Fabrication/welding as a career?

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so i have been up in the air and changing my mind about what i want to do in life.  was set on going to school in the summer for electrical linesman, but having second thoughts about that.  i love to fabricate things, mainly parts for trucks, like bumpers, traction bars, and other suspension components.  im wondering if any of you have a career doing things like this and how you got it going?  i can take a course for fabrication and welding, which i think would be a great benefit.  i am wondering how a fab/welding career starts, pay wise and work wise.  eventually, i want to open up a custom fabrication and diesel performance shop and make custom compound set ups, suspension components, basically anything for trucks.  any input is welcome!
Reply:You love to fabricate things but you could take a course in welding & fabrication ??????
Reply:Thats what I said...not really sure what you are asking?
Reply:stay in school. become a lawyer. although the trade's been good to me i was very lucky. deep in my heart i would be proud but i wouldn't want my son/daughter to be a welder. 40 some odd year's ago i purchased life insurance and was told by the agent it is one of the most dangerous occupations. there's gotta be an easier way to make a buck. if you have to weld do it on the weekends.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:the thing is, i cant sit behind a desk or dress in a suit.  i have to have a hands on job and would like to do something that i enjoy.  im kind of thinking more like a machinist and working with CNC machines and mills and what not to get that knowledge and put that towards what my end goal is of owning my own business.  I really dont want to be a welder i guess, just want to have that skill set so that when im making custom intercooler pipes for trucks out of t304, they will look nice.
Reply:Originally Posted by Superlate62the thing is, i cant sit behind a desk or dress in a suit.  i have to have a hands on job and would like to do something that i enjoy.  im kind of thinking more like a machinist and working with CNC machines and mills and what not to get that knowledge and put that towards what my end goal is of owning my own business.  I really dont want to be a welder i guess, just want to have that skill set so that when im making custom intercooler pipes for trucks out of t304, they will look nice.
Reply:Ya all those glamorous things you described that you want to build and make money building them, don't count on that happening.  Unless you're willing to hone your skills to the specialty markets, and be very flexible about where you want to be, like doing underwater welding, pipeline welding, working construction or shut downs, you're more than likely going to end up in a factory doing the same weld over and over and over.  And depending on where you're willing to call home, you'll probably be doing it for enough to pay your bills and not much more.  I've built bumpers and things like you're talking about, but it's not a money making thing.  I don't have people beating down my doors looking for that stuff, the reason being, those are luxury items.  I'd love to build stuff all day long now that I have my own shop, but the truth of it is, I spend a lot of time getting dirty under crappy old trailers, welding on tractors, welding farm implements because that's what pays the bills.  It sucks some days, but it beats doing the same welds day in and day out even on the worst days.
Reply:Open a titty bar. You can hire idiots like me to make parts and we'll spend all you pay us at your bar.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:No I would go broke because I would be my own best customer ha. J. R. Bauer
Reply:I would suggest to try to do what you love,  life is to short for not doing what you enjoy, (now when it becomes a job it is not as enjoyable as when it is a hobby or part time). so consider that, when I was a kid in high school  I wanted to be welder, and to design,  fabricate, and build things,  what I come to under stand was it was the design and building things, (welding was just a means to get there or to see a creation come to life),do to cost at least starting out, in became a contractor and did light construction and custom cabinets for much of my life,  then I came home to the farm and did both for a time and now mostly farm,  (bones are weary),  now I build and create tools for the farm welding up things and building things for my self, the work welding, carpentry, concrete work, and electrical and plumbing, was the means to accomplish my projects, (I do enjoy all of the aspects of the trades, and welding)  but would not want to be a welder,  or a carpenter, or mason, or electrician or plumber but II wanted to know how to do all and for the most part do. but what I love is to design and to build a creation,   my son is a welder and a fine fabricator,   but currently works for a tank shop and builds tanks for the well pumping sites, they build three tanks a day, about 12 foot across and I think 20 or 24 foot tall.   but after one builds a few tanks some of the fun is lost, and it is reduced down to welding miles of bead, now if you love running beads, great, but if you like more than watching an arc,  I would consider carefully what or where you aim,  a good education, is a help,  a number of years ago if you showed some skill some one would train one, but now many times it is more about you paper work.  School is good, but one need some ability as well, if you like a ever changing challenges try to get in to a smaller repair and fab shop, or if you just like rote work a large shop that contracts hundreds of items of a given kind may be what you looking for, or may be a different trade,  like me in construction,  or in my farming using a lot of my skills and things I love to do to benefit my main operation,  and I am not saying do not weld,   but see if you can pin point your real loves, and go for them, some times I wonder if I would have gone on to school and became an engineer or designer,  (I doubt if I would have liked living in a populated area), but do wonder what it would have been like,  (I suppose a lot would have been where I would have worked and the projects one would have been on).for example: my uncle in the 1950 loaded up the truck and headed for California, as farming was not working out for him,  he took some night school and soon found him self working in a fledging new area called aerospace,  (never having a degree) worked him self up to a position of head electrical engineer on most of the projects he worked on, and he works on ever manned space system, (through the shuttle),  on the Apollo  head of the electrical of the second stage, booster, on the b1 bomber the Bombay systems, on the shuttle the main clock system that keep all the other systems playing together, (no one most likely will not do that today),  but still he had a good job and worked his way up in the companies and enjoyed his work),but what I am saying it looks like you have many interests and passions,  search you heart and see if you can identify what is your passions, and try to incorporate your passions and work, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~one more thing, I have this farm, and even tho I did not think it was my first love,  only been farming here for 34 years, I talk to some of my class mates in high school, all they talk about is retirement, now,  and I enjoy my time, I would not want to stop doing much of what I am doing, (like to do it easer), where some of my design and building skills come in,  but I do not want to quit and leave to some place to set day after day, I have talked to some people who want to retire to some place some where else,  and I ask why are you not there now, if that is what you think you will love,  why spend you life some where you do not want to be I ask.and I know very few farmers who want to quite farming,  If they can they will die on there farms and not retire, what I am saying find a job you love and want to go to work and enjoy life,  yes there is always some thing one can do to make more money, but is it worth it?MY two centsLast edited by Farmerboy; 02-20-2014 at 03:59 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by FarmerboyI would suggest to try to do what you love,  life is to short for not doing what you enjoy, (now when it becomes a job it is not as enjoyable as when it is a hobby or part time). so consider that, .....what I am saying find a job you love and want to go to work and enjoy life,  yes there is always some thing one can do to make more money, but is it worth it?MY two cents
Reply:I have been welding and fabricating all my life...It has its ups and downs. I am currently a leader of a weld dept in a prototype shop. It has its ups and downs. Very stressful at times, I work side by side with drug addicts, and 50 year old drunks. But, I love welding and using my skills i have learned over the years. With that said I am currently opening my own mobile welding business which is something I have always wanted to do. And eventually quit my day job and work on my own. I never of been able to do this without the risks i have taken, the skills i have learned and been taught throughout the years!
Reply:Just out of curiosity, how old are you Superlate?
Reply:I vote that you stick with your original choice as linesman.  They make really good wages and safety practices are the tops.  You will have lots of money to do expensive hobbies.
Reply:Originally Posted by patriotwelderVery stressful at times, I work side by side with drug addicts, and 50 year old drunks. But, I love welding and using my skills i have learned over the years.
Reply:I assume the OP is young and eager to be a success.  I kinda envy his position.  I did some fabricating when I was young but getting laid off was a problem so I found a career where I would not be laid off. It was not a job that I loved! If you can find a job you love you are lucky.  If you work at a job you can endure with moments of enjoyment you are probably like most of us.  As stated previously the act of welding in itself is just running beads. Robots can do that. If a guy can master the welding skills and add some solid mechanical or engineering skills as well as machinist skills you will be in demand.  Remember that to master these different skill sets takes time (years) in the field. Field time is up and beyond school time.  All careers or jobs start at a lower pay rate and should increase as time & skills increase.  Good luck.
Reply:thanks for all the input guys.  i am 20 years old.  funny that aerospace engineering was mentioned, i was going to school for composite materials engineering and aerospace was a part of that program.  i kind of regret not giving that more time to play out, but i did for a year and decided against it.  linesman is still a possibility, i would just want to get a job in mn and stay here, some hate this state, i love it.  the safety part of linesman also scares me.  now, i have always been the test dummy when it comes to doing stupid stuff, but this is a different kind of safety.  on the news a month or so ago, i heard a story of a linesman who had his face melted off.  things like that scare me, there is no doubt in my mind that i am capable of doing a job and doing it well and safe, but its the unknown possibilities or what ifs that get me.  but what could work for me with this fab/diesel performance shop is location.  mn does not really have anything for a big diesel performance company.  ideally, i would eventually move away from fabrication (to an extent) and more towards the diesel performance, doing in house live tuning and performance upgrades.  IF all of that were to happen and given my location, i truly believe that it could become a very successful business.  are there any linesman here that could give me some words of wisdom involving that career path?edit: and with the engineering that i was going to school for, i just looked at the average yearly earnings pretty much, saw that it was very close to 6 figures and some cases getting above and kinda just went with that.  like i said, i wish i would have given it more time, but end result, i think i would have been disappointed with that career down the road.
Reply:my younger brother (22) went to lineman college. got hired out of state, worked a bit, bought a nice trailer, couple trucks, toys etc. he is well set up for his age, and hasn't gotten anybody pregnant so he is all that much more able to travel and make great money.loves his job. certs up the a$$ and hes just an apprentice, cranes, boom trucks, anything. statistically one of the safer trades, but when somebody does get it, he often does not live, so there is that. stick with the lineman thing. it is something that will always pay great, always have work, and requires just enough education to keep the under-cutters out. do it. his job>my jobbosses stuff:trailblazer 325maxstar 200my stuff:sa 200fronius transpocket 180100 amp Lincoln w/f97 f350 DITKevin
Reply:Go and read my post #11, http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...-your-own-shop (DISCLAIMER---MY COMPANY DOES CNC & MILLWORK)Proverbs 4:23My company welds.