Question: I have good mechanical abilities. I would like to turn my ability into a salable skill. Would welding be a good skill to acquire? Are there jobs available for welders? How much do welders earn?
— Raoul

Response: There are jobs available for trained welders in many industries including the chemical, petroleum and defense industries, as well as in the military. Welding jobs may involve repair of broken or cracked parts, filling holes, or increasing the size of metal parts. Welders also perform related tasks such as thermal cutting and grinding.

Above average growth is projected through 2008 for all types of welding jobs. These include metal fabricating machine setters or operators, welders & cutters, and solderers & brazers.

Salary Range
Pay varies depending on the type of employer, welding specialty and job duties. Non-union beginners and trainees earn minimum wage to $12 per hour. Union jobs pay higher wages. Apprentices earn a percentage of journey-level wages. Experienced union workers can earn over $20 per hour. Top pay can exceed $25 per hour.

Training Options and Costs
You will need to learn to fabricate or repair products according to layouts, blueprints, or work orders. Some employers provide on-the-job training for entry level work.

You will also need to learn to use inspection equipment and a gas torch or brazing or combination arc welding processes. It may take an Arc or Gas Welder several years to become a Combination Welder.

There are 10 community colleges in the Los Angeles County area that offer certificate programs, and/or administer the practical portion of the Los Angeles City licensing examination. The cost per course is generally $33. For example:
Long Beach City College
Pacific Coast Campus
1305 East Pacific Coast Highway
Long Beach, CA 90806
(562) 938-4353
www.lbcc.cc.ca.us
Contact: Terry Lopez
The School of Trade and Industrial Programs offers a welding certificate program. The college administers the practical portion of the city licensing examination.
Glendale Community College
1500 North Verdugo Road
Glendale, CA 91208
(818) 240-1000
www.glendale.cc.ca.us
The Technology and Aviation Division offers a 26-unit two-year welding certificate program designed to prepare the student for entry into the field as a combination welder. Coursework includes Occupational Welding and Advanced Welding Procedures.
Mt. San Antonio College
1100 N. Grand Avenue
Walnut, CA 91789
(909) 594-5611
www.mtsac.edu
Contact: Ben Isley
The Aircraft and Industrial Technology Department offers an 11-unit Welding certificate program. The college administers the practical portion of the city exam at a cost of $50.

The following adult school and regional occupational program center also offer courses in welding:
Simi Valley Adult School and Career Institute
3192 Los Angeles Avenue
Simi Valley, CA 93065
(805) 579-6200
www.simi.tec.ca.us
They offer an entry-level welding course, which provides students with hands-on training in the different welding processes and an advanced level welding class designed to prepare students to pass the certification test. According to a school-welding instructor, completion of both the entry and advanced level welding courses can take from approximately 4 to 8 months depending on the skill level of the student. Tuition is $175 for every 4 months of instruction.
Southern California Regional Occupational Center
2300 Crenshaw Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 224-4200
Fax (310) 782-1589
www.scroc.com
They offer a welding course where students work with techniques of Arc, Gas, MIG and TIG welding used in aircraft and construction industries. The class is offered Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at a cost of $350.

Certification
Welders are usually required to pass employer performance tests or standardized tests to meet the certification standards of governmental agencies and/or professional associations.
City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety
201 N. Figueroa St., 1st Floor
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 482-0099
www.ladbs.org
The mission of the Department of Building and Safety is the implementation of the Zoning, Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical Codes, as well as Engineering, Energy, and Disabled Access regulations, and local and State laws for construction and maintenance of commercial, industrial, and residential building.

Many employers in Los Angeles County as well as surrounding areas require welders to be licensed through the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. There is both a written and practical portion of the Certified Welding License examination. The department administers the written portion of the exam. The cost of the practical exam is $50, the written exam fee is $54, and licensing fee is $64.80.

Professional Association
American Welding Society
550 NW LeJeune Road
Miami, FL 33126
(800) 443-9353
www.aws.org
Los Angeles/Inland Empire Section 008
Contact: John Weber, section secretary
(714) 991-3158
Weld Academy
(888) 488-5669
This is a nonprofit professional association. Membership benefits include industry updates through publications, networking opportunities at local meetings and an online listing of job opportunities.

Additional benefits include their educational programs such as the Certified Welder performance-based program which involves being tested on procedures used in the structural steel, petroleum pipelines, sheet metal and chemical refinery welding industries. The test fee is $30. They also provide Cd-Rom welding courses/modules at a cost of $60.

According to a representative of Weld Academy, producers of the modules, completion of all 10 modules would prepare one to take the examination to become a Certified Welder Inspector. The individual membership dues are $75 and a one-time initiation fee of $12.

Unions
Depending on the job or industry you work in, you may become a union member in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the Boiler Makers and Iron Ship Builders, or the Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry.

Job Resource
WeldingJobs.com
131 Hall Place
Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236
www.weldingjobs.com
This is an online resource for the welding industry. Registrants can receive e-mail alerts of job openings in their area and can network through an e-chat with other welding professionals.

Placement agency
Link Staffing Services
16029 East Arrow Highway Suite G
Irwindale, CA 91706
(626) 962-1719
Fax (626) 962-4810
Carlos Mendoza, Contact
www.linkstaffing.com
This employment agency specializes in placing applicants in light industrial work including welding jobs.

— • —  
Susan W. Miller, M.A., is a National Certified Career Counselor, a Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist and holds diplomate status on the American Board of Vocational Experts. She heads California Career Services, a private practice career counseling firm in Los Angeles.

E-mail career questions you'd like answered in this column to info@californiacareerservices.com or visit California Career Services at www.californiacareerservices.com.