With Job offers like this.... why bother?

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I have considered changing from my $60-$75K sales job to be a welder. I mean I get more satisfaction from spending just one day in the garage making stuff with metal and my SP-125MIG than I do on any given day at the office.I am even taking classes to learn more, and want to buy bigger and better machines. (I would like to weld like ZAP when I grow up).....But with a simple search I find a job like this, in my own town where my wife and I live right now......They want a welder with 2 - 3 years experience..... for a 3 month job..... for $13/hour.Honestly.... I made $13 per hour in 1997 working at the GAP as a stock supervisor (that means I listened to Led Zep all day long from 6a -3p and slung boxes all day...... and I was 20)........Is this post a joke? Why would any welder take this job? I should stay in sales..... and just learn to love being a weekend welder.....Damn....._________http://jobs.volt.com/JobCart/job_det...m?JobID=291644WelderPosted on: 12/12/11    Job Number:  300347-9058-6-291644  Add to Cart  Email to a FriendLocation:  Kyle, TXDescription:  Volt is currently recruiting for Welders in the South Austin / Kyle area!Qualified candidates will produce a variety of weldments, all must meet the dimensional specifications of the mechanical engineered drawing.Grinding welds and sheet metal buffing.Schedule would be Monday through Friday 7am to 3:30pmLooking for candidates that are available for an immediate start and have at least 2 to 3 years of welding experience.Position is for 3 months and has the opportunity to be extended.Volt is an equal opportunity employer.Requirements:  Must be able to pass a drug and background checkAt least 2 years of MIG and TIG welding experienceMust have great attention to detail and be able to read blueprints!Type:   Contingent/TemporaryDuration:  90 - 120 DaysPayrate:  $13.00 - $13.00 Hourly DOEContact:  Volt Workforce Solutions (North)  3303 Northland Dr., Ste. 205  Austin, TX 78731  Phone: 512/338-4444  Fax: 512/338-1620  [email protected]
Reply:Let's break this down a little bit.  The position:2-3 years is pretty much an entry level job.  This would be aimed at your 19-21 year olds that may be just out of a votech program with a little bit of OTJ experience.  They're not talking about any code work nor do they site any specs that you must be able to qualify for.  They don't even mention pre-job skills test.  Sounds like a lot of grinding if they list it in the position.  This is in a shop probably with a locker room / breakroom / and bathroom facilities.  Those amenities normally mean a lower pay scale vs in the field type work.The three month term:This is probably a clever thing their HR is doing.  If you hire someone for three months and then decide they're not working out and let them go, it makes it much easier on the paperwork side of things.  Unemployment is much easier to deal with.  Also, they can delay starting someone on insurance and 401k program just to find out they will be gone soon.  Consider it a three month interview.  If you are worth a damn, they WILL keep you at the end of the three months and pay scale may even be renegotiable at that time.Why would any welder take that job?The answer is simple.  Everyone has to eat.  If you have no job, $13/hr is a huge raise and may be the difference between their kids starving or not.Welding in general:In general, this is not a high paying field.  Then again, neither is auto mechanics, plumbing, machining, carpentry, etc.  However, I know people in all of these fields bringing down $100k+ every year.  Why?  Because they're good.  If you are good at welding, you can make big bucks as well, but just like all things in life pay is relevant to skill.  Just sticking metal together doesn't take much skill nor will it earn much pay.  I know guys in sales who make half of what you do now.  They're just not good at their jobs.  Sales takes a very specific skill set.  Generally, these skills don't overlap with those of a weldor.  By the same token, most weldors don't have the same skills as a sales guy.  Look man, I don't know what you are expecting to walk into here.  You sound like you have very limited to no experience in the welding field and you think you are going to find a $30/hr job?  In Indiana, the average income is $34k/yr.  With a little bit of overtime, this job is that amount.  Gotta be realistic man.Last edited by jmtebbens; 01-09-2012 at 09:14 PM. Originally Posted by SundownIIIDon't get me wrong.  They are just as ill informed about politics as they are about welding, they just post more on that subject.
Reply:Stick with sales to make the same money welding would be difficult.  It can be done  but would require a lot of experience and likely investing in a rig. Before you consider the change look for an opportunity to spend a few days this summer welding outdoors.  I spent a couple of days welding pipe fence up in Fredericksburg in exchange for access to turkey hunt.  I was the turkey on that one.
Reply:Good points. The more I think about I have to agree. If I new then what I know now...... That job would be ok. I forget it's taken me 20 years to get where I am now. I still feel like I'm 20 sometimes but have been at my game for longer than I realize. I should have thought about that more before I slapped the job post. I do feel confident that it is hard to change careers late in one to change to another. At the top of one career does equal the bottom of a another. Thanks for the reality check.
Reply:I just reread my post and realize I sounded like a major downer.  Sorry about that.  If you are seriously considering changing careers, thaere are ways to do it without losing much if any income.  Take the time to develop your skills.  Equip yourself to be able to do all processes at home and then PRACTICE YOUR TAIL OFF.  You have a lot of years to catch up on.  I had a guy tell me that his chipping hammer has been on the job longer than I've been alive, it gave me a bit of perspective.When you become proficient enough to do good, code quality work in all positions, start part-timing it on the weekends with your own stuff.  Eventually (if you are good enough that is) the work coming in will start pushing your real job to the back burner.  At that point, it's do or die time.  Bite the bullet, pull on your big boy pants, and open your own place.There are lot's (maybe not lot's, but at least one jumps to the front of my and everyone elses mind) of people here who think they're pro's but are really just Hac's.  As long as THOSE guys are out there, someone will always need to fix their junk. Originally Posted by SundownIIIDon't get me wrong.  They are just as ill informed about politics as they are about welding, they just post more on that subject.
Reply:I just realized, Volt.com is a temp agency.  Definetly a three month interview.  The company is actually paying like $20/hr to Volt who then pays you $13/hr.  The tradeoff for the company is that they don't have to spend time finding someone.  That may actually turn into a decent job. Originally Posted by SundownIIIDon't get me wrong.  They are just as ill informed about politics as they are about welding, they just post more on that subject.
Reply:if your making 70K a year doing what your doing now in Austin theres no way your going to match income being a welder in that area sorry.and i agree with the above that volt is taking the big money and pocketing half then turning it into a $13hr job.     they are just looking for meat in the seat to fill the position for the company.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:The job post you put up is from a temp agency and they alway lowball and they don't even know what welding is. You are in Texas so there is the oil industry, but most of the time, jobs aren't advertised in the traditional sense. You have to look for companies that are service contractors to the oil industry. At the end of my second year welding I was just at the low end of the scale that you noted, a big chunk of your money would be from OT.Last edited by Jay O; 01-09-2012 at 10:09 PM.
Reply:At the end of my second year welding I was just at the low end of the scale that you noted
Reply:jmtebbens, If you are a business owner and a welder you better be a sales person. Ya better be a good sales person ; )To earn any real money you have to be a combination welder. After you get there then you have to learn how to pipe weld. Also look into the local union halls. Welders wages are going up as the shortage of welders grows.Lots of welders out there, very few good ones.Last edited by Capozzoli; 01-09-2012 at 10:32 PM.Welding everything, from the crack of dawn to a broken heart.
Reply:Originally Posted by Capozzolijmtebbens, If you are a business owner and a welder you better be a sales person. Ya better be a good sales person ; )
Reply:Love of the job?  How many have that?I had it for 28 yrs, lost it recently but wont go into that!Work hard to learn the skills that you love then start making that your income!  Heck yeah!I'm just a hobby welder love it , way to late for a career, as I will be retired in 34 months.You my friend have the time if you want to do it!AEAD 200LE, Lincoln precision tig 185, Millermatic 251, Spectrum 625 extreme, Victor torch , Smithy 1220LTD. and  Do all C-4 band saw ,  Always adding.
Reply:Originally Posted by jmtebbensWas there something I said that you do not agree with?EDIT: I reread what you said and it makes sense now.  I agree fully.  I was speaking from his position as his sales side seems to be covered.
Reply:Another thing to point out is that once you become a welder then you have to learn how to become a fabricator. Being able to weld various materials in various positions with multiple processes is only a percentage of what it take to earn the higher wage. Welding skills coupled  with strong mechanical skills and the ability to build stuff, read blueprints, operate machines, plan projects, set up jigs etc. These are the things that one has to know to earn a higher wage.Welding everything, from the crack of dawn to a broken heart.
Reply:Very good points all around. But I will be the devils advocate here for a sec. There are a lot of people who find a hobby that they love. They think, "Hey, wouldn't it be great to do this for a living". So they jump in head first. Sink or swim time so to speak. So they struggle to get the real skills that they needed before they started. The struggle to get the jobs they want. The pay their dues. and 5 yrs into this "love of the job" they start to dread going to work. knowing that they're doing the same thing over and over again. They've got no outlet like they had before. They don't want to do they're job at home so their hobby turns into a chore. and they're stuck in a job that they don't like anymore with no hobby to enthuse them. you see the same thing in colleges. Every day there is a kid changing their major, because the job they wanted was either to hard to get, or they just got tired of the idea of it. My suggestion. Keep it as a serious hobby. build things like that bench. sell them at garage sales and swap meets. give them to friends as house warming gifts and birthday presents. all on the side. Don't turn it into a job. turn it into a passion. if your passion is to weld it will show in the work you do. and especially in the work that you share with the world. That work will then become a commodity. you'll be an artisan instead of a go-fer. and eventually the demand for your hobby will require some serious though on where you want to be in your life. By the time that comes around. You'll probably be close to retirement anyway. so maybe you retire a little early and do some custom  work for a few years. Just remember "custom" roughly translates to "expensive" in yuppie terms.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Its so true, one way to ruin a hobby is to do it for a living.Being a sales person is a great skill to have in the welding industry though, especially if you work for your self. Or even just getting that higher paying job. Applying and interviewing for  a job is a sales call after all. Like someone else said maybe get a used pick up and set it up into a rig, build a truck rack and a place to hold gas bottles. Maybe make a trailer for your generator. Then work as a welder on the side, gain some experience building stuff. At that point if you want to leave the sales job you will have all of the tools and some experience. With your own gear you can earn a much higher rate. If you want to stick with the sales and bail on the welding you can sell the rig.Welding everything, from the crack of dawn to a broken heart.
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammerVery good points all around. But I will be the devils advocate here for a sec. There are a lot of people who find a hobby that they love. They think, "Hey, wouldn't it be great to do this for a living". So they jump in head first. Sink or swim time so to speak. So they struggle to get the real skills that they needed before they started. The struggle to get the jobs they want. The pay their dues. and 5 yrs into this "love of the job" they start to dread going to work. knowing that they're doing the same thing over and over again. They've got no outlet like they had before. They don't want to do they're job at home so their hobby turns into a chore. and they're stuck in a job that they don't like anymore with no hobby to enthuse them. you see the same thing in colleges. Every day there is a kid changing their major, because the job they wanted was either to hard to get, or they just got tired of the idea of it. My suggestion. Keep it as a serious hobby. build things like that bench. sell them at garage sales and swap meets. give them to friends as house warming gifts and birthday presents. all on the side. Don't turn it into a job. turn it into a passion. if your passion is to weld it will show in the work you do. and especially in the work that you share with the world. That work will then become a commodity. you'll be an artisan instead of a go-fer. and eventually the demand for your hobby will require some serious though on where you want to be in your life. By the time that comes around. You'll probably be close to retirement anyway. so maybe you retire a little early and do some custom  work for a few years. Just remember "custom" roughly translates to "expensive" in yuppie terms.
Reply:fexal, i would stay in sales & learn what you can to improve your skills & use welding as a sideline. over here on the east coast ( ct ) a good friend of mine is a weldinng shop foreman & makes around 20.00 p/hr has a company truck, & is 51 yrs old. he is happy with it & loves his job. he could probably leave  & make more $$$ but through this economy he has never been laid off & has been with that company for 16 yrs. just my 2 cents                              Bob
Reply:Originally Posted by Jay OThe job post you put up is from a temp agency and they alway lowball and they don't even know what welding is.
Reply:You can make plenty of money welding, as long as you work for yourself.When Wally World can pay $10.00+/hr for 100% non skilled dougheads (with benefits!), skilled trades should be making a bit more than $12-16.00.Especially since they are billing that $12.00/hour guy out @ $60.00+...That was the #1 reason why I started my business in the first place.A $13.00/hr guy from Volt is about $28.00/hr, a buddy of mine tried that route...Buy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:Me, I'm happy just building stuff that is just cool on the weekends. Who knows, when I get old and retire, maybe I will work part time in a small fab shop or have my own to mess around with. I don't make a ton of money but I am smart enough that I know I have it pretty good where I am at. If I was retired, something that would just make enough to supplement my tools and help fund my crazy projects would be cool.If I worked in a hot shop welding all week, I dont think I would look forward to grabbing a beer and working in the hot garage fabbing a motorized train for my son when I got home.
Reply:Why not get a sales job in the welding biz? You could work in the industry you love and fully utilize the skills you have today, and make contacts for movement within that industry in the future....Millematic 210Hypertherm 380Everlast 200DXHF 110v Inverter