Fixing to Graduate welding school. Need a Route to take

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I have 7 Weeks left of welding school and im going to have 4 certifications maybe 5 certifications. Im looking for a good place to start for a job do I travel or go back home and work for a bit then build a travel rig. Need Suggestions on what to shoot for. ThanksLincoln 140 Pak MIG Everlast powerarc 140 STLincoln Tombstone
Reply:Shoot for employment… If you want to travel and can get on go for it… Just having the Certs is only part of it. Just coming out of welding school you have a lot to learn. Wherever you end up pay attention and keep learning. Thats the best advice I can give. Not sure what type of industry you have back home, Maybe you could get in a shop there?- Christian M.C3 Welding & Fabrication - CNC Plasma Cutting-Mobile Welding-Custom welding and fabwww.c3welding.com
Reply:Originally Posted by camjeep3Shoot for employment… If you want to travel and can get on go for it… Just having the Certs is only part of it. Just coming out of welding school you have a lot to learn. Wherever you end up pay attention and keep learning. Thats the best advice I can give. Not sure what type of industry you have back home, Maybe you could get in a shop there?
Reply:Chickens are hard to weld on because they don't conduct well and won't stop wiggling.  I would plan on going someplace where oil comes out of the ground.DanI hope that when i'm dead and gone, people will remember me and think; "Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money!"
Reply:I doubt that things has changed since 1983. When I was fresh out of welding school with my papers. Every place I went for a welding job wanted at least 5 years of on the job training! Which is hard to do if they wont hire you. There are some schools I hear with job placements. That would be a plus. But it took me a few years. But I got a job as a labor in a factory. And worked my way and proved myself into a welding job! And if you end up not liking that job. You still have the job work history behind you for the next place. Keep at it. If you really like welding and you got skills. You will be a welder some where! Good luck bud!
Reply:I had a boy work with me through high school when he graduated he joined local union hall and is appentishipping making good money his buddy when in and passed the test and is like 20 years old making 36 a hr pretty good money
Reply:If your school takes in upgraders they are a good source of advice.  They have walked the walk and are in for more tests.  Lunch and coffee breaks are a good time to touch bases with them and ask about job leads.  Don't be upset but you could be on the end of a grinder for six months before someone gives you a chance to run beads.  Upgraders will tip you off as to which shops to avoid.  Skills you will need if you want to continue is things like finishing a handrailing without leaving gouges or missing spatter.  Operating an overhead crane.  Being able to safely sling a variety of loads.  Operating saws, shears, ironworkers, fork lifts, burning tables and on and on. Being able to come to work and have your coveralls on when the horn sounds and not the first out to the parking lot at quitting time.  Being there on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.  Being able to claim an 80 hour paycheck every two weeks.  No 72 hour paychecks.  You got a headache?? You got a stomach ache???  Are you willing to work through it?  Will you do overtime when needed?  You are not going to be stupid enough to ask for a pay advance.  Believe me word gets around and the industry are like a group of fish wives gossiping.  If you have bad habits word goes out and you will have to move for someone to take a chance on you.
Reply:Go where the oil is, or the oil refineries.
Reply:Originally Posted by lotechmanBeing able to claim an 80 hour paycheck every two weeks.  No 72 hour paychecks.  You got a headache?? You got a stomach ache???  Are you willing to work through it?  Will you do overtime when needed?  You are not going to be stupid enough to ask for a pay advance.
Reply:Since finishing my apprenticeship 5 years ago ive never had a 40 hour a week job, jobs like that tend to pay alot less and have inferior conditions from my experiance, i currently work a 58 hour week (5 10's and an 8, sometimes 8 on sunday as well) ive worked up to 96 hours a week on previous jobs
Reply:teh603, you need to find a fab shop for 40 hours. Or a maintenance job in a plant of some kind. I work in a pipe fabrication shop on the weekend shift, we work 3-12s, get paid 40 hours and have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off. We only get two twelve minute breaks during the day, though. Some guys work there and have a 40 hour job during the week, too. Not this old fart, though. I like my four days off. You could come work with us in Port Arthur, they're always hiring. You might have to start at the bottom till you get up to speed on your MIG and TIG, though.Last edited by TimmyTIG; 07-19-2015 at 08:44 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by TimmyTIGteh603, you need to find a fab shop for 40 hours. Or a maintenance job in a plant of some kind. I work in a pipe fabrication shop on the weekend shift, we work 3-12s, get paid 40 hours and have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off. We only get two twelve minute breaks during the day, though. Some guys work there and have a 40 hour job during the week, too. Not this old fart, though. I like my four days off. You could come work with us in Port Arthur, they're always hiring. You might have to start at the bottom till you get up to speed on your MIG and TIG, though.
Reply:Already have my AWS  D1.1 cert and Have my mig/flux cents and 6G 6010 7018 fill and cap cert..  I'm starting my Tig root and Tig hot then once I get that I start my upgrades which are 2in sch40 then my 5th cert is 2in sch40 stainless Tig all the way out.
Reply:Originally Posted by TimmyTIGteh603, you need to find a fab shop for 40 hours. Or a maintenance job in a plant of some kind. I work in a pipe fabrication shop on the weekend shift, we work 3-12s, get paid 40 hours and have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off. We only get two twelve minute breaks during the day, though. Some guys work there and have a 40 hour job during the week, too. Not this old fart, though. I like my four days off. You could come work with us in Port Arthur, they're always hiring. You might have to start at the bottom till you get up to speed on your MIG and TIG, though.