24 yr old Earns 140k/yr Welding

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OutHouse

Lifer
Jun 5, 2000
36,410
616
126
Yeah because it is better to get a College Degree and then get to work a Salary Job were you get to work unpaid OT?

dont get me started. i have been doing about 15 hours a week overtime. if i was hourly that time and a half pay would be very nice.
 

Orignal Earl

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2005
8,059
55
86
Do those jobs normally give you insurance and retirement benefits?

Depends on who your working for like always
Welders around here get an extra 160 a day just for showing up at the site on top of full heath plans and retirement plans ( extra plans aside from our usual gov plans )
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
Meh, he has to work 72 hours a week to get that much. No thanks

This. If I am forced to work that much, I had better be making a lot more than that and plan on retiring a lot earlier. If I am putting in almost double what is normal, I had better be retiring in half the time I would at 40 hours per week.

He is young, but in a few years, he will discover working that much just isn't worth it unless you're getting some real benefit out of it later down the road. I hope, due to his lack of social life, he is stashing that extra income in some kind of retirement account. Doubt it though. Probably "living large". Must be nice having a giant TV that you never have time to watch.
 

Blue_Max

Diamond Member
Jul 7, 2011
4,223
153
106
So do it for 2-3 years, buy a nice piece of property, then work much lighter the rest of your life. I'd have done it if I had the chance (and a little guidance when I needed it!)
 

inachu

Platinum Member
Aug 22, 2014
2,387
2
41
3rd party contracting services will start calling the company on a daily basis and will soon get him replaced with H1B or something similar.

The rich will always say nobody deserves that kind of money and they will argue to your death over how that comment is correct.
 

hal2kilo

Lifer
Feb 24, 2009
24,177
10,852
136
I worked 12.5 hours a day for the last 4 weeks (except Christmas day) working on a emergency outage, my overtime on my checks for that time frame was just a little over $8,700. Not a bad way to finish out last year/start out this year. I used to work like this quite often when I was a field service rep and had several $150k + years (2007 - $183K) thankfully it only once ever 2 or so years now as it sure wears one in their mid 50's down in a couple of weeks.

Must be nice. Been exempt for 20 years. I get screwed when I have to support an at sea op. All I get is 16 hour a day at straight time. Also, no hazard pay.

All in all, I still make big change with no magic paper to hang on my wall.
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
687
126
Yeah because it is better to get a College Degree and then get to work a Salary Job were you get to work unpaid OT?

No, it is better getting a job where you can normally work 40 hours and when you do have to work the rare OT or a crisis comes up, you get paid. Next question?
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
687
126
I worked 12.5 hours a day for the last 4 weeks (except Christmas day) working on a emergency outage, my overtime on my checks for that time frame was just a little over $8,700. Not a bad way to finish out last year/start out this year. I used to work like this quite often when I was a field service rep and had several $150k + years (2007 - $183K) thankfully it only once ever 2 or so years now as it sure wears one in their mid 50's down in a couple of weeks.

It isn't so bad working OT when 1) you get paid to do so 2) it isn't excessive to the point of burning you out. Working a 70 hour week on occasion and getting paid for the OT is one thing, working 70 hours on average EVERY week is another, regardless of whether or not you get paid.
 

Carson Dyle

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2012
8,173
524
126
He works 72 hours a week. So, he basically has two $70k per year jobs, without the double benefits. And he spends 72 hours a week in that wonderfully mind-challenging job of welding.

Seems like one of those stories that will be repeated endlessly on the typical news outlets and in five years the country will have twice as many welders as it needs, and wages will plummet.
 

TheSiege

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2004
3,918
14
81
My first year in mining I earned over 100k as an electrician. This was right after being licensed. I had a family and worked around 72 hours a week as well as finishing my degree online. Had I not had a family I could have saved an extra 2k+ a month by living at a man camp on the mine property in Elko, NV. Had I been working in the Dominican I could have saved that extra 2k+ and been given an extra 1.1K for NOT flying back the US every month and if I had stayed there 330 days out of 365 it would have been tax free.
TL, DR I should have done this for ~5 years when I was young and single, and I would have over 500k in the bank. Plus a shit load in retirement.

I should also mention that a bunch of miners were taking that extra 1.3k for cashing out their plane ticket and buying houses on the north shore for retirement.
 
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TheSiege

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2004
3,918
14
81
depends on the company. small local shops no. but you get on with someone big like Halliburton for example, yes.

Where I worked, mining, you got 4% into your 401k regardless and they matched dollar per dollar up to 5%. So you put in 5% and you get a total of 14%. Different fields, but similar working conditions.
 

Strk

Lifer
Nov 23, 2003
10,197
4
76
He works 72 hours a week. So, he basically has two $70k per year jobs, without the double benefits. And he spends 72 hours a week in that wonderfully mind-challenging job of welding.

Seems like one of those stories that will be repeated endlessly on the typical news outlets and in five years the country will have twice as many welders as it needs, and wages will plummet.

That's why some companies don't mind giving out a huge amount of overtime. If they have very good benefits (it doesn't say, but let's say he's in a union with a Cadillac plan), he could be a real bargain. I know at my job I am cheaper on overtime than I am on regular time.
 

Carson Dyle

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2012
8,173
524
126
That's why some companies don't mind giving out a huge amount of overtime. If they have very good benefits (it doesn't say, but let's say he's in a union with a Cadillac plan), he could be a real bargain. I know at my job I am cheaper on overtime than I am on regular time.

That's true of pretty much any hourly job with even middling benefits. Plus, you don't have to lay anyone off if things slow down.
 

Londo_Jowo

Lifer
Jan 31, 2010
17,303
158
106
londojowo.hypermart.net
Must be nice. Been exempt for 20 years. I get screwed when I have to support an at sea op. All I get is 16 hour a day at straight time. Also, no hazard pay.

All in all, I still make big change with no magic paper to hang on my wall.

I'm salary exempt as well and get paid straight time overtime. After 24 years of service for the company I have a decent salary and benefits.
 

Londo_Jowo

Lifer
Jan 31, 2010
17,303
158
106
londojowo.hypermart.net
It isn't so bad working OT when 1) you get paid to do so 2) it isn't excessive to the point of burning you out. Working a 70 hour week on occasion and getting paid for the OT is one thing, working 70 hours on average EVERY week is another, regardless of whether or not you get paid.

Agreed, I wouldn't be inclined to work the hours required during an emergency overhaul/repair if it wasn't for the fact I at least get paid straight time overtime. Working 12 hours a day for several weeks is about all I care to work, at this time in my career I much prefer working 40 a week (6am - 2:30pm M-F)
 

MongGrel

Lifer
Dec 3, 2013
38,466
3,067
121
I used to do similar things while going through my apprenticeship 30 years ago at a tool shop, it was pretty standard there at the time.

It also caused a lot of divorces, I wasn't making that much of course as was decades ago, was still good money.

I actually had some good test scores and had attended a few college courses at the time and was interested in perhaps pursuing Architecture at the time and went to speak with the Dr of Admissions at Ball State University.

She was impressed enough at the time with test scores, etc, that she spent her lunch hour to continue talking and take a walk around campus and pick my brain a bit also.

Was told I was all ready making more than a lot of the professors on campus and I might not like Architecture as much as I thought for the time involved and it's not as glamorous as it sounded at the time, not everyone is designing skyscrapers etc.

Wasn't meaning to rant so long, and the Toolmaker trade isn't what it used to be, but working hours like that can be very wear and tear, I couldn't do it again these days.

Starting off when your young and single it's doable, not something you want to do long term if you're going to have a life.

I still should have had an engineering degree by now as was at one company would have picked a lot of the cost up at the time, but never pursued it I guess as thought I was set to retirement there.

Then they outsourced the in house tool room over many engineers protests.

Shit happens I guess.

I still work OT now and then, but mostly just 40 hour weeks.
 
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Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,266
126
If he was a smart guy he's be saving every cent he could and investing it, 401k, IRA, whatever. Every single friggin dime he can. Figure he can do this until he's 30, at which point he could have reasonably put aside a quarter of a million dollars. He then cuts back his hours and lives on what he earns, but he would (or should be) debt free. He can live a decent life. In the meantime let's assume he gets an average of 9% and and doesn't add a dime to his retirement.

Assuming his employer doesn't match at all and he doesn't contribute one additional cent, and even disallowing interest on the 6 years of contribution while working that time, he would have about 3.4 million at age 60. That's a cushy retirement for contributing 6 years of work.
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
If he was a smart guy he's be saving every cent he could and investing it, 401k, IRA, whatever. Every single friggin dime he can. Figure he can do this until he's 30, at which point he could have reasonably put aside a quarter of a million dollars. He then cuts back his hours and lives on what he earns, but he would (or should be) debt free. He can live a decent life. In the meantime let's assume he gets an average of 9% and and doesn't add a dime to his retirement.

Assuming his employer doesn't match at all and he doesn't contribute one additional cent, and even disallowing interest on the 6 years of contribution while working that time, he would have about 3.4 million at age 60. That's a cushy retirement for contributing 6 years of work.

Most likely, can't invest much in 401k unless certain conditions apply. Highly compensated employee status will most likely kill him.

Even with long hours, far better than McService jobs that many more are working, but you wouldn't guess it bases on replies to this thread.
 

Brovane

Diamond Member
Dec 18, 2001
5,647
1,911
136
No, it is better getting a job where you can normally work 40 hours and when you do have to work the rare OT or a crisis comes up, you get paid. Next question?

Or a job that you can select to work OT or not and get paid for the OT. :whiste:
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,078
136
I am so sorry I learned electronics. Most things these days are cheap throwaway or sent to Korea for repairs.

Should have done welding, automotive, carpentry, plumbing, anything that people will always need.
 
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