Thinking of getting into the welding feild

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Hello everyone! I am an electrician from Clearwater FL. and just want out of this industry. So after alot of thought on what I like to do its come down to Welding. Iv come to this conclusion due to I love to take metal and make things always have my whole life come to think of it my favorite part of electrical was running pipe and being able to sit back and look at my work. I figure with my electrical background I could make a great welder.Now its come down to how to go from knowing nothing to getting a job! Here is what I have found out so far about getting an education.  I am 25 years old no kids so I am pretty free on what I can do.1. A place called Ptec Has a program its 47 weeks half days 1200 hours and about $4500 for the course.2. Their is a union in town local 123 that will send you to the same program but its done in 16 weeks full time. This is where my questions come in..........        a. Its Florida so I have NO experience with anything that is union how does it work?        b. If they the union are paying for the school I would guess I have to stay working for them for a given amount of time?       c. Anyone have any experience with this union?  Guess I just need some guidance form someone that has been in this industry.  I have no family in this feild so no one to ask any questions to.Thanks for all the help in advance.
Reply:Becoming union is one thing, thinking union is another.It appears you are an electrician on a non-union job.  On that job it appears they allowed you to tack on some conduit brackets here and there and now you want to become a welder.  (sorry if that sounds anything but like I intended it to sound. lol)  I'm sorry but becoming a welder is not all that easy, but again, on that non-union job you're at - it actually may be that easy.  Let me try to explain.All the places I've ever worked as a union welder if the union electricians needed some brackets tacked on then it was a union welder that did it, not some untrained person from another craft.  Now I will admit I've not worked that many plant jobs in my life, but again, the jobs I've worked that requires conduit brackets be welded on then it was an actual union welder that did it.On your non-union job it appears that it doesn't have that strict of inspection that anyone, even the untrained, can weld then I guess that does happen.  Heck, they may even let you run the crane or even weld up the gas line in there too if you were to ask them politely.  There's a lot more to it but thats one of the benefits of being union.Becoming a welder you must first ask yourself what do you want to weld on.  Electrician conduit brackets or nuclear power plant piping or skyscrapers.  Get in the wrong union, or on the wrong non-union job,  and into the wrong profession for that matter,  and you might still not be happy.I love welding but I don't like welding on conduit brackets, and I'm not going to weld on a skyscraper either.  I wouldn't fit-in in a manufacturing plant, nor would I be happy welding on fence posts for the rest of my life.But what makes me happy is irrelevant in this conversation.  Its what its going to take to make you happy.  No-One can tell you that either.  That is going to be up to you to figure out and only you.  That is one of the ways the apprentice program is so great.  You can get out there and see what the work is without taking all the time to learn and train for that particular skill.  Being an apprentice is very good and I recommend it to everyone thats just starting out.  You may quickly find you wouldn't like doing that kind of work then you can quickly move on to something else you might like more.Get on the right path now and you won't waste the better part of your youth bouncing around.  You'll spend it making a future for yourself and for your family.Later manGood luckBTW:  I've been a professional welder for close to 35 years and a union welder of more than 30 years and all the while I have always felt my real calling was to be, of all thing,  an ELECTRICIAN, like my father was all his life.  Last edited by slowhand; 10-24-2010 at 07:37 PM.
Reply:I'm looking to move into another welding field myself.I have other skills I would like to utilize besides welding, a hydraulic crane license for instance. And I too have been looking into the unions, really just for the guaranteed rate, and as the "in" to the interesting jobs.But in my experience with them so far, it's either know someone, or hurry up and wait. Operating engineers are being receptive to me only because I am about to have a NY crane license, before I even join. And they are also very proactive about eliminating non-union competition in the area. So stealing me is like double points for them. Yay. Not sure I want to ONLY operate, and when there aren't crane jobs, I'll have to take jobs running a bulldozer or something equally lame? And all the politics, sheesh.ehh...Should I just take a vacation to Alaska or the gulf and knock on doors or what?
Reply:Originally Posted by slowhandBecoming union is one thing, thinking union is another.It appears you are an electrician on a non-union job.  On that job it appears they allowed you to tack on some conduit brackets here and there and now you want to become a welder.  (sorry if that sounds anything but like I intended it to sound. lol)  I'm sorry but becoming a welder is not all that easy, but again, on that non-union job you're at - it actually may be that easy.  Let me try to explain.All the places I've ever worked as a union welder if the union electricians needed some brackets tacked on then it was a union welder that did it, not some untrained person from another craft.  Now I will admit I've not worked that many plant jobs in my life, but again, the jobs I've worked that requires conduit brackets be welded on then it was an actual union welder that did it.On your non-union job it appears that it doesn't have that strict of inspection that anyone, even the untrained, can weld then I guess that does happen.  Heck, they may even let you run the crane or even weld up the gas line in there too if you were to ask them politely.  There's a lot more to it but thats one of the benefits of being union.Becoming a welder you must first ask yourself what do you want to weld on.  Electrician conduit brackets or nuclear power plant piping or skyscrapers.  Get in the wrong union, or on the wrong non-union job,  and into the wrong profession for that matter,  and you might still not be happy.I love welding but I don't like welding on conduit brackets, and I'm not going to weld on a skyscraper either.  I wouldn't fit-in in a manufacturing plant, nor would I be happy welding on fence posts for the rest of my life.But what makes me happy is irrelevant in this conversation.  Its what its going to take to make you happy.  No-One can tell you that either.  That is going to be up to you to figure out and only you.  That is one of the ways the apprentice program is so great.  You can get out there and see what the work is without taking all the time to learn and train for that particular skill.  Being an apprentice is very good and I recommend it to everyone thats just starting out.  You may quickly find you wouldn't like doing that kind of work then you can quickly move on to something else you might like more.Get on the right path now and you won't waste the better part of your youth bouncing around.  You'll spend it making a future for yourself and for your family.Later manGood luckBTW:  I've been a professional welder for close to 35 years and a union welder of more than 30 years and all the while I have always felt my real calling was to be, of all thing,  an ELECTRICIAN, like my father was all his life.
Reply:Right on. I hope everything works out for you. You remember what it was like learning the electrical field ? That didn't happen over night and niether will the welding field either but I suspect you already know that. You should use this forum and any means available to you to help you achieve your goal. Good luck
Reply:Thanks man ya thats another problem with the electrical field every 4 years some new bulish code comes out that makes no dang sense since we where doing it like that for the last 5 years. Learning electrical was hard at first but now it dosent matter what it is I can figure it out.
Reply:Do what you want to do.  Chase it and enjoy the challenge.  I started welding last Jan at 35yrs and just finished my 6g pipe cert x-ray inspected.  The good thing about a good welding school is you get to burn a lot of rod and develop the skill.  I did not say master it, so calm down all those who dislike the folk who come out of school with the ability to weld to code.  I would look for a year program unless you want to get your associates in metalurgy also.  There is a lot to learn and I study and work my but off and have a realllllll looooonnnnngg wayyyyyy too goooooo.  Just like anything it will take many moons to be considered a master.I don't regret spending the $4500 or the 9 months.  Time to find work that is the hard part.
Reply:You should check out your local AWS chapter(http://www.aws.org/w/a/sections/dist...ml?id=CL6Rc6AN)You may be able to meet folks and could do informational interviews or job shadow folks as a way to learn what your options are (it wouldn't hurt to ask!)There scholarship opportunities to study welding, and they have just this year opened up scholarships to folks at 2 year schools (don't discount  your local community college as an option)http://www.aws.org/w/a/foundation/di...olarships.htmlapplications are due March 1GOOD LUCK!-----------------------Carmen Electrodewww.CarmenElectrode.comand the boss blogs at  www.JoeWelder.comall powered by  www.Arc-Zone.com
Reply:AWS is the American Welding Society...   http://www.aws.org/w/a/about/index.html-----------------------Carmen Electrodewww.CarmenElectrode.comand the boss blogs at  www.JoeWelder.comall powered by  www.Arc-Zone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by CarmenElectrodeAWS is the American Welding Society...   http://www.aws.org/w/a/about/index.html