Heading out into the world of welding.

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Ok, so im graduating with my AAS in welding and with an Advanced Pipe Certification from Texas State Technical College in Waco this friday. At the moment i am very intimidated by the thought of really getting out there and welding even though ive been going to school for a little over 2 years.  I personally think that i am pretty good, not amazing but pretty good, i take alot of pride in my skill and work and have a good work drive.  but the way some people talk about welding in the powerplant or pipeline inviroment kinda gets me worked up, ive messed up before, and i am just really concerned about choking up when its time to really work.  ive never really had a welding job that went by any types of codes, mainly putting up metal buildings and i did have a job tigging SS kiosk frames, but thats about the extent of my jobs that i did welding.im really just looking for any advice, tips, anything from an expeirenced welder, that might help me get through this transition, im looking to hop on one of the many power plants that are going on here in texas, im going to try and do pipe, but depending on availability i will do structual too. any advice would be much apreciated.thanks, Robert
Reply:This is just my opinion, here goes.....When you get out there and you start working, you have all that school and thats great, but its also the last thing that the guy your next to or working under is going to want to hear.Let what you have learned guide the decisions that you are allowed to make. Nobody likes a subordinate who is a "Know-it-all m f-er" Keeping to yourself a bit, listening, and asking questions will do volumes more for you than constantly trying to change the way they are doing something or citing examples from work you did in a lab at school.This is just my opinion, not trying to be condescending. Just sayin, I've seen it happenYou said, "I'm pretty good, not amazing, but pretty good" Thats great, have confidence in your abilities but acknowledge that you can always learn more. That is a great attitude.Don't be intimidated though, everybody started at some point, and when you make a mistake, don't pitch a fit, don't get discouraged, fix it and learn from it.Its not the guy that rags on the new guy non-stop or bashes him you gotta worry about, they are worried about getting replaced more than anything, the guy you gotta worry about is the guy that does good work, knows it and doesn't need to tell everyone about it. There will be one, and you will have to prove yourself, but eventually he will show ya the ropes.My .02 centsYou'll do fine, have fun Yup
Reply:What he said, and congratulations on graduation! That took lots work in getting where you are already! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Be polite, shut up and LISTEN. If someone shows you something, let it in. I'm 60 and started TIg class last Wednesday. The instructor asked a professional to help me set up the Syncrowave 250 to get started. The pro was very polite and 'took me under his arm'. He showed me how to sharpen my tungsten 'wrong' and I let him. It worked good enough. Later the inst. showed me what he really wanted. The pro is still my buddie AND now I know the proper tung angle. You'll have to learn how to filter good and bad info; just like here on the internet.My point is 'don't argue', learn. Everyone has a 'somewhat' different view of every point in welding. Most of them work for the guy that uses them.FWIW: I've been a hobby TIG weldor since 1993.Edit: Breathe, remember to breathe.9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:keep a good attitude about yourself, bust aS$, be helpful, and keep your mind open to learning new techniques. It never hurts to ask the boss exactly how he wants it. This way, when he tells you" Paint it black. No, paint it white. No wait...paint it black again." Well, as long as he told you to paint it black first, you will at least get paid for it. And finally, enjoy yourself. You went to school for it, and beyond hard work, enjoying your life, your work will make you happier, and much better at whatever you are doing. And it will resonate to everything you do. Good luck!!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:Very good advise from everyone so I'll only add-------- Good Luck out in the welding world.
Reply:In addition to the good advice above:Don't be afraid to tell them that you're new.  Everybody in the field has been there, and was given a little slack on occasion because of it.  Don't feel like one mess up and you'll be fired, because it's not likely to be the case.  Even if it was, there's more work out there to be had elsewhere.You will find that many of the more experienced welders will offer tips and advice on the job, especially if you welcome it without any attitude.  You will gain more friends and leniency by admitting you don't know something than if you act like you do...and they know you're lying.
Reply:Robert,Exactly one year ago I was in the exact same position that you are; same degree from the same school. Here's what I did:I considered going to work doing plant shutdowns, working in the oil fields, or going in to construction (at the same power plants you're thinking about). But first, I decided that I wanted to get some fabrication shop experience.The reason I wanted to do some fab shop work was because most of the really cool job postings I looked at preferred at least a couple of years fab shop experience even if I had a degree.See, TSTC will teach you the whys and hows of welding, and do a damn good job of it. However, the actual welding is only half the battle. The other half is actually getting the workpiece(s) to the point that they are ready to weld. In my opinion the best place to learn to weld is in a school with really great instructors (like TSTC), but the best place to really learn how to build, construct, and fabricate is in a fabrication shop.Anyway, I came down here and interviewed, tested, and got the job. I'll admit I wasn't too impressed at first, the machines were old and the place in general was pretty messy.However, now that I've been here a while I've come to love it here. I no longer see the "vintage" equipment and other inefficiencies and non-optimum methods as problems. Instead I see them as opportunities for me to make things better. I've decided to make it my personal goal to bring this shop into the twenty-first century by introducing newer, more efficient, and more effective processes and methods. For example, I am demonstrating the advantages of replacing our current globular GMAW (CO2 shielding) with spray and pulsed-spray GMAW (using 92% argon 8% CO2), especially on our structural fabrication jobs.Ultimately, my goal is make our shop more attractive to TSTC grads, especially the degree earners.The best part is that my boss (the owner of the company) is actually willing to listen to me and implement (however slowly) the changes that I suggest. If I had simply become a power plant or pipeline welder, I would've made more money and might have eventually risen to supervisor or something, but here I can actually make a difference in how things are done.I know the instructors in the welding department like to talk a lot about all the high paying welding jobs, but I think they need to emphasize more the importance of finding a job that is personally satisfying rather than one that just makes a lot of money. As for me, I could make more if I went to work on a pipeline or doing plant shutdowns, but I enjoy my job too much to give it up just for a little more money. Like Mr. Drysdale always says, "Its not always easy, but its always fun."By the way, if the idea of working in a fab shop doesn't sound completely unattractive, let me know. I'd love to see what I can do to get a chance to work with a fellow TSTC welding alumni, someone who will understand why I find the phrases "do it again" and "damn, it" funny.------------------------TensaitekiAAS Welding Technology - TSTC Waco '07Visit Tensaiteki.com
Reply:Thanks everyone for the kind words, i really apreciate  it.  from what it seems like yall are trying to get across to me, i will not have a problem. i am more than willing to learn new stuff and definetly am not a know-it-all or try to act like one. i dont think i will have any problems with people i am pretty easy going and get along with just about anyone, well beside, you know, all the charecteristics named above that i dont wanna be lol.  i feel alot better, but i know i am still ganna have all kinds of jitters my first couple jobs lol. o well like yall said, im new, it will go away one of these days.tensaiteki, id like to talk to you some more so i sent you a PM.
Reply:Don't count on the jitters leaving. I've taken tons of tests and never had a problem with any of them except welding tests (and I have taken plenty of those too) and every time I have one I can't sleep the night before, lol.Welcome too welding and good luck on your career. Just about the best advice I ever got regarding welding was pay attention and listen, because even the dumbest welder you ever meet will know a trick you don't. Personally I like fabrication be it pipe or structural. Pipelining is great for some and not for others (just like all the others). I've built a few power plants and done both structural and pipe. Structural is usually a little less intense compared to pipe, but then again the only structural welds I ever had x-rayed were on the test. The pipe was 100% and you only get a couple of boo-boo's and your headed down the road. Mt experience with plant construction is that it is pretty political, rife with nepotism, and if you are a really good welder you can just about forget about ever moving into supervision. Really good welders are getting harder to find every day.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Be ready to get sent on a wild goose chase.  The guys at the shop where I work sent the new girl welder fresh out of school to "go get the stainless steel magnet" so they could lift some plates.  She went to every department in the shop and it's a big shop looking for the infamous "stainless steel" magnet.  When she came back one of the guys had neatly paint markered a big lifting magnet  "STAINLESS STEEL MAGNET" on it.  He said someone had brought it over while she was gone.  We got a pretty big laugh out of that.  The foreman clued her it. She didn't think it was too funny at the time but got over it.  She is a very good welder by the way.   It's a popular way for the shop guys to put you in your place. haha
Reply:Good luck "Bentwings!.  ?????Bentings ....prophetic??? OK OK bent but not broken , Right?  HaHAhahahhahahaAWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder