Want a high paying welding job? Do these 3 things:
- Get really good by practice and experience.
- Be able to pass a welding certification test by learning welding tips and tricks and good welding fundamentals.
- Learn how to toot your own horn without sounding arrogant.
Sounds
simple right? well let me break it down a bit for you because each one
of these statements deserves a whole page of explanation.
Get really good by practice and experience.
Aircraft
Pilots have to acquire a certain amount of "seat time" to achieve
certain ratings. In welding, nothing takes the place of "seat time".
Have you ever heard the saying "you cant teach experience"? But seat
time and practice are not much good if you don't have someone to show
you the right way. So Find a good welding instructor and school and
approach learning to weld like it was your job. Then get some
experience. For your first job, take the welding job that offers the
best experience even if the pay is less than other jobs that wont teach
you as much. Later, after you are experienced, you will be in a better
position to negotiate pay.
Be able to pass a welding certification test
Whether
you just finished welding school or are already an experienced welder,
you still have to pass a welding certification test to get the really
high paying welding jobs. Sometimes welding tests don't even resemble
the skills you need in the field or in the shop. So What? It is what it
is and you have to be able to pass the test before you can get that
high paying welding job. The best advice I can give anyone is to talk
to the person giving the welding test and find out the details of the
test. If its a pipe welding test, there are literally hundreds of
different tests it could be. Size of the pipe, wall thickness, joint
configuration, process, material type, and electrode type are just some
of the variables. Most of the time the test shop supervisor will tell
you the details of the test. Once you have that, find a school that
will let you practice on the exact test you will be taking. Don't be
afraid to invest a little coin here. It might cost you a couple hundred
dollars but you could easily get that back in a week or two after
landing that high paying welding job.
Learn how to toot your own horn without sounding arrogant.
Tooting
your own horn is a real skill. Most people go too far in one direction.
They either brag, or try to appear humble and miss out on an
opportunity to sell themselves. Use your resume to peak curiosity. Make
factual statements like "maintained a 99% acceptable x-rate rate for 4
years on stainless steel piping systems for borated water". Statements
like that that are factual will prompt questions. That is your
opportunity to simply explain the details and obstacles you had to
overcome in order to achieve the results. Saying something like "I can
weld anything from a broken heart to the crack of dawn" Will only serve
to make you appear unprofessional. You might get a chuckle out of the
interviewer but they will secretly be thinking "Awh, Bless his heart". NEXT Please!
