Welding as a career change

[trebor782]

Hi Guys,

I have been looking through the forums for some time now, and wanted your advice on how to become a welder.

I don't want to do it as a hobby, I want to earn a living, either Mig or tig.

I don't have any prior knowledge of welding, but im 37 years old now and still don't have a trade behind me, my background is car hire.

I've searched the internet for courses, and i can only find 1 company near me, they do a beginners 3 day course, but its £495.

Would it be cheaper for me to buy a welder and practice at home until i get to a level im confident.

One of my friends works at a aluminium guttering company who fabricate and weld all there goods, so i can get scraps of ali to mess about with, also the odd sat morning unpaid.

I suppose my questions to the fourm are:

Which is better Mig or Tig?

Should i go on a course or teach myself?

What welding set should i buy?

What equipment do i need apart from a mask?

Can you give me any tips?

Thanks for all your help in advance.

 

[ChrisJohnsSculpture]

To go from a complete novice to the point where you can earn money welding is not a trivial task by any means. It is also something that requires a LOT of practice, a good beginners course should give you a decent start but won;t turn you into a professional welder in 3 days.

Your best bet is to have a thorough read through the forum, particularly the tutorials which will answer a lot of your questions.

 

[trebor782]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the reply, i think i may use the money for the 3 day course to buy a second hand welding set, then get get some practice in like you say.

 

[backpurge]

Best of luck to you fella, huge respect to someone looking to change career mid life. As has been said, doing a 3 day course will not make you employable unless you are extremely lucky and have a massive amount of natural talent, welding apprenticeships used to be 4 to 5 years for a reason. That is not to say don't go for it, get yourself someone who can show you how to go on then practise,practise, practise till you can deposit good welds time after time.

The main problem you will have is you will probably be limited to using a DIY type machine on fairly thin material which is not going to give you the experience required by the majority of prospective employers, but it will be a start and you may find someone who will give you a start and give you further on the job training if you are keen enough.

I get asked virtually on a daily basis if I know where companies can get half decent MAG welders, they are not wanting skilled welders just guys who can plough filler wire into 10mm material day in day out to an acceptable standard, to be honest the pay is crap (not much more than minimum wage), but if this is the route you want to go down, good luck to you and I genuinely hope it works out for you.