks since October, and not at all since the beginning of the year.

He has been in the union for about 12 years now and he is hopeful once he hits 15 years he will have enough seniority to have an actual shot at a permanent job.

No one ever seems to mention things like this. Yes unions pay far far higher wages but the work is not constant. Best case scenario, you work for 8 months a year. Worst case you work 2-3 months and end up bartending on the side (again, any side job can have nothing to do with your trade) to make ends meet

>> No.688205

>>687233
>>687233
This is actually the first that I have heard of this also, thanks for the input. I wonder if HVAC is unionized also?

>> No.688414
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688414

>>687140
>Don't listen to this guy. It's way more worth it to pay the pittance for community college and have someone else teach you rather than waste effort trying to learn on youtube.

Get fucked.

#1. If you want to learn, you can. Welding is all about stick time. You need to know the basic settings, see examples of the techniques and then after that it's burning rods for hours on end until your brain automates 95% of what's going on.

#2. You're going to be going to college during regular working hours. That means either you work a shit, low pay job, or you go into debt. On top of that you'll be paying a premium for welding in a technical college booth rather than your garage.

#3. I said "college is great", did I not? Yeah, I did. If you want to go that route, it will work. My entire point, which you fucking missed, was that what community college gives you, you can get cheaper and faster elsewhere, and at your convenience.

>> No.688434

>>688414
>On top of that you'll be paying a premium for welding in a technical college booth rather than your garage

bruh, fafsa will cover virtually all of CC if you are poor. shit, i got 1000$ paid to me via refund every semester they threw so much money at me.

>> No.688449

>>687037
>is practicing the AWS structural procedures.

You seem to know your shit, how hard is the AWS CWI and learning the codebooks?

>> No.688457

>>687233
Its confusing to me that plumbers unionize but healthcare workers generally dont.

Like where i live we have no plumbers unions and i see lots of families where the father is a plumber and owns the company. Same with different carpwntry niches (tile or roofing etc) , less so electric but thats probably a liability thing.

>> No.688460

>>688434
Those grants run out though so , long term that might be bad if you were thinking of getting a bachelors say (your last 2 semesters will be all loans)

Also has anyone in the thread brought up jobcorps? Its free trade school if your american and have a heartbeat and are under age 26

>> No.688487

>>688460
>>688460
Only available for people between 16-24
I seriously wish I knew about jobcorps back in highschool. I'm 27 now, is it too late to get into a trade/skilled job? Granted I already have a degree in sociology, but it's shit/useless.

>> No.688492

>>688487
Merchant Marines. learn a trade, see the world. its like the navy except without the military bullshit.

get on as a deckhand and find a sea daddy.

>> No.689442

>>688449

I have never done the welding inspector course, so I can't say directly. From the welders I know who've done it, they say it's not too difficult.