Starting welding apprenticeship

[Scottmisfits]

And I know multiple. Not hard when you start getting into exotics as well.

[bloopbloob]

Originally Posted by sweld

Not arguing. I just don’t agree with you. I’ve been welding for 30 years. I have never known a welder with 2 to 3 thousand dollars worth of welding tickets.


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I'm currently holding about $15,000 in tickets, my journeyman ticket excluded. Side tickets.

[sweld]

Originally Posted by bloopbloob

I'm currently holding about $15,000 in tickets, my journeyman ticket excluded. Side tickets.

Name them


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[NCC]

Originally Posted by sweld

Name them


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X2. I’m really curious as to what industry required tickets are costing $3000/year.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by NCC

X2. I’m really curious as to what industry required tickets are costing $3000/year.

I am curious as well. 2nd line is far cheaper

[bloopbloob]

Originally Posted by sweld

Name them


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CWB Welding supervisor W47.1/W59 ~ $5000
About 10 I think, CWB Tickets at $150 a pop
MHSA certified crane operator, around $1000
MHSA certified crane trainer, around $5000
Medic first aid, fall arrest, forklift operator, H2s, there are quite a few more. Don't bother keeping up with my b-pressure, as I no longer use it. I don't even know. It adds up. Not sure why I have prove myself to you all?

[sweld]

Safety tickets are not welding tickets. Cwb supervisor course is not 5000 bux. A level one is only 500 to challenge. Cwb is 150 bux every 2 years for a check test is if you have 3 different processes it’s 500 every 2 years. And most shops will check test you when they have a audit and it is no charge. And why are you renewing if you are doing QC now.


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[Jim]

I’ve been welding for 18 years and I would seriously advise you to choose another career path. Most of the high paying welding jobs in Alberta are based on oil and gas industry, well that field is currently in the toilet and most likely to remain there. The market is flooded with welders with not a lot of positions available. We have some of our apprentices cleaning the shop right now there just isn’t a lot of work out there. The work that is out there is paying garbage wages because they know that there is a lot of guys sitting around who will take anything they can find. In my opinion breathing in cancerous fumes and particulates everyday for the $25/hr some of these places are paying is a joke. Getting into welding at this stage in Alberta is like training to become a coal miner, not a wise decision.

You want to choose a career that will be in high demand in 15-20 years down the road. But if you are set on welding the best advice I could give you to get hired is to get your all position CWB stick and flux core tickets, will cost you about $150 a test so around $1200 if you pass the first time. Have to find a place or know someone to let you practice. Most companies won’t even look at you if you don’t have CWB tickets.

[bloopbloob]

[QUOTE=sweld;4335610]Safety tickets are not welding tickets. Cwb supervisor course is not 5000 bux. A level one is only 500 to challenge. Cwb is 150 bux every 2 years for a check test is if you have 3 different processes it’s 500 every 2 years. And most shops will check test you when they have a audit and it is no charge. And why are you renewing if you are doing QC now.

That course is not $500.... closer to $3000 plus books, and 2 weeks missed pay. Also there are no levels, maybe you are thinking Level 1 CWB Inspector. CWB SUPERVISOR. Very different.
I do the same tests that I expect everyone else to pass. I practice what I preach, so I do the tests as well, even though I'm off the arc.

[Rackmastr]

Interesting thread. I did a lot of welding in high school and the first couple years out of school. Ended up going the law enforcement route and gave up a bunch of money in the handful of years in the 2000's. I was happy to have made the decision though as I enjoy the work and its a different lifestyle.

Sure was a fast moving industry back in the early 2000s when I made the choice. At times I have wondered if it was right or wrong decision. Lately I'm happy I made the choice I did.

[CBintheNorth]

Wow, you guys sure know how to turn a kid off.

Sadly OP, one thing is true of most welders; they all think their stick is bigger.

[bloopbloob]

Originally Posted by CBintheNorth

Wow, you guys sure know how to turn a kid off.

Sadly OP, one thing is true of most welders; they all think their stick is bigger than the other welder's.

I have a little stick. More than willing to help out, I take pride in my craft. Just take offence to bad information. I've put my time in.....

[sweld]

[QUOTE=bloopbloob;4335630]

Originally Posted by sweld

Safety tickets are not welding tickets. Cwb supervisor course is not 5000 bux. A level one is only 500 to challenge. Cwb is 150 bux every 2 years for a check test is if you have 3 different processes it’s 500 every 2 years. And most shops will check test you when they have a audit and it is no charge. And why are you renewing if you are doing QC now.

That course is not $500.... closer to $3000 plus books. Also there are no levels, maybe you are thinking Level 1 CWB Inspector. CWB SUPERVISOR. Very different.
I do the same tests that I expect everyone else to pass. I practice what I preach, so I do the tests as well, even though I'm off the arc.

All right. Look. I have my 47.1. W59. Z662. B31.3. 178.2. API 1169. endorsements. I was a cwb supervisor for 20 plus years. I have my cwb level one. I’ve been welding for 30 plus years. There’s not much your gonna tell me. The other guy said you need 2 or 3 grand worth of welding tickets and I disagree.

Anyways. There will always be a need for welders just like any other trade. You can wear respirators or adflo sets ups to mitigate the risks with fumes. More opportunities than just oil and gas. Power generation. Waste water treatment. Nuclear. Power piping. Process piping.


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[bloopbloob]

Originally Posted by sweld

Not arguing. I just don’t agree with you. I’ve been welding for 30 years. I have never known a welder with 2 to 3 thousand dollars worth of welding tickets.


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Not looking for further arguments. Let sleeping dogs lie. I've been welding for nearly 20yrs myself now. Well now you know one with much more.... my welding ticket alone was i dunno, $30,000? C'mon. Side tickets are another $10-$15k..
I run our appenticeship program at work. I deal with CWB all the time. Pain in my butt. I need tickets for all positions, plus robotic applications. I create WPDS....Also ULC Gatekeeper. Another pain in my butt...

[Wendigo]

[QUOTE=sweld;4335636]

Originally Posted by bloopbloob

All right. Look. I have my 47.1. W59. Z662. B31.3. 178.2. API 1169. endorsements. I was a cwb supervisor for 20 plus years. I have my cwb level one. I’ve been welding for 30 plus years. There’s not much your gonna tell me. The other guy said you need 2 or 3 grand worth of welding tickets and I disagree.

Anyways. There will always be a need for welders just like any other trade. You can wear respirators or adflo sets ups to mitigate the risks with fumes. More opportunities than just oil and gas. Power generation. Waste water treatment. Nuclear. Power piping. Process piping.


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Now the real question is....which hand has the marble in it??

[jungleboy]

I got my welding ticket later in life , I was the oldest guy in my class in my 1st yr at 35. I never had anything more than my red seal and did fine, although I didn’t stay in the trade as a welder for all that long.
I didn’t get rich welding but it was a heck of a lot more lucrative than digging ditches or other labourer jobs.
It opened other doors for me And I ended up as a sales rep selling specialty welding materials and really enjoyed that.
Regardless of which trade you go into, you have to enjoy the work or it will just make miserable.
Above all. Take pride in your work, the trades are overloaded with guys that don’t seem to care about what they turn out as long as they last till payday.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by CBintheNorth

Wow, you guys sure know how to turn a kid off.

Sadly OP, one thing is true of most welders; they all think their stick is bigger.

Not a rosy industry in down trodden Alberta these days, unfortunately, welding thrives on big projects and there are none in sight. We have a local shop that does general work and they're always busy, but it's a mostly family operation and they've been at it for decades.

Grizz

[Cross Eyed Cowboy]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

Best advice I can give you is to find another field to go into. The welding industry is in the toilet and the workforce is flooded with journeyman welders who are willing to work for apprentice wages. Robotic welding is being implemented more often so less staff are actually needed on site. Even if you can get in they want more and more certificates to be able to work on sites. Without a B pressure and CWB certificates your practically useless to a company at this point. Sounds bad but that is just the way the industry is now.

Totally agree with the above statement.

[troutbug]

I am a HD mechanic, got a class 1 as backup, NEVER shortage of work. All the welders I know both employee and contractor are looking for work. Some are well ticketed and are driving truck, being a welders helper etc for a drastically decreased wage. The work for mechanics will never end.

That being said I do not want to pull wrenches my whole life, I used to plant/field operate on the side and want to do it full time now, other than welding I think operating is one of the harder fields to get into especially right now.