r/Welders

Graduate Class of 2024 here in Oklahoma.
I didn’t wanna do anything after high school but given the amount of time… (2 years) I’ve been thinking about wanting welding to become my main profession.
I currently work at a shop as a welder but NOT really a welder..
I tack weld these cages that create a pipe form (I work at a concrete manufacturer) and it’s been MY DREAM to weld.
But I’ve been told by many certified welders at my job (other various jobs too) that if you want to weld, you’re gonna want to want it badly as it’s a competitive job.
So I also need to know from experienced welders if it’s really true that if I want to become a Welder, I have to go to school for it. Because if I do end up going to a trade school just to be put on a job site and suddenly one mistake will get me fired then all of it would have been for nothing, I just need to know if I’m gonna be making a permanent good career decision or not since I have a lot of options for career advancements and don’t want to waste almost 9-12 months on something that I’m not good at.

TL;DR : Graduated high school. Went to a community college for a temporary while and quit that. Want to become a Welder. I have no absolute experience in actually welding. (Besides tacking and practicing my beads)
Do I still have hope on becoming a Welder?

Whats better getting your own already made welding table like certiflat tables or fireball tool etc. A buy once cry once. Or designing your own fixture table or table with slots in a CAD and having your local CNC shop cut it and you add your own legs, bracing and whatever else on it?

What’s the best way to ensure precision when cutting angles in square tubing with an angle grinder? I have to get a bolt and see if the table saw works, but I want to work on precision when cutting and then welding plates on those cuts. Any advice? Self-taught welders at our university, we have mig and tig machines

alright fellow welders i know this has probably been posted a lot but i need some encouragement and success stories let alone barely passing high school i'm a bit nervous to take this class but i feel like it's something i want to do currently i'm a forklift operator and its not cutting it anymore so please i would love to hear some good stories especially if you went into a course with no experience at all

I am new to welding and got to try welding cast iron with ni-rod today. I googled what polarity to use on cast, google comes up with DCEN. I google what polarity to use with a ni-rod, google says DCEP. I used DCEP today and the welds looked pretty shitty to say the least. I asked my instructor and he said that’s just how it is welding cast iron, not pretty.

I could barely see the puddle, it was almost foamy/cloudy looking. It was as if I was running a line down a plate with a canister of shaving cream if that makes any sense.

And yes, I did sear the material before welding.

I plan on testing out DCEN tomorrow to see how that goes. Material was about 1/4” and I was running about 110 for amps.

What polarity do you use and why? Any tips help, although I almost hope to not have to weld cast again lol

I’m really considering choosing the welding technology program at SAIT however I have a few questions I need some information on

-what’s the job market like?
-do I need welding experience to be a welding inspector after taking this program?
-is this program appealing to employers?

I’d really appreciate any insight I could get .. (even if I didn’t ask that question lol) thanks guys ^_^