Lincoln VS Hobart Welding Schools, my future plans, and more

Lanse

Well-known Member
Hey everyone!!

So, "Stick Welding" asked about my plans for later in life, and I know I had said a few things earlier and never followed up on them.

Back in July, my mom and I drove from the farm where I live around 40 miles to the Hobart School of Welding located in Troy, Ohio and then on up to the Lincoln Electric school in Cleveland. We got tours of both, and truth be told I didnt think it would be very interesting, but I figure now I'll share my experiences.

Let me just say that I have nothing against Hobart, or against Lincoln. I own machines from both companies, they both make fine products.

Here's me with a new found friend just outside of the Hobart School:

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Heres a fun fact, the shirt Im wearing in that picture just so happens to be the one Im wearing now as I type this. Just thought I'd share that with everyone...

Anyway, we drove up there early in the day. It wasn't too bad of a drive, we just got on the highway and headed East. By rural Ohio standards there was a lot of traffic, but that was probably the worst I would see if I drove there five days a week. Not bad at all.

We got off the Troy exit and followed the GPS, although I wasn't sure it knew where it was going. We went through a quiet, nice looking residential neighborhood and sure enough, there was the school. We parked outside of an older-but-very-well kept up yellow brick building with a cool water fountain outside. We eventually found the office, and went inside. The nice lady behind the desk told us to have a seat and a few minites later Bob walked out and introduced himself. Bob is an instructor with the school, he was very friendly and welcoming and we followed him into a little side room, or a meeting room of some kind and sat around a table with him. He explained the history of the school, told us that in the 10 or 15 years that he had been there they had completely re-done the inside of the building, gotten new machines, and put a ton of work into the place. It really showed, the office and meeting room looked very new, like it was fresh construction. We talked to him for over an hour about everything from how to pay for classes (they even take credit cards), to the courses, the machinery, etc. He was very thorough in explaining everything and he asked a lot of questions about me, and my future. I told him I had a few machines at home, where I had gone to school, the projects I'd done, etc. I think he liked me. I thought he was cool, defiantly wouldn't mind having him as a teacher.

Shortly later, we left the meeting room and walked out into a freshly painted hallway that lead to all the classrooms and the shop itself. He wouldn't even let is go into the shop for liability reasons, but we took a look in there. There were dozens and dozens of individual welding booths with light-stopping curtains behind them which was GREAT (my vocational school didn't have that, I remember getting flashed many a time by walking past people welding in their booths). He took us into a classroom that taught tig welding. At the front of the room was a white board and a teacher's desk, behind that were a few rows of student desks, and at the very back of the room was a shiny new Miller Dynasty and a small welding setup complete with a fume extractor. He explained that this classroom is where they teach tig roots on steel pipe, and then we moved on.

We headed to a little office that they called the "career center" or something like that, which had a board showing where people were calling in from looking to hire weldors. There were a handful of Ohio companies and locations, many from North Dakota, various provinces in Canada, a lot from Michigan, and a handful from dozens of other states. There were computers there, and Bob emphasized that the vast majority of their students left with good jobs.

He showed us the "metal room" (I don't remember the official term) where they receive all their materials, pre-cut and ready to weld.

We walked around and talked for a while longer, and then we thanked him for his time and left with a big stack of paperwork.

I was VERY impressed with that school.

We stopped at McDonalds, had some greasy fast food, got on the highway and came home.

A little later (week or so? Couple days or so? This was in mid-july, don't remember the time frames really) we left again to go to Cleveland, Ohio and see the Lincoln Electric school.

We got off the highway after driving around the city of Cleveland and made our way through Euclid (sp?). Wow, that was a rough place. Ive seen worse neighborhoods here in Dayton, and even Detroit for that matter, but there were closed businesses, run down tenements, it was VERY poverty stricken. We locked our doors and drove through town, to the Lincoln Area. It wasn't very well marked, we actually pulled into a shipping area and asked for directions from a friendly security guard. He told us to head down the street to another set of buildings and we did. We parked the Jeep, got out, and I got my mom to take this picture of me outside the building:

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We got some weird looks from people no doubt going into work, but its all good. We walked inside, into a big lobby with a desk and 3-4 more security guards. They "buzzed us in" and told us where to go, and that there would be someone there to give us a tour. So, we walked down some steps and through some kind of a tunnel, to another security check point. This guard was also very friendly, and told us to hang out for a while and wait on the tour guide. So, we did, but no one showed up. After 10-15 minites, he directed us to go through a door labeled "SCHOOL" and follow the hallway until it ended. This whole place looked like a movie set, like something you'd see in a factory scene placed in the 1950s. We banged our way up the old school steel staircase, went down a very cramped (3-4 foot wide) hallway, and eventually ended up in the "school" part of the facility. Still no tour guide. After we stood there for a minute or two, someone walked up and asked us what we were doing there. We explained ourselves, and he offered us a tour and introduced himself as Charlie. He disappeared into the office for a minute and re-emerged with a ridiculously huge pair of safety glasses which he handed to me and we started our tour. My mom happened to be wearing open toed sandals and a small pair of prescription glasses, but I guess that wasn't an issue here.

He walked us through the area pointing out "This is the stick welding area.... This is the flux-core area..." etc. After about 15 minites, we ended up right back where we started and he invited us to walk into the office with him and he was ready to get me signed up right then and there. I wasn't so sure, so he handed us a couple of cards and asked if we had any questions. My mom asked how many instructors there were, and he thought for a second or two and told us "7" (Or 8, or 12, or whatever he said, I don't remember). I looked past him and counted exactly that number of teachers hanging out in the office there while there were dozens of students hard at work in the shop. That was a big deal for me.

Anyway, on the way home I knew I wouldn't be going to the Lincoln School. We spent around 15-20 mins in the school part of that facility, verses over three hours at the Hobart School.

IMHO, the Hobart schools blows Lincoln clear out of the water. MUCH nicer facility in a WAY better neighborhood, newer/better equipment from what I saw, heck, they even give better tours. The Lincoln building looked like a movie set, and the shop part of the school was a hot, smokey, dimly-lit factory type setting. It was like an upscale version of the Vocational school I went to for my Junior and Senior years of High School. The Hobart school looks and feels like a small collage. From what I saw, they have also place a MUCH higher emphasis on safety. At the end of the day, the Hobart School appears to be Brighter, Cleaner, Newer and safer than Lincoln. Also, at Hobart, the ONLY teacher we saw the entire time I was there was the one giving the tour, where as at Lincoln, every single one of their teachers was hanging out in the office, not actually teaching.

I feel bad writing a "less than perfect" review of the Lincoln School as I know that a lot of people go/have gone there and loved it, but hey, I went and this is what I saw, your milage may vary. I'm sure if I went there I would still learn a lot.

Anyway, I've decided on the 9 month long comprehensive structural plate/pipe welding course at Hobart. I'll learn everything, MIG, TIG, Stick and Flux-Core in all positions, and leave with a couple of certifications.

It was really fun to go and visit both places, and here are a couple more pictures. My last day of High School was May 11 of this year, and I can't express how happy I am to FINALLY have it over and done with. It feels like life is FINALLY starting to get good, I HATED school and thought most of it was a waist of time. Hey, maybe I am kind of normal after all :)

lol

So, the Hobart school starts a new class every month. I plan to start at the end of October. Why? Because things are going pretty well for me right now. Im enjoying life after HS, hanging out at the farm a lot, doing odd projects for friends and family, shooting YouTube videos almost every day, working on and riding a motorcycle that I absolutely love, working at a part time job that I picked up and really enjoy, and enjoying the summer.

If I start in October, I'd finish around the end of July in 2013. I've decided to move to Texas, because I've lived in New York, Michigan and Ohio my whole life and Im ready for a change. Nothing against any of those places, but they're not where I want to be. I'm lucky, Ive traveled two continents and been all over the US on various family trips, and theres really no where I'd rather be than Texas. I've got family and a few friends in Austin, and I spend all the time there I can. I absolutely love the food, the music, the culture, the scenery, how everything there is new, and nice, and clean and busy compared to where I am now, and everything about it. I deal with heat well, we get in the 105 range here in Ohio with high humidity, I'd gladly do another 5-10 degrees for a longer period of time if it meant no winter. That being said, If I graduated in the end of July, I'd leave Ohio sometime in August and I could miss a chunk of the "hot" season in Texas. Where in Texas however, remains to be seen.

Anyway, this is me at my graduation (May 18):

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And this is something from the Local School District:

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So, thats whats new with me. Idk if anyone's still reading, but that is where I am, and what I'm up to. Just wanted to share. Hope everyone has a good week :)
 

Glad to see you are focused on improving your career prospects, Lanse. Keep it up.

KEH
 
Kinda weird about the lincoln school ? Maybe the school is just a front for cheap factory help ?

That company is known as a good company to work for and most years employees get a year end bonus that is HUGE !!!! as in more then the average guy here makes in a year.
 
Yeah, I don't know the politics of it, or how it all works out or anything. Thats just what I saw when I went...
 
Lanse, great to hear about your school plans. But, you really should look into your writing skills. I was impressed with the way you write, like a short story! Take care.
 
Like your writing style.

I have a question...will a community college acknowledge the schooling so it could be applied to their associate degree in welding technology?
 
Lanse, you're in the driver's seat, you want to pick a school that fits you. High school is all fun and games,[u:240ed9dc3f] [b:240ed9dc3f]now[/b:240ed9dc3f][/u:240ed9dc3f] is the time to get [u:240ed9dc3f][b:240ed9dc3f]dead serious[/b:240ed9dc3f][/u:240ed9dc3f] about your career!

I went to two years of welding school at a trade center, all of us were bussed in from different high schools in a 30-mile radius. That schooling was OK. But I didn't learn anything compared to the 3-years I spent in a tank fab shop, burning rod and wire for 8 to 12-hours a day. A good welding school will give you a good foundation, but there is nothing like on the job training! :wink:
 
Its great you have considered both schools, even better to have made a decision, and know what you want to do right now, one step at a time, get that done, but sometime before you'll probably be at the same crossroads again, hopefully you will be able to maintain the continuity of your vocational education until you have the accreditation you need or desire.

I honestly think, or at least in my case, it can be difficult or not so visible that you need to keep tabs on planning your future, life always presents distractions. I think that would be the single most important thing I would suggest to someone at your age, plan ahead, and compel events to occur according to your plan. Its great to at least have an idea of what you want to do, as it will drive you to make good use of your time vs not.

I believe I have heard it said to live somewhere else in life, for some period of time, meaning its a good thing, I've got a friend who moved to Austin in '09, mostly for the music culture, being a musician, he moved back in 2011, but was really enthused about Austin for similar reasons, regardless, best of luck !!! we'll stay tuned in for some progress reports, LOL probably make some great tool talk forum "fodder" LOL !!!
 
I think it was the first day of welding school my honest instructor helped us understand that welding as a career was poor pay.

That's not to say that the last opportunity I had was 7 12hr days welding lead coated beams and could realize about $16K a month. Kinda tough when it's a 2hr drive each way. not many hours to sleep let alone wash off the filth and eat too. Kinda run ya down pretty quick.
 
I'm surprised about what you found at the Lincoln
School, many of the instructors at the EAA
convention are Lincoln employees, they are always
nice to deal with, their seminars/classes are fun
informative and they do a good job of teaching
hands-on techniques. Lincoln sponsors the electric
welding seminars for the event and provides the
equipment and some of the instructors.
 
Stay in touch Lanse, My son-in-law is going to Texas by Houston to work for a shipbuilder. He is just now getting out of the service and will be working in procurement and inventory. He says they always need good welders. Might be something you would be interested in. I'll do my part to help. Good luck to you, and keep in touch.
 
Lanse, I graduated from Hobart in Feb.1969. When I went there Mig welding was just being developed. They called it Microwire Welding. I have been welding almost continously ever since. I have worked in coal fired power houses,on all types of coal and earthmoving equipment,chemical plants, textile plants, built water tanks, pipelines and just about anything you can imagine. I have been in business for myself for over 35 years and I basically owe it all to Hobart. If I hadn't gone there it is hard to say what I would have done in life. Welding is a hot dirty job, but it has it's rewards also. It feels pretty good to drive through a community and look over and say I built that water tank, that sign post, that handrailing around the veterans memorial, that truck bed, that set of entrance gates or whatever. Hobart will give you the skills you need. Study hard and Good Luck !!!Welding Man
 
went to Hobart in 1977, great school, nice location, cool little town. Great instructors, will teach you all you want to learn.
 
If you are going to move, it might as well be to a state that has no state income tax, like TX!
 
Lanse;
You commented about hating High School. Wait till you see how much different it is attending a school that is serious about something you have chosen.
Enjoy and make the most of it.
 
Glad you have made your mind up as to a direction to go in. That many times is the hardest part. Just remember you have a "Plan" it will be good to follow but life will bring up hard times and opportunities. Learning to tell the difference will be the biggest education you will get.

Also check out the pay scale differences in the different places. Texas used to be a real low wage state as far as trades went. I don't see how it could be any better now with the rush of Mexican labor. Worked winters a few years in the 1980s welding on bridges. Got to know several guy that went south to get out of the winter weather. They took a 50% pay cut. Most of them came back up here.
 
THANKS for the update! The fountain at Hobart is
quite famous and had a major retrofit a few years
ago. I think it's called the Fountain of Unity or
Unity of Man? Really glad you're going forward
with your welding career.

I'm not surprised about Lincoln. The old guy where
I work has been there and said it seems like
everything is a big secret with tons of security.
I'm surprised you didn't look for the 420 foot
wind tower Lincoln put up at their plant. Lincoln
has always had kind of an arrogant attitude. They
do have some very smart people and good products
though. I think Hobart has done a lot more for the
community than Lincoln including building an arena
back in the 50's, I believe.

Interesting Canada is looking for Hobart grads. I
imagine Alberta is one of the provinces looking
and Alberta has really high standards. Is that the
statue dedicated to the first welding instructor
at Hobart? Did you check out the history of
welding display when you were there? Man, I wish I
could have went with you! It looks like a cool
place.

You will learn a lot in 9 month's and most likely
be using top of the line Miller equipment. Maybe
it would be a good idea to wait until you graduate
and then see where the good jobs are before
settling on Texas? It's good you're going to be
doing some pipe welding too. You might find you
really like it and if you get good at it, you can
make the big money!

Thanks again for the update. Be sure to keep us up
to date with your courses.
 
Before it's over, I expect someone to make some comments calling you "gutless" [or similar] for not choosing the Marines over welding school. But I like the idea that you're planning to get trained in a field of your OWN choosing.

As far as the plans for after your schooling ends...be flexible. If you're meant to go to Texas, that's where you'll end up...and if not, a different opportunity may present itself. By being flexible, you can adapt to the circumstances that present themselves at the time.

But, by ALL means, take the schooling seriously. Show up every day, show up a little early, be prepared to stay a few minutes late, and do everything the instructors expect of you and a little more. Treat this as if they're paying YOU to be there, and as if YOU have to give THEM their money's worth...because once you get on the job, that's how life will be, so you might as well prepare for that now. Then make sure that when you're in class, you pay attention and get YOUR money's worth. If you do that, you'll thank yourself later.
 
JDseller years ago I worked for an engineer on the Metro tunnel down town Seattle. He had just come back to the states from building a dam in Venezuela. He told me the best stainless steel pipe weldors he has ever seen were on that dam project, they worked for $1.60 an hour! :shock:
 
Good write-up but don't sell Lincoln short. I took an Ag welding course at Cornell & later attended a production welding seminar at Lincoln. The seminar was outstanding. You can't really appreciate Lincoln unless you've tasted their culture. The bottom line at Lincoln is all about the money. Everyone shares in the profits, everyone. There's really no 'caste system' like everyone else has. Back when I was there the year end bonus for the floor workers could be between 25k & 32k. No one stands around to shoot the bull or milk the water cooler. You can but it comes out of your bonus. You can even call the boss names if you want but it'll cost you points toward your bonus. Folks had multiple duties to keep things moving. And if you want to screw off it'll affect your co-workers & their bonus so you'll get heat from them. The facility is spartan to say the least because fancy trimmings come out of profits. There were no doors on the offices, even the plant manager, so you could walk on him in any time, not even a secretary outside his door to block you. No carpets or fancy wood desks, none. Really kind of refreshing after you've seen how other companies squander the profits for fluff. Really sharp people but focused on making profit for the year end bonus, no time to chit chat. One problem they had was keeping people, after working 4-5 years they would take the bonus money they accumulated and start their own business. Granted the neighborhood is really, really bad but I think they were there before that tanked. Too bad you couldn't take one of their seminars so you could a feel for what really goes on. See if you can find anything about their seminars. We did get to tour some of their production but they really value their trade secrets and many areas were off limits. And the workers were so intent on making product they never even looked up. A whole different philosophy on making money and what work should be. Sorry they seemed cool to you but they're all looking at the bottom line. A seminar could get you a better view than a lone tour. Best of luck to you Lanse as you enter a new phase of your life adventure. Remember to keep your stinger dry! joe-
 
I am glad you are moving forward. I was worried when I hadn't heard anything in months.

Why Texas before you even start school? I would see where the jobs are. Who's to say the jobs aren't in Oklahoma. No different climate than Texas and you would have a better paying job.
 
Good luck to you Lanse. Don't be afraid to move out of your comfort zone and discover new things. BTW those huge safety glasses are meant to fit over prescription glasses.
 
You only get one chance to make a first impression. It sounds like Lincoln blew it but the Hobart school isn't a exactly a fly by night operation.
 
I hope that this doesn't pop your bubble with a pin, but here goes: When I joined the Army, in 1960, we took a test..the better you did on the
test the better specialitys you were offered. I
had a choice and took Aviation.Others had no choice and were sent to the infantry..Cannon
Fodder!, in the "Viet Nam era".
Later in life I taught Hydraulics at a Technical
college. I noticed that the recrueters were
"talking up" the advantages of Welding courses
to the "Farm boys", and trying to "Fill up" slots
in Welding. One even mentioned encourageing the
"Slower Kids" to get into welding.
That school, at that time, was training people
for assembly line factory jobs, where you ran
the same bead, on the same type of thing, for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for years..boreing..
drudgery..and maybe ending up, in your old age
with emphysema from breathing fumes for years.
Go to school. Learn all of the techniques, become
a "Certified Weldor", who can weld anything, but
stay away from a factory repetitive assembly line
job.
 
A degree never hurts! A lot of the constructions companies I've worked for promoted trades people into management. I only have a high school education, 4-year apprenticeship, combined 3-years of welding school. I was promoted to project superintendent, ran multi-million dollar projects. Truth be known, I wish I had a degree, a degree in anything helps!
I once worked for a guy who had a degree in zoology, how the he!! that helps in construction I'll never know! :lol:
 
While we have our share of cheap Mexican labor and our pay scale may not be as high as yankee union states. Our cost of living is pretty low, our quality of life is great, and there truly is no place like Texas. Welder's here get paid well for what they do in my opinion. We have plenty of high paying oilfield work, enough that I regularly see welders from lots of other states. If you go to the coast you have ship building and the like. I know some guys that make custom gates and cattleguards that do pretty well. The thing is there is money here to be spent, unlike alot of other places.

Welcome to Texas Lance
 
...I once worked for a guy who had a degree in zoology, how the he!! that helps in construction I'll never know! :lol:

Because it shows he has the skill and dedication to complete a 4 year degree! There is a lot more to a degree than just knowledge in the subject matter.
 
Lanse, I was a journeyman pipe welder in the Pipefitters union for many years. I welded in 2 different nuclear powerhouses and many other places. I often heard of the Hobart school as being excellent but although I liked Lincoln and Miller welders much more than any Hobart I ever used, I did not know Lincoln had a welding school. Hobarts were soft starting to me and I was always battling them. Get one of those good breathing mask hoods and use it whenever you weld to protect your lungs. Good luck!!
 
I'm sure most people would rather go to a school that was looking forward to them coming than one that was clouded in secrecy and couldn't be bothered showing you around. If you worked for Lincoln, you're obviously biased. The Hobart school is recognized as one of the best in the world so Lanse shouldn't have to worry if he's going to get the proper instruction. Money isn't always the bottom line. Happiness is more important than money.
 
Never worked for Lincoln, opinion based on experience. If my opinion sounds biased, it is because I was there and saw what they had to offer. The men I went to the seminar with all came away feeling the same. Never said Hobart was no good. Just said that all the money to pay for the pretty stuff has to come from somewhere. When you're in business money tends to be the bottom line. Probably a difference walking in the door for a tour, going for an interview, and rolling up your sleeves. Some guys just go for the prettiest girl and never find out what the others have to offer. joe-
 
Lanse was less than impressed based on his visit. I think most people would have been. You went to a seminar with a bunch of other people. That's probably why they were more accomodating but Lanse was a potential customer and thought their customer service was lacking. Lincoln is not always the best company to deal with. They are big on knocking the competition which isn't a good sales strategy. Lincoln used to be the most expensive but now are pretty comparable with Miller.
 
Lanse, good on you for having a clear direction in life. The only thing I"d say to you is give this trade 5 years or so to make sure you really like it. Making stuff in your own garage for fun and profit is one thing, doing it every day for a boss who has a bottom line to meet is quite another. I know a lot of guys who entered the trade with dollar signs in their eyes, not wanting to waste a lot of time in school. Many regret entering the trade. It"s a filthy business a lot of the time. You will get zero respect from most of your bosses, and in my experience, most if not all of the welding shops I"ve been through have been a lot more like the Lincoln shop than the Hobart one. I"m not saying for an instant that it"s not honest honorable work, but it can get you down physically and spiritually if you end up working for the wrong people. The most dysfunctional, violent and dispiriting place I ever worked was a welding shop making roll-off containers. The office got shot up one weekend by a disgruntled worker, another made a special tool for slashing his co-workers tires on his way out of work after shift, another loosened all the lug nuts on the bosses truck trying to kill him. Another was almost shot by police while beating up his wife with a coffee table leg, another arrested for assault, and most of the guys were alcoholics or drug abusers. Are most shops like that? Probably not, but in my own >personal< experience, this trade tends to attract a lot of marginal types who have taken very little pride in themselves or their work, who are doing it for the money, who are now tied down by family, mortgage, child support or alimony payments and can"t do anything else. I don"t believe you are one of those types, but not all of them were either to start with, so I urge you to give this thing a good solid go like I know you will, but make sure that it is exactly what you want to do before taking on life"s more permanent commitments. BTW, nothing you did in school was a waste. You never know where life will take you and what you will make use of in the future. If you decide you would like to get into something else, all that "other stuff" might eliminate the need for a lot of remedial work later on. People change, what we enjoy changes, our goals and values change. Don"t be closing any doors by getting tied down to any one thing early on. And if I offended anyone, I didn"t mean to. Welding is good honest work if that"s what you like. To me it has always been the dirtiest and one of physically hardest of all the trades. My brother has been welding for almost 20 years and it has taken a hard toll on his body and spirit. At almost 50, with commitments he can"t slough off long enough to retrain, it is unlikely he will be able to transition to anything else at this point in his life. He regrets getting into the trade. Yes he was making very good money for awhile, over $90k a year doing oilfield related work, but it is unreliable, and you must never get into the habit of thinking it will last.
 
Shops and bosses have got a lot better than 20 or 25 years ago because less people are going into welding. I would think the shops looking for Hobart grads would be the better ones to work at.
 
which school you choose. within 3 months you will be on here telling how wrong they are at what they are trying to teach you. you lasted what -- 2-3 days at the job your high school teacher got you.
 
I"m talking about today, in Alberta, where there"s lots of money one year and you"re losing your house the next if the oil price goes for a dump.

The shop I worked in was also in Alberta, in 1998, so it isn"t exactly ancient history.

Having said that, a good union job on an oilsands project, or in a power plant will be miles ahead of some mom and pop company running their welders into the ground when they take on an oilfield contract they aren"t really equipped to pull off and where they don"t put any money back into their company. There"s plenty of those around.
 
I'm in Edmonton. I started welding in 1981 just before the recession. The tank shop I worked for in Nisku went under in 1982 as well as hundreds of other mostly oilfield shops. It was a really good place to work too (Recon Manufacturing). Nisku was a ghost town. Things were slowly starting to pick up when I got a welding job at Go Getter in 1985. With hundreds, even thousands of welders out of work, companies could pick and choose who they wanted and treat the workers like crap. I had heard Go Getter had a bad reputation but figured it couldn't be that bad. They went through 9 guys a week on average and used to have an ad running all summer long looking for welders. Since the economy has turned around, companies can no longer treat the employee's like crap. The employee's can pick and choose when things are really booming. There are a lot of good non union jobs and most of the bad places to work have had to smarten up. There was little recession a few years ago but not anything like 1982. The union isn't the be all end all as they would make people believe. Getting into a union shop can be good though but there's still issues in union shops.
 
That's the type of school he just graduated from. It's across the block from my aunt and uncle's place. She's a teacher and remembers Lanse.

They re-named the place I think not long before Lanse went there. IT was the blah blah blah joint blah school, and everyone called it the joint, and the people running it didn't think that it was a good nickname for the place.

My dad drove milk truck from 89-92, and went to the bottling plant in Cleveland Heights. I think it was the 42nd light on Mayfield road where you turned. We were low on fuel one day and the receiver told dad how to get to I-90 and avoid all the lights, and it wasn't exactly a friendly neighborhood back then, either.
 
(quoted from post at 09:10:39 08/31/12) Ut vos oro per stultus vos adepto duos fossor. Permaneo vox est vestri, meus amicus.

Is there a reason we are speaking Portugese?
 
My, aren't YOU the BRAVE one! Didn't quite catch your handle, though...since I'm sure you'd be PROUD to tell us...right?

Guess what, Mr. "Proud-of-my-handle": kids make MISTAKES every day...hell, even us ADULTS have been known to make a mistake or two. I've been told that's because we're HUMAN.

OH, WAIT...YOU probably NEVER made a mistake in your life, so certainly YOU have the right to complain when a young man just out of school makes one. HOW DARE HE make a wrong choice, or a wrong decision...after "we" bought him books and sent him to school, nonetheless! Why, the unmitigated GALL of a young man making a WRONG decision, after what we worked SO hard to teach him! Why, we need to send him somewhere so someone will "take him down a few notches," mentally AND physically...ain't that right? And sending him for MORE schoolin' is ALWAYS gonna be a wrong choice, since he apparently "didn't learn nothin' " the FIRST time, in the public schools...ain't that right, too?

In case you hadn't noticed, Lanse isn't one of those kids who can't spell, can't add, and can't speak or write in coherent sentences. Apparently SOMETHING soaked in while he was in school...unlike MANY of the students we turn out these days. Kids like Lanse ARE the kind of kids we need to be sending on to further their education; and if he wants to do that at a TRADE school, MORE POWER TO HIM! Too many of our high schools steer kids like Lanse to community colleges for degrees that, when it's all said and done, won't buy them a cup of coffee; with the choice he's making here, Lanse can come out with a certificate AND the skills to go out and get a good-paying job...where he can become an asset to his community, not just some whiny-azz living in his mom's basement playing video games like the classmate who got his degree in "general studies."

When Lanse first came to these forums, he was a kid with a video camera who basically destroyed things. Most of us have watched him change into a young man who BUILDS things instead of destroying things. To ME, that's a sign of CHANGE...something that you apparently think he's incapable of doing.

If you give your own kids the same kind of "encouragement" you give Lanse...don't blame "society," or "public education," when they turn out to be some really screwed up examples of human beings.
 

Hey won't matter, when Lanse quit that job, I just laughed! In the trades quiting jobs means nothing! When I was an apprentice, I quit three jobs in one week. That year alone I quit thirteen jobs. In construction sometimes you have to quit a job to go get one that will last a longer duration. The company I worked for the majority of my life, I quit them four times. Most people who run construction projects know this isn't personal, it's business. When I was running work here in Seattle, people would quit me all the time to head up to Alaska. In Alaska they have a short weather window to get things built, so they work all kinds of hours. I was there in 1982, making over $3,000.00 week. Some of my key people have quit me to go to Alaska and money up! When they came back and rested up, I'd put them right back to work. Like I said, this isn't personal, it's all about how much money you can put in your bank account! :wink:
 
I know this is old and probably won't get a response but here goes anyways. Lanse I just wanted to see how you're experience was at the Hobart school. And was it worth the money? I was contemplating attending. I have about 4-5 years on the job and school combined welding experience. I really want to focus now and become a pipe combo welder and hobart seems like the place to go.
 

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