| Welding is not a well understood industry | | | | Although wages have declined from the boom years, |
| Contrary to common opinion, it is a deep and | | | | pipe welders with their own "rig" (a welder on a |
| complex industry. Far from being a "Dinosaur", welding | | | | truck) in Alberta, Canada were averaging $330,000 a |
| is the glue which holds our world together. So, where | | | | year, according to the American Welding Society |
| are the jobs in welding? Because shop class has been | | | | newsletter of October, 2007. 6G welders on |
| closed in favor of computer tech in many schools, | | | | off-shore oil rigs are making $100k a year right now. |
| the U.S. is short 200,000 welders (when the | | | | Any good 6G welder in the pipeline or oil industry - at |
| economy is running at normal levels). | | | | the worse case is making $60,000 a year. |
| What kind of welding do you do? | | | | In the USA, if you are good at 6G, and willing to |
| Unemployment in North Dakota in March, 2010 was | | | | travel, you are working |
| 4.3% in the middle of the worse recession ever. | | | | In the USA, if you can master the hand-eye skill |
| Burger flippers were being offered signing bonuses! | | | | which is 6G welding, it does not matter if you can |
| Why? Because North Dakota has huge shale oil | | | | read or write. Why? Pipe welds must past x-ray |
| deposits, and the technology is finally allowing it to be | | | | inspection because no one can see the inside of the |
| pumped out - it's profitable at $70 a barrel oil price. | | | | weld. It doesn't matter how much classroom |
| 6G pipe welders are in demand everywhere shale oil | | | | education you have - if you can't weld joints which |
| is being pumped. | | | | will pass x-ray, you're not a 6G welder. IF you have |
| What is a 6G Pipe Welder? | | | | no formal schooling, but you CAN pass x-ray |
| Welders are certified for various positions and | | | | inspections, nothing else matters. All that matters is |
| processes. The most common positions are 1G (flat) | | | | you "Own The Skill". It takes learning the basics of |
| through 6G which is an open root (air gap) joint | | | | 6G, and then it takes practice, practice, practice. |
| between two pieces of pipe (commonly 6" schedule | | | | Nothing worth having is easy |
| 40 steel). The pipe test joint is mounted to a stand | | | | However, there are valid short cuts to becoming a |
| in a 45 degree fixed position. Probably less than 5% | | | | 6G welder. Not everyone can do it. About 70% of |
| of welders are certified 6G "code welders". 6G | | | | existing structural welders are able to learn it. |
| welders earn the biggest money in welding. | | | | Probably 50% of the general population has the |
| What can a 6G Pipe Welder earn? | | | | natural hand-eye ability to accomplish 6G. |