Welding Career Path suggestions

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Hello, I'm interested in becoming a Welder.I plan on going to Trade school, to learn the craft of weldingThen I'll get a job that involves welding, and do that for a year or so.Then I'll get my Dive cert.Then I will go to school to become a underwater welder.Easier said then done, is probably what your thinking.. what do you think of this route?I have a OTH from the military, how much will that hinder me in the welding world?Is a Engineering Degree really necessary?
Reply:Originally Posted by WildWoodieHello, I'm interested in becoming a Welder.I plan on going to Trade school, to learn the craft of weldingThen I'll get a job that involves welding, and do that for a year or so.Then I'll get my Dive cert.Then I will go to school to become a underwater welder.Easier said then done, is probably what your thinking.. what do you think of this route?I have a OTH from the military, how much will that hinder me in the welding world?Is a Engineering Degree really necessary?
Reply:OTH from the military?? Please explainAmerican by birth Southern by the Grace of God
Reply:An engineering degree is not necessarily necessary.  But when you get to old to dive and weld you still got your PE stamp. That never wears out.
Reply:Originally Posted by 74fencerOTH from the military?? Please explain
Reply:Unless you grow up welding and have the support of a welding shop or family, the one thing to remember is to have patience and be willing to learn. It is a slow progression but it will move faster as you get more experiance and confidence. Stay with itA young green pipe welder asked an old salt one day...How can I make the weld on the bottom of the pipe look like the top.......The old salt replied....Screw up the top......
Reply:Don't go to a dive school until there is a hurricane. You won't make what you think. You'll be a tender for 5-6 years and might dive 80times in those years. I'm a tender now and I'm going to welding school to get out of it. Plus you won't probably ever weld underwater you'll burn mostly
Reply:Don't go to a dive school until there is a hurricane?Get out to go to welding school.. what kind of schooling are you taking?
Reply:Originally Posted by dkalleckFirst, downsize that font man. Search your area for a welding school. There might be a community college or class program within your area. Google it up.Where are you located?
Reply:Originally Posted by WildWoodieDon't go to a dive school until there is a hurricane?Get out to go to welding school.. what kind of schooling are you taking?
Reply:Originally Posted by JoeMayoDon't go to a dive school until there is a hurricane. You won't make what you think. You'll be a tender for 5-6 years and might dive 80times in those years. I'm a tender now and I'm going to welding school to get out of it. Plus you won't probably ever weld underwater you'll burn mostly
Reply:Originally Posted by WildWoodieSouthern Cal, Inland Empire, Google it up? lol
Reply:Originally Posted by JoeMayoYes wait till a hurricane if you want to come down here and dive in the gulf. You'll start off at 14.50-15.00 and hour right now. The diving industry is FLOODED with new guys. When another hurricane hits they'll be tons of work. I'm getting out of it cause it's slow and right now I probably work 10 days out of the month.. Hell in June I worked 1 day. I'll be going back to school to learn more on pipe welding etc so I can work closer to home.
Reply:Get underwater welder out of your head. You become a commercial diver. Welding is just a very tiny part of the job. Many never weld underwater at all. If you go looking to just weld underwater, you will starve and be unemployed. There simply isn't enough work for some one to just weld underwater. Originally Posted by WildWoodieWhat do you mean diving industry is flooded with new guys.. to become underwater welders?Hurricane?.. Screw the gulf.. I'm traveling...So you are an underwater welder?
Reply:Have you ever met a welding crew?  I wouldn't trust a welding crew that was batting under .500 on their felony records! I know they really like to scare people about "If you get kicked out of the military, you can't work at McDonalds!".  That is true.  Well, kinda...  It would prohibit you from working anywhere they have a federal contract, ie: McDonalds Corporate Headquarters, or a McD's on a base.  Unless you apply for a federal job, with some exceptions, you don't have to provide your DD214 or your discharge status.  Now, go burn some rod! 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:Hey thanks brother
Reply:DSW who did you work for offshore? I worked for Divcon and just left Triton out of Morgan City. I'm a tender (not broken out to be a diver) at the rate things are going now with no storm I won't break out for another 3-4 years. Inland diving is alright but you don't work all the time and the pay isn't as much offshore. Hell guys on a gas job I was on last month were making $1,100 a day but that's only when they dove. On that job out of 8 divers maybe 3-4 got 2 dives at 300ft to get that much. Then don't work for weeks. Right now it's winter and on 4 point anchor boats it gets way to rough out there.
Reply:Never worked offshore myself, but I worked with several guys who did. Not really for me.  Maybe if I'd gotten in earlier in life. The company I worked for did a bunch of work in the Port of Philadelphia and a bit of work off the Jersey shore. Haven't done any work like that in the last few years. The guy I worked for sold his company and went to work for the guy who bought him out. I was sort of a backup diver/tender. When they they got super busy, I'd get a call to give them a hand. The money was ok, and a bunch of the jobs were a cake walk. Guess those balanced out the 16 hr jobs in the middle of February standing in waist deep  30 deg water in a leaky barge trying to find leaks to plug, or standing on the pier in your drysuit freezing your *** off at 2 am as a standby diver taking a turn out of the water.Also used to work PT for Mar-Vel in Pensauken NJ selling gear, doing repairs and service work, filling tanks and so on in the store. Did that until they got sold and they pretty much dumped all their retail dive stuff..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by JoeMayoDSW who did you work for offshore? I worked for Divcon and just left Triton out of Morgan City. I'm a tender (not broken out to be a diver) at the rate things are going now with no storm I won't break out for another 3-4 years. Inland diving is alright but you don't work all the time and the pay isn't as much offshore. Hell guys on a gas job I was on last month were making $1,100 a day but that's only when they dove. On that job out of 8 divers maybe 3-4 got 2 dives at 300ft to get that much. Then don't work for weeks. Right now it's winter and on 4 point anchor boats it gets way to rough out there.