Recent welding school graduate with AWS Certification... looking to travel!!... help?

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Hey guys!  I'm looking to start my career in welding and hope to travel the world doing it, if i can.  First i'll give a little background about myself and situation:Firstly, i'm 30 years old residing on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts.  A few weeks ago I completed a program at Thielsch Engineering Welding School in Cranston, RI which is a 210 hour welding program (6 weeks).  I have been trained and tested in the following welding processes, SMAW (tested in 3G & 4G), GMAW (Spray(tested in 1G & 2G), Pulse (tested in 3G & 4G)), and Flux Core (3G & 4G). I received some basic training and experience performing TIG, Short Arc, Carbon Arc gouging and Oxy/Acetylene torch cutting. I also gained some basic understandings of metallurgy, distortion control, and reading blueprints.In addition to my Certificate of Completion I earned an AWS Certification in Flux Core (3G & 4G), also have an OSHA 10 card.  I've heard of guys who get to travel the world working as welders and I am VERY Interested in this.   I am a great worker, always have been, and I am confident in my ability to learn and succeed but of course my lack of on-the-job experience is a barrier right now.   I wanted to ask if anyone can point me in the right direction...  should i try to get into a union??  are there any companies out there whose employees get to travel the world??  Should I be looking at contract jobs?  Should I stop dreaming and work somewhere locally for a while first??  I'm really not sure which route to go right now.  One thing I know I DON'T really want to get into, at least at this point, is underwater welding...  but I am open to just about anything else.  Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.  THANKS!
Reply:Good luck finding what you want (seriously without any trace of sarcasm). Welcome here. I have no advice for your situation, but do not want you to feel ignored. Congratulations or certs. and graduation.SA-250 TMDSquarewave 200Thunderbolt AC/DC1951 G.E. welder
Reply:Do you have any experience in an industrial setting? You may be better served to find a local job first to get some experience and references. But don't stop dreaming, just be realistic.Mike
Reply:Welcome to the site and congratulations on your accomplishments. Be careful what you wish for as life on the road is not what most guys think it is and is not conducive to a long term relationship should you be so inclined. Best of luck with your new career.
Reply:Just a heads up,  when you get out in the field, it's an eye opener. It's nothing  like welding in the classroom shop. Your wet behind the ears and inexperienced and have a lot of learning to do. Best of luck.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Well as far as advice, the only advice I can relish your semi-auto certification and keep a continuity log detailing your involvement within 6 months periods to keep your certification active. If you lapse just once and go beyond 6 months you have to retest. If you  can't rent the equipment and donate some welding time to charity and have the beneficiary sign and date for it and description and process of the work.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:I would take the first job that pops up. So you can get about a year hands on time welding in a fabrication setting. Actually building products for customers. Columns, frames, stands, whatever. You definitely need some shop time before you get on the road. Go to a union and join their apprenticeship program for a year. Learn as much as possible and then become a journeyman. But I highly doubt straight out of a welding school you will go straight to jobsites. Find the nearest shipyard and see if they pay perdiem for out of state employees to put you into a hotel and work for a while. They will throw you through the ringer there. We cant just say hey good job you passed some plate tests... we will get you a job traveling the country. You have minimal hands on time in actual fabrication. You have to be able to be given a blueprint or what somebody wants built and start cutting the pieces out, fitting them up square and level and weld it out yourself. At least your excited about welding lol. Im telling ya. Work in a shop setting and get your feet wet building things for a year. During this time start looking for other places to go that will hire entry level welders for shutdowns and turn-a-rounds. Union will help you get on the road. Check them out.Not trying to discourage you on your hopes and dreams but it isn't instantaneous when you finish a welding program. It takes time to reach your goals.
Reply:EB in Quonset point is hiring a lot of welders. We actually have a partnership with Thielsh. It's a good place to create your resume. Even though you've gone through all that training, you have to actually do it. EB would certainly give you that opportunity. We do all the processes that you mentioned, except flux core.Rich
Reply:Thanks guys for all the info, advice and honest answers!! I definitely will keep all of these things in mind...  AndrewDavenport89 - great response and I'm feeling that you are right and that's probably my best bet, taking what I can get first and gain some experience.  And the the union apprentice jobs sound like a good possibility as well.  I have a couple prospects i'm waiting to hear from, i'll let y'all know where I end up!  Thanks again guys! Much appreciated.
Reply:gman, when I took a few quarters of night classes the instructor was an advocate for us joining the AWS. American Welding Society. Once a month they had a banquet at a nice restaurant with a presentation by an industry insider. If someone was in the market for a welding job, the room was full of the most well connected welding professionals of the entire area. Student memberships were cheap, learned a lot, met a lot of folks and got a nice monthly magazine. Seemed ideal for anyone looking to get started in the trade.Good luck, Brian.
Reply:Originally Posted by steelsurgeonEB in Quonset point is hiring a lot of welders. We actually have a partnership with Thielsh. It's a good place to create your resume. Even though you've gone through all that training, you have to actually do it. EB would certainly give you that opportunity. We do all the processes that you mentioned, except flux core.Rich