Which Welding direction should I go?

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Hello all.  I am  21 male and just recently left my junior year of college and joined the Navy.  I am an HT (hull maintenance technician) and basically do all the welding and brazing and things on the ship.  I have not yet welded before but I start the school next week.  I am looking very forward to it and am a very quick learner.  Because of my college and test scores they put me in an advanced technical program where I will attend the navy c school for welding.  There is two options for me i believe they are High Pressure Welder and NDT which is like a welder inspector (i am not sure if NDT transfers directly to a civilian job title).  I am wondering which path I should take in order to make the best money when my enlistment is up in 6 years.  What aspects of the welding, brazing etc should I focus on most and what jobs should I start looking at in the civilian world.  I will have my bachelor business administration by the time my enlistment is up but am thinking I am going to enjoy myself more welding.  All your help is greatly appreciated as I am a newborn to these subjects.  I think underwater welding would be interesting and fun and I know someone who stick welds on an oil rig and makes a good living.  Which direction should I go and should I choose the HP welder school or the inspector??  Thanks guys!     P.S.  Please do not think i am a little **** who just expects to beable to jump into this.  I realize it involves a lot of touch and that you all take a lot of pride in your work.  I realize I have a long way to go to pick up the knack for it and am ready to put in the hard work.  That is why I joined the military.  This question is hypotheticaly speaking if I do happen to pick it up and am somewhat average at it.  I just need some outsiders opinions! Thank you again.Last edited by ndoughtUSN; 03-09-2009 at 11:29 PM.
Reply:Hello and welcome to the forum. Thanks for serving.The navy will certainly teach you underwater welding if you wanted to go that route. However very little welding is usually done underwater. It's too costly and time consuming. Do a search on it and you will find several threads on it here. Most of the dive work is wrench work and a bit of cutting. Commercial divers make good money, but the job eats you up and spits you out. That's one of the reasons the pay is so good, you can't do it for very long and it usually leaves marks.If I was going to weld for the navy, I'd try to get certified to weld on reactors and subs. Both those require some of the best skills and you should have no trouble finding a job if you can do that sort of work. Hopefully they will begin building civilian reactors again and trained people will be at a premium like they were in the 70's when most of the reactors were built.As far as inspections I can't say. My father used to be the Supervisor of shipbuilding  and QC officer at Newport News Va., but he doesn't talk all that much about what he did there. I know overseeing welding inspections on the subs and Nimitz was a large part of that job, but he's very closed mouthed about anything in his 30 yrs of service.
Reply:It all depends on the route you want to take.NDT/NDE will get you involved in radiographic examination, ultrasonics, etc.  There's good money to be made in it, especially if you were ever to become an ASNT Level III.  It basically boils down to, how do you want to make your money?  You can make good money doing both, you can get your hands dirty doing both, but NDE will be a little cushier in the long run.  The problem with doing NDE, is that in order to be any good, you've got to be very familiar with welding, the defects associated with them, and have an understanding of how joint geometry effects things, etc.  Reading a radiograph or oscilloscope can be as much of an art form as running a nice bead.
Reply:Ditto on what Sup and DSW said.  I'd ask you to evaluate what your comfort level is with math and science.  If you like chemistry, physics, algebra, calculus, then you'll have no problems with the technical side of NDT training.  If you choose this path, definitely look at getting certified by the American Society for Non-Destructive Testing (ASNT).  You'll need those certs to get a job in that field in the civilian world.If on the other hand, you're more comfortable with a hands-on career, I'd recommend following the welding path.  You'll pick up some info on NDT just by being a welder and having to pass welder qualification tests.  But you won't have to deal with the science behind it all.  Rather, you'll be learning the hand-eye coordination to make a good weld.  You'll also pick up some practical info on weldment design, and metallurgy.  But you won't get the in-depth training that's required for becoming proficient in NDT.A practical knowledge of welding will make for a better NDT expert or welding engineer, no question.  So, you could always circle back to NDT as a second career, later in life....Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:Congratulations on deciding to join the Navy and serve your country.  I served 4 years in the Army and joining was one of the best decisions of my life.  I don't know anything about the welding certs, it sounds like you have received a couple of well informed opinions to start with.  Good luck, let us know which way you go.
Reply:NDOUGHT, I am a retired Navy Steelworker, check into UCT. great work and they will teach all you will need to know about underwater welding, I used to do alot of work for them at Little Creek. My best advice is to stay in and get a retirement check. I know you dont want to here this, but it is a dog eat dog world out here right now. I used to work with alot of HTs at amphib battalion building causways never really understood you guys,lol. but thats just my 2 cents, good luck.
Reply:The Navy would train you to weld?
Reply:Originally Posted by Cody TyerThe Navy would train you to weld?
Reply:Thanks for all your enthusiasm.  It is really an awesome motivation.  I classed up today with my weld class and just did brief safety and basic intro.  Tommorow we jump right into brazing.
Reply:Either route will be rewarding in m y opinion. Both have plenty of opportunities in the civilian world. I am an Ex Navy Welder from many years ago. NDE and Welding both are rewarding trades. The course you sign up for can vary considerably. The C-1 welding school I went to had various classes. Some students left after 6 weeks, some after 16 and some stayed until all 30 weeks were done.Do you know what courses you are being offered ? 025, 027 ?Have a nice dayhttp://www.weldingdata.com/