Career change help

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I really don't know where to start (job hunt). I have been at the family business 23 years (automotive) and found out yesterday out of the blue We are closing. Yes I was not kept in the loop on this. Long story short I went to tig school 4 years ago (mostly for personal use) and it spilled over to work and I brought in a whole new clientel and I have done all welding and fabrication at work since. I want to follow my tig welding addiction. I would like to get into manufacturing or production. I really have no desire to do pipe welding. I am really addicted to the fabrication side of tig. Any pointers and all suggestions are welcome. Really I am lost as where to get started finding a welding job. I only did one job interview in my whole life when I was 16 the rest was dedicated to the family business.
Reply:If you are good at TIG and not interested in pipe work then look at stainless companies that make commercial kitchens and stainless medical equipment.  There is a lot of pipe work and it is not all high pressure and out of town.  Many shops do well servicing the small breweries as well as dairy equipment.  Most of this work is thin material and you have to have your wits about you or you can buckle a countertop quickly and be out the door even faster :')
Reply:If you've got equipment, clients and experience, just tell them where to find you now.Keep your costs low.
Reply:It can be tough, life happens or things happen beyond our control. But you can survive this as many of us have. It happen to me in my early twenties and again in my early forties. First time was still living with my parents and second time married with kids and mortgage. The second time had money saved up, while not easy still able to get by and prosper. Call around and look around for new leads on jobs. Basically you have to sell yourself, stay positive and move forward with life.
Reply:I am with onethroughten.Contact the folks for who you have done work, and tell where to find you now, and ask for some referrals.That is the hard part.I was always my favorite employer.Look at it like a great opportunity.Y'alls going out of business left a hole in the market that somebody is going to fill.Why not you?What part of the world are you in?Last edited by geezerbill; 08-21-2014 at 10:31 PM.
Reply:Don't know how old you are (I'm going to guess mid 20s) or how you feel about unions, but it sound to me like the sheet metal workers union would be right up your alley. We do all kinds of cool ****: architectural, sign making, certified welding, ornamental, HVAC, TAB, custom fabrication, commercial kitchen equipment, plant maintenance, and the list goes on and on. IMO with your passion for and background in sheet metal fabrication it would at least be worth the trip down to the local union hall to talk to a BA/recruiter and see if it may be something that interests you. A lot of people seem to think that all sheet metal workers do is bang duct work together, but truth is it an extremely diverse trade. You would be hard pressed to find a nonunion fab shop where the pay and bennies are even close to what we earn. Check out www.sheetmetal-iti.org for more info. Best of luck on your decision, Rob
Reply:Originally Posted by rgfab242Don't know how old you are (I'm going to guess mid 20s) or how you feel about unions, but it sound to me like the sheet metal workers union would be right up your alley. We do all kinds of cool ****: architectural, sign making, certified welding, ornamental, HVAC, TAB, custom fabrication, commercial kitchen equipment, plant maintenance, and the list goes on and on. IMO with your passion for and background in sheet metal fabrication it would at least be worth the trip down to the local union hall to talk to a BA/recruiter and see if it may be something that interests you. A lot of people seem to think that all sheet metal workers do is bang duct work together, but truth is it an extremely diverse trade. You would be hard pressed to find a nonunion fab shop where the pay and bennies are even close to what we earn. Check out www.sheetmetal-iti.org for more info. Best of luck on your decision, Rob
Reply:I guessed mid 20s because that's how old I am (27) and I work for my dad and I am always the last person to find out anything. I think my old man assumes I have some sort of telepathy or something. Him: "Oh, I thought you knew" Me: "HTF was I supposed to know that!?" Family…*sigh*Last edited by rgfab242; 08-23-2014 at 08:40 AM.