job security woes

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Everyone here knows, and probably feels, the effects of the economic downturn.  The small company that i work for, Canton Racing Products, has layed several people off in the last few months, and rumor, and thats all it is, has it that there will be more around christmas.  Now having only done TIG welding for a job for three months, which isnt long at all, and wanting to continue doing this into the future, do any of you guys on the east coast have any suggestions for companies and such that might want to hire someone with as little experience as me, if i do happen to be one of the ones to get the chopping block next?  going to school for welding is out of the question because its too expensive, but i have been thinking about signing up for the navy to maybe learn underwarter welding.  all i know is that i love welding, especially TIG, and really want to turn this from a job in my early twenties into a career into the future!thanks for an input!Jeffedit:  i am by no means an expert at welding, and all i really work with is mild steel, but i can lay a pretty good looking bead, if that info helps at all...ill try to put some pics up of some of my work tomorrow
Reply:Jeff, if you are young, and have some desire to do a bit of traveling, then I would say the military is a good idea. Army or Navy, they have many learning courses related to the jobs you like, and there are a lot of positions that will have you working in those feilds. In the Army, there is heavy machine repair. There is Army corps of engineers. In the Navy, I went in to become a hull tech:HT. You would learn ships' plumbing systems, and there is a lot of sheetmetal and welding associated with the job. Nothing wrong with Marines or Air Force. The differences are the Marines don't give much in the way of guarantees for chosen fields, and the Air Force has more tech related mechanical fields; jets don't get much welding done to them. They change out parts, they do not weld them up and then send them out on the plane under normal circumstances.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Originally Posted by Rojodiablo.......Nothing wrong with Marines or Air Force. The differences are the Marines don't give much in the way of guarantees for chosen fields,......
Reply:Where exactly are you? Your post says east coast, Madison is where?Yup
Reply:Rojo, I always thought "HT" was for "Hammer Tech" LOLCharles, (MR3)
Reply:It's going to get worse, sooner than we would all like.  Many companies are going to close their doors.  GM & Chrysler are talking structured bankruptcy today.  People aren't spending as usual.  Inventories are high, prices are dropping,  oil prices are coming down (finally).Those that are still in the work force depending on that weekly paycheck, have every right to be worried.  I watched MSNBC yesterday when they were discussing the "trickle down" affect our now official recession is causing.  Car dealers have lower sales, laying people off, or, closing their doors.  In CA, the sales tax for an average new car is $576.  Because of reduced sales, state tax revenues are dropping sharply.  Services AND personnel who are paid from the revenue of those sale taxes are being reduced.  The list goes on.  Many stores will close their door, laying more people off.  People get laid off, MORE foreclosures and repossessions.  The cycle will repeat itself, over and over.  Next?  Depression?  I sure hope not.Military option?  A young man or lady could do worse these days.  Being retired military,  I receive mailings and Emails from many military orientated sources.  You can visit this website to get much more info about ALL the services:  http://www.military.com/Lots of good info there, pics, videos, benefits, pay charts, etc.As for military welding schools.  The Army's welding school is located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.  While I was a Senior Instructor there, we taught ALL services and foreign nationals, except the Navy.  The Navy's  school was in CA.  Don't know about now.Pay isn't too bad either.  When I enlisted in 1962, my base pay was $68 a month.  Today a Private E-1's base pay is $1347.00.  That's $336 a week.  Since your lodging, food, health care, etc are provided by the military is ain't too bad.   Job security is great.  Experience you'd gain and friends you make while doing a "hitch" will stay with you for life.  Especially the friends.My Step-Son is in Iraq right now.  He has 1 masters degree and working on the second one.  He decided to go enlisted.  Joined the Airborne/Infantry.  Received a $15,000 signing bonus, and over the 3 year enlistment is receiving $65,000 to help pay his college loans.  Not too bad, huh?  He does not intend to reenlist, however, with the current economic situation here in the U.S. he may find himself in the position of not being able to find employment next year when he comes home.  What to do?  Reenlist for one more hitch?  He's got a heavy decision to be making.Good Luck with what ever you decide to do.
Reply:You're going to bat zero in just about anything motorsports related.  When people can't afford toys, that's when you see a bunch of racing companies start shutting doors.
Reply:nuclear plants. tig welding. nuff saidnavy is definitely a quick way to get into the alot of trades.  a machinist mate on a submarine is trained in a huge variety of things and after a 4 year stint you get a big fat check ( 6 years total , first 2 are training before deployment referenced to 1991 )my best friend in high school and i both enlisted to do this, i got unenlisted when i busted my knee 3 months before high school graduation. ( where do you have to run on a submarine i asked ?)he served his time, got out in late 1997, went to work for a plant named diablo cyn ( spelling)he ended up coming home to Nashville and working for a machine shop here that makes equipment for nuclear power plants as a tig welder .   his pay is extremely high and he only works 4 hour shifts ( gets paid for 8 ) They do a lot of stuff for oak ridge and pantex as well. as another poster said, motorsports is a feast or famine endeavour ( unless you can get into a toyota based race shop )insert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:If you are thinking Navy, nuclear reactor repair welder is the way to go.  Your TIG is a good start.  When you get out, you could get a very good job in the defense or commercial nuclear industry.I worked at a navy nuke contractor that built submarine reactor cores for 13 years, and ran into a few navy welders who became nuclear welding engineers with no college degree.  Even if you got a job as a nuke welder, you could easily pull down $35 or $40 an hour + purdeim if you worked for utility companies.Navy nuke has the highest quality in the business.  It is even tighter than commercial nuke, so you would be well trained.
Reply:dont forget, you could always be a gigolo.lots of lonely women out there. ( not as much fun as welding though )insert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:Not knocking everybody elses thoughts on this, I firmly believe that working for yourself is the best way to go. Granted, it will take time to get established and you will need income in the mean time, so finding a "job" will be necessary for now....but try getting yourself on the road to self-employment, then job security rests more in your own hands.
Reply:Originally Posted by kepeNot knocking everybody elses thoughts on this, I firmly believe that working for yourself is the best way to go. Granted, it will take time to get established and you will need income in the mean time, so finding a "job" will be necessary for now....but try getting yourself on the road to self-employment, then job security rests more in your own hands.
Reply:Originally Posted by BurnitWhere exactly are you? Your post says east coast, Madison is where?
Reply:Originally Posted by chenrydont forget, you could always be a gigolo.lots of lonely women out there. ( not as much fun as welding though )
Reply:I am self employed, I am a weldor and Fleet mechanic.  I can see my fleet work slowing down a little, but the welding is going strong.In order to loose my job, I would have to p*ss off a lot of different people.Yeah I aint gonna get rich, But I won't be standing in no lines either.......It takes a LOT of work and ambition to get a business going, but its worth it.  If I can't make enough to buy health insurance, and take a weeks vacation then I aint makin it.  David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:if ur a welder  then go 2 welding school and get certs.i'm a commercial / cert. welder the call for welders are few as a diver i don't get alot of call for welding underwater but as a welder you could go to the gulf of mexico work on the oil rigs