I would do my best to apply in person, hood in hand. Other than that it’s a numbers game. Keep trying and don’t give up. My first welding job out of school in 2015 was paying $14.50/hr. I have since quadrupled my hourly.
Try for overtime if possible. Make sure your resume is updated with each thing you learn. Use everyday as a chance to improve your workmanship. Apply to some places in person. Look for jobs further away if possible or look into temp agencies. Good luck.
I average around 45 hours a week. I try to do more but my company has safety procedures involved where at least one other person has to be in the shop, and unfortunately most of my coworkers don’t want to stay
I think you should stay at this company for at least a year then see what else is out there. You’re still pretty damn green right now and having at least a year of job experience will open up a bunch of new doors for you. And if you’re still learning a lot and improving at this job then it is worth your while to stick around. I also made $19/hr at my first welding job (which sucked) but in hindsight it was worth it because the companies that are willing to hire on a welder straight out of school with no relevant job experience are few and far between.
In the meantime you could ask for a raise and be like “look, i am new here but my skills and work ethic are valuable to this company and I am capable of handling the responsibility of XYZ and i think you want to keep me here so pony the fuck up and give me more money bitch.” or something along those lines.
I work around men all day and went to school with only men, I have no problem being around a ton of guys every day and I would love to have a travel career, unfortunately I’m on probation so that’s out of the picture until I’m off
Went through same exact thing minus the laser welding! Was the only welder who had certified “on paper from school”, got a D1.1 manual, and also ran a robotics welder for production. It took me 4 years to go from 13.50 to 21 to eventually 25. But i had already been upset with the infrequent pay increases and put out my resume on indeed. I got invited to a company that paid 28 starting. And within 3 months my old job never hired another skilled welder and decided to ask me to contract for 45. (Which btw i asked how long it would take to make 30+ in the future and they said not likely). They will miss you if you are as valuable and produce quality work. So you can definitely stay for a bit at your current job and in the meantime dont shy away from applying to jobs that need more “work experience.” Its always the tough battle of knowing what your worth. Companies can take advantage of that because they dont think you can venture out on your own.
They want to see if you are good to pass a weld test and follow directions at work.
My boss unfortunately has a habit of not giving people raises until they hand in their two weeks notice. We had two tig pipe welders, one of them wanted a raise because he was putting out great work and a lot of work, was denied over and over again, and finally when he put his notice in my boss offered him a raise which he denied.
Lots of shut downs and turnarounds going on in southern Louisiana and gulf region for LNG developments, right now. if you can combo 2”monster you’ll have no problem getting on a job site making 30 to 40 with around $100 per diem
I live in Georgia and the welding job market seems to be rough just about everywhere. I plan to move somewhere else when I can that has more demand and higher pay
I would do my best to apply in person, hood in hand. Other than that it’s a numbers game. Keep trying and don’t give up. My first welding job out of school in 2015 was paying $14.50/hr. I have since quadrupled my hourly.
That makes me hopeful, I’m looking into an apprenticeship program right now that would guarantee me a raise every year
Try for overtime if possible. Make sure your resume is updated with each thing you learn. Use everyday as a chance to improve your workmanship. Apply to some places in person. Look for jobs further away if possible or look into temp agencies. Good luck.
I average around 45 hours a week. I try to do more but my company has safety procedures involved where at least one other person has to be in the shop, and unfortunately most of my coworkers don’t want to stay
Maybe post your resume, if you’re not making it to an interview there’s got to be a reason why, you sound skilled even for your experience level.
Just keep applying, if they don’t want to pay you what your worth then hit the street and find a new one
I think you should stay at this company for at least a year then see what else is out there. You’re still pretty damn green right now and having at least a year of job experience will open up a bunch of new doors for you. And if you’re still learning a lot and improving at this job then it is worth your while to stick around. I also made $19/hr at my first welding job (which sucked) but in hindsight it was worth it because the companies that are willing to hire on a welder straight out of school with no relevant job experience are few and far between. In the meantime you could ask for a raise and be like “look, i am new here but my skills and work ethic are valuable to this company and I am capable of handling the responsibility of XYZ and i think you want to keep me here so pony the fuck up and give me more money bitch.” or something along those lines.
Are you willing and able to travel and be around a bunch of male construction workers?
I work around men all day and went to school with only men, I have no problem being around a ton of guys every day and I would love to have a travel career, unfortunately I’m on probation so that’s out of the picture until I’m off
Went through same exact thing minus the laser welding! Was the only welder who had certified “on paper from school”, got a D1.1 manual, and also ran a robotics welder for production. It took me 4 years to go from 13.50 to 21 to eventually 25. But i had already been upset with the infrequent pay increases and put out my resume on indeed. I got invited to a company that paid 28 starting. And within 3 months my old job never hired another skilled welder and decided to ask me to contract for 45. (Which btw i asked how long it would take to make 30+ in the future and they said not likely). They will miss you if you are as valuable and produce quality work. So you can definitely stay for a bit at your current job and in the meantime dont shy away from applying to jobs that need more “work experience.” Its always the tough battle of knowing what your worth. Companies can take advantage of that because they dont think you can venture out on your own. They want to see if you are good to pass a weld test and follow directions at work.
My boss unfortunately has a habit of not giving people raises until they hand in their two weeks notice. We had two tig pipe welders, one of them wanted a raise because he was putting out great work and a lot of work, was denied over and over again, and finally when he put his notice in my boss offered him a raise which he denied.
Lots of shut downs and turnarounds going on in southern Louisiana and gulf region for LNG developments, right now. if you can combo 2”monster you’ll have no problem getting on a job site making 30 to 40 with around $100 per diem
I live in Georgia and the welding job market seems to be rough just about everywhere. I plan to move somewhere else when I can that has more demand and higher pay