I got offered job, sadly I might be leaving welding

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I'm torn right now, standing at one of those forks in the road of life.  I've been offered an apprenticeship in sheet metal.  I've been on the list for over a year ago.  I took the test and got my name on the waiting list last summer when I lost my job of 8 years.  My backround is all construction, so I thought the trades was something I would like.  Thats when I got into welding.  I've been working for a great company since april.  They trained me for 8 weeks, and I just got out on the floor.  I enjoy working here, its fun, and seems like easy money, so far.  And Im good at it.  I've been complimented on my work several times.  The problem is the most I can make as a welder at this company is $6 hr less than I would in 5 years as a journeyman.  I don't miss long drives to job sites, and working out in the bad weather, and I was just getting tired of the construction industry.  I don't know which way to go.  The money?  I have a family, and we've always been scraping.  Or stick with this new career that I enjoy and hope for the best.
Reply:I took the same path you may take.  Sort of....I was a carpenter for a while.  I was driving anywhere from 5 to 65 miles to work one way.  I was making good money with good benefits, but I decided to change my career.  I was welding on most jobs as a carpenter and decided to do it full time.  I took a pay cut but work year round and stay mostly out of the weather.Do you really want to do sheet metal work?
Reply:Since you have a family and it sucks to have to live so tight for so long.  Stay with your current welding job for at least a year...for experience purposes.  Then start looking for a real employer who will pay you what welding is worth.  What area are you in that pays so low.  I thought Ga was bad at 7-9$Laura MM 180Chop SawDewalt grinderhelpful husband
Reply:No matter how much money you make, if you don't enjoy your work you'll be miserable. Pick the one thing that you like to do and stick with it. If it's fun for you it won't even seem like work. Just my .02
Reply:I agree with Altobe. Life is too short to be unhappy with your job. You will always be scraping for money unless you win the lottery. If you can make it on what you get now stay there. You can always pick up some side jobs too and you'll get to do what you like to do. Just my .02. "Every choice you make will effect at least one other person"
Reply:i have to say go with what you like to do sense you'll send half your atwork liking it will go a long way to help your state of mindand is your welding job not paying enough to live on or are you buying stuff you don't need and never usejust my  $0.02ChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:Originally Posted by mleichtleI'm torn right now, standing at one of those forks in the road of life.  I've been offered an apprenticeship in sheet metal.  I've been on the list for over a year ago.  I took the test and got my name on the waiting list last summer when I lost my job of 8 years.  My backround is all construction, so I thought the trades was something I would like.  Thats when I got into welding.  I've been working for a great company since april.  They trained me for 8 weeks, and I just got out on the floor.  I enjoy working here, its fun, and seems like easy money, so far.  And Im good at it.  I've been complimented on my work several times.  The problem is the most I can make as a welder at this company is $6 hr less than I would in 5 years as a journeyman.  I don't miss long drives to job sites, and working out in the bad weather, and I was just getting tired of the construction industry.  I don't know which way to go.  The money?  I have a family, and we've always been scraping.  Or stick with this new career that I enjoy and hope for the best.
Reply:I AM a sheetmetal worker. You will have more opportunity to weld than you can ever imagine. There is more money to be made in the sheetmetal industry, especially commercial and SS sheetmetal work. Too often, people think of tin knockers as just ductwork installers. But real sheetmetal work will teach you to use all that math you hated, and you will find many challenges in it, every day cab be different. Being young and having a family will make you take jobs you don't like. It's a part of life. If you get into sheetmetal, steer yourself in the direction you want to go. Auto body design, hospital, cooking, commercial waterproofing, there are a million reasons to bend metal. And most of them will need a welder once its' bent and cut. Maybe train to be that guy!! Good luck.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:What Rojo said !! I will add that our regional college has a welding program. The instructor is the weld supervisor at a local sheetmetal shop. I've known him for a number of years and he is quite good at what he does. I'd take the apprenticeship and never look back if it was my choice to make.Anything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT
Reply:Originally Posted by RojodiabloI AM a sheetmetal worker. You will have more opportunity to weld than you can ever imagine. There is more money to be made in the sheetmetal industry, especially commercial and SS sheetmetal work. Too often, people think of tin knockers as just ductwork installers. But real sheetmetal work will teach you to use all that math you hated, and you will find many challenges in it, every day cab be different. Being young and having a family will make you take jobs you don't like. It's a part of life. If you get into sheetmetal, steer yourself in the direction you want to go. Auto body design, hospital, cooking, commercial waterproofing, there are a million reasons to bend metal. And most of them will need a welder once its' bent and cut. Maybe train to be that guy!! Good luck.
Reply:Ha!! I'm going to add to your dilemma ..I've changed jobs several times over the years, ****ed away a lot of oportunities too. I've thrived, starved and gone full circle again. Loved every minute of it . Some guys leave a trail of dust everywhere they go, other guys have a rut so deep they can't see out of it. To each his own. Life is a continuous string of left forks and right forks coming at you 100 miles an hour with an unknown road running straight ahead. Give it some good hard thought, make your choice and don't look back. Looking back tears your guts out. A guys needs everything he's got to keep going forward.Good luck  ...
Reply:All I've ever known was metalwork in some way shape or form..I had the same dillemma back in '04 when I got laid off (yeah rite) from my job...Went to work for 8 months as a plummers apprentice..It was'nt that difficult but it sucked...So.......I'm welding now and making stuff out of metal everyday and could not be happier..OK OK We all could be happier.. But in the end I went back to what I knew...Its up to you to decide the same thing......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:i've found that welding sheet metal is by and large more difficult than thick structural pieces, more room for errors with distortion, burning holes through, also there seems to be a lot more to learn in the way of layout. point being you're not changing paths as much as it may seem, this is an excellent opportunity to expand your metal working skills, and turn you into a more well rounded metalworker.  i think you'd be a fool to turn this away, later on you'll probably want to strike out on your own, you'll never get rich working for someone else (probably won't get rich working with metal truth be told), and it always helps to have more skills rather than less.  i may be wrong about this, but isn't most sheet metal work done in the shop anyway?  i realize there is a lot of installation, but it seems to me the bulk of it would be done in the shop, so why is there so much talk of always being gone?i've never worked in a sheet metal shop, what i do know is that every time i do want to do something with sheet metal, i  don't have the large tools i need, or access to them.
Reply:Originally Posted by rusty ripplei realize there is a lot of installation, but it seems to me the bulk of it would be done in the shop, so why is there so much talk of always being gone?
Reply:I'd never tell a guy to stay at a job that didn't pay the bill. Just make sure that you think that you might like sheet metal work before you jump. Of course the generic term sheet metal means as many different things as being a welder. You might be tigging stainless every day or never touch a welder again. I was a aircraft sheetmetal man by title for 2 years. Never welded anything but few exhaust stacks during that time but drove about a million rivets. Some days I never worked with metal but lots of honey comb and composites.
Reply:well just remeber one thing ( the puddle of what ever metal you are working on and never forget , oxy/accetling is the basics