University degree and skill trade?

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Hi everyone,I'm a 23 year old male university student graduating with an economics degree this summer. While search for a career/job I've noticed my opportunities are limited/ambiguous and was wondering whether taking up a skilled trade would be a good idea. I've heard welder receive a lucrative wage and I like the idea of being able to create structures or vessels. So a few questions I have1) Is it worth doing a trade like pipefitting/welding, plumbing, or electrician? 2) Is having a uni degree going to hurt or benefit me?3) What do I have to do to get into the trade?4) What are job prospects like? A lot of work?5) Is learning from an old knowledgeable friend/family member be sufficient to start off? then find entry level work for practice?I've been working at a pool company the past few summers and have realized that I prefer working outside. I'm used to working 50-60 hour days during our busy season so I know what its like to work a lot for portions of the year.My boss at the pool company lives well and only works half of the year. This is something I strive to make my life. I have no problem working long hours if it means I can have a few months off every year to relax. While I hear pipefitters/pressure vessel welders make good money (from college websites mostly) I've also read that work is minimal and that the college websites hype up these labour and job opportunity statistics. So is there work for welders? Either pipefitters/boilermakers or private contracting work? I appreciate the feedback
Reply:Yes you can do something in the trades.  I had a degree before I got my Journeymans papers.  Do not include anything in your resume that indicates you have a degree.  They will right away reject you as overqualified, a threat or someone who will not stick around.  Your math and skills at learning will pay off after a few years.  The most important part is the university skill of teaching yourself and problem solving.  After a few year in the steel trades, whichever path you take, those secondary skills will lead you up the ladder.   Most government offices or employment offices have all kinds of literature.  As an economics major you know how to search job stats and future demands and possible prospects apply the BS screen to get the info..  Expect that the first few jobs will involve some very "bottom of the food chain" type of employment.   Us Baby Boomers are leaving.  Now is the time.
Reply:I work with engineers and PHDs everyday and I can tell you without a doubt that they start out at less money than an experienced welder in the same field. Most of the engineers that I know from work make about 55K starting out, to about 120K with many years experience.  The welders/Technicians that I work with started at 56K with 1 year experience, to 75K with 5years experience and top out at about 95K with lots of experience. This is a very narrow and limited field of welding and not the industry norm, More like the holy grail of welding jobs.A degree will make you more versatile in the job market and I wish that I had earned a college degree.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:Originally Posted by PangeaI work with engineers and PHDs everyday and I can tell you without a doubt that they start out at less money than an experienced welder in the same field. Most of the engineers that I know from work make about 55K starting out, to about 120K with many years experience.  The welders/Technicians that I work with started at 56K with 1 year experience, to 75K with 5years experience and top out at about 95K with lots of experience. This is a very narrow and limited field of welding and not the industry norm, More like the holy grail of welding jobs.A degree will make you more versatile in the job market and I wish that I had earned a college degree.
Reply:Originally Posted by darthwelderPangea....Areonautical / Space?  Or nuclear?I have a buddy that works here at NASA.  Does exotic mats.....easily 75k a year.JD
Reply:Originally Posted by PangeaN.A.S.A. contractor. R&D on new processes and materials for prospective manned space flight vehicles.
Reply:Thanks for the quick responses guys.I've been looking around and have found out that local colleges offer a Canadian Welding Bureau program. https://www.senecac.on.ca/ce/programs/welding.htmlIt would cost about 1500 in total and certification testing is damn expensive :OThe Canadian Forces offers a good opportunity with their Materials Technician positionhttp://www.forces.ca/en/job/material...41#education-2I'm not too sure how the military works but I think I applicants with university degrees enter as officers rather than regular enlistees. The position apparently offers lots of opportunities to develop welding and other technical skills with various materials. I have a lot to think about. I don't know if the military is right for me.Anyone have any experience working on shipping vessels, aviation or spaceships? :OThanks for the replies guys
Reply:double posted
Reply:Originally Posted by econowelderThanks for the quick responses guys.I've been looking around and have found out that local colleges offer a Canadian Welding Bureau program. https://www.senecac.on.ca/ce/programs/welding.htmlIt would cost about 1500 in total and certification testing is damn expensive :OThe Canadian Forces offers a good opportunity with their Materials Technician positionhttp://www.forces.ca/en/job/material...41#education-2I'm not too sure how the military works but I think I applicants with university degrees enter as officers rather than regular enlistees. The position apparently offers lots of opportunities to develop welding and other technical skills with various materials. I have a lot to think about. I don't know if the military is right for me.Anyone have any experience working on shipping vessels, aviation or spaceships? :OThanks for the replies guys
Reply:To develop basic all position skills expect to spent over 500 hours of instruction and practice.  Don't waste your time getting a CWB certification.  The Certification is owned by the CWB and it applies to the certified shop you are working in.  If you leave that shop you may or may not be recognized as qualified in the next CWB you work in.  Most CWB shops test their employees at the work site while the test is witnessed by a CWB inspector.  You may work in a CWB shop unqualified if the supervisor determines your ability and past history is acceptable.  Of course the next time the inspector comes by expect to do a test.  Canadian military is a bit different.  You learn to do everything!  Everyone on a team can do everyone else's job no matter what the weapon and including leading the team.  Training is good but not normally recognized by civilian authorities.
Reply:@Pangea - yes I just saw on the website that it would be non-commissioned officer position. I was getting excited about the idea of maybe joining the military. I've always wanted to go when I was younger but then I was pushed to go to university and told the military is where the dumb people go. Little did I know the military offered a variety of skills and experiences I would have rather preferred to a uni degree. What was your experience like in the military? How long did you serve? Was your experience and certification from the military accepted in the private sector? What wage could be expected from an experienced military materials tech?@lotechman - thanks for the advice. If military won't be recognized in the private sector what are my options on getting that 500+ hours of experience? The CWB program was offered as as welding program at a local college (Seneca). Humber college also offer a welding program: http://calendardb.humber.ca/LIS/WebC...?name=WELD_710http://calendardb.humber.ca/LIS/WebC...?name=WELD_711but it seems similar to the one offered at Seneca.My gf's dad knows how to weld and machine. I could learn from him and see if I like it.Thanks for the responses
Reply:My time was served during peacetime. We were to deploy to Southwest Asia if TSHTF and it almost did when Anwar Sadat was assassinated. I welded on F-111D, C-130, T-38 aircraft and every kind of ground equipment that the USAF owned.Your certs don't carry anywhere else but your experience does.  Certs don't carry from one job to another anyway in the civilian world. I served for 4 years and 4 months. When I exited the military, I was a very skilled GTAW and SMAW welder with above average fabrication skills.  Much of this was taught but a lot was self taught. Manned space flight welding experience counts in the civilian market place to some companies but especially to aerospace companies.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:Most courses that teach welding will be about 500 hours long.  A regular university course is up to 100 hours with lectures etc.  Lab courses are about double.  Regular welding programs are much like going to work each day.  You need at least four hours of practice every day.  I tend to look at courses that teach to a qualification very limited and not of much use for a person starting out.  A well rounded welding program teaches you to operate saws, drill presses, iron workers etc.  It also teaches a smattering of metallurgy and print reading.  Any course is better than nothing but be suspect of courses that promise that you will pass a particular welding test at completion.  3 or 4 hours two days a week is ok if you want a taste but you will have to do a great deal more practice to be proficient.  From the one description they cover stick , wire feed and GTAW in one course.  You need forty hours of practice to get to the point that you can run a vertical with confidence using stick.  It takes less time once you have learned one process but still it takes hours of practice in that booth to learn another process.  Drop by your local college. Talk directly to the instructors and then make casual conversation with the students.  Kick the tires so to speak .. Before you buy!
Reply:I was in the same boat as you...I was surprised when I graduated to hear that the world did not careGrew up hearing go to college and get a good job.So that's what I did, minus the good job.I got a BA in History, and Minor's in English, and Secondary Ed. ~ Wanted at the time to become a teacher. Got out and I could not for the life of me find a job teaching and worked retail for two more years before I decided I needed a new path.I went back to school again. This time technical and learned to weld.Got Certifications in structural and pipe. Stick, tig, mig.The program I went through was 5 days a week, 7 hours a day, for 1.5 years.Essentially 4 semesters of school.It is among the better decisions I've ever made in my life, as I now have a lifelong skill that is applicable in the everyday world.I've taken the technical background I learned recently and trying to apply it towards inspections, and becoming a CWI when I meet the time allotments. Welding in conjunction with my BA has opened a number of doors into a lucrative career. And until I can get into a field engineer position, etc....I am working on a good sized project currently and making right around $35 an hour. Not too bad.I'd say go ahead and knock it out...  With your Mathematics background you could lay a foundation to make a very, very nice career.1981 Lincoln SA 200Miller Trailblazer 302gMiller 211 Mig Welder w/ AutosetI'm learning to stick metal together
Reply:To address your questions directly:1) Is it worth doing a trade like pipefitting/welding, plumbing, or electrician? Yes, If you don't mind a mobile living. You have to go where the work is. The hours are likely long, and the work can be routine. Weldors are routinely the highest paid. I think the job is certainly the most varied and hardest. With that said I might take some classes to learn about electricity...Easy money there.... 2) Is having a uni degree going to hurt or benefit me?Although a few may have jokes, any and all education is a good thing. Just take it all in stride. The doors that are opening for me are because of my educational background (degree). I certainly don;t want to spend the rest of my days under a hood breathing spent rods. Not a damn thing wrong with it...Just not for me.3) What do I have to do to get into the trade?UNION, schooling, helper if your lucky.4) What are job prospects like? A lot of work?Jobs and pay depend on your skill level and desire. The more you know and the more ability you have to execute sound welds in various processes will obviously make you more valuabe. You also have to have the desire to go where the work is. Moving around or being mobile IMO is a huge part of welding as a career. You'll want to learn structural, then pipe. As a majority the money is in pipe welding. Learn SMAW, and GTAW Carbon and Stainless and you'll be set.5) Is learning from an old knowledgeable friend/family member be sufficient to start off? then find entry level work for practice?Go to your Union hall if your looking to directly avoid school, and you just might get in as a helper if you get lucky. Learning from a friend is cool. There really is no entry-level work in the welding field though...Today, NO ONE i've found wants to train on the job. They expect you to be able to kick *** and take names, shoot 100% x-ray, fit, read blueprints, welding symbols, know the code, know how to fix your welds, and never miss a beat. In short it sucks. Very hard to get that first job out of school. Employers are dealing with a market that is flooded with talent both new and old. And they often have experience requirements. School in my mind is the only way to make it happen. It's not worth it just having boo-butt knowledge...You'll get boo-butt money.There are some free schools that put you to work afterwards such as Northrup Grumman, and GE westinghouse.  And a few others me thinks.Last edited by jsm11; 02-25-2011 at 04:05 PM.1981 Lincoln SA 200Miller Trailblazer 302gMiller 211 Mig Welder w/ AutosetI'm learning to stick metal together
Reply:Thanks for all the replies I've got a lot to research.I've been checking out some data and it seems electricians are in demand. I've read somewhere on the web that electrician unions desire employees who can also weld and actually receive a premium. I'm going to be looking into local colleges to see what programs are offered but I'm wonder whether I can take a self-taught route for theory/in-class work and find an apprenticeship with an employer to gain work experience.What qualifications will I need to start working to gain experience? Maybe I can take a few lower paying jobs for a chance at getting my time in.anyway I'm outpeace