trying to figure out what certs to get

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i will be getting many structural and pressure vessel certs on iron type metals, but have debated wether getting aluminum and stainless steel certs would be worthwhile, is more of the money and jobs in more structural and pressure welding certs? opinions are welcome
Reply:More money doing vessels.If you can find somewhere that will give you certs on stainless it would be beneficial.Start with AWSD1.1And ASME section IXAluminum doesn't really command any money.
Reply:arent those AWS certs? im canadian so itll be CWB certs, i know itll be 9 or so, all pressure vessel, structural steel, pipe welding 6G and such
Reply:Snappy,Not meaning to come off as Rude, but you have attempted this type of question before...Pretty much NO-ONE on this board is going to be able to give you the answers YOU want... It will be up to YOU to do the research in the area where you live and work to learn what companies pay, for specific qualifications, and what the local market will bear for wages.All questions like this from you "do" is WASTE well-intentioned members time when they post up valid responses based on THEIR information... and it not what YOU want to hear.You would be MUCH better off to start out a thread asking if anyone worked in, or near, a specific area, then base your questions on experiences from that specific area.Better still, is to invest the time, and do the research YOURSELF.Best of luck.Have a Good Day.Later,Jason
Reply:Originally Posted by Black WolfSnappy,Not meaning to come off as Rude, but you have attempted this type of question before...Pretty much NO-ONE on this board is going to be able to give you the answers YOU want... It will be up to YOU to do the research in the area where you live and work to learn what companies pay, for specific qualifications, and what the local market will bear for wages.All questions like this from you "do" is WASTE well-intentioned members time when they post up valid responses based on THEIR information... and it not what YOU want to hear.You would be MUCH better off to start out a thread asking if anyone worked in, or near, a specific area, then base your questions on experiences from that specific area.Better still, is to invest the time, and do the research YOURSELF.Best of luck.Have a Good Day.
Reply:Get a 6G pipe on 2" sch 120, and have it certified to ASME section IX.Use GTAW on the root and 7018 on the fill and cover passes.It qualifies you for up to 1/8" GTAW and 1" SMAW in all positions pipe and plate.It is widely recognized as a very difficult weld and negates the need for other certs in order to "impress" potential employers. Once you're employed, you can get whatever certs they need you to get as per the job you're working on.CWI, CWE, CST for Miller, Lincoln, Thermadyne, Hypertherm & ESABMillermatic 350PLincoln Invertec 205 AC/DCVictor combo torchESAB PCM 1125
Reply:You will only need the one that gets you the job.Getting any other is a wast of time and money.
Reply:Originally Posted by MaedarGet a 6G pipe on 2" sch 120, and have it certified to ASME section IX.Use GTAW on the root and 7018 on the fill and cover passes.It qualifies you for up to 1/8" GTAW and 1" SMAW in all positions pipe and plate.It is widely recognized as a very difficult weld and negates the need for other certs in order to "impress" potential employers. Once you're employed, you can get whatever certs they need you to get as per the job you're working on.
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardYou will only need the one that gets you the job.Getting any other is a wast of time and money.
Reply:If you have any viable industry in Toronto for marine environment, then SS and alum. experience/ certs will be helpful. If there is aerospace industry, then you will be very well served by those certs, and some practical experience with those materials.As for basic certs to have, a pipe cert and a struct. cert pretty much get you in the door, after that it's up to how well you test.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:I agree with Rojo and will add that pipe certs in 2 3/4 inch, 5/8 wall thickness in gtaw and gmaw processes  will supercede many certifications if that test is available to you. It is a standard UA test.UA Local 598
Reply:Originally Posted by snappy101which i do, and i also rely on peoples opinions and experience to inform me as well.
Reply:I don't know what industry you work in, but in mine certs don't transfer from job to job.  If I see a resume with a million certs, I'm more likely to maybe give the guy an interview, but we are required to recert everyone anyways, AND we test everyone at the door before we'll even give them a job.When I was in training I picked up one or two certs, but honestly all I have on my resume is "will certify to process if requested"  All the certs I've had at my jobs expired the second I walked out the door.Welding EngineerCertified Scrap Producer
Reply:Metarinka is correct.  Any company that will hire you will test you to whatever code they work under.  I have never understood why people pay to get a certification when they will still need to test before employment.I hope this helps answer your question.
Reply:I would pay for a cert just to know for myself that I am competent at a particular process and to put that competency on my resume. I hold 5 certs at the moment and will test at every job I go to. I belong to a union and wont be sent to a job without my UA recognized certs. Some contractors will just pay me 4 hours for the certs and some will test me at the gate. I cant get dispatched to the job without them. If a contractor is looking for a SS welder and all you have is 6010 downhill, you dont go to the job. If I had to pay out of pocket to test and xray for certs, I would get 6010/7018 out, tig root/hot/7018 out and a tig SS. Having the cert isnt a waste completely, it shows proficiency but they do expire every 6 months or 1 year and you will have to prove that proficiency to a prospective employer. I dont know what the cost is for renewal. Hopefully its not much. I test and renew for free.Good luckUA Local 598
Reply:Originally Posted by Kilgore TroutMetarinka is correct.  Any company that will hire you will test you to whatever code they work under.  I have never understood why people pay to get a certification when they will still need to test before employment.I hope this helps answer your question.
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat Bastard+1GREAT POINT!Testing your self is a waste of time and money!
Reply:I hired in the last 24 months no less than 75 welders (some more than once) Many of them had some certs most not and out of all of them only 3 had papers that did not require me to retest them, all 3 of them were re-hires.
Reply:The value in paying for a test yourself is to prove on your resume that you can make certifiable welds.The fact that any employer is going to have you test to whatever code and procedure they use is the reason to only do it once.CWI, CWE, CST for Miller, Lincoln, Thermadyne, Hypertherm & ESABMillermatic 350PLincoln Invertec 205 AC/DCVictor combo torchESAB PCM 1125
Reply:Originally Posted by RojodiabloIf you have any viable industry in Toronto for marine environment, then SS and alum. experience/ certs will be helpful. If there is aerospace industry, then you will be very well served by those certs, and some practical experience with those materials.As for basic certs to have, a pipe cert and a struct. cert pretty much get you in the door, after that it's up to how well you test.
Reply:Originally Posted by Black WolfFair enough... I'm not sure how many tears Rojo had to mop up, but I will agree with the spirit of this statement.The ASME Section IX code that Maedar mentions is an AMERICAN  code, and may not apply to any "Local" shops that you may work for, UNLESS they manufacture to International Standards for export into to U.S. or other countries.It is GOOD information, but it may NOT be helpful to you in Ontario. <--- This is the point behind my first post.  Good information for a given area or market, but may be of NO USE to YOU, in YOUR local market.I cannot remember what schooling you were going through for, but in Ontario, CWB certs, and a "Red Seal" Welding Certificate should get your foot in the door... If you can qualify for any pressure certs, I would select the ones most common, or practical, to the company you are appying at, for the job that the company does.Sorry for being so vague, but I cannot specifically answer what employers in YOUR area are looking for, based on my experiences, several provinces over.Best of luck to you in the future.Have a Good Night.
Reply:Originally Posted by MetarinkaI don't know what industry you work in, but in mine certs don't transfer from job to job.  If I see a resume with a million certs, I'm more likely to maybe give the guy an interview, but we are required to recert everyone anyways, AND we test everyone at the door before we'll even give them a job.When I was in training I picked up one or two certs, but honestly all I have on my resume is "will certify to process if requested"  All the certs I've had at my jobs expired the second I walked out the door.
Reply:Originally Posted by WHughesI would pay for a cert just to know for myself that I am competent at a particular process and to put that competency on my resume. I hold 5 certs at the moment and will test at every job I go to. I belong to a union and wont be sent to a job without my UA recognized certs. Some contractors will just pay me 4 hours for the certs and some will test me at the gate. I cant get dispatched to the job without them. If a contractor is looking for a SS welder and all you have is 6010 downhill, you dont go to the job. If I had to pay out of pocket to test and xray for certs, I would get 6010/7018 out, tig root/hot/7018 out and a tig SS. Having the cert isnt a waste completely, it shows proficiency but they do expire every 6 months or 1 year and you will have to prove that proficiency to a prospective employer. I dont know what the cost is for renewal. Hopefully its not much. I test and renew for free.Good luck
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardI hired in the last 24 months no less than 75 welders (some more than once) Many of them had some certs most not and out of all of them only 3 had papers that did not require me to retest them, all 3 of them were re-hires.
Reply:Originally Posted by WHughesI would pay for a cert just to know for myself that I am competent at a particular process and to put that competency on my resume. I hold 5 certs at the moment and will test at every job I go to. I belong to a union and wont be sent to a job without my UA recognized certs. Some contractors will just pay me 4 hours for the certs and some will test me at the gate. I cant get dispatched to the job without them. If a contractor is looking for a SS welder and all you have is 6010 downhill, you dont go to the job. If I had to pay out of pocket to test and xray for certs, I would get 6010/7018 out, tig root/hot/7018 out and a tig SS. Having the cert isnt a waste completely, it shows proficiency but they do expire every 6 months or 1 year and you will have to prove that proficiency to a prospective employer. I dont know what the cost is for renewal. Hopefully its not much. I test and renew for free.Good luckOriginally Posted by Kilgore TroutMetarinka is correct.  Any company that will hire you will test you to whatever code they work under.  I have never understood why people pay to get a certification when they will still need to test before employment.I hope this helps answer your question.
Reply:Originally Posted by MetarinkaI'm glad some people agree with me, as someone who hires and trains welders, I'm not terribly concerned with what certs they had prior to working with me. I'm more concerned that they have the general welding skill AND can be taught to weld how we work and to our codes.  Certs help somewhat, but I'm more concerned with work ethic and their learning ability.everyone can tell you a story about the welder who claimed to be certified on everything from nuclear reactors to space shuttles and fighter jets, yet couldn't seem to stick two pieces of metal together to save his life.  They usually are also the guys who've never failed an xray, burst, or bend test.anyways I would pick up one maybe 2 certs that are relevant to the industry you're in or want to work in as proof you can pass. But be prepared to be tested at the door.