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Lanse 10-06-2012 15:18:41 209.251.8.126 Report to Moderator	"Congratulations! You have been accepted at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology." Okay, so their grammar's not perfect, but I start school there right after Thanksgiving. I'm kind of looking forward to it, but im mostly looking forward to being done with it... I've been dreaming about being done with school since I was in about sixth grade... My 14 years of school had their high points, but overall it was a hellish experience I'd never wish on anybody... Needless to say, I didn't really like school, or most of the schools I went to, but I figure I can handle nine months of pipe and structural welding since its actually something I *want* to do. lol. I don't really know what to expect, but I bet it'll be interesting... The Hobart School offers two shifts of classes... One starts at (I believe) 8am and runs until 3 or 3:30 or so like a regular high school, and the second runs from 4pm until like 1am or somewhere around there. I have no problem getting up and getting places when I need/want to be there, but overall, I'm defiantly NOT a morning person, so I signed up to go there second shift. This actually IS something I'm very happy about. Overall tho, Im not sure how I feel about all this. I really don't want more school... For anything... But I sure as hell don't want to hang around here forever and I know its gonna be kinda hard to run the welding business I will eventually have without all the training I can get. I feel like I do know a lot, but theres still a ton that I need to learn, especially with pipe, tig, and flux-core. I know this is going to be a big step towards moving on with my life and finally starting to be able to do things myself, my own way, and for myself, so I'm all for it. When I was little(r), I used to work for some dishonest farmers around here... I guess that was probably a huge turnoff for me... As well as the whole "apprenticeship" thing from a year or so ago, but the good that came from all that was that I've decided that I really want to work for myself. I get that having a steady paycheck is a wonderful thing, but still, working for someone else just isnt something that appeals to me. I'd be much more satisfied working for myself and although life is a heck of a rollarcoaster, thats where I will end up. Long story short, I guess I'm gonna be back to school here in a month and a half or so, and from there to some sort of business education, and from there, eventually, out of Ohio and most likely to somewhere in Texas. Just a little update I thought I'd share, and thanks to everybody who offered advice about this whole edumacation thing... You guys are great, and having seen both schools, I'm not regretting choosing the Hobart school at all. Wish me luck! :) [Reply]   [No Email]
03 10-08-2012 08:20:09 24.108.80.34 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Wow,you're gonna be a GREAT welder.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Kestrel in Ct 10-08-2012 06:58:50 174.62.187.196 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Great move for you Lanse. Don't ever lose that positive attitude. Just remember the best laid plans are easily derailed by bad timing with women. Never be in a hurry with them. Wait til you career course is on track, then test the waters... :) You can always settle down.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Ronald Anthony Anderson 10-07-2012 18:08:56 184.94.143.94 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   I read a lot but don't post very often. But I seem to have started visiting this website close to the same time Lanse started posting. Since that time we have watched a kid grow up to be a smart young man who is determined to better himself and knows he needs a education to do so. I know several guys that went to North Dakota and were taught what they needed to know there. Having said that you will be ahead of the game by waiting until you finished school and then start looking at adds. One example was a young fellow that went for the summer hoping to make enough to help with his college. It was a 50 mile drive to the nearest place he could get a shower. He called home and together with his brother and father they converted a semi trailer into mobile showers and traveled to places selling fresh showers and towels. He made a bunch of money and sold the outfit for a lot more when he went back to college. Sometimes you just have to think out of the box. Good luck Lanse.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Buzzman72 10-07-2012 07:15:51 74.134.25.51 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven HUNDRED words [or so]...in reply in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Like all the others, I'm going to add my congratulations. Like most of the others, I'm going to encourage you...but only to a degree. When I was a kid, my dad and grand-dad ran a business. In the 1940's and early 1950's they had a dealership selling IH trucks, tractors and appliances, and Hudson and AMC autos. Supposedly, the business was a partnership; in truth, Dad had virtually no say in the operation of the business until Grand-dad passed away. Grand-dad managed to take a thriving business in the '40's and '50's with several employees, and turn it into a one-horse operation doing only farm equipment parts and service...all because he "got tired," and wouldn't allow Dad a larger role in managing the business. He let the truck franchise go in '53...sold his last new cars in 1959...and in 1961 moved the business to a building 1/3 its former size. NO, there never was a year when the business lost money; and in the mid-1950's, they were doing gross sales of $250,000+ a year...not great by today's standards, but for the time frame, it was pretty decent. My intention in telling that story is not to trash my grand-dad's skills as a businessman, but to serve you with this cautionary note: not everyone is cut out to run and manage a business. For dealing with farmers, "closing time" was a mere formality; nights, Sundays and holidays often found someone knocking on the door at home, looking for help with a broken part that needed either welding or replacing. And no matter how late you were up the night before, or how sick you felt, SOMEBODY has to be BE THERE to open the doors every morning ON TIME, EVERY DAY you say you're going to be open. And then there's the accounting part of the business. If you decide to open a business, you need to know that, at the end of the day, your bills get paid FIRST...and YOU get paid LAST. You don't just have to pay for materials; there's also rent, property taxes if you own your building, repairs and maintenance, utilities, insurance [VERY important in this sue-happy society in which we live], along with paying for NEW tools and equipment as you go along and things wear out, break, or if new technologies make the old stuff obsolete. THEN, after all THAT, YOU get paid. BUT WAIT...when you pay YOU, you also have to pay BOTH the employer's AND the employee's portion of Social Security taxes...plus income taxes. And as a business owner, you are also responsible for paying the BUSINESS' income taxes as well. [I won't go into LLC vs. sole proprietorship; whole books have been written on that subject alone...just suffice it to say that it won't hurt to get some quality legal advice on THAT aspect as well before you ever open your doors.] BUT...AFTER all that is taken care of...you now have a business; how do you get customers in the door? Yet another expense. Customers have to not only KNOW you're in business, but they must WANT or NEED to bring their business to YOU. Just KNOWING you're in business isn't enough; you need to make sure you're the FIRST business they thing of for a particular product or service. Marketing people use the term "TOMA," or "Top-Of-Mind Awareness" of your business. As a NEW business, you don't HAVE a widespread reputation. THAT comes slowly. So you have to be creative in making people aware of what you do, and the quality of your work. For a welding shop, perhaps having a unique sign, one you made yourself that demonstrates your craftsmanship and quality, might help. BUT...you also have to be aware of the LAWS and ORDINANCES in your area governing signs for businesses, and make sure yours is in compliance. These are but a FEW examples of the challenges you'll see even THINKING of running your own business. The personal examples that came from my family's business explains how I ended up inheriting a lot of worn-out tools and "custody" of a run-down building, and some obsolete plow parts for inventory in what was once a thriving business. I'm sure that if Grand-dad would have been AWARE of the pitfalls, he'd have likely avoided many of them. But he was basically a mechanic/welder, and not a businessman by nature. Dad was more of a businessman by nature, but wasn't allowed to actually run the business until there effectively wasn't any business to run. I see a lot of my grand-dad's best qualities in you, Lanse. I want to see you succeed. BUT I also think that the BEST thing you could do is to work for someone else, and get to understand the expectations placed upon the employee...because, even when you OWN the business, you have to be able to deliver on the expectations that are on the back of the employee as well. When I was employed as a successful parts manager, some of the BEST parts of my management techniques I learned from some of the WORST managers I ever worked for. When you work for the other guy, you gain a perspective on what works...and what doesn't...and the risk is being taken by SOMEONE ELSE [the business owner, NOT YOU.] Better to learn those hard lessons at someone else's expense, I always say; it's a lot cheaper. My friend Dave was a gifted small engine mechanic...chain saws, mowers, motorcycles...and eventually he opened his own shop. But Dave wasn't a businessman, and Dave's Small Engines closed its doors in less than a year, leaving both Dave and his investor poorer but wiser. Don't be like Dave, Lanse. Besides the working experience, get some business training--and learn some self-discipline about money [yours AND the business's money--and ALWAYS keep the two separate!] before you even THINK about hanging out your shingle and opening to the public. Free advice, and worth every cent it cost YOU. [To the folks I gleaned that advice from, it WASN'T free...or even cheap. They paid DEARLY...so please BENEFIT from what THEY paid, so YOU don't HAVE to.]   [Reply]  [No Email]
Ron in NS 10-07-2012 06:52:53 71.17.237.191 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   There's lots of companies in ND just crying for welders, and even if you only have a couple of tickets, they'll keep you round long enough to see if you're worth investing in, and help you get the rest of the tickets that they need. Only drawback, accomodations are hard to find, and expensive. But you'll get real world experience, and learn on site tricks from some of the best. Did I mention, it gets cold in ND?   [Reply]  [No Email]
Bryan iniowa 10-07-2012 07:35:51 209.252.175.31 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Ron in NS, 10-07-2012 06:52:53   Yes ND is looking for welders ,truck drivers any bout any other skilled trade you can think of ! McDonalds help starts out at 15 hr . Housing is tough ,so is the weather in the winter . Most jobs in the oil field are 14 days on 14 off .   [Reply]  [No Email]
scotc 10-08-2012 19:24:17 75.235.135.87 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Bryan iniowa, 10-07-2012 07:35:51   $15 now? When I was up in Tioga for a couple months two years ago, Williston Wally's-mart and Subway were advertising at $12 and $13 to start, plus extra for working nights. Kansas and Oklahoma have places where they are drilling and need people as bad as they do in North Dakota, but they just haven't got the attention that North Dakota has.   [Reply]  [No Email]
downsouth 10-07-2012 05:55:08 64.12.116.141 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Wow, that's wonderful. And you don't have to find a place to stay while in school either since Troy isn't very far from home for you. Sounds like your going to need a vehicle with 4 wheels and a roof, somehow I don't think that motorcycle will be the best thing for transportation in the Ohio winter!   [Reply]  [No Email]
Wile E 10-07-2012 03:31:25 66.188.56.202 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   You arent a morning person. Well, you will have to be to work in the real world. Learning welding is good, but you will need to learn other metal working trades like, forming, machining, heat treat, a little metallurgy to be a good employee in this field.   [Reply]  [No Email]
VernMI 10-07-2012 03:25:04 209.86.226.40 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   "I'm defiantly NOT a morning person" Not sure you meant "DEFIANTLY" but I guess it could work.   [Reply]  [No Email]
curtsat15 10-06-2012 22:50:05 204.112.63.85 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Congrats Lanse! As redtom said, you will find a tech school to be much different than k-12. The people there WANT to be there, and for the right reasons. Have a great time and LEARN! All the best to you!   [Reply]  [No Email]
redtom 10-06-2012 19:26:09 68.188.237.249 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Like you, I too hated K-12 school. I endured lots of bullying and to try to fit in wasted most of high schooling. Going off to college for Heavy equip repair and diesel training was great! For the first time no one judged me by where I lived or who my parents were. They didn't know if i was rich or poor. And most of us were there to learn as much as we could, he11 we paid for the schooling. It was my "fresh start". After 25 yrs of being someones "lackey" I only wish I would have started my own business. After all, not everyone is cut out to work for someone. I mentioned to you before, my neighbor who started out doing tinwork in his own shop and demand has developed him into a top notch welding repair shop. A modern day blacksmith doing lots of farm repair for big time farmers. He has his own shop, sets his own hours, and is literally swamped with work. All in an economically depressed area. By all observations this guy has it made. So, I wish you luck!   [Reply]  [No Email]
Ted in Ne-OH 10-06-2012 19:10:11 173.189.169.175 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Congratulations. Learn everything you can, you paid for it. Volunteer for extra experiences if offered.   [Reply]  [No Email]
MarkWV 10-06-2012 19:04:56 173.80.78.26 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   I am sure you will learn there, take it all in, ask questions. Your future is in your hands, make to most of the opportunity,congrats!!   [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 10-06-2012 17:50:56 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to NCWayne, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Lanse the bad thing about being a weldor. You have to prove yourself all the time. In a lot of situations every weld you make has your paycheck attached to it. Too many bad welds, and you're kicking rocks out to the parking lot. My advice to you, is don't go to this school with the idea when you graduate people are going to be knocking on your door to hire you just because you have a piece of paper from the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology! Go at this with the idea you're going to learn everything you possibly can! Go in there thinking you know nothing, and you want to learn everything you can. But right about now you should have an idea of what type of welding you want to do. Fab shop, ship yard, construction, etc, etc. If not, you really need to come up with a plan! I wish you all the luck in the world! :wink:   [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 10-06-2012 21:03:51 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Puddles, 10-06-2012 17:50:56   Congrats on being accepted!!! Lanse you should be going to the Hobart school because you want to learn as much as possible about your career choice. That is the BIG difference between going to a technical school, college, university, etc. and regular school like high school where you don't have a choice. I would guess that 99% of the other students are going there because they want to as well. I agree with Puddles that you need to go in thinking you know nothing about welding. You "don't know what to expect"? Expect to get bombarded with new information and do more welding in a week than you've done in two month's! You'll get a lot of theory as well. You're typical of a first year apprentice thinking you know a lot about welding. I don't mean that as an insult. In reality if you took all the knowledge from the experienced welders on this forum and added it all together... it would only make up a small percentage of the vast world of welding. There is nobody who knows everything there is to know about welding. New technologies and processes are being developed all the time. The good welders will try to learn as much as possible. Some of the old school guys are set in their ways and don't like change. While it is your dream to have your own shop, you need to get some experience out in the real world working for someone else. I think going to the Hobart school will be a big plus to help you decide what type of welding you might like to focus on. You may not be able to go in that specific direction right off the bat though. An example would be welding cross country pipelines where the big money is. You don't just come out of school and get hired on to do critical x-ray welding. Maybe you'd like to run your own welding truck and do a variety of different jobs. Maybe you'll find it's easier working in a shop where all you need to worry about is doing your job and going home at the end of the day. Running a business can be a real PIA sometimes. I think you'll do fantastic at the Hobart school if you go in with a positive attitude and show them that you want to learn everything you can about welding. Keep us informed cause we're all rootin' for ya!!! I'm still thinking you'll be on the cover of Welding Journal in the near future being presented with the AWS welder of the year award.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Kow Farmer 10-06-2012 16:53:57 76.77.202.46 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Congratulations Lanse! You will do great there, I'm sure. By the videos you post, you might even teach the school something. LOL Anyway, best of luck to you in your endeavors. Kow Farmer   [Reply]  [No Email]
paul 10-06-2012 16:32:06 76.77.196.231 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Congrats!!!!! Should be better than the other 14 years, people got a different focus now than they did back then. --->Paul   [Reply]  [No Email]
RayP(MI) 10-06-2012 15:56:38 207.241.137.116 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to Lanse, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Congrats, good luck. But then, you're taking a bunch of skills with you already.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 10-06-2012 15:46:21 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: Eleven words... in reply to PJH, 10-06-2012 15:18:41   Well you're off and running! Look out big bucks, here comes Lanse! 8)   [Reply]  [No Email]