Isn’t it crazy?
In the middle of a huge and nasty recession pipe welders are making crazy money. Sounds like fantasy land but it’s true. Why is it true? Where is it true? Like all good things worth having, it isn’t as easy as we would like to be.There are reasons why welders are being paid $12,000 and more a month in the middle of a big recession.
REASON # 1: You will need to have the valuable, high paying skill that is pipe welding.
Only about 5% of all welders can weld pipe. However, if you’re a structural welder, you can make good money too, just not as much as the pipe welders. Pipe welders have been and will probably always will be the cream of welding. It is not an easy skill to master. It is a hand-eye skill. Pipe welding requires the welder to be able to weld in all possible positions.
REASON # 2: The $12,000 a month money isn’t in Hawaii – we’re talking North Dakota.
Why not Minot, (North Dakota)? You’ll find out. Just be sure you take every warm piece of clothing you ever got in your life (and ask your mom for your baby blanket back too). Why? because you’ll be putting it all on at one time. Temperatures can be 40 degrees Fahrenheit, BELOW zero. North Dakota isn’t the only place there is work or will soon be work. The big pipeline from Canada to Texas will start up soon, and you are likely to see demand for pipe welders explode.
REASON # 3: Do you have a roof over your head right now?
Roofs are hard to find in North Dakota. This small population State has been invaded by workers hired to get the shale oil out of the ground. This recently discovered oil is making farmers rich over night, and making it tough for workers to find a place to sleep. Take grandma’s RV with you. Even at that, you’ll be blessed if you can find a place to hook it up. It would be a good idea to have a good generator, and a lot of gerry jugs to haul water, gas, and sewage. Why? Because you may have to spend some time without hookups.
Is pipe welding the only good paying job in North Dakota?
No – anyone who can work (hard) is going to make relatively good money in North Dakota. The unemployment rate is under 4%, so if you can fog a mirror, you’ll find some work. Making hamburgers pays up to $15 an hour, and you may get a nice bonus of $300 to $500 just for signing up. Pipe welding is near the top of the highest paying jobs in demand, because pipe moves oil, and not everyone can weld pipe. However, pipe fitters, structural welders, roust abouts, and just about any trade including general laborer is in demand.
WARNING:
No matter what you WERE doing and what you were making before they told you they no longer had work for you, you’ll make roughly double that in N.D. Before you burn the barn, bundle up the baby and blast into after-burner, do a little a research and see if you can find a place to hang your hat in N.D. or you may soon be coming back.
What should you do next?