Advice on landing 2nd welding job out of school?

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Hi guys, i'm having a bit of a hard time finding welding work right now. I attended a local tech school and did the welding program. Had a welding job doing MIG for about 6 months.  Job ended about  month ago and now i cant find anything decent. I accepted a job a few weeks back but it did not last long at all.  The person who hired me was not upfront about the job.  He did not tell me the correct hours, or exactly what i would be doing, other than welding.  Turned out i operated a handheld chop saw, 10+ hours a day.  When i finally did weld, it was welding over paint! Do you guys have any tips for a guy looking for work?  Is it common for a new employee hired as a welder, to actually do little to no welding?
Reply:Hard for me to imagine a welder not being able to find work, but I am surrounded by oilfield activity and mining in most directions so they are always in demand.  If welders are really not in demand where you live you might think about moving.  best of luck in your job search.
Reply:Few things.  You don't weld over paint. You remove the paint with a wire wheel then weld. Do you have any welding certification tickets?School is great but you need a cert ticket if you want a decent paying job.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by RoadhunterHard for me to imagine a welder not being able to find work, but I am surrounded by oilfield activity and mining in most directions so they are always in demand.  If welders are really not in demand where you live you might think about moving.  best of luck in your job search.
Reply:It's a paper work world. You need to get some certs right away. Certs open doors, it gives employers confidence that you can pass a test. I ran a large welding job in a refinery, it cost me 12-man hours per welder before they ever struck an arc for the weld test. And the majority of them failed the refinery's weld test anyway!  Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPIt's a paper work world. You need to get some certs right away. Certs open doors, it gives employers confidence that you can pass a test. I ran a large welding job in a refinery, it cost me 12-man hours per welder before they ever struck an arc for the weld test. And the majority of them failed the refinery's weld test anyway!
Reply:I only paid for one cert in my life. That was so I could be dispatched out of the hall as a certified welder. All the other certs, the companies paid for, and paid my wages to take the tests.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:I believe HCC has a course where you will end up with a cert at completion.Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPI only paid for one cert in my life. That was so I could be dispatched out of the hall as a certified welder. All the other certs, the companies paid for, and paid my wages to take the tests.
Reply:Originally Posted by storemanCEP,I assume you demonstrated skills to the companies sufficient to prompt them to pay for your certs.  Perhaps our OP does not have the skills necessary to incentivize a potential employer.
Reply:Originally Posted by ImNewAtThisI'm going to look into getting some certs. Not sure i can afford them right now but definitely worth a look. Thanks!