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Hey everybody, my question is just to ask if anyone has any suggestions as to what the best way to get into a pipe welding gig would be. I just moved to the Houston, TX area almost a year ago for the job I have right now in a major oil and gas company. They promised me so much work when I moved here but apparently we got caught up and the work in my department is not coming in steadily. 40 hours a week and not welding isn't really paying my bills nor using my skills. I have 11 plus years of welding experience. I have pipe welding experience but only little in the actual field. I passed a combination tube weld test with the Boilermakers Local in Muscle Shoals, AL last year on my way here for this job interview. I've got experience with a lot of different alloys and proficient in GTAW, SMAW, GMAW, and FCAW. Been posting my resume to jobs but I'm tossing around the idea of checking out the Boilermakers and Steamfitters Locals around here and seeing what they have to offer. I just want to work. I've got things I want to do and I've got to work to get them, but it's not gonna happen where I'm at right now. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Reply:Hey friend,Michael Treadway of The Welders Lens.com here. Are you wanting to travel to work or are you looking to just stay in the Houston area? If you are looking to stay in the Houston area you may have to work outside of the union to stay busy. I was a union boilermaker at one time out of Local 28 in New Jersey as well as Local 79 which used to be in Lake Charles, LA where I live at present. There just isn't much union work around here to keep a man busy all the time unfortunately. Don't know how you feel about working in non union but you may have to do that or travel if you can't find union work steady.
Reply:I don't have a wife/girlfriend or kids. All I have is my dog who I figure I can take with me if push comes to shove. I am not opposed to traveling for work. I would most certainly want steady work. I took a year long industrial welding program at my local community college which I graduated from last year before the move in Guilford County, NC. I took it because I had gotten laid off from my previous job and wanted to brush up on a couple of processes that I hadn't touched in awhile. I finished with academic honors and at the top of my class. My instructor who was a boilermaker for 20 years told me that if he were me he would get a steamfitters card and a boilermakers card. That way I could have more options of jobs to choose from. I talked to a guy back home in TN back when I was making my transitional decision and he told me that the boilermakers were pretty much dead and that they didn't get much work anymore these days. Also, the more threads I read it seems a lot of people say there is a lot of waiting to get into the unions. I moved down here because of the growing economy and the promise of opportunity. I've got nothing keeping me here other than the possibility of better jobs than what's back home.
Reply:http://www.roadtechs.com/search/sear...?search3=t1110
Reply:Apply everywhere. The gulf coast is a good place for welding work.Boilermakers get plenty of work, just not so much in TN. Roadtechs/Indeed will give you tons of listings. If you don't care what type of welding it is, check out North Dakota near Williston. Trail King in Mitchell ND is looking for structural welders for stalls and containers. I actually just got a call from them an hour ago and had to turn them down because I've already signed an offer somewhere else. Took them maybe 3 days to get back to me after I applied.Go further west and check out the oil fields. I think there's a plant should be going up around Arlington soon. Arizona has some work I believe. A buddy of mine works for CB&I and just got sent to some job in Tempe. Keep practicing the combo weld on 2" heavy... seems like that's the most common pipe test these days. Practice it in a restricted box if you have/can fab one too. Join the union. UA/IBB.You've got plenty of options with experience, though you may have to take another structural job and try to position yourself into the pipe side after you get on.
Reply:lemme get this straight...your in HOUSTON!!!! and you cant get a welding job? Every add i see is for welders in the houston area. Check the internet and see what adds pop up. craigslist is decent too.~1987 Lincoln Sa-200~~1978 Miller Big 40~ (restored) ~and everything inbetween~
Reply:No I've got a welding job "technically". But, we really haven't had much work in months and they keep having to move me around to other departments where I'm just doing odds and ends jobs to stay busy. 40 hours a week just isn't cutting it on my own.
Reply:JV Industrial was looking for shutdown hands last week or so on roadtechs |
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发表于 2021-8-31 23:27:32