A Question about Pipeline Work..........

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While Watching various YouTube videos I came across one that i have seen before........ It's a vid of Pipeline welding..... something I would like to be as skilled as........Now I currently push email...... in a corner office....... and I don't really like it....... but I'm gainfully employed..... the result of 20 years of effort..........and while I don't physically work hard...because I sit on my butt....... I have stress beyond belief........I would rather weld... or dig ditches.... or anything that I didn't have to sit in an office all week..........Question is...... do folks that weld like these guys on a pipe have the dream of a corner office?The answer is no...... these guys love their job.......This is my vent that I wish I knew 20 years ago what I know now....... Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Have to agree man I wouldn't trade pipelining for nothin in an office. Love the job. It's never to late to do something you love. Money and work are good but happiness is worth a lot.
Reply:If you do what you love for a living, you will never 'work' a day in your life. Love my JOB. Get outta that office, get dirty and have fun with us!
Reply:Just from personal experience....... myself and 3 friends followed the pipelines with our rigs for a little less than a decade right out of highschool early on in our careers, it was fun, money was good, however it was cold, damp, wet, windy, HOT, bugs, and being away from the wife was the hardest part for all of us. Near the end of our spree all of us were getting bored, explored what most companies had to offer, tig roots, hot taps, tie ins. It was all great but there was two of us who felt as though we weren't being challenged anymore? now this isn't a rub against anyone on the line! but when you run what feels like 800 million downhand beads, hots, fills, caps it gets pretty tedious....... SO one day two of us packed up and decided to take a different path in the welding industry, one fella became a maintainence welder at a large fertzilier manufacturing plant and has 4 different exotic alloy tickets. Myself I work at a coal fired generating station that also has 2 combustion turbines, 6 tickets to hold a year, again.... personal experience but since day one at my new job I felt challenged with all sorts of new work, complex critical piping systems, exotic alloy high pressure work with HEAVY wall pipe, mirror welding in the boiler and all sorts of other fun things, I work 4 days a week 7am till 4:30pm and generally clear 120,000$ without any OT, sure not as much as pipeline work but I get to see the wife every morning when I get up, and take my kids to hockey in the evening!
Reply:Pressure Welder wrote it for me (except for the $120k/yr part). Living out of a hotel room or travel trailer in a different town every 6 months (If you're lucky) gets old. It's a different kind of life for sure with some great highs and some cold frozen mudhole lows. I know some good folks I would do just about anything for and some I would have to think for a bit if I looked up and saw their truck on fire. Same is true with any job I suppose. If you don't have a family or any roots where you are it can be entertaining for a while. Just remember the grass ain't alway greener on the other side.
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerIf you don't have a family...
Reply:Not me. I wouldn't be under a hood that long for any amount of money. I'll take the job shop movie any day. BBQ, columns,brackets, frame connectors, roll bars, aluminum Jeep doors, bumpers,trailers, stairs.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:I think that in every field of work there are people that hate their job and people that love the same job. There are pros and cons to all jobs. I know for me I couldn't due something I hate day in and day out for very long. Fortunately for me I work in a field i really enjoy. There are still times that it gets mundane are hard to like, but the good days are more then the bad. I used to travel alot but that didn't work for the family so had to change things some what. On the road is hard on family life, but it can be done. Just not for everyone.
Reply:Those Pieliners Weld to Live. They dont spend there time off to weld.  I make a  living so I can come home and weld on my time off. In my opinion, its more important what I do in my time off than what I do to make a living. Its nice if you like what you do for a living and remember, its a job. Its Sunday morning and I have to go hang 5/8 sheetrock. I dont want to but I need to buy beer and 6010 to weld this afternoon.
Reply:I have all the respect in the world for people who weld 8, 10, 12 plus hours a day! They have a lot of mental discipline. I welded day in and day out for years, but the mental chatter got to me, so I went into rigging full time. Only welded when I had to.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:It is cold, hot and stressfull at times, but I'm my own boss, home every night and make good money. It's alot easier to get up for work in the morning when you work for yourself.2013 Chevy 3500 diesel DuallyLincoln Vantage 400 Mochine55 Lincoln Shorthood sa200Tooled up...Watch it, that's hot...
Reply:Fexal, I am not a pipeliner, but I work for a living. You can shove that corner office up your a$$, I have ran companies for people and managed employees, it sucks. I make more money with less stress in the trenches, than as a pencil pusher. It is genetic, my whole family was, is self-employed abd makes money. I can't stant dealing with people and bs.Last edited by TozziWelding; 11-17-2013 at 02:22 PM.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:CEP, rigging is an art that I have the gift for. I am always the guy to rig the load and tag the crane. I am thankful that I can eyeball something and have it pick straight every time. Once again, a trade within a trade can keep you working and making a check. I am greatfull than I have enough work I can tell real work to eat $HIT whenever I want.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingYou can shove that corner office up your a$$, I have ran companies for people and managed employees, it sucks.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPI worked as a project superintendent for years. Those office types are a different breed! I'll take the guys in the field any day over office workers. In the office I never got stabbed in the back, and my throat cut so much in my life!
Reply:Originally Posted by M J DI gave one of the office backstab suckup guys a hard hat once. He sys to me whats that for , I said so you don't bump your head under the owners desk.
Reply:I work a job that requires me to be on call most days as a wild land firefighter for the state. I am able to work in my shop as long as I have jobs coming in. I take on about anything that comes my way. I couldn't stand to report to an office and sit in a booth all day dealing with phones and people. Sometimes I don't have to do anything for my state job for weeks at a time. It gives me much satisfaction and I wouldn't have it any other way. Hope you find something that you can be happy with soon.Miller trailblazer301gLincoln sa200Miller251Miller spectrum 625Victor oxy-acc2002 Chevy duramax 3500 dually 4x4
Reply:Fexal, I am 25 years old and this is a topic of interest to me... I graduated college and tried a corner office jerk off job for about a year and a half before I totally lost my mind and went to the family business that I know and love... A small excavating company.I love my job, but I must say -- sitting in an excavator, reading plans, shooting grades, laying pipe -- it's stressful it's easy to forget one small thing or make one little mistake that can wind up costing $10,000. Operating equipment is a stressful job... I also have a side welding business that is starting to really pick up.Basically I dig ditches and weld and make more money than everyone I graduated with (for now)-- and have no life or free time but every night wen I get in bed... I feel like I got a lot accomplished and can't wait to wake up early and go give it hell the next day.My mother still hates that I work in the trades - she would rather see me on Wall Street or something... HAHA eff that I couldn't be less interested and I'm glad that I left office life. I haven't even looked back. All I can say is doooo iiittttt --- I see your posts, you are hard working, diligent and patient - and most importantly you take pride in everything you do. I think if you put your mind to it you will be in your own shop fabricating before you know it. It'll take sacrifices, late nights and all that bs but you can do it.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:Hey Fex, what really floats your boat? Really look into it. Is it feasible where you live? Would you have to move? How many places do what you want to do? Can you do it working for yourself or can you at least start doing it working for someone else? Need more education? Lots of questions.......Millermatic 200Hobart Handler 120Victor O/A & Ramco BandsawLincoln 225 ACSnapOn AD HoodMiller XMT304/22AHypertherm Powermax 1650 G3Lincoln Idealarc DC600 w/Extreme 12 VSMiller Digital Elite "Joker"
Reply:Originally Posted by FexalI would rather weld... or dig ditches.... or anything that I didn't have to sit in an office all week..........
Reply:It has been my experience that work is work. EVERY job has its ups and downs. You just gotta find one that you can tolerate and pays well enough to allow you to live. As for being a pipeliner? Hats off to you guys.   But its not for this ole boy. Sure the pay is great. But like has been said before. Living out of motel rooms, outside everyday in the mud and heat. Dealing with the inevitable collections of jackasses that are always to be found on a work site. Plus having to start as a helper (I know gotta start somewhere) and hand rods, grind, and watch your welder for a undetermined amount of time. I would go bat sh!t crazy standing around waiting. I salute you guys that do it everyday. But I think I will keep my $20.00 hr in a job shop, heat in the winter and at least shade in the summer, home every night in my comfy bed with my wonderful finance' and a home cooked meal in my belly.If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:I think everyone suffers from "the grass is greener" syndrome every now and then. For me, it's going on right now. All of the fun and satisfaction of harvest is done. The combine has been cleaned off and parked until next fall and the only field work left to do is spreading liquid manure. Fall manure spreading is not like Spring - the field conditions never improve, they only get worse with more mud to fight. My wife is a university professor and is working 4-5 days a week with 9:00-4:00 hours and brings home twice my earnings. This is about the only time of the year when I would rather be working in an office. I just want to have one or two days when I can come home when it is still light out and not be caked with mud and without the smell of manure that gets embedded in me (it really takes a few days for the smell to go away, no matter how many showers I take). Just some acknowledgement that we all have "the grass is greener" thoughts from time to time.Lincoln Precision Tig 185Lincoln Power Mig 256Hypertherm PM 45Everlast 140STSmith O/A
Reply:The guy who puts those video's up is a ****. And I love how he says he cannot reveal the location he is working because it would be a serious security issue yet he posts a video every few days.Big F**king HammerJumper cables & 2 marine batteriesJaws of life
Reply:The beauty of self employment is you are able to keep whatever you damn well please in the shop fridge !  BUUUUUUUURP ! Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Fex I feel your pain brother! I too am a office geek and was hating my work. I do routing/switching and software testing/certification. I moved into the computer world because I was tired of my job as a respiratory therapist in a level 1 trauma center for 10 years. I got into computers because I saw the money but I did not realize the trade off of stress and being unhappy in the office. About 5 years into it I realized I made a big mistake. I realized that it was not the work I hated but the geek managers. These are the guys that were bullied and beat up on a daily bases by todays pipeliners and tradesmen. The geek office managers use their position of power to now beat up on the workers as a subconscious revenge from getting their asses kicked for so many years. I finally got tired of the BS and told them that I was moving back to Texas and I would work from home or they could fire me. Well I have been working from home for two years now but its still the same because I am still tied to my desk which is now at my house. So basically nothing changed.I love welding and I suck at it but it gets better every time. I live in Mission texas and as I travel from the valley to North Texas I see all the pipeliner rigs and dream of what it would be like to be a Texas Pipeliner. Realistically I will not make that move simply because I suck at welding and I have a family that needs me here with them. However, I am working to become my own boss and business owner. A few years ago I stumbled into hat making and cleaning, yes that's right, hat making. I am now building my hat making and cleaning businesses and loving every minute of it. I make and clean fur felt western and fedora hats and business is starting to boom. I get a huge satisfaction seeing one of my hats on someones head. So where am I going with this? Find what you love and do not chase money. Chasing money will lead to unhappyness and a messed up life riddled with stress and worry. You can be a slave to money or you can love what you do and live free.If you love welding that much study the field and see what is available. The bottom line, make the move and be free if you love it the money will follow you.Century AC 100 stick (dead but trying to fix it)Everlast PA 160 STHhttp://www.riograndehatters.comhttp://www.texashatcleaners.comUhh Fexal, what is this facebok page then and the stuf in your signature? Doesn't look office to me, or is that just on the side?I'm a self unemployed woodworker welder for more than ten years now and never made any good money, but I do love my wrk and the freedom!www.petermoll.nl
Reply:FEX,I am an office worker.  I used to work in the field as an instrument mechanic / electrician.  I soon discovered that carrying a load of tools and test equipment to the top of a 300 ft column is for the birds.  I am self taught in various computer skills and now I am currently a document controller for Major Oil Field projects.  I work with some of the best engineers in the world. My job is to insure they have the documents they need to build some huge and impressive Deepwater platforms.  Maybe you just need a change of scenery, my company recognizes that people can get burned out and sometimes need to try different things.  Each year we get to review our current activities and let our boss know we are interested in staying or changing fields.IMHO  "G"ConductorX - The Volkswright Shophttp://volkswright.blogspot.com/http://bugwerks.blogspot.com/Miller DVI w/Spoolgun - Miller Plasma Cutter
Reply:I worked in a decent office gig programming phones systems it worked out for 10 years until the job was sold out to india. i dont miss the two-faced backstabbing Bs-  hell for the last 8 months of the gig i helped this lady do her job after she had  a stroke.  they were good people to work with- even some of the managers, but i would not go back, worrying bout metrics- not breaking crap- being friendly, billing people for ridiculous chit.  I currently am going to school for welding,  i have completed level 1 certification and working on level 2 pipe welding. It's fun I enjoy it and im looking forward to seeing what jobs are available after i finish my schooling~ I plan on finishing level 3 by this April.
Reply:Ironmanjay.   Pipeliners would never pick on or bully someone. Not once never. We are nice people ...... We may have a flare for being characters. We don't bully. We call it character building exercises. .........OK we may on occasion. To the op. you have to find the balance of what you love doing or can stand doing  for the money you make. To much money comes with hating your job or vise versa. It's all a balance of liking your job getting paid and time and quality of life at and away from work. Hope you find that. It can be the best life changing discovery one can make
Reply:Pipeline welders in the Fairbanks Airport played Liars Poker with $100 bills in the 70's.The Weather made good welders out of them too.
Reply:Hey Peter......All the stuff in the signature and the Facebook page are all on the side...... My weekend activity....... And then I go to welding class two nights per week......As far as work goes..... It's really not that bad and it pays the bills and lets the wife stay home with the kiddo...... So for all that I am happy with where I am..........I find it interesting though that I'm working hard to get from the office to something else while guys who work downstairs in the trash trucks tell me they would rather work in the office.......At the end of the day...... I can sleep easy knowing I work hard and my family is squared away...... And for that I'm thankful......Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Fexal just a little heads up. My kids are grown, and I'm retired now. Just in the last few years my kids and wife are letting me know how much they resented me working away from home so much. I thought I was doing the best I could, I don't remember any of them missing a meal. Now I'm paying the price for making great money on the road. So don't make the mistake I made, by going for the money! Family life means something too!Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:I worked on distribution pipeline for years. Not welding, but working with them and then installing regulator stations. With a good group of guys it can be a lot of fun. Middle of august working next to a dairy farm in full PPE can make the office look pretty good.
Reply:Fexal, I don't think there are too many people who don't go through what you are dealing with. Granted, I'm only 24 but I started working 90hr work weeks at 13 on my summer breaks from school. The two things it taught me were pretty simple. 1. I never wanted to have to work that hard to make a living for my entire life. 2. There is a need to work hard in order to succeed. When I started college, I worked full-time at night and I was a zombie. It sucked but it was right when the market tanked and my mother went from a cushy 6-figure job to making next to nothing and I had to step up to help.I started as a TIG welder full-time at a shop a little while out of high school and started going to school part-time after work. As much as I loved the job, my boss was an idiot and made the environment terrible when he wanted to. He could also be a great guy but there was no consistency with his attitude. I then got into the QC field and was making great money but I worked on a computer, in an office space with no windows for long hours. I got lucky with a great group of employees who were working at this business much longer than I'd been alive so they took pride in their work and made my job relatively easy. I wasn't too keen on having to reject someones work, especially when they started their trades long before I was crawling around relying on my parents to change and feed me.Needless to say, now I'm a full time firefighter. (A career I was working toward since I was a little kid. It's crazy competitive to get on the job around me, so when the opportunity finally came, after years of trying; I took the pay cut and took the job.) I now weld on the side and am in the process of getting a mobile TIG welding business up and running. I love the trade and sadly, it seems fewer and fewer are doing it. Maybe that could be an option for you. Get in ith someone small and do a little on the side. If you genuinely enjoy it and can make enough money to support your family, maybe you can have your own gig and be able to make your own rules. If you got lucky, you may even be able to keep a job like you have now, as a part-time deal to supplement the income. The bottom line is that making a ton of money is pointless if one doesn't have the time to enjoy it. As was said before; it's what you do on your time off that counts! Good luck in whatever you end up doing!Trailblazer 251Dynasty 200DXSuitcase Xtreme 12vsCarolina HV-12Old Delta drill pressVictor and (old) Craftsman torchesMobile work out of a trailer... Still acquiring my fabrication arsenal.
Reply:Im 24 and been a Self Employed Welding Contractor for 3 years now.  My Dream is to be a Pipeline Welder.  I am slowly building a Pipeline Rig and yesterday I stumbled upon 2 SA250's in a Junkyard.  Needless to say they will be coming back to my shop ASAP!  But I have seen every single video about Pipeliners on YouTube and still strive to do it.  Even buying Large OD Pipe and practice running Downhill 6010 Root / 7010 all the way out - Puddle Cap.   Im getting pretty good, now Im teaching myself how to layout a Branch-Tee without a Template. Sounds Corny but my dream is to have a Silver 4th Gen Cummins Reg Cab with a Bob King "Stubby" Bed on it, Lincoln Shorthood and travel the Country Welding.Last edited by DieselDon16; 11-19-2013 at 07:08 PM.Some Blue , Some Red & Some GreyProverbs 16:2-3.2 "All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."
Reply:Originally Posted by FexalAs far as work goes..... It's really not that bad and it pays the bills and lets the wife stay home with the kiddo...... So for all that I am happy with where I am..........I find it interesting though that I'm working hard to get from the office to something else while guys who work downstairs in the trash trucks tell me they would rather work in the office.......
Reply:Originally Posted by DieselDon16
Reply:Fex,I've seen your project work.  You seem to have a real knack for fabrication and you are obviously a quick study as far as welding is concerned. That said I can tell you from personal experience that if you step out of an IT technical position for a few years you probably will not be able to return to the field. At least not at the same level. As you know, things move quickly.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't explore a new career, but it is something to consider.  Being self employed is absolutely wonderful when sales are going as they should (and everything is sales) but when business slacks off that $1200 ~ $2000 health insurance payment still comes around every month. The main up side to going it on your own is the freedom from the self-serving corporate jerks you have to deal with as you go up the ladder. Getting out of that crap probably kept me sane and married, too.  If you do decide to become self employed an accountant is very worthwhile as taxes are something you'll need to deal with right away. Best of luck whatever you decide.