Tulsa, OK has often been reffered to as the “Oil Capitol of the World”. I like to call it the “Welding Capitol of the World”. Every where you go in Tulsa you find welding shops. Tulsa’s economy is largely based on products from Tulsa manufacturers. The products account for about 60% of Oklahoma’s exports. Tulsa companies employee thousands of welders. A truly great place for a welder to find a job. Tulsa is the home of the famous Tulsa Welding School. I attended TWS in 1990 and started my career in welding shortly after. I not unlike many people had a bad experience with TWS. The instructors you have in welding school can have a big impact on what you learn. The welding instructor I had at the time I went to school was right in the middle of a divorce. He seldom came to work and did very little on teaching me anything. I understand people have problems in there lives but I was paying money to learn a trade so i could better myself. I did get to burn a lot of rods and practice. Teaching was near non-existent then. After leaving Tulsa Welding School I could hardly call myself a welder. Eventually threw many failures on test and jobs i persevered and was able to establish some comfort level with welding. A few different times in recent past I started to take a job at Tulsa Welding School but had to pass. The pay was poor for a real welder. Most of the instructors I have seen when i did visit the school I had ran across on different jobs and was not impressed by there welding ability or attitude. The fresh students out of Tulsa Welding School are quite often laughed at in the welding jobs I get. I see all different kinds of graduates. Some are over cocky because they were one of the better welders in the class or the touted Master Welding Certificate they recieve upon completion of Tulsa Welding School. Others will simply never keep a welding job or fail one too many test. You may see the commercials that talk the about the 97% placement. Do not fall for the car salesman tactics they use to trick you. 97% might get a job but the percentage of graduates that actually keep working on a steady basis is no where close to that. A majority drop off the map. I have many times thought of opening up a real welding school where instructors care and real world welding practices are taught. This website is the first step in making this become reality.
7 Responses
That was an interesting piece on TWS. While I agree that a school’s instructors can have a great influence on their students, I also believe that what you learn in the classroom is only going to be enough to get started in any particular field.
I plan to start my welding career soon; if all works out, this summer I’ll start the pipefitters, if not I’ll enroll in welding classes in the fall. At this time, my only welding experience is from a class I had taken some 10 years ago while in high school. I would like to believe that I have the aptitude and necessary work ethic to really do well in this field, but I know that it will require plenty of work and dedication on my part. As a neophyte to the industry, I was wondering what tips and suggestions you might have to offer regarding some of the pitfalls you mentioned in the article.
*What is the reason that many new weldors get out of school, get a job or two and suddenly “drop of the map” shortly after?
*What do you feel are essentials for the weldor just starting classes, or the individual looking to start a career in the world of welding?
*Lastly, what do you wish someone would have told you about the welding world before you got into it? What would you say to someone that is looking to break into the field today?
Sorry if the post dragged out a bit. I am trying to gain as much of an understanding about this field as possible. Any information or insight is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Eric
Posted on January 28th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Hi Eric,
I also agree that ” what you learn in the classroom is only going to be enough to get started in any particular field”. But i do think there are varying degrees of basic skills that are lacking in there program.
*What is the reason that many new welders get out of school, get a job or two and suddenly “drop of the map” shortly after?
1. I have noticed a few different reasons why people “drop of the map”. Mostly to due with individual themselves. Here are a couple of examples.
* Lack of confidence or too confident (cocky)
If you are going to Tulsa Welding School I would assume that you are planning to take pipe welding course. The better paying jobs will most usually be pipe jobs. Most pipe jobs require a welding test to get hired. Then you must regularly pass x-rays to keep your job. You here about how much 97% of TWS students suppose to make on average and you have busted 2 or 3 test in a row. You have spent all this money and you think your in the bottom 3% of the students that graduated because you are not getting a job.
This results in extreme pressure and stress. This can send the under confident person over the edge and they may never climb back up.
Being able to recover after failure is the key. Reside to the fact you are going to fail at some point.
The cocky welding graduate probably was one of the better welding students and may have been coddled by instructors because they were ahead most of the class,
They get out of school with there ” Master Welding Certificate” and they expect to enter the real welding world and conquer it easily. Sometimes I have seen them wear their ball cap that says “Top One”. They have been trained that they are the elite. Then the QC comes along and starts to give him bad x-rays. They realize they are at the bottom rung of the ladder. Such a dramatic drop humbles the graduate or pushes him over the edge.
I believe that the younger generation today is very impatient. The graduates who get out and just keep chugging along and have the want to will succeed and yet once again, being able to recover after failure is the key. Reside to the fact you are going to fail at some point.
*What do you feel are essentials for the welder just starting classes, or the individual looking to start a career in the world of welding?
2. Practice good safety - I run across a lot of construction workers that have missing fingers and some with bad eye injuries. If you are new to the welding environment stay aware of your surroundings. Watch what your doing and more important watch what others are doing around you. Simple things like wearing your glasses while your welding and paying attention what direction your sparks are shooting while your grinding are good habits that will always help you out.
Soak up everything you can - Be a sponge ! Ask questions, ask for help. If your instructor is not helping you enough. Make them. You are in control. This is not High School. You are paying good money to learn.
*Lastly, what do you wish someone would have told you about the welding world before you got into it? What would you say to someone that is looking to break into the field today?
I wish I would have been able to access this site for starters. I attend to write many more articles and introduce video examples of up close welding.
Michael
Posted on February 1st, 2009 at 8:27 am
Michael,
Thanks for the info. While I don’t plan on attending Tulsa Welding School - I am an Illinois native - I understand, and agree with, much of what you have said. I do plan on attending a community college located a few minutes from where I live, this fall. The complete program runs the course of 1 year.
Here is the schools complete program:
Suggested Full-Time Schedule
First Semester
14 Credit Hours
WLD-111 (3) Basic Arc/Gas Welding I
WLD-112 (3) Basic Arc/Gas Welding II
WLD-104 (2) Electric Welding Circuits
WLD-105 (3) Reading Welding Blueprints
Developmental Mathematics or higher level MTH course (3)
Total: 14 credit hours
Second Semester
15 Credit Hours
WLD-113 (3) Basic Metallurgy and Materials
WLD-121 (3) Advanced SMAW and Cutting I
WLD-122 (3) Advanced SMAW and Cutting II
WLD-123 (3) MIG, TIG, and Brazing I
WLD-124 (3) MIG, TIG, and Brazing II
Total: 15 credit hours
Career Programs Options
Summer Semester
Select a minimum of four hours from one of the following options:
4/6 Credit Hours
WLD-137 (2) Individual Welding Problems I
WLD-138 (2) Individual Welding Problems II
Total: 4
Or
WLD-137 (2) Individual Welding Problems I
WLD-160 (2) Visual Inspections of Welds
Total: 4
Or
WLD-140 (3) Basic Pipe Welding I
WLD-141 (3) Basic Pipe Welding II
Total: 6
What do you think? I know that mastering, or even developing a strong skill set in any particular field takes time, but most of the welding programs that I’ve researched can be completed in one year or less. Do you believe that the reason that these programs are so short is because of the overall need for weldors? Having welded some time ago, and from what I recall, it seems that becoming a proficient weldor can take quite some time. I’ve read on another welding website, that the “good” schools can turn novices into individuals with a serious set of skills; skills that will allow them to tackle “real world” jobs. In a nutshell, these schools produce a skill tradesmen, not an “entry-level” weldor. Do you believe that such progress can be made in such a short period of time?
With thanks,
Eric
Posted on February 1st, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Hi Eric,
I do believe a school can produce welders or pipe fitters in a 5-month period. This would be 5 days a week and 8hrs a day. I work with a core group of very experienced welders and pipe fitters. We have been discussing opening a trade school near Tulsa for some time now. This was a topic of conversation just the other day. We talked about how we would teach real world things. The things you really need to know to prepare students for the real world. Obviously, I believe part of the problem of most schools are the teachers and curriculum. If or when we decide to make a move on opening a school we will do it the right way. I believe that if my core group of co-workers are doing the teaching and setting the curriculum we will be leaps and bounds above rest. When a student would graduate from our school I know we would have done everything possible to prepare him or her for getting and keeping a job. We would be staking our reputation on it because we would own the school ourselves. Unlike most other teachers that are just hourly paid employees and often times lack a real sense of caring. All of us have many connections to companies and a large circle of friends in the trade and they know by the reputation we carry with us now as good workers and skilled tradesman. This would help in placing students with good paying jobs that the graduate would be prepared for. I truly hope you have a good experience and learn all you need in the school you attend. Hopefully the teacher will be up to the level you need to get out and start making some good money.
Regards,
Michael
Posted on February 3rd, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Michael,
Thanks for the info. Since you brought up pipefitters in your last post, I’d like to mention that I applied and tested for local 597. All those that tested can pick up their scores at the end of this month. There was a record number of applicants this year for the ‘fitters (over 3,000), and from what I understand, they are only going to take 200 - 300 new apprentices; they are going to interview the top 500 and make need-based selections from said applicant pool. Although I believe I scored well on the aptitude test, my lack of construction experience may factor into my overall score and thus prevent me from getting an interview.
The training that the local would provide is probably better than what I would get at a community college. With the economy being in the dumps, I don’t know how many new apprentices, without at least some construction experience, the local would take on during these trying times. While I won’t rule out any possible scenarios just yet, my gut tells me that I will have to get some formal training, learn a bit about the trade, and then reapply, in order to get considered for apprenticeship. But that is just conjecture on my part; I hope I’m wrong!
I’ll keep you up-to-date on what’s going on. Perhaps when I get started with the pipefitter program or start school, I can write about my experiences and what’s going on in either program. Perhaps you can dedicate a small section of your website to the adventure; something that chronicles the life of a first year weldor. Searching the internet has yielded little results for someone trying to find an interactive site that provides answers to questions for those just starting out in welding; heck, even the Google Gods become stymied when asked to find a welding forum where members actively and consistently participate in discussions that would benefit the neophyte.
Whatcha think?
Eric
Posted on February 4th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Sounds Good Eric.
Michael
Posted on February 6th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
I wanted to comment on TWS.I left Louisiana in 1985 on a bus with a cashiers check.I have a cousin that attended TWS in the late 70`s for 11 weeks of pipe welding after he proved to them he could test and pass strutural plate test in all positions.My cousin`s wife had a Uncle that my cousin was his welders helper on pipelines and he sent my cousin to TWS upon his retiring.My cousin has been pipelining since he was 18 years old now he is 48.He is one of the best in the pipeline industry.He was taught pipelining on the job and TWS gave him the fundamentalsof pipe welding and nothing more.
TWS should be ashamed of themselves,for robbing their students and giving them no-more than the fundamentals,,for almost $20,000.00.I arrived there on a bus in 1985.I was scared no knowing nothing about Tulsa.I was registered and took 5 miles across town to some very nasty apartments,and was told,to buy be a bike and ride to school.
I called my mother and told her I was coming back to Louisiana,because I could not afford a cab daily to school nor would I ride a bike.TWS refunded my money and I came home.I registered in my local Vocational Technical School and attended two times weekly for about a year.I worked in the day welding out dump truck trailers with a wire welder while getting the fundamentals in my local Vo-Tech.
I would say any welding school that teaches the fundamentals of structural steel and pipe welding,is just as good as TWS.For $250.00 a quarter here my local Vo-Tech School can teach a student drafting and the master welders course,and produces some of the best welders my area has ever seen.Not everyone is cut out for the Welding Industry.
Take care and thanks for letting me share.
Bubba M.
Posted on April 28th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
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