New job? good or bad?

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So i recently graduated tech school for welding and got a welders "dream job" (in my opinion).  The only problem is the quality they expect from every weld is so unbelievable i dont think my skill level is anywhere near, or will be anytime soon.  It's a great place and id love to work there but so far its been stressing me out.  They said they would train me and have been, but i still have this feeling like im not going to be ready.  Has anyone else had this happen? or is this just me?
Reply:You'll never get better at anything if you don't challenge your self! Anyway, they said they will train you.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:Some people pick it up faster than others.  Some actually never reach the skill level required and are asked to leave.  If they said you will be trained then give it your best, look at each weld you do as needing some sort of improvement and keep at it.  Ask your lead hand for feedback.  Rome was not made in a day and welding is a hand skill.  You don't become a concert pianist in the first week.  Try to remember the chicken scratches you first did when you started in school.  You have only started on a very very long road.  Please don't give up on yourself if you don't make the grade.  What is important is to keep trying and practicing.  I have seen welders fail a test after spending thousands on practice time, test material, and inspectors fees.  The winners are the ones who come back after a month or two and do it all over again.
Reply:Yeah thats true, you both have good points.  Its just extremely intimidating i guess considering there is no room for error, otherwise everything is no good.
Reply:Hey do your best and remember there is a job for every kind of welder.  Like less than five minutes to trip around the bottom of a garbage container.  We want speed boy!!!  You can imagine the quality.
Reply:Lots of positivity in here!!!I just got my welder today and have never welded in my life, but I can tell you one thing.If you want it bad enough, you will be successful.Just go after it 110% and kick ***. You will be fine.
Reply:if you got the job...  go to work a little early, pay attention, assert yourself, give it 120%.  evidently they saw something during the hiring process they liked.tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:Originally Posted by brucerif you got the job...  Go to work a little early, pay attention, assert yourself, give it 120%.  Evidently they saw something during the hiring process they liked.
Reply:At least you are worried and see room for improvement many cant see it thus they fail or do jobs where it dont matterMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:What are you guys welding on?
Reply:What material,   welding  procedure ,and what is it your working on  ?     It is tough trying to match your talent  with old timers that have been doing it for years. They make it appear easy. The next weld should be better then the last.    You will improve, they will help you meet their standards and perfection. It takes time and practice .     I would like to see some of their work.
Reply:See if they have an extra tig welder (and scraps) that you could take home and practice with.ESAB Heliarc 252
Reply:The must at least see enough potential in you to offer the job. You are worried about performing, that's a good sign, means you care about your work. Go to work show interest and give it your best. Everything will work out. If you were honest in your application and about your skills I would think they know there will be a learning curve. Everyone starts out as a beginner...even old-timers. IMHO
Reply:They would have never hired you if they didn't think that you could develop into the skilled welder that they want. If they told you that they are willing to train you, then that is a good sign. I recently was also hired at a company where they require you to consistently weld above average. Just take pride in your work and strive to fabricate your work perfect.  Don't worry, if your passionate about your career then you will do just fine. It will come to your naturally after you gain the experience. Now go burn some wire/rods!
Reply:CEP, that guy swinging and welding on the crane and I beam is way better than than the guy welding on his knees. How you do that???
Reply:Originally Posted by InsanerideHow you do that???
Reply:I place of number of my autobody students in jobs.  Attendance and punctuality is at the top of the employers list of qualifications.  They cannot make any money off of you if you are not at work.I had one lose his job because of drug usage on the weekend.  Most good shops require random drug test.One lost the job because they let their personal life interfere with their work.  Too many phone calls, too many cigarette breaks, taking too long for lunches....I had one outstanding student that could not be hired at the best shops, because of his driving record.  They could not insure him to drive the cars around the dealershipAll of these things are important to an employer, as well as hand skills.One thing that I try to stress to my students is to look ahead.  They want me to help them on their project.  I will tell them that I will help them in about 10 min.  When I get there, they still don't have the tools ready that are needed.  Time is wasted while they get it together.  I tell them to try to anticipate what we need to do the job.  As they watch me, what will I need next?  That is a valuable skill to learn.If I was worried about my welding, I would ask permission to spend time at the end of the day, working on my welds, on my own time, to improve my skills to where they should be.  I am sure you can find an older person to critique and mentor you.I also tell my students that when I would hire a new guy, I spent the first few weeks trying to run him off.  I would give him all the bad jobs that no one else wanted to do, to see if he was tough enough to hang with us.  If he got through that with a great attitude, I knew he was worth putting the time into training him.Last edited by Crabo; 12-29-2012 at 08:59 AM.
Reply:+ one on all the above. Go for it. You never know what you can do till you TRY. They will train you at their expense to do what they need you to do, where as a lot of employers want you already trained at YOUR expense. Even if you can't cut it to their expectations after all the training, you still walk away with some new skills/training that you can use elsewhere. Not every job requires 100% perfect welds 100% of the time. What have you got to lose, except the time you are getting paid to get the training? That's more like invested time rather than lost time anyways.
Reply:Thanks for all of the positive input guys i appreciate it.  The type of stuff i will be working on, as far as i know is a bit of plate and some pipe, from thin stuff (around 16 ga?) all the way up to 4" thick plate.  Everything that is welded is pressure tested and x-rayed.
Reply:Don't worry about it, just do your best. If it ain't good enough, you can always go somewhere else.
Reply:Positive can do attitude, work hard be there early, stay late if you can. Get as much time in as you can. Ask questions, ask for demos. Don't be afraid to try new things. We've all been in your shoes it will all work out in the end if it's with this company or another. Cheers
Reply:alext-09 what some of the other guys said is true about what employers look for, the reason they probably hired you is to train you to do things they're way it's hard to retrain a guy that has allot of bad habits and has been doing it for many years . the best thing you can do is keep a good attitude and keep giving it 110% they are watching rather you think they are or not . one thing you need to remember is they know what they hired they know you have no experience and you are not getting paid what the other guys are either . the really important thing is the effort  you put forth and your attitude towards it  do you spend 50 times day on your cell phone texting somebody or cigarette breaks every 10min. if you are struggling with your job and do those things you don't have much of an argument ,i hope you don't but those are things your boss and your co-workers will see that will definitely not help your cause . you probably whizzed through tech school and thought i have this whipped ! whole different ball game isn't it . i am relatively new to welding but have been a machinist for 25yrs. i was just like you once so i know ! i do things now that scared the s*** out of me 20yrs. ago and don't even think about it . that's called experience the only way you get that is what you are doing right now . get to know the guys you work with and show them respect and ask questions and listen to what they say and DO NOT argue with em . have confidence in your self and try not to make the same mistakes twice remember they are watching . good luck hang in there. chris
Reply:All of the above is so true. One thing I would like to add that goes with a positive attitude is a good sense of humor. It helps check egos.