ramsies11 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 i would like some advice. ive always wanted to be a welder when i grew up, and i plan on going to TWS after highschool. and i was thinking on going to the TWS in FL. and they have a CDA in the same town, i was seriously thinking about going to TWS and learning pipeline welding(like the one in alaska) and underwater welding(thats why the CDA is important here). the first person i consulted about this idea and thought was my uncle who is a welder, who carries more weight on me than anyone else could ever do (this is a man whom ive idolised since i was a small child, he is literally my superman in my eyes). and he said it was a great ideaand i should do it definatly. then i talked to my parents about it and they said that they are cautious about it, this is a good field to be in both ways, the underwater divers work 3 months out of the year pulling like 180k a yr from my reaserch, and pipelines would earn me about that much if i worked it in between diving months in the year) underwater divers work 1 month and have 3 months off to make sure the nitrogen in the bloodstream leave the body well enough for another month of welding. if i do true underwater welding there are 4 main dangers in welding underwater. 1. issues with my tanks/breathing apparatus 2. electrocution. 3. the bends 4. the water will go thru electrolosis as a i weld down there and if the hydrogen and oxygen get trapped and get too hot they can explode. there are also dangers with pipeline welding, main 2 ive found are explosions and if your vehicle breaks down freezing to death of course out there. i was wondering what your thoughts on the matter were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 If you become a chef you have to work with sharp knives, be careful of gas explosions in the kitchen, and keep a sharp eye out for food poisoning. The job that exposes you to the most illness and germs is being a kindergarten teacher. As long as you play along with the safety rules, that is there for a reason, a job is as safe as you allow it to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KST1-Derek Fultz Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 In the early nineties I met, and got to know a man who had been an underwater welder for a number of years ( well over 15yrs if I remeber correctly). He had done a lot of lock and dam repair on the big muddy Mississippi . His second job was repairing smoke stacks. He was healthy and fairly wealthy as well. And still is as far as I know. He had a cavalier attitude about the dangers, but could recite the safety regs from heart. And he often turned down jobs if he thought they were to dangerous or if the management didn't take safety seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 ramsies, my only advice for your choice of career would be train to do something you are excited about, really excited about - and if underwater welding is your buzz then totally go for it - we have a relative who does this mad stuff too, and he like dereks friend, is healthy and wealthy, so it cant be that bad... and everything is dangerous, everytime you step out the door, so if its what you want to do, i should do it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 If you haven't grown up by age 50 You dont have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 If you haven't grown up by age 50 You dont have to. YIIIIPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! I'll quit trying then!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 The reason those jobs pay the big bucks is due to the danger involved, not just the skills required. Like Beth said find what you love and go from there. I recently bought a new t-shirt that says, "When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Blacksmith!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spears Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Well, at least you acknowledge some of the dangers which is a good start. I don’t weigh the dangers very heavy because attentiveness and constant safety awareness allows certain folks to do those types of occupations for years. More important is the realistic awareness of the availability of certain occupations. When I was taking my welding classes at a community college in Michigan back in the 80’s, the instructor spoke of all these guys coming through his courses talking so much about underwater welding. He said there were three guys in the entire state that did it, and one of them died every year. I never checked him on it, but when an advanced master of the craft explains the job outlook like that, it kind of means “low opportunity”. I’m not crapping on you or anyone else’s dreams here, just keeping it real. The big money and “ooohhh la la” hero worship does not even come close to covering the majority of what a real professional can readily get one’s hands on. It’s an availability issue not a capability issue. In the CNC machining world, four axis, and five axis programming does exist. Community colleges teach it everywhere. It is dynamite technology to say the least. But just a few weeks ago, I met up with one of my fellow machinists who said that their forth axis indexing head has been sitting in the corner of the shop collecting dust for ten years. Hence, the elaborate forms of the trade don’t cover but maybe a small fraction of the available work out there. This does not mean don’t try to become anything. Just do the required homework and check, check, check the availability. It wouldn’t do much good to be the best underwater welder in the world if no one out there wants to hire one. Good luck, Spears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramsies11 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 i know the oil rigs hire underwaters alot and alot of bridge builders hire underwaters. but thank you for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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