In your position welding is a good skill to have but to put it bluntly you have the world by the tail. You just want to start wagging it a little too early. It sounds good to not have to work but At 40 years old you will find yourself frustrated quite quickly. Welding is dirty work that in comparison to your present work will not pay all that well. IMHO I would work a little while longer at your job and retire with enough to allow you to pursue interests with no concern of money. If you worked another 5-10 years you will help yourself dramatically . For one since you have worked 25 years SS will average what you get with 10 years of zero's . Take time to plan your future in detail and even get several things done before you pull the pin. Living off of savings at 40 , you better have a real good savings, like several million since it will be providing your sole income for 17-20 years. It sounds like you do not like your job. You are a federal employee, apply for some other position in government that will allow you to prepare for when you pull the pin. I hate to say it but working for the government for your whole career , you have not got a clue as to how hard it is out there in private sector. Pay and bennies are no where near what you get as a fed employee. Do not short change yourself , make a plan then stick to the plan.

 

I agree with thegary

 

Well I will say this you don’t have to any certifications to be a good welder. I’ve got dozens of certifications in all types of welding: structural, pipe, safety, fitting, etc... I’ll be the first to tell you none of them helped me get a job. That may be different story where you are but I don’t think so.

Mostly what helped me was hood time and learning everything I could. To be honest knowing who to talk to is probably the biggest thing that is going to help you. The old saying is true it’s not what you know its who you know. If you decide to go to a community college talk to your instructor. If you get pretty decent and show really good initiative they’ll be sure to put you on the right path to a job like you want.

As far as being 40. I used to teach welding night course at my Community college there where always at least 3 to 5 students that where over the age of 35 and I had one student that was 88 your never to old to learn if it is something your interested in.

I will say this though because no one told me. Welding class was for me a lot of fun and for the most part I had good instructors. One thing I wish they would have told us more is how much welding really breaks you down. The old saying is true there are no old welders mostly because of the reckless lifestyle but some it is from the world of welding. arc fumes, grinding dust, loud noises, burns, etc... lots of welding equipment can seriously hurt or kill. It is a harder job then some might let on. I’ve lost some of my sight and hearing from the job.

But don’t let this discourage you I’ve built some really good friendships from it and built some really cool things as well.

I wish you the best of luck and I hope this helps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

What Im about to say is of course my honest opinion which should be simply used for just that and nothing else. The reason I say that is because many people may have another idea or opinion which might be the exact opposite of mine.


Anyways, being a good welder usually has to do with having a large background of other skills which you may use while welding. You'd be surprised at how many welders cant read a tape measure or drawings, and of course it doesn't end there. I was a shop manager at a pretty large manufacturing shop and ill be the first one to say hiring a part time employee can be difficult. Most shops are a fast pace with usually more indians than chiefs which makes it difficult for someone to walk in 2 days a week and fully understand what's going on. You may find a part time job but it may also have less pay and the owner/manager will probably expect you to have a solid understanding of the weld process they are currently running. One thing I learned early in my career which I will pass onto you as well. Just because someone says "you cant do that" usually means nothing - research your question and confirm for yourself that it cant be done. Lots of older welders (no offense) haven't kept up with the times and technology changes! Things are changing and a procedure you couldn't do 10 years ago is now possible with the right equipment and knowledge.


I also went to welding school for 10 months and if you go to class on time and take it serious, you will do very well! Remember, most schools don't pay the instructors very well and you will probably get to the end of their knowledge pretty quickly. If I were in your shoes at the end of my career, I think I would invest in myself and see what came out of it. You'd be surprised how many things that require welding but aren't exactly structural. Spend 20k on a truck/flatbed and another 5k on a welder and some clamps. You will need these for your upcoming house project anyway! If you do decide to weld full time, please take your safety very seriously. Wearing a respirator is a must at all times when striking an arc as well as hard hats in the field and shade 3 glasses while being around anyone else that's welding (even if you aren't watching the arc.) I've met a ton of people who have regrets due to not having or asking for the correct PPE in their early days.

Good luck! You can accomplish anything you put 110% into.

 

being a good welder usually has to do with having a large background of other skills which you may use while welding. You'd be surprised at how many welders cant read a tape measure or drawings, and of course it doesn't end there.

So very true!
Here in the Seattle area in the late 1980s, we had so much work the union hall was begging for people. The hall took in people right off the street. When building the Pioneer Square Station of the Metro Tunnel I had 4 or 5 guys welding Nelson studs on the Soldier piles. 12-inch centers. I had to take their tape measures away from them. I had one guy do all the layout for them. Who can’t layout 12-inch centers?!

 

Nope. You should go to CC at night and find an apprentice job in a precision sheet metal or machine shop. The learning will compound itself. Or you could school it out and get a 2 year degree in welding technology, then job as an apprentice. I did the second route but I schooled during the day and worked odd welding jobs at night to pay for school. The real world work experience really drove the schooling home. Certs can come later. However your school may require you to practice them.

But good luck to you. It will be quite an adventure.

 

As long as you are in decent health and have a desire to learn I’d say you can do whatever you want. I am sure depending on where you settle down jobs can be had especially if you have other skills that complement welding like some mechanical aptitude and problem solving. Hell they way the labor force is these days finding someone who wants to work is half the battle

 

MG, lots of good advice above but I'm thinking along similar lines as TheGary's recommendation. If you can stay in longer and continue to build up the retirement fund, I don't think that you'll regret it.

If you do get out, then taking a class at a CC to learn welding is a great way to go.

Regarding the container home, let me toss out another idea for your consideration. If you use containers you will lose space inside due to the need to insulate, and you will need to put something on the roof in order to protect them (they will rust out over time). Plus you are restricted in how you lay them out and there is virtually no resale value if you ever decide to sell the property.

Instead, what I would advise you to consider is to find a nice tract of land with some good, mature timber, and buy a used small sawmill (Woodmizer LT40H would be ideal), some chainsaws, and a good used 80HP+ skid loader with forks, 4in1 bucket, grapple bucket, trencher, boom pole and auger attachments. Buy a camper to stay in while you build the cabin.

With this setup you could mill out your own log cabin and have a much nicer place than the container home when you're done. With the skid loader and that list of attachments you can do just about everything yourself. A solar kiln can be built with your own sawmill lumber for drying interior lumber.

Once you're done, you can resell the sawmill, skid loader, etc and recover just about all of your investment in the used equipment, and you'll have a lot of equity in a nice home.

Just something to consider.

BTW, based on your handle I figure that you'll recognize this.....

And in my younger days playing "Rambo".... If you look closely you can see several pieces of brass in the air.

 

MG, lots of good advice above but I'm thinking along similar lines as TheGary's recommendation. If you can stay in longer and continue to build up the retirement fund, I don't think that you'll regret it.

If you do get out, then taking a class at a CC to learn welding is a great way to go.

Regarding the container home, let me toss out another idea for your consideration. If you use containers you will lose space inside due to the need to insulate, and you will need to put something on the roof in order to protect them (they will rust out over time). Plus you are restricted in how you lay them out and there is virtually no resale value if you ever decide to sell the property.

Instead, what I would advise you to consider is to find a nice tract of land with some good, mature timber, and buy a used small sawmill (Woodmizer LT40H would be ideal), some chainsaws, and a good used 80HP+ skid loader with forks, 4in1 bucket, grapple bucket, trencher, boom pole and auger attachments. Buy a camper to stay in while you build the cabin.

With this setup you could mill out your own log cabin and have a much nicer place than the container home when you're done. With the skid loader and that list of attachments you can do just about everything yourself. A solar kiln can be built with your own sawmill lumber for drying interior lumber.

Once you're done, you can resell the sawmill, skid loader, etc and recover just about all of your investment in the used equipment, and you'll have a lot of equity in a nice home.

Just something to consider.

BTW, based on your handle I figure that you'll recognize this.....


View attachment 1695987


And in my younger days playing "Rambo".... If you look closely you can see several pieces of brass in the air.

View attachment 1695988

I like the way you think. Not far from what I have been wanting to do for a while now. Not to mention I think it would be a fun learning process.

OP keep in mind the grass is not always greener.

 

Shipping containers are for shipping. Go get some block, insulation, steel studs and green board..........or rent a room somewhere. This container home thing is one of the biggest farces since voting

 

OK/ "Mobile homes" are even more useless but you can snatch the axles, wheels and tires out from under it and build something useful with them

 

Hell I'd rather learn to be a bank teller, grocery sacker, palm tree pruner on a beach somewhere. Anything but a dambed weldor.

 

i'm not a fan of container homes.
simple problem is moisture control. water vapor can't go through steel and steel is a great condensing surface.
small space also makes it more difficult. tiny homes can have major moisture issues if not done well. how bad depends on the climate of the aera, but then really dry areas tend to be really hot or really cold, and the thermals of steel works against you.

frankly it would be easier and quicker to build a standard house.

but please learn to weld. its a great skill to have.

 

I say go for the "learning the welding part" and earn some credentials since you will soon have a lot of free time on your hands, but forget about the your fantasy about opening your own shop and only working when you want, LOL. Shovelon's advice is sound, get a job as an apprentice at a shop somewhere. That way you have some secondary income, and then you can take on your own projects that don't conflict with your part-time job at your shop job.

 

thegary wins hands down.....

 

I have a friend similar. He bought a home in a populated area and rents rooms and he lives in the smallest room but the garage is his. I dont think this is forever for him but career wise he became redundant and no kids or wife he needs some time to sort it all out. He has equity in the home and is supported by the rent money and can putz around in his garage as long as he needs to figure out his next move.

In your shoes it would seem rather high risk to leave a secure job so if you want some sage advice hang onto the job and consider what your going through VERY normal. Life makes every job seem like *** eventually and changing it up wont change how you feel it only distracts. Jung said when you look out you dream, when you look in you awake. Good luck in 2019

Meet some new people maybe