Where are all the talented welders!!!???

[Rezeppa]

It's not only welding. This trend goes on everywhere. I am in an odd age bracket of 22-25 I started welding and wrenching professionally when I was 16 so I have 8 years experience. I have seen so many guys come and go. No one wants to labor whether they are a welder, carpenter, bricklayer and so on. There is a overwhelming attitude of entitlement in the workplace nowadays. I am currently working for a smaller shotcrete / iron worker outfit in a rural area outside Detroit. I have noticed the Workforce in this small town is better than when I lived in the city bit not by much. In my opinion the problem is to much had been given away for free.

[willy]

It's not only welding. This trend goes on everywhere. I am in an odd age bracket of 22-25 I started welding and wrenching professionally when I was 16 so I have 8 years experience. I have seen so many guys come and go. No one wants to labor whether they are a welder, carpenter, bricklayer and so on. There is a overwhelming attitude of entitlement in the workplace nowadays. I am currently working for a smaller shotcrete / iron worker outfit in a rural area outside Detroit. I have noticed the Workforce in this small town is better than when I lived in the city bit not by much. In my opinion the problem is to much had been given away for free.

You hit the nail on the head - not just for the welding industry but for all. Entitlement - and giving everything away for free at the expense of others

Society and the government are turning people into a bunch of PU$$IES!

[FusionKing]

Society and the government are turning people into a bunch of PU$$IES!

I couldn't agree more

Talented help with any passion for the work is rare these days.
My son and I stay in business because we love what we do and aspire to excel in everything... but finding others to help us and hold their end up, simply seems unlikely these days.

[Meltedmetal]

I think the issue is more complex than that. The people in Western Societies have had their value system skewed over the last 50+ years. We have been convinced that a paper framed on the wall is more valuable than 20 years of hands on experience in the real world. Why do we think an accountant with a pencil and a cheap computer is worth 100+ dollars an hour and an experienced welder should work (in many places) for less than 20?
The metal industry is particularly bad at valuing themselves in my opinion. Why does a plastic signal light housing retail for 130$ and a brake rotor sells often below 25$? Overall there is a lot more capital expense involved to produce the rotor than there is to produce the light and likely more labor and higher skilled as well. I am often surprised at how cheap we produce metal parts and how expensive plastic is. This is only one example you see many others every day.
I put the cause of this on too many lawyers in government and an education system that has developed a serious rot at its core. To put it simply, lawyers like to make laws(even where a little common sense would do) it is what they do, The educational system is advanced to the point where it is feeding on its self and has driven the public to believe that you can't safely pick your nose without an advanced degree in nose pickery and three government certifications with monthly inspections by inspectors with multiple doctorates in quantitative and qualitative theory and procedures of pickery.
Anyway I love a little rant with my morning coffee. Enjoy the season everyone(gotta stay politically correct).
Meltedmetal

[willy]

Anyway I love a little rant with my morning coffee. Enjoy the season everyone(gotta stay politically correct).
Meltedmetal

Yep Merry CHRISTmas everyone..... (Me not being "politically correct")

[fjk]

There have been several threads on the lack of _skilled_ workers here over the last couple of years. I seem to recall reading (in other words, I probably am completely wrong :-) somewhat frequently that there are something on the order of 1 million open jobs in manufacturing/etc that companies can't fill because they can't find the skilled workers ... in other words, if they just wanted to hire weldors who could stick plain ol carbon steel together with mediocre results there are plenty of folks to hire but they want someone who can do tig joints on some superdooper s.xy alloy, while hanging upside down in a hurricane and have it meet clean-room specifications ... and all those guys already have jobs.

This is not just a problem in manufacturing or trades ... it hits engineering, science, etc jobs as well too. I work for an R&D company with about 500 employees. We have 68 openings, of which 60 are for technical people (everything from summer interns to senior research/experimental physicists). I've done college recruiting in the past, lots of new science & engineering graduates named Chin or Srinivasan ... not so many named John or Jane. John and Jane party for four years, get degrees in Medieval Flute Playing, wonder why they can't get jobs, and then go occupy Wall Street. Chin & Srini study for 18 hours a day, get advanced degrees in engineering or science, start a company and make big bux (or their visa expires, go back to the old country, and start the company there).

I expect it's the same in welding and other trades ... the guy who stopped learning when he found out that 6010 was a decent all around rod is probably not finding as many jobs as the guy who knows stick, mig, tig, different alloys and positions and ... well, you get the idea.

Sorry for the rant ... but I'm feeling much better now.

Merry Christmas to all (and to all a good night?)

Frank

[jessp]

Sounds as if this problem is everywhere. I have been welding since 1968. Had my own rig since 1975. Company I am working through right now has a huge list of people who can pass a test but have alot if problems in the field. Anyone that can purchase a truck n a welder n a few tools and pass 1 test can get hired, no precious experience required. It's really sad that our trade, in some areas, has been brought down to this current situation. I personally worked as a single hand for approx 6-7 years, learning the way to do things correctly. If I didn't know how to do something, in my spare time, I would get the book out and learn it. Just not that way anymore. They see $$$$ signs only.

[kvwall]

I blame the dot com era. I went to vocational school and learned to weld in 1984. Then the internet started taking off and the dot com era was born.

So many people made money doing nothing really. They sat in their Silicon Valley start-up office playing pool and eating free bagels. (I know because I did it for a few years)

For the last two decades, college has been jammed down our throats. Our kids have been taught they can have an easy life if they get a degree. Trade schools aren't viewed as important anymore. Now we're short on welders and other skilled trades. People don't know what it's like to work hard. These kids today don't even have to walk down the street to see if a friend wants to play. They sit on the couch and text 5 different people in 20 seconds.

Ok... I better stop before I really get started. <Rant Over>

[elvis]

I am in my mid-20's and I have a BSF, that is for Forestry. Turns out I don't want to work for the Feds so where does that leave me? I love working with my hands and being outside. Currently working on mastering stick and learning tig so I can start a career in welding and fab. I ran machinery for a while and that was sweet, but I had more fun fabricating stuff for the machines when they broke.

I might be young, but I have a pretty diverse background. Another thing that sets me apart is that virtually my entire family is involved in small business, mostly owning and running. I see what taxation, regulation and more government does. And it is not any good! If I want something I am going to work my a$$ off to get said item. People my age are a bunch of pu$$ys that need to shut up and try to work for something. It pisses me off.

[willy]

I am in my mid-20's and I have a BSF, that is for Forestry. Turns out I don't want to work for the Feds so where does that leave me? I love working with my hands and being outside. Currently working on mastering stick and learning tig so I can start a career in welding and fab. I ran machinery for a while and that was sweet, but I had more fun fabricating stuff for the machines when they broke.

I might be young, but I have a pretty diverse background. Another thing that sets me apart is that virtually my entire family is involved in small business, mostly owning and running. I see what taxation, regulation and more government does. And it is not any good! If I want something I am going to work my a$$ off to get said item. People my age are a bunch of pu$$ys that need to shut up and try to work for something. It pisses me off.

You might just make it - there may be hope for our country after all. Keep the faith and walk the staight and narrow Good Luck!