100k+ welding?

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I'm 20 years old, finished my B welding course in November last year, and I'm still relatively inexperienced. As soon as I get enough hours accrued (which should be by the end of July) I'm going to get my PWP 7 and 10 (I'll be practicing well before I choose to take my test).A few other things to note:-No girlfriend, and not really interested in that right now.-I'm willing to travel pretty much anywhere besides Libya or Japan (I'm currently in BC, Canada, and took my C and B level training here)-Willing to work up to 100 hours per week. (More about this below)-Willing to work in -50 degree weather.-No problem with working at heights or being on the road all the time.-I have potential to have some really good hands.-I'm extremely good at saving money.With all this in mind, how likely/realistic is the idea that I can pack up and leave for work, and come back exactly a year later with $100,000 (give or take) added to my bank account?Another inquiry I'd like to make is about overtime. I don't have much experience out there in the world, but common sense tells me that 100 hours a week, 60 from overtime, is most likely unheard of. Obviously companies would rather just hire another person and pay him regular wage than to give their employees that much OT. How much overtime is really out there? How do you get it? I mean maybe it isn't uncommon for someone to log a 100 hour week, I really have no idea. I'd just like to hear about other people's experiences over the years, where they see overtime, how often, how much, how steady, how predictable or not.
Reply:FWIW 100k+ is very easy pipe welding...any other type of welding will pay much less.
Reply:I'm curious.  Do yo want to make 100K in that year, or make enough so that you've been able to save 100K?Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Originally Posted by SR20steveFWIW 100k+ is very easy pipe welding...any other type of welding will pay much less.
Reply:100K isn't unheard of but it's way above average for welding. I can only vouch for one person and from what I hear from my co-workers they are close behind me. My job and experience are not average by any means of measure. Not bragging, just stating a fact. There is only about <100 people in the world that do what we do.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:Originally Posted by Pangea100K isn't unheard of but it's way above average for welding. I can only vouch for one person and from what I hear from my co-workers they are close behind me. My job and experience are not average by any means of measure. Not bragging, just stating a fact. There is only about <100 people in the world that do what we do.
Reply:if you can get on a job that has that kind of crazy overtime like 7/12s, then you will probably hit your mark. Let us know how much you like it after 4 months though.Weldanpower 225 G7Ironworkers Local #24
Reply:Pangea, you weld aero for NASA, correct? If so I can see where he would be making this kind of money welding clean room stuff for space and satellites. Then again the chances of getting onto something like that at 20 and very little experience is slim to none.
Reply:There are quite a few opportunities to gross 100k per year welding in Alberta and Saskatchewan.. You will need you IP Journeyman. A "B" pressure ticket woould be a good idea, you're not likely to weld pipe without it.  I will do better than that this year and I home evevry night and most weekends structural welding and fabrication, rarely pipe. I haven't welded in BC so I don't know what the opportunities are like there.
Reply:Something to think about when considering going on the road.  A guy could drink away and party a fair share of that money.  Let me know how things are going when you're 10 hrs in laying in muddy ditches and the boss comes over and says we are running more line...  I'm not saying a guy can't make good money and put up with the deal but you will earn that money and your body will show you how hard you worked when you get some years on ya.  Take care of that body and think it's not what you make but how much you can save that has much value.
Reply:Originally Posted by Metal Pounder2Something to think about when considering going on the road.  A guy could drink away and party a fair share of that money.  Let me know how things are going when you're 10 hrs in laying in muddy ditches and the boss comes over and says we are running more line...  I'm not saying a guy can't make good money and put up with the deal but you will earn that money and your body will show you how hard you worked when you get some years on ya.  Take care of that body and think it's not what you make but how much you can save that has much value.
Reply:My buddy right up the street from me was telling me that in 2006, he made $280,000. He said he was pipelining 7 days a week for up to 15 - 18 hours a day. He said that this is when he was hooked heavily on drugs and was sleeping very little. He is union and he gets like 46/hr for his welding, then he gets something like 12-15/hr for use of his welding truck. If you do the math, the 280k seems possible too. His lifestyle is pretty strange though. When I first met him, he was talking about how great it was cause you can just work and work and work. I said "What about your family?" He has Wife, 3 girls and 1 boy. He said, "Oh they are used to me being gone all the time." His family was rationing out food because they were so broke, then his turn came up from the union. He was gone for 4 months. When he came back, they were out eating at restaurants every night and from what I can tell, just blowing money left and right. I guess this is "normal" for them...EDIT: I should mention that the 280k was his best year. He said he normally makes about 100-130k a year though.Last edited by DiabolicZ; 04-03-2011 at 11:22 PM.Lincoln Precisoin Tig 1851980's Miller plasma cutter.Used to own...Hobart Tig Mate.
Reply:From what I have seen in my short career, the UA in my area is not working too much. Don't know too much about the pipeline union or the boilermakers, but I will say that I NEVER see any of them at my work. I Occasionally see the UA fitters, but its only with one company. The most work seems to be with the non-union contractors...One of my good buddies is in the UA local 342, and he barely works half the year. Now his hourly wage is very good, but does it really matter when you only work half the time?
Reply:Originally Posted by SR20steve Now his hourly wage is very good, but does it really matter when you only work half the time?
Reply:Once you break 50K start thinking about getting someone to advise you on how to defer taxes.  A  "B" pressure welder can make good money.  I suggest that you can make good money and keep it if you stay away from friendly card games while in camp.  Don't put anything up your nose or in your arm and limit your drinking.  If you are just starting out I suggest looking for work in the Edmonton area.  From there you will get leads on work further up North and you can decide if out of town work is really your cup of tea.  Living out doing overtime and getting extras for being out of town pays big bucks... the trick is to hang on to it.
Reply:Originally Posted by lotechmanOnce you break 50K start thinking about getting someone to advise you on how to defer taxes.  A  "B" pressure welder can make good money.  I suggest that you can make good money and keep it if you stay away from friendly card games while in camp.  Don't put anything up your nose or in your arm and limit your drinking.  If you are just starting out I suggest looking for work in the Edmonton area.  From there you will get leads on work further up North and you can decide if out of town work is really your cup of tea.  Living out doing overtime and getting extras for being out of town pays big bucks... the trick is to hang on to it.
Reply:If you start making the big dollars, talk to an accountant. I might be wise to start a small business, for side work. Not that you'll have time, but then you can buy tools and welding equipment instead of giving it to the moron politicians to redistribute."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Shaf, you don't need those "golden" jobs to be very successful.  Last year I was talking to a Langley instructor.  One of his ex students dropped by to say hello.  He had two trucks, made over 100 K and lived in his parents basement.  The funniest thing was when he asked this young welder if his parents knew how much he was making he replied in the negative.   I have met too many people who have done pipeline or the Middle East and they were no better off than I was.  I have met lots of people who make big bucks but don't have clear title on any of their toys.   From the sounds of it you are dialed in already and will do very well.  All us old farts are retiring and you are in the driver's seat.
Reply:When I was getting out of service, a few of the guys I worked with and ETS'd with were looking into hard hat diving and underwater welding for the offshore industry.  One of them now is a diver for BISSO marine out of the Houston office.  Last I heard, he was doing near 250k a year.  Of course, he not only is a welder, but a diver, salvage expert, and demolitions expert.  If your really interested in this type of work, send me a private message, Ill give you a idea of what you need to do to start down that path.JDLincoln IdealArc 250 AC/DC  w/ tigLincoln Ranger 8Miller Millermatic 140Victor Cutting setForney gas welding setMilwaukee power-tools3 legged dog named SpeedyFridge full of Diet Coke1 angry wife2 loud kids
Reply:Shipping out on a merchant ship can get you that kind of money in your bank account when you return home from a 6 to 12 month stint. My roomate in the academy worked for polar tankers- 3 on, 3 off. 30k per trip. After his first 3 months at sea he had made very close to 100k. He also didn't sleep much and was one of the top in his class. Many companies are restricting OT - Military Sealift Command recently discontinued OT pay for midshipmen and officers while allowing accountants and land support personnel the ability to earn it.... real fair, you're stuck at sea and only getting paid for your 2, 4 hour watches and an 8 hour maintenance while the accountant who goes home to his wife gets OT....I can remember in the 7th grade my mom said "people will offer you drugs" by the 10th grade I was like, "where the hell are these people?"
Reply:wow I never realized you could make that much welding. I currently work at a dive tank fill shop mixing nitrox and such and i have a intrest in welding. I would be in a unique position to learn all the skills for underwater welding. Any idea what level of certs he had both in diving and in the welding arena Darth??
Reply:I work for a hydro generating station, i have various pressure tickets on different alloys that i must maintain every year. I make roughly 120,000$ a year +/- depending on maintainence schedules and how much time i take off. I work 8 days on then im off for 6 so when i take a shift off i have over 3 weeks off in a row, and the same works for OT if i stay in for a shift i work 24 days in a row, and all the time i spend here on my "off shift" is double time. I took 4 shifts off last year. So basically i worked less than half a year and made 120,000$  Its good that your willing to work BUT as stated above why work yourself into the ground? its easy to tell us on here that your willing to work 14+ hr days 7 days a week, but noone is super man. LIVE LIFE! get a girlfriend and enjoy some time off with her and your hobbies. I work so i can enjoy life with my loving family and have the ability to buy toys like boats, cabins, sleds etc, i dont live to work.
Reply:Originally Posted by Pressure_WelderI work for a hydro generating station, i have various pressure tickets on different alloys that i must maintain every year. I make roughly 120,000$ a year +/- depending on maintainence schedules and how much time i take off. I work 8 days on then im off for 6 so when i take a shift off i have over 3 weeks off in a row, and the same works for OT if i stay in for a shift i work 24 days in a row, and all the time i spend here on my "off shift" is double time. I took 4 shifts off last year. So basically i worked less than half a year and made 120,000$  Its good that your willing to work BUT as stated above why work yourself into the ground? its easy to tell us on here that your willing to work 14+ hr days 7 days a week, but noone is super man. LIVE LIFE! get a girlfriend and enjoy some time off with her and your hobbies. I work so i can enjoy life with my loving family and have the ability to buy toys like boats, cabins, sleds etc, i dont live to work.
Reply:I have the straight F3/F4 on carbon steel, stainless w/ tig root stick fill/cap, stainless stick all the way, 2 1/4% chromoly, and inconel. Some i dont use as much as others but am still required to maintain them every year, as our equipment can fail at any time without notice. I spend time at hydraulic or dam generating stations, and our coal fired station down south. So dealing with high pressure oil lines for intake gates, and when im in the south i deal with high pressure steam, various water, caustic, oil, air, diesel piping.
Reply:Originally Posted by Pressure_WelderI work for a hydro generating station, i have various pressure tickets on different alloys that i must maintain every year. I make roughly 120,000$ a year +/- depending on maintainence schedules and how much time i take off. I work 8 days on then im off for 6 so when i take a shift off i have over 3 weeks off in a row, and the same works for OT if i stay in for a shift i work 24 days in a row, and all the time i spend here on my "off shift" is double time. I took 4 shifts off last year. So basically i worked less than half a year and made 120,000$  Its good that your willing to work BUT as stated above why work yourself into the ground? its easy to tell us on here that your willing to work 14+ hr days 7 days a week, but noone is super man. LIVE LIFE! get a girlfriend and enjoy some time off with her and your hobbies. I work so i can enjoy life with my loving family and have the ability to buy toys like boats, cabins, sleds etc, I don't live to work.try 100h/week for 1 month first )and btw , the guys with gray hair u see working.. well somebody has to know wtf they're doing over there...--------------------------------------------------------------www.becmotors.nlyup, I quit welding.. joined welder anonymous
Reply:Its great you have abitition and alot of inititative unfortunately our new generation severely lacks work eithic and motivation to not just stop once they have acquired their goal but to move on and make new goals. I dont mean to burst your bubble but at 20  years old with limited experience you wont be making the big bucks yet its just how it works. You have to put your years in and move up and gain experience thats just how welding has always worked weather it be structural, aero space, high pressure. Why not do yourself a favor and look at the "long term" get on with a company that specializes in the type of welding YOU want to make a career of. Get placed under someone with "grey hair" to teach you, these guys have been doing this before you were even a sparkle in your parents eye. Work your way up in the system so you have a long term "career" so you are able to provide for your family. Even if you did make 500,000$ in 5 years thats certainly not going to be anywhere near enough to retire on, you wont have a pension, no benefits for you or your family (depending on where you work) Your just a young pup take the advise and become a sponge and soak up any learning you can for this trade. It will take a few years of working and schooling but you can be making any amount of money you want welding has unlimited amount of options.
Reply:I would also say, work a hundred hours for a couple weeks weeks see how you like it. I've worked out of town for ten years straight, 60-96 hour weeks. It's really no way to live.
Reply:Yeah, unless you've done massive hours before and have an idea how your body and mind will handle the stress, don't expect to "just do it." Long hours is how people develop the bad habits, roll the truck, and cause accidents that get people killed when they are on the job. And your relative lack of experience with the "less socially acceptable diversions" may not be such a good thing. I've seen the 'sober kid' go buck wild after a few months on the road, get into drugs, booze, and who knows what else, and then foul up their life. Big time. Not just once, but I've seen it happen with several people now. Opportunity, mental exhaustion, and a fistful of money can lead to a lot of bad things. But that's not to say you should live like a monk. For the initiated, long days and LONG NIGHTS are a regular occurrence. Typically people who work hard, play hard. And to some extent, you have to go with the crowd if you want to network yourself into higher paying and/or more enjoyable jobs. Not even just bar nights. People will expect you to participate after hours in some way, and it is going to cost you some of that precious money.Think of it as an operating expense if you must.Ever heard the saying "it's not what you know, but who you know?" It's true, and the men and women you work with can make you or break you. Especially far from home, where you have to rely on each other for much more than your typical 9-5, home every night situation. I'm not telling you to go out and practice getting drunk or do anything stupid, but just be prepared to "go out with the boys" once in a while. Don't be the kid who has never had a drop in their life, ends up in the ER, while everyone else shows up to work just like any other day. And don't be the weird kid who disappears every day after work and hides in his room by himself every night, that kid doesn't last long either.Catching my drift? All in moderation. A balance of work, play, and rest is key to long term stability. And IMO, happiness.Figure out what works for you. You might me able to sacrifice one or two for awhile, but it will catch up to you.
Reply:I am the kid who does not go out with the guys per se.  36 yr old, house paid for , trucks paid for, fishing business paid for, wife, 2 kids no debt but cell phones.  The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh.  Don't drink, party, smoke or any of the others.  Mom married 5 times, rolled joints for real dad, they did plenty of partying.  The people you know does make a difference if they happen to be the ones doing the hiring.  I would say don't worry about keeping the "boys" happy with you.  Keep the company writing the check happy with you.  Make them money by doing a good honest job.  Yeah, your fellow workers may not like your life styly or call you a doo gooder, but oh well.  Life goes on. Wish you the best and keep charging on.  Life does not get easier as you get older.  We all have a little different story but the same struggles.