How to take my welding career farther?

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I'm currently 7 months into a 10 month CWB Welding course.  I can attain up to 14 CWB tickets which are:  SMAW Flat, Horizontal, Vertical, Overhead (4 tickets) MIG Flat, Horizontal (2 tickets) FCAW Flat, Horizontal, Vertical, Overhead (4 tickets)MCAW Flat, Horizontal, Vertical, Overhead (4 tickets)   I'm pretty sure these are all the tickets were testing for, not 100% sure on flux and metal core because we haven't done any of it yet in class. My school is starting to get alot of attention this year because of the amount of stuff were learning compared to other programs in the province. Most colleges in my city only offer 6 tickets in their programs.  But my question is, after doing a few years of work experience, how could I further my welding skills? Like different kinds of welding, just curious. I'd like to learn some TIG, maybe some pressure welding down the road.
Reply:don't worry about tickets.Worry about what makes a good weld. Tickets are only as good as the person holding them.Thats not going to be 14 tickets flat, horizontal, vertical and overhead equal one ticket which is all position..
Reply:Learn to weld pipe, learn how to fit pipe, practice your o/a torch skills and get really good, learn to braze solder etc.  Anything in the pipe trades..learn it.
Reply:Originally Posted by Zca4Learn to weld pipe, learn how to fit pipe, practice your o/a torch skills and get really good, learn to braze solder etc.  Anything in the pipe trades..learn it.
Reply:Yeah, I did a little pipe welding in class so far.  I think it was "SCH 3 inch" pipe if I remember correctly, circle pipe and square pipe, not sure what the correct term is for the shapes of the pipe.  But I liked it, it's a challenge besides just straight welds.
Reply:You mean GMAW not mig*miller xmt 304 w/ 22a feederdynasty 200dx tig runnerspeedglas 9100xvictor journeymen O/Aesab shadow 5000 shape cutterClausing Drill Press setAVIA d.r.o. milling machine ercolina ercobender 76baileigh hsp-66mJD2 notchmaster
Reply:you still havent learned what you have tickets for, you just have dipped your toes.it takes years to learn mig totally, same with each of the other types of welding.tickets are good, but their only to open doors to get started, you are years away from spreading out to other areas.learning to weld is more than a 10 month course, its a full trade, takes many years before you can call yourself a true welder, dont get fooled by promotional claims.you still probably still havent learned about all the different fluxes, metals, blueprint reading, heat treatment, distortion, different welding situations, and the list goes on.trust me, you have a long to go before even looking int he general direction of pressure welding, or even medium level mig.youve just cracked thge door slightly, all your at after that course, just want to make sure your properly well informed on how things are because your bound to get some serious flak if you show any sort of confidence in your skills at this point. it is best if you just show and eagerness to learn, that is about all you can do at this point.
Reply:Originally Posted by somewelderguyYou mean GMAW not mig*
Reply:For beginners the tickets from school show you have a basic level of competence however when I am in charge all welders that have less than five years have to pass a ticket as part of the interview process. Unless an experienced welder is doing work that leads me to believe he is not up to the task then they will also be tested.To often I have seen people with tickets from school fail horribly when under scrutiny and have to weld up a coupon to get a job, it gets better with experience as the welder learns to relax. so if they show promise they are kept on simple non critical welds for the probation period and sometimes longer if the skill level is not progressingjohn