need some opnions from people in the industry

ok so im looking at going to ATI or somehting along those lines, the long term goal would be to have a hot rod shop but as or right now i just need a REAL job, the bar jobs just arnt cutting it anymore so my question is what would be the smarter thing to do, as in whats gonna pay the most, and be the easyist to find a job doing. im looking at eather doing motor work(mechanic) paint and body, or welding/fab work. im open to anything else but those are the ones i would think would be of the most use

 

i'm a diesel mechanic and certified welder.
if it were me, i'd go the welding route, it seems that my friends that weld at the local refinery get double my pay and better benefits. and if you keep the mechanic thing as more of a hobby, you'll always enjoy it.
just my opinion.
good luck, ed

 

Good welders are in short supply. Check with some of your local welding supply stores and get a feeling for the market. Contact Texas State Technical College in Waco; they have some fast track courses and some company sponsored programs. 1-800-792-8784
Good Luck! Dennis

 

CERTIFIED welders make the big bucks, no cert, limited oportunities.

 

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but is anyone out there a Welding Inspector? It seems a family friend of ours from way back was and made a ton of money doing it out in California. He's passed away now, so I don't really have anyone to bounce that question off of.

Thanks,

-Chris

 

welding and fabrication, it is good do be able to make the things you want to weld together, dam near everyone needs something built or repaired, as times get tough people have things fixed instead of buying new, ornamental ironworks can be wholesaled to local gardening shops, plant stands and the like, dont laugh $10 can turn into $50 pretty quick, when your done school get a job in a factory doing production line welding, dont get lazy and stuck in one place keep your head up and try to move around, when the man asks you if you think you can do a new job say i dont know but i'll give it my best shot, keep in the back of your mind how the whole thing works and try and think of how you could setup your own plant and make your own product, i started welding when i was 12, went to trade school at 18, welding and fabrication, i spent 15 years in a local woodstove plant, now i own the trademark "Fisher woodstoves" in Canada and the US, the end of this stoy is still being written

 

thanks for the info guys, keep it coming

 

i would rate it:

welder or machanic 1st, body work , last.

if you want to make any real money in the body biz, you have to be the shop owner, and have insurance connections. exceptions are out there of course. but, the average body shop worker does twice the work for his check as the other fields do


skull

 

Yup unless you are an amazing painter/airbrush artist body work is a lost cause

 

Go to school to learn and get certified, go for a job with good pay, like the job or not, set up a mobile rig for yourself and be able to do on the site repairs and welding for people and companies. I've worked for a couple of body shops over the years that did none of their own welding, they had a guy come in with his own rig on a truck. I really think industrial is where the bigger bucks are though, that and definately aerospace.

 

I went to school for welding and metal fab, and it was worth it, but if you have the time for the schooling, take the welding and also take Fluid Power, which deals with hydraulics and machinery. That's a pair of skills that would land you a good job and be useful in the hot rodding hobby.

Skilled trades in manufacturing aren't as in demand as skilled trades in repair. You don't want to be the guy building the machines when they ship the factory to Korea, you want to be the guy fixing them on site because you can't outsource that. Just a thought.

 

manwhore

 

Im a mechanic.i work for BMW. ive been turning wrenchs professonaly for ten years. and it sucks.
the reason i work for BMW is becuse it pays better than most hotrod shops. (most dont pay more than 20 and hr) and it's way different from working on old cars. so at the end of the day i actually want to work on something easy like my belair. what sucks about my job is all the politics. i mean i cant even replace a defective part that is clearly bad unless i get authorized....

 

Not any of the above, but I know Electricians get payed really good. You could also look into becoming a machinist.

 

The cobblers children have no shoes!

 

I owned a large welding/fabrication shop for a number of years. Production welding is a dead end job, at least in this part of the country. There are a dozen out of work welders on every street corner. If you want a career to fall back on where you'll be guaranteed to make $12/hr. forever and grow old in a hurry, go with welding. Some of the long-time union stainless tank shops are making in the $15 range and it seems like they are out of work more than not. The only people that are making any real money welding are traveling and doing union plant turn-arounds and very specialized work. Disclaimer: This area has been known to be the low-wage epicenter of the country.

A year ago, diesel mechanics were making pretty good money and in short supply around here. If you had skills you could make pretty decent money. A few years back I ran a fleet shop and worked a lot of hours but made well into six digits. If I were to do that today, I'd be lucky to get $15 on a straight 40 work week with crap benefits.

ASE service techs are still in pretty good demand and once you get a little skill level built up you can do OK. I know some guys at big dealerships that do pretty well running on straight flag time, and they specialize in certain areas to get their speed and efficiency up. Some are working a straight 40 shift and clocking 80-90 flag hours a week. Once you get a few years behind you, it's easy to make the transition to your own shop. You can whore out on the production work and take on the hot rod stuff to maintain your sanity.

I took me a long time to figure this out, but life seems to work out best when you do something that you really enjoy for a living, regardless of how much money you make.

 

did not look where you are from but
in agricultural country tractor diesel mechs look to be getting $20 a hour and up and they are paying that locally heavy equip mechs are in demand sometimes, if you are young and want to do hard work

I had went to tech for auto mech and auto body and went to work at one time as a heavy equipment mechanic and it was a better life than doing auto, way too much mind work and heavy grunt work for the little pay in my opinion

still rember in florida they wanted welders to fabricate trailers for $9.50 a hour

mechanic and body work is hard on your body and will wear you out

we freeze our butts off up north but the pay is definately better than some of the southern states

 

Spend time figuring out which one you love, if you want to follow the dream.
Or find which pays the most with less work, and punch the clock.

I would say spend a little time volunteering around each to get a better idea.
wil
www.sakowskimotors.com

 

see thats just it, im not sure wich one i like doing more. i like taking a motor thats junk and making it make noise! but its also cool to see a rusted out car get turned into a show winner. i know 99% of the time i wouldnt be working on anything cool but it will bump up my skills to the level that i could open my own shop

 

I'm a tech at a dealership and i work with about 25 other guys and I would say at least 15 would rather be somewhere else. The money is good which is what makes it so hard to quit and do something else, like go back to school or find a different career. It's not all super fun stuff either, its chasing down electrical problems, squeaks and rattles and water leaks most of the time for warranty time which usually sucks. Sure it's fun somedays but it's a lot of the same old grind. I do have friends who have worked in the Rod industry, but they all seem to bounce around a lot as the wages are lower and they have families to support. If I had it to do over I would try and get into fleet maintenance (electric company, gas company, UPS, FedEx, Government/City, Rail Road, Etc) or something like that. We've had guys go to those places and love it because the stress level is lower and the benefits and advancement opportunities are greater. Not trying to throw cold water on your ideas, just want to make sure your eyes are open!

 

no man thats the stuff i wanted to hear about

 

Owning your own business is cool and all, but there's something to be said for being able to walk away at the end of the day and enjoying the rest of your life. All the small business owners I know can't do that, they live and breathe that business, all day, everyday. I could have made bunches of money running my own shop (electrical) at one time, but I saw how fast other guys were burning out at it. A weekly paycheck with no b.s. attached is quite attractive

The quickest way to kill a hobby? Make it your job.

 

that's very true in most cases



skull

 

Just remember that the grass is always greener on the other side.....

 

Got my degree in engineering while working at a hot rod shop. After being hired at every job Ive had since, they always comment. We dont care about your degree, we like your hands on attitude and experience. In fact, not one job has ever asked for my transcript! Why did I even go? Im not suggesting engineering, I hate it. I paint cars on the side so I feel like Im accomplishing something in life.

 

Check with some of the big truck dealerships to see what kind of education they would like you to have. I think most around here like to see at like at least 6 months at a tech school.
Big truck suspension, driveline, gear work are all big and heavy, but give an opportunity for good pay. And if you get good enough, develop a good reputatiion, you can work anywhere you want.
If you do this, you will spend thousands of dollars on hand tools and specialty tools. Today's stuff, laptop and high dollar programs for computer crap.
I like big truck stuff because there are fewer variables than car stuff. But that's changing too with every new devolopment or company absorbtion.
You won't make it in any mechanic world without a good education anymore.

 

I've been a fleet diesel/gas mechanic for 4 years now at the same place. Its a landscape construction company so I also get to work on (read: play with) medium sized machines. Its has its ups and downs like any other job, politics and all. My biggest complaint is the lack of respect anyone in the company has for us. Because we don't make any "profit" for the company, we are always trying to make chicken salad of out chicken shit. The workers don't give a crap about the equipment and constantly abuse it. $100K machines come in for service with no grease in them, 100hrs over, and frozen pins everywhere. Maybe I care too much, but it gets to me. It feels like no matter how hard we work, how many pieces we get out the door, we never make any progress. And the office sees it the same way. "The mechanics don't fix anything."

I also feel like there is no spot for advancement. I came in with limited knowledge and now can basically do anything requested of me around the shop. The only place left to go is to overtake my boss and run the shop. Not likely, he's been there 15 years.

I'm currently trying to break into a local welders union. The wages are more than what I make now for an entry level apprentice, plus benefits. I know I'll most likely have some of the same issues, but thats to be expected.

IMO, I'd run with the welding school. I have the experience needed to become an apprentice and extend my knoweldge or else I'd be doing the same. Food for thought, after 5 years as an apprentice the average rate for a journeyman welder here is $38/hr.

 

haven't seen it mentioned... A good (auto) tranny guy can pretty much write his own ticket. Inside, and usually with heat, bench work, not too nasty. Always a high demand in these parts.

 

shit, thats all allstate insur will pay for a shop rate out here, I think im movin



skull

 

Come on down! Wanna start a business?!?!?!?!?!?

Oh and BTW, it was 41 and raining here today...