Miller Electric

Veterans, especially those returning from a war zone, often experience great difficulty returning to civilian life, finding new careers and re-entering the workplace.

We applaud the United Association for its commitment to helping our nation’s military by creating the Veterans in Piping Program (VIP).  The VIP pilot program is currently taking place at Local 26 in Lacey, Washington. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s no secret that the nation must encourage high school students to consider careers in the skilled trades if we are to address the projected welder shortage in the years to come.

High school educators and guidance counselors stand as one of the most influential people in a student’s career path decisions. Companies and institutions involved in promoting the skilled trades need to reach these groups if they are to reach the students they counsel. Read the rest of this entry »

Given the events of the past few weeks, it’s impossible to say how long this blog topic will remain accurate, but as of October 14, it looks as though the government’s plan to buy $250 billion of equity shares in the nation’s largest banks might be enough to avert a full-blown credit crisis.

The injection of cash into these banks, along with other government deposit guarantees and additional Treasury actions, will allow them to resume loaning money to each other, businesses and consumers.
Read the rest of this entry »

In response to reader interest on the subject of women in welding, we invited Jennifer Simpson (aka Carmen Electrode) to write a guest commentary on the things women should know if they are considering, or already involved in, a career in the welding industry. Below are some of her observations.

It’s estimated that only 5% of welders in the U.S. are women and that there will be a shortage of 200,000 skilled welders by 2010. Plus, the median hourly wage for a welder is $15.51, and highly skilled welders can earn even more. Given those statistics, it’s not hard to see why welding offers a great opportunity for women

Since many women either don’t know much about welding as a career or have a lot of misconceptions about welding as a job, I interviewed some welding instructors and women already making their careers as professional welders about what it takes for a woman to make it as a welder. Read the rest of this entry »

Technology has progressed at an amazing rate over the last 10-15 years, heralding advances in welding performance, productivity and quality once thought impossible, or at least improbable.

Before the advent of inverter technology in AC TIG welding, for example, maintaining a tight, focused arc on thin aluminum without burning through or warping the material was like building a car that got 60 miles to the gallon: a great idea, but not something anyone believed was realistic.

In both cases, technological advancements made the seemingly impossible a reality. It’s exciting to think about what will be a reality in 15-20 years that is now considered out of reach. Read the rest of this entry »

With the economy struggling and skilled welders in short supply (see Aug. 19 Wall Street Journal article), anyone with the necessary abilities and equipment stands a good chance of making some extra money moonlighting on side jobs or short-term project work.

Finding these types of jobs can require some effort, however. Word-of-mouth referrals, good ol’ fashioned door-to-door inquiries, the classified sections of your local paper, internet message boards or even posting a services offered ad are just a few of the routes you could take toward adding some padding to your pocketbook.

Countless companies, both large and small, have blossomed from an enterprising founder who uncovered a market niche through side jobs and project work.

Have you been doing any welding work outside of your day job? If so, what kind of work is it, how did you go about finding it and how has it panned out? Share your experiences by posting a comment below.

The topics we’ve chosen to write about in this blog have so far been about the subjects that we believe are important to you as welders, welding supervisors and the industry in general. We hope we have been successful in those efforts.

Now it’s your turn. We want to know what you want us to write about in future blog postings. The topics can be about virtually anything that relates to the welding industry, so please take a moment to consider what subjects you think we should be discussing as an online community and let us know by posting a comment below. If you don’t want to use the public forum, you can send us a recommendation directly by using the “Suggest a Topic” link at the top of the column to the right.

Energy independence is one of those perennial issues that it seems every politician promises progress on but rarely implements any significant steps toward. Perhaps with the dramatic increase in crude oil prices over the last two years and the urgency it has created in the national consciousness, this election season and the ensuing four years will be different. We can always hope. Read the rest of this entry »

For people who learn best by seeing and doing (a group in which many, if not most, welders belong), the advent of Internet video has opened up entirely new frontiers in the realm of welding education.

Instead of having to read about or look at static photographs of welding techniques, you can now see those techniques being performed live. What’s more, many video sites allow you to post comments or ask questions of the person who uploaded the video, making it almost like being in the room while the technique is being performed. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether it’s a musical instrument, baseball, welding or another activity that you’re passionate about, passing on your enthusiasm and knowledge of your hobbies can be one of the greatest joys in being a parent.

It’s tempting to begin introducing children to our interests from the moment they’re born — think jerseys from a favorite sports team or cribs shaped like miniature stock cars — but when it comes to welding, a little caution is probably well advised. Read the rest of this entry »