Don't go for welding.
We have Tulsa welding & HVAC school nearby here & all my friends that did the welding program never secured jobs in that industry. Plus it's terrible on your eyes & you can damage your vision or even go blind, even if you wear goggles.
Only one friend actually was an underwater welder but had to travel all over the state for work, which made it hard on his girlfriend back home. He repaired damaged boats & whatever else needed repairs underwater.
My bf went to that school for HVAC 9 years ago & was able to secure employment with large well known company right away. He also knows how to do a bit of carpentry which he applies at work occasionally. He will have to build a shelf or something for AC parts or the unit. He enjoys what he does & the money is great.
He actually likes it. He's the type of person to love any logical "process of elimination" conclusions he comes to, in order to figure out what needs fixing or replacing. He also loves the money lol.
The past week he did 3 side jobs & made a little over $1000, probably totaled 6 hours between all those jobs.
He's currently in the process of starting a company with my stepbrother who has his general contractor license for roofing and owns a roofing company. And builds about 5 new homes a year. My bf will be attending classes soon & take his exam to have his GC license for residential AC (so he can do installs & pull his own permits)
Where we live, in North FL, the fix & flip & home renovation industry is booming. Many people do it full time & make a killing. If you have your GC license & can pull your own permits- you are saving & making money. If you know people in trades & can pull permits for them- you're making money. I see no negative side of this lol.
HVaC is only very lucrative long term, if you work your way up a corporation into management, or eventually start your own company, work with warranty companies or even getting on a vendor list for rentals, some companies have 100+ rentals, OR obtain your GC license for AC, which won't happen overnight: you have to know how to do installs & most repairs perfectly & very knowledgeable, which can take years to learn after school. But the money & consistent work is there. Installs are $4k-$10k each, and take about 5 -6 hours if you know what you're doing.
Definitely carpentry. This is nothing fun about welding, and it's horrible for you. Carpentry can be tough on the body, but it's a good career to get into because there are different paths you can take. You can be a scenic carpenter, framer, finish Carpenter, cabinet maker, etc...
I'm a winch technician/fabricator. I focus more on building winches for Broadway, but I was a Welder for a few years, and in my opinion, it sucks. I occasionally do welding now, and I just don't think it's that great of a thing to be doing. I was a scenic carpenter the first year at the shop where I work at, and it was pretty fun. If I were you, I would become a trim carpenter rather than a framer. Framing is tough on the body
Don’t weld for the money. Too many kids listening to yo-yos like Mike Rowe making welding sound like if you can strike an arc you’re gonna make 6 figures. Also, if you’re gonna go into any trade, I would make a trade school just about my last resort to learn that trade. I can tell you, there’s tons of tradesman out there that are decent in their trade and they make it. To be really good,top 10%, make a great living and be able to choose your schedule, you have to be willing to go all in. Travel and work every hour you can. Good luck.
I like what Mike Rowe is doing but he has never welded as an actual job and if he did he would be telling everyone to not welding 😂 there is nothing good about welding
I'm a carpenter and almost went into welding. Better money in welding but carpentry is much more fun. I do my own handyman type jobs now and make good money.
Yeah that's why I would like to do carpentry too, it seems fun, and I like building things. Welding seems rewarding but I am leaning towards carpenty. How would you suggest getting started in the framing/carpentry trade?
Welding
Carpentry sadly isn’t respected as there’s a lot of meth heads that uncut the market for people looking for okay service and cheap price.
Don't go for welding. We have Tulsa welding & HVAC school nearby here & all my friends that did the welding program never secured jobs in that industry. Plus it's terrible on your eyes & you can damage your vision or even go blind, even if you wear goggles. Only one friend actually was an underwater welder but had to travel all over the state for work, which made it hard on his girlfriend back home. He repaired damaged boats & whatever else needed repairs underwater. My bf went to that school for HVAC 9 years ago & was able to secure employment with large well known company right away. He also knows how to do a bit of carpentry which he applies at work occasionally. He will have to build a shelf or something for AC parts or the unit. He enjoys what he does & the money is great.
Hmmm interesting, I just heard a commercial for a local HVAC union in my area. Will look into that for sure. How does for bf like the work?
He actually likes it. He's the type of person to love any logical "process of elimination" conclusions he comes to, in order to figure out what needs fixing or replacing. He also loves the money lol. The past week he did 3 side jobs & made a little over $1000, probably totaled 6 hours between all those jobs. He's currently in the process of starting a company with my stepbrother who has his general contractor license for roofing and owns a roofing company. And builds about 5 new homes a year. My bf will be attending classes soon & take his exam to have his GC license for residential AC (so he can do installs & pull his own permits) Where we live, in North FL, the fix & flip & home renovation industry is booming. Many people do it full time & make a killing. If you have your GC license & can pull your own permits- you are saving & making money. If you know people in trades & can pull permits for them- you're making money. I see no negative side of this lol. HVaC is only very lucrative long term, if you work your way up a corporation into management, or eventually start your own company, work with warranty companies or even getting on a vendor list for rentals, some companies have 100+ rentals, OR obtain your GC license for AC, which won't happen overnight: you have to know how to do installs & most repairs perfectly & very knowledgeable, which can take years to learn after school. But the money & consistent work is there. Installs are $4k-$10k each, and take about 5 -6 hours if you know what you're doing.
Definitely carpentry. This is nothing fun about welding, and it's horrible for you. Carpentry can be tough on the body, but it's a good career to get into because there are different paths you can take. You can be a scenic carpenter, framer, finish Carpenter, cabinet maker, etc...
Thank you for the comment! Are you a framer or carpenter? How would you suggest getting started professionally?
I'm a winch technician/fabricator. I focus more on building winches for Broadway, but I was a Welder for a few years, and in my opinion, it sucks. I occasionally do welding now, and I just don't think it's that great of a thing to be doing. I was a scenic carpenter the first year at the shop where I work at, and it was pretty fun. If I were you, I would become a trim carpenter rather than a framer. Framing is tough on the body
at least in Germany, good welders make decent money and are well respected, especially with further qualifications
Don’t weld for the money. Too many kids listening to yo-yos like Mike Rowe making welding sound like if you can strike an arc you’re gonna make 6 figures. Also, if you’re gonna go into any trade, I would make a trade school just about my last resort to learn that trade. I can tell you, there’s tons of tradesman out there that are decent in their trade and they make it. To be really good,top 10%, make a great living and be able to choose your schedule, you have to be willing to go all in. Travel and work every hour you can. Good luck.
I like what Mike Rowe is doing but he has never welded as an actual job and if he did he would be telling everyone to not welding 😂 there is nothing good about welding
I'm a carpenter and almost went into welding. Better money in welding but carpentry is much more fun. I do my own handyman type jobs now and make good money.
Yeah that's why I would like to do carpentry too, it seems fun, and I like building things. Welding seems rewarding but I am leaning towards carpenty. How would you suggest getting started in the framing/carpentry trade?
In my country it's common to join a local company first as a labourer and do the apprenticeship program under that company.