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Started By
Message
re: The Myth of the Wealthy Baw Welder: Welding Won’t Make You Rich
Posted on 9/14/19 at 11:35 am to GreatLakesTiger24
Posted on 9/14/19 at 11:35 am to GreatLakesTiger24
quote:
People on here act like learning how to weld or be a plumber is a golden ticket to wealth and prosperity.
Versus those that said the same about going to college? What you, and most that think like you are missing, is the fact that welding, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc. are all skill sets that can provide income no matter what. Even in a shite economy there is plenty of work waiting to be done.
0
Posted on 9/14/19 at 1:00 pm to Yewkindewit
quote:
Underwater welding is where it’s at
I knew an underwater welder who claim he made $240/hr. I’m sure he was lying but they probably make helluva lot more than regular welders
Posted on 9/14/19 at 1:08 pm to Johnny Roastbeef
Given the specialist aspect and limited hours vs the cost to do the work, I think $240/hour is easily possible. I just do hobbyist/light steel repair and fabrication and I charge $85/hour. Welding consumables aren't cheap and I imagine underwater stuff is very costly.
Posted on 9/15/19 at 11:25 am to Big_Sur
I know some welders who weld for a living. Just like with anything else, if you own your own business the limit to what $ you can make is on you.
What they (a welder) cannot escape is how hard it is on them both externally and internally after doing it day in and day out for decades. Fact is, most welders make normal-folk money, but since it's a baw trade like say, lineman work, you get the douchey superstar types who comes out of the woodwork in droves because they're finally making enough money to finance stuff.
Welding is an extremely handy tool to familiarize yourself with. For many many applications, it's not all that it's cracked up to be. In fact learning to lay the actual bead in say, mig welding, is stupid easy to learn, but it's the cutting, clamping, preparing and cleaning that takes time to master- and the various welding positions required to fabricate complex creations. But make no mistake: experience matters, and an all-out pro is going to be your best bet if you need precision and peace of mind. There are few, if any, applications that I'd hired a pro to weld something for me, but that confidence took decades to gain. That said, nearly every soft-knuckled, climate control-addicted jackleg reading this post has more than enough ability to go pickup a welding machine, hit YouTube and start laying some beads within a few short hours. Don't tell the "welding life" gurus I said it, though.
Being able to glue 2 pieces of metal together after measuring and cutting them to spec and then using that fabricated metal object to your desire is something that I personally cannot get by without, and I've found that a person who's a competent welder can get by doing just about any shop task: From woodworking to plumbing, learning to weld is often the summit of one's handyman ability.
Welding is a useful, fun, and rewarding thing to do (and we haven't even got into TIG welding yet) that I must have available for me to make money, but there's no way in HELL I'd wanna do it day in and day out and fabricating for a living. There's not enough money in it and it kills you. There's alot of old former-welders out there, but not many old welders. That's not a coincidence.
What they (a welder) cannot escape is how hard it is on them both externally and internally after doing it day in and day out for decades. Fact is, most welders make normal-folk money, but since it's a baw trade like say, lineman work, you get the douchey superstar types who comes out of the woodwork in droves because they're finally making enough money to finance stuff.
Welding is an extremely handy tool to familiarize yourself with. For many many applications, it's not all that it's cracked up to be. In fact learning to lay the actual bead in say, mig welding, is stupid easy to learn, but it's the cutting, clamping, preparing and cleaning that takes time to master- and the various welding positions required to fabricate complex creations. But make no mistake: experience matters, and an all-out pro is going to be your best bet if you need precision and peace of mind. There are few, if any, applications that I'd hired a pro to weld something for me, but that confidence took decades to gain. That said, nearly every soft-knuckled, climate control-addicted jackleg reading this post has more than enough ability to go pickup a welding machine, hit YouTube and start laying some beads within a few short hours. Don't tell the "welding life" gurus I said it, though.
Being able to glue 2 pieces of metal together after measuring and cutting them to spec and then using that fabricated metal object to your desire is something that I personally cannot get by without, and I've found that a person who's a competent welder can get by doing just about any shop task: From woodworking to plumbing, learning to weld is often the summit of one's handyman ability.
Welding is a useful, fun, and rewarding thing to do (and we haven't even got into TIG welding yet) that I must have available for me to make money, but there's no way in HELL I'd wanna do it day in and day out and fabricating for a living. There's not enough money in it and it kills you. There's alot of old former-welders out there, but not many old welders. That's not a coincidence.
Posted on 9/15/19 at 11:40 am to GreatLakesTiger24
quote:
People on here act like learning how to weld or be a plumber is a golden ticket to wealth and prosperity.
Yeah that's due to cubicle workers having zero familiarity with the trades.
That said, if you are a regular ol baw who is adept at keeping books (or hiring one) and, especially, make it a point to try and stick to big installs and commercial-type projects, and are also in a rural area with limited options for said services, then plumbing can be an absolute cash cow. No other trade offers that possibility- certainly not welding.
If you meet the criteria above, you can almost name your price and take the phone off the hook after lunch because you're slammed with work months out.
That is not a lie.
But again, how much money said fellow makes will, per usual, depend on his business prowess. Just because there's cash flow and revenue doesn't mean there's income, and when it comes time for the nut-cutting and paying the bills in your household, income is king.
The truth of the matter is that the "lowly" plumber in a rural area has a better chance at generating that income than the other "lowly" tradesmen, and that is where the OT "urban legend" originates (and begins to go off the rails).
Posted on 9/15/19 at 12:38 pm to Bigbee Hills
quote:
What they (a welder) cannot escape is how hard it is on them both externally and internally after doing it day in and day out for decades.
I know a lot of dentists that laugh at this statement. You want to talk with a group of professionals that have some of the highest rates of injury and pain to neck, back, shoulders, hands, hips, and knees...go there first. The learning curve for welding has flattened considerably in the last 10 years, as it has with metal fabrication in general, due to the advent of multi-process inverter welders, CNC plasma tables, etc. that have come down to a size and price point that hobbyists can afford. For professional welders that has meant an expansion into custom fabrication work that pays extremely well. Once I have the shop space I'll be adding that capability along with small format CNC routing to my repertoire.
Posted on 9/15/19 at 12:46 pm to Pettifogger
quote:
Welders, soldiers, teachers
Teachers in the current system rank well below garbage collection engineers
Posted on 9/15/19 at 12:47 pm to Clames
Lets do some math. Our grandparents aspired to be millionaires. Our generation aspires to be billionaires.
How many lifetimes will it take for a welder to earn one billion dollars if he makes $250hr?
How many lifetimes will it take for a welder to earn one billion dollars if he makes $250hr?
Posted on 9/15/19 at 12:53 pm to Big_Sur
quote:
Welding Won’t Make You Rich
A man who owns a fabrication shop could make it rich
Posted on 9/15/19 at 12:59 pm to Big_Sur
Every welder I know makes at least $30/hr on the low end, so that sounds about right.
The ones that do underwater welding usually pull in 3-4 times that amount.
What gives welding the positive image, is the job security.
We used to say that a welder could punch his boss in the face for no reason. . .and if the boss fired him, the boss would have to apologise within hours to get him back.
The ones that do underwater welding usually pull in 3-4 times that amount.
What gives welding the positive image, is the job security.
We used to say that a welder could punch his boss in the face for no reason. . .and if the boss fired him, the boss would have to apologise within hours to get him back.
Posted on 9/15/19 at 1:02 pm to Priapus
quote:
How many lifetimes will it take for a welder to earn one billion dollars if he makes $250hr?
What kind of moronic stretch of logic are you attempting here? If you are too stupid to make a reasonable argument then go pollute a PB thread. What generation is aspiring to be billionaires when millennials are clamoring for $15/hour "living wage" and wasting their money on frivolities?
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