Newbie Advice?

admin

Hi all, I am new to welding, and to forums. I am currently enrolled in a pre-trades course and I LOVE IT!!! I am hoping to get the opportunity to apprentice after finishing my course. Any advice for someone who is looking for an employer to sign me up? Thanks
Reply:Learn as much as you can.Get as much arc time as possible on the major processes and common materials (MIG with steel and alum, fluxcore, TIG steel and aluminum and whatever else you can, stick with as many fillers and base metals as you can).Many companies do mostly one thing (such as pretty much all 6010 on pipe, or 6010 root and 7018 cover, or MIG, or.....) so you want to have a variety so that whomever is hiring and whatever they are hiring for, you can do a passable test. Having other skills makes you more salable. In some regions, pretty much all of the jobs will fall into a narrow range of processes and procedures.Find out what what is needed where you want to work and start there. Learn more, and you will be more hirable, but start with what is most likely.For example, my company is 90% '18 (7018, 8018, 11018), usually with 6011 root, sometimes open root. This is what we test for hiring with. The rest is a variety of stuff, includiong TIG root, '18 cover on boiler tubes, TIG and/or stick on Inconel and Monel, TIG on straight copper or copper-nickels, Tig and stick on stainless, TIG or MIG on aluminum, etc.... People with even a bit of exposure to some of these tasks get a BIG leg up, since these tend to be money jobs, and we can have a welder spend half a day practicing in the shop before going out on one of these jobs. But ONLY a half day. which means someone that pretty much knows where to go is a must.