My 18y/o brother, skilled welder...LOOK

911SauCy · 911SauCy's Garage

If any group of individuals would appreciate this...PPOT is it.

My brother is a smart kid, smart enough to know that college isn't for him and he wants to make a living in a trade.

Randomly in his junior year of high school tells my parents he wants to finish HS in a tech program that's offered in cooperation with a tech school. Cost nothing, same diploma from the (great) public school he's currently in... Why not?

He is trying to decide what direction to go with his apparent gift. His teacher is an old union welder and trying to get him in... The money is great, start at $70/hr but I think he should chase his dreams and fabricate "stuff" not weld beams and stairs together for 25years. He is very creative and loves anything mechanical. We've built a '95 Dodge Cummins 12v with mechanical injection for his daily school commute making 650whp/1000ftlb

I recently got him hooked up with a buddy who has a vintage motorcycle collection and purchased a 19teens sprint car... He did some TIG work on it and LOVED IT.

Any advice on places to look, people, or organizations he could get involved with?

Couple samples of his school work.

HardDrive · 02-09-2014, 06:46 AM

Nice stack of dimes!

Rusty914s · 02-09-2014, 06:46 AM

Holy crap that's beautiful.

aston@ultrasw.c · aston@ultrasw.c's Garage

Very nice work. To weld professionally he will need a certification. At least that where the money is.

pavulon · 02-09-2014, 06:51 AM

I could be way off as I have no experience but it seems that if he would like to marry welding with fabrication, N.(ascar) Carolina might be a place to start looking/asking.

911SauCy · 911SauCy's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by aston@ultrasw.c

Very nice work. To weld professionally he will need a certification. At least that where the money is.

Right.

He's not even been at it 6 months.

lendaddy · 02-09-2014, 06:55 AM

Looks good but he's not going to make 70/hr welding beams and stairs. There is welding and there is welding... The oil industry pays skilled welders good money as does aerospace I believe. Construction and general industry, not so much.

fanaudical · fanaudical's Garage

Maybe not as glamorous as he's looking for, but how about shipbuilding for the Navy?

Aurel · Aurel's Garage

I think that is a great idea. Also, many large companies use welders, if he cares for benefits such as 401k and health plans...It seems do be a trade where you can find lots of employment options.

71scgc · 02-09-2014, 07:02 AM

Get all the certifications he can get. Pressure welding pays big $$$.
Try to get into the Lincoln Welder School. My pop told me the welders that his corp. sent to the school practically had a degree in metallurgy upon completion.
Oil/Gas industry. Pipeline. Get cert. for pressure. Hope he likes to be outside. Welding can be a cold job...
Carter

MotoSook · 10:58 AM

The pipeline industry is going to be in desperate need of welder (and just about any other position) in the next 3-5 years as folks retire. High pay, stability, good benefits and security...

...dream jobs don't always pay, but getting paid very well so you can live your dream pays off.

When I was in engineering school I wanted to be the next big shot in Detroit...reality is I probably would have been a minor cog in a big machine. Glad I didn't chase my dream job. I can now afford to do all the things I wanted to do automotive in the comfort of own shop...on the weekends.

MotoSook · 02-09-2014, 07:12 AM

A union welder = indentured servant. You get put on a job...you go where they send you. You want to leave the union and go get a steady predictable welding job so you can be home every night? Loss your pension and pay back the cost of your apprenticeship.

Might not always be the case, but make sure the kid knows what he's getting into.

LWJ · 02-09-2014, 07:22 AM

Intel pays the mechanical contractors very well for perfect welds on process piping. Most is robotic welds however

willtel · 02-09-2014, 07:24 AM

These guys were looking for fabricators recently. I would imagine this is near the top of that field as they build art. I often wish I would have chosen a career path for something I am passionate about rather than just getting paid.

Nelson Racing Engines - Extreme Horsepower Twin Turbo Engines, Supercharged Engines, LSX Engines

Brando · Brando's Garage

Your brother has got skills! Have him butt-weld two pieces of 1/4" steel together, lapping multiple times. Stick-welder with flux only (no MIG/TIG). After cleaning and grinding it down, put it through a press and see if it breaks.

Rick V · 02-09-2014, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willtel

I often wish I would have chosen a career path for something I am passionate about rather than just getting paid.

Be glad you didn't. I used to love cars, all aspects of them, I was always under a hood somewhere, so I went into that. I detest working on cars now, a few decades of it have soured me to it, and I am only echoing the sentiments of a lot of people. The industry has been good to me, but the cost was too much. Never make your hobby/passion your career. JMO

PushingMyLuck · 02-09-2014, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911SauCy

The money is great, start at $70/hr but I think he should chase his dreams and fabricate "stuff" not weld beams and stairs together for 25years.

This is bad advice. It's very hard to chase dreams when you're broke. Turning down that $70/hr job welding staircases would be foolish. It's called "Don't Quit Your Dayjob" before you even have one!
Get some experience, build a network. When he gets inspiration for a creative passion or business, he'll have a 6-figure war chest to fund it.

911SauCy · 911SauCy's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by PushingMyLuck

This is bad advice. It's very hard to chase dreams when you're broke. Turning down that $70/hr job welding staircases would be foolish. It's called "Don't Quit Your Dayjob" before you even have one!
Get some experience, build a network. When he gets inspiration for a creative passion or business, he'll have a 6-figure war chest to fund it.

I was sure to not give this advice.

fintstone · fintstone's Garage

I can't imagine a young high school graduate who has no plans for college turning down a job starting at $70 hr (unless immoral or incredibly dangerous). It took 40 years of hard work (at least 65 per week), an engineering degree and an MBA for me to get anywhere near that type of salary. Most of the hobbys I have loved...I would hate to do for a living (lower compensation, repetition, and doing it the way someone else wants me to...not my way).

Contrary to the conventional "wisdom"...most folks I know who went after "fun" jobs ended up broke and miserable. What looks fun at 18 may well suck at 55. You don't get "do overs".

SilberUrS6 · 02-09-2014, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fintstone

I can't imagine a young high school graduate who has no plans for college turning down a job starting at $70 hr (unless immoral or incredibly dangerous).

Because it would be stupid to do so. A few years of working that kind of job (let's say five years, close enough to the length of a college undergraduate degree stint) and if you are smart with your money, you can have enough saved to buy a nice house outright. After that, you can take welding jobs that pay half what you were getting before and still live VERY comfortably, even enough to support a family.

When I was first married, there was an opportunity to work for NATO in Brussels as an IT guy. Essentially, at that time, NATO needed just about anybody they could lay their hands on who could do computer anything. They were willing to pay for my wife and I to relocate to Europe, and pay pretty damn nice money (at the time) for me to work there. My wife nixed the business because she didn't want to move away from her family. FF to 2010. She said to me one evening that she wishes that we had spent a few years in Europe when we had the opportunity.

Seize the opportunities now.