What to expect after school?

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Entering welding school with the plan to go into the pipe/oilfield side of welding till I have the financial backing to start a shop when I'm tired of the pipelines. Is this something that people often do? Should I look more into fabrication? I also have a connection at Delta Tech Ops who says he can help me get a job aircraft welding and working on machines for Delta. He told me they are almost always willing to hire welders. I still have a long time to make these decisions, but I'm looking for some insight into welding as a career, and options that I may not have realized or understood.
Reply:start welding school. figure out what you like the best, then figure out what industry best suits you. Start researching and seeing what your options are- Christian M.C3 Welding & Fabrication - CNC Plasma Cutting-Mobile Welding-Custom welding and fabwww.c3welding.com
Reply:What kind of shop would you want to open? A general fab shop? Fabrication is a whole different side of welding. You can be the best welder in the world, but suck at fabrication. People come into my shop all the time with a resume full of certs, but can't keep anything square for the life of them. I would recommend also seeing if you could get a job, even part time, at a general fab shop in your area.John 3:16(2) Miller Pheonix 456(2) Millermertic 252Dynasty 210DXHobart 210MVPDoringer D350 SA Cold SawScotchman 350LT Cold SawWebb 10x50 MillWebb 15x40 LatheGeka Bendicrop Ironworker
Reply:If all you do is work pipelines, that's not going to help you much in other area's of fabrication. If you can get into aircraft welding, it will be mostly TIG in a nice clean shop with a whole lot less smoke and fumes but requiring very close attention to detail. It's not easy starting your own shop! There's already established competition to deal with for starters. Pipelining is usually high production and go go go for up to 12 hours a day/ 7 days a week. Jobs could be sporadic. Oilfield welding encompasses all kinds of different welding and it can be sporadic for work too when the price of oil and/or the economy tanks. See how you like welding in school and which process you seem the most comfortable with. If you have a knack for welding and doing the highest quality, TIG would be the best bet. Not everyone has a knack for welding though. Some guys just want to burn rod and don't pay much attention to the quality of their work.
Reply:The skills you need to run your own shop are not the skills you need to be a successful welder.  What is means is that if after you get tired of doing pipeline you won't be able to just drop that and start a shop.  Running business is about good costing, estimating, managing people, making sales contacts, and a wide variety of other skills that have little to do with welding.
Reply:The skills you need to run your own shop are not the skills you need to be a successful welder. What is means is that if after you get tired of doing pipeline you won't be able to just drop that and start a shop. Running business is about good costing, estimating, managing people, making sales contacts, and a wide variety of other skills that have little to do with welding.
Reply:Entering welding school with the plan to go into the pipe/oilfield side of welding till I have the financial backing to start a shop when I'm tired of the pipelines.While still in school try to get some classes in Business Management and Marketing. It wil give you an idea and background on what to expect when you decide to open your own shop. Suggestion on working part time in a fab shop is good but try to get in as well on the business side of it not just on the production floor. It will save you a lot of headaches, time and money. Knowing how to build things is totally different from actually running a business. I wish that I had known it beforehand cause I had to learn on the fly