Welding Instructors

WARRIORWELDING

WARRIORWELDING

Owner opperator Of WarriorWelding LLC.
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Location
Chillin, Hwy 64 Mocksville NC
Alright guys I for a fact know of at least one other in the profession. I have taken up in the ranks of a full time instructor as of a few few months back. For any body immersed in the pursuit what keeps you motivated. I have landed here after 20 plus years in shops and some limited field work. Problem is I have quickly gotten board with the daily grind. Some students do garner a bit of personal satisfaction. But on the whole it seems really limited. I really question already if this is where I want to be. Steady pay, state level insurance is all decent but I can't do anything I get bored with. What say y'all ?
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Alright guys I for a fact know of at least one other in the profession. I have taken up in the ranks of a full time instructor as of a few few months back. For any body immersed in the pursuit what keeps you motivated. I have landed here after 20 plus years in shops and some limited field work. Problem is I have quickly gotten board with the daily grind. Some students do garner a bit of personal satisfaction. But on the whole it seems really limited. I really question already if this is where I want to be. Steady pay, state level insurance is all decent but I can't do anything I get bored with. What say y'all ?
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I get bogged down with the crap side of everything. The grading, attendance, and babysitting.

To combat this, I break up the normal class for a cool lesson on something specific and non-traditional.

Ex: In cutting class, experiment with cutting with different tip sizes and different pressures in thick plate. Supplement that with a lesson on annealing aluminum and arc gouging. This can really break up the monotony of cutting carbon steel with oxyfuel.

In welding classes I'll spend a whole night on how to lay out and bend tube. How to use bend tech and how to calculate it all by hand. Add in why TRIG matters and that's another night.

Another one is to go over all the different ways to notch tubing, and all the different ways to layout and measure the copes.

Then a whole another night on welding up some nodes.

This is real world experience that hones your skills while making class extraordinary and memorable.

The students will appreciate the change similar to parachute day in kindergarten gym class. Not all will be interested, but the ones that are will appreciate the knowledge.

If I'm bored, I imagine that they are also. I force myself to be a better instructor and to keep them engaged. If their brains are bored their performance will suffer. If you are bored the same will happen.

It's a constant battle. I just try to be the instructor I never had, and be the one I wished I had. Don't be afraid to drop some knowledge bombs to raise the tide.

I've even shown them the link calculator, some material strength calculators and how to pick materials for projects and how to research unknowns properly. These are things that take it above a regular welding class but are essential to overall student success in the workforce.

I feel your pain. Haha
 
Start your own business. Period. If you enjoy what you do and there is a demand for your skills, $ will follow.
It does not suck to get up early and bust your ass working if the money is right.
You will lose weight, your appetite will be increased and sleep really good every night.
 
Paul said:
Start your own business. Period. If you enjoy what you do and there is a demand for your skills, $ will follow.
It does not suck to get up early and bust your ass working if the money is right.
You will lose weight, your appetite will be increased and sleep really good every night.
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I agree. Let the instructing pay the bills and provide insurance and retirement. Do what you want with you free time.

Work your way up so you can get you class schedule how you like it, and meet you hours and do what you want on the side.

Another note, get your cwi/cwe make some money when you want with that for disposable income.
 
Paul said:
Start your own business. Period. If you enjoy what you do and there is a demand for your skills, $ will follow.
It does not suck to get up early and bust your ass working if the money is right.
You will lose weight, your appetite will be increased and sleep really good every night.
Click to expand...
Well I did, damn near starved....I am pretty good at what I do. I am fairly certain I am not a hack. But I did learn I am probably the worst business man ever in terms of promotion and charging accordingly. I just plain sucked at the get paid part. I got gracious tooling compared to some, which has accumulated over years. I absolutely sucked at networking relationships to get my foot in the door. My biggest problem was trying everything only to accomplish a whole lot of nuffin in terms of profit.
 
Mac5005 said:
I get bogged down with the crap side of everything. The grading, attendance, and babysitting.

To combat this, I break up the normal class for a cool lesson on something specific and non-traditional.

Ex: In cutting class, experiment with cutting with different tip sizes and different pressures in thick plate. Supplement that with a lesson on annealing aluminum and arc gouging. This can really break up the monotony of cutting carbon steel with oxyfuel.

In welding classes I'll spend a whole night on how to lay out and bend tube. How to use bend tech and how to calculate it all by hand. Add in why TRIG matters and that's another night.

Another one is to go over all the different ways to notch tubing, and all the different ways to layout and measure the copes.

Then a whole another night on welding up some nodes.

This is real world experience that hones your skills while making class extraordinary and memorable.

The students will appreciate the change similar to parachute day in kindergarten gym class. Not all will be interested, but the ones that are will appreciate the knowledge.

If I'm bored, I imagine that they are also. I force myself to be a better instructor and to keep them engaged. If their brains are bored their performance will suffer. If you are bored the same will happen.

It's a constant battle. I just try to be the instructor I never had, and be the one I wished I had. Don't be afraid to drop some knowledge bombs to raise the tide.

I've even shown them the link calculator, some material strength calculators and how to pick materials for projects and how to research unknowns properly. These are things that take it above a regular welding class but are essential to overall student success in the workforce.

I feel your pain. Haha
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I understand all of this and have applied it to some extent. My biggest handicap is the program I am involved with is extremely regimented in its curriculum. Time wise, work wise, activities, joints, positions, ect. ect. The agenda per class is huge on the lab requirements already leaving very little room for what I deem the interesting stuff like true fab. Most every student unless fairly gifted works tirelessly each semester to get it all done. I am also low on the totem poll for big changes....They literally drill 1g,2g,3g,4g specific joints per process each semester, then bolster the program with the related metallurgy, testing, blueprint symbols, plate/pipe, pipe only split into SMAW, GTAW, GMAW ect. The 2 year associate is huge but not a single piece is ever fabbed into something tangible. Its all coupon type welding and cutting. Cutting covers oxy fuel free hand, track torch + pipe beveling, shear, band saw, carbon gouging, plasma and a variety of demanded cut to size pieces and thicknesses. A fab only deal is in the works, but I fear it will be limited to two semester add on like a short certificate or elective base. After next semester I will have taught or heavily assisted in pretty much everything but metallurgy. I asked a retired fella who works part time if everything was GROUND HOG day over and over....his answer was honest and unapealing to me. "More or less after time, Yes".
My other biggest burr is I am back up to a 50 minute one way commute 5 days a week. By the time I do this I feel drained, I've always hated and struggled with driving and feeling wasted afterwards. I'd rather pitch hay bales all day as to sit in a vehicle 2 hours a day..makes me feel useless.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
....GROUND HOG day over and over.....
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I feel the same way about my work, but the pay and benefits are too good to walk away for something that I think I might like doing more. Been at it 10 years now and have struggled with this for a long time, but I've come to realize (most days) the point of my job is to make sure my family is taken care of, and not provide a source of happiness for me.
 
The three welding instructors i had all were 10+ year pipe welders mostly that came into the instructor position because of marriage/children etc and had to slow down. Ask any of them, they didn't want to be there but it was the pleasure of teaching that made them stay. Also this is not a high school class and mostly military vets going through the VA or like myself, paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for night classes after working a full day at a 9-5.
 
I think my overall point was lost in the details of my post. I was half asleep typing that.

Make the job what you want it to be. A few things may happen.

You discover that it's much more rewarding when you break the mold of monotony of teaching how to weld a coupon.

You administration will learn that your students are responding positively to the new approach. This will be from the students appreciating the change and rising tide of a more diversified learning environment.

We are all teaching the similar classes across the state for the degree, it's up to you how you implement that outside knowledge into the regimented class names.

If you do everything you could to make it a positive experience, and it still doesn't keep you actively mentally excited and engaged, then you truly know it's time to move on.

If the administration shoots it down, then I'd try to find elsewhere to instruct closer to home.

If it works out, then you look great for initiating the change in instruction positively, and a great way to show initiative and move from the bottom of the totem pole.

Sam and I are blessed to have an administration and department that allows instructors to not be micromanaged in how we get the information across. We have freedom to incorporate outside knowledge to keep the instruction fresh and up to date with what's current to the industry.

This is why my views and opinions will most likely sound very unconventional.

With that said, we are still working on passing coupons daily, just more depth to the definition of why they are important, and why they should be the easiest thing to weld.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Well I did, damn near starved....I am pretty good at what I do. I am fairly certain I am not a hack. But I did learn I am probably the worst business man ever in terms of promotion and charging accordingly. I just plain sucked at the get paid part. I got gracious tooling compared to some, which has accumulated over years. I absolutely sucked at networking relationships to get my foot in the door. My biggest problem was trying everything only to accomplish a whole lot of nuffin in terms of profit.
Click to expand...


You my friend are selling yourself short. You are one of the finest welders I've ever put eyes on and one hellva hard worker!

Starting your own business is easy (for the most part), it's the making a living, paying the bills, making payroll, paying taxes, etc., that's (as you well know) much harder than it would seem.

Starting a from scratch business is a scary proposition, scary as hell actually! Again, as you well know now, just because you set up shop and open the doors, people don't just start showing up and handing you money.

Keep your chin up and keep get'n it. You are a smart man and you'll figure it all out, no doubt in my mind.
 
@Oliver's , Thanks Dave means more than you know..
@Mac5005 , Your spot on and I've left really good pay for specific reasons. Always after exhausting all such efforts. The last place other than starving independently took 15 years give one exploration into a field working swing shift.
Patience as of late is not my virtue...maybe that's my need and area for learning.
 
It's not welding but I work at a high school and have seen lots of teachers come and go in every single curriculum area that there is.

Above everything else it is who is doing the teaching that matters way more than what is being taught.

The first two semesters are always the hardest. You will get there. Keep learning and trying new things
 
Hickory NC.1108161919a.jpg
Gave this fella private tutoring in the shop last week. Passed his 3g vertical up and 4g limited bend test first try with 7018 rod. Has never tried to cert or had any form instruction his whole life. Mostly learned his craft on the job, had some experience which helped. Mostly pocessed the willingness to listen and learn.
 
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