I definitely appreciate it, honestly I feel blessed from what I’ve went through and what I’ve achieved, I want to see other people win, if the path I took can help someone else, that is definitely something to make my life mean something I can be proud of
Depends on your definition of average, I would argue they will let you achieve an above average life, 6 figure pay and 2 pension are not your average these days, also if your motivated, you can move up, my goal is definitely to run work and be a foreman, mabie even a project manager, there’s also plenty of opportunities for travel and I know pipefitters maligning 200k + a year, it all depends on your level of motivation , as with anything in life, you get back what you put into it💪🏽
I definitely recommend it bro, we have a few natives on my crew, then again we working on a casino job rn so they were looking for natives, but the two brothas that got me into this trade were also native, it’s good work
Plus side of a Union job, contractors supply the tools, but the tools you lost were material, the tools you obtain from life lessons, you will always have
The best advice I can give you for your specific trade is protect yourself. My father was a union pipe fitter. He didn’t smoke, and lived a fairly healthy life. Although he protected himself, it wasn’t enough. I am sure there were times he would pick up a grinder or weld a joint without a respirator. He retired at 58, but didn’t get too many years after that. He was given 3 to 6 months to live at 59. He was tough, he got strong enough to receive a long transplant, but only lived three more years. The metals you guys work with in pipefitting are pretty nasty. Stainless steel, Inconel, etc. That stuff will F you up quickly. Much worse than an iron worker dealing with mild steel in open framing (no closed walls) Wear a mask religiously. The years of exposure will creep up on you quickly. I am a tradesmen myself. I own an excavation business, but also a welding shop. I am 51 now and get winded walking up a flight of stairs. In full disclosure, I’ve never been one to wear a mask. But I also was never exposed to the exotic metals. You guys grind and weld on daily.
For the most part I work with mild steel and stainless, the contractors I’ve worked for are big on safety, but I appreciate the concern, I’m not one for respirators eather, the worst thing I really worry about is silica from drilling, that stuff will mess you up if you breath it in also
@@stirlingheaton8205 Yes, I just seen your channel, it looks like you are mostly in the oil field. Probably a little healthier than what my father did being you are outside. He spent most of his career in powerplants. And actually most of them nuclear. That type of pipingin these places are pretty nasty from what I understand. Also, he would go on these shutdowns and the piping would be radioactive. They were only allowed to work a certain amount of time based on the radiation they were being exposed to. I remember as a teenager he got pretty F’d up at 9 mile 2 nuclear power plant. The dosamater Malfunctioned and he got nuked pretty bad, He had to stay in the on-site hospital. I remember him saying the best part was a good looking. Nurse. Had to shower him as part of a process to get the radioactive particles off him. My mother wasn’t very impressed lol Protect your lungs either way. I wish I had did a better job, the damage is done now.
@howlandexcavating yeah most of what I do is hot water and steam pipeing, a lot of copper and mild steel, some stainless, I don’t think I can work in the nuclear plants due to my record, but there’s still plenty of work
@@FmTrini I have did a lot of conduit excavation for them over the years. The IBEW has a great apprenticeship program. Journeyman union electricians make a great wage and have a nice benefit package from what I’ve been told. It is certainly healthier than welding and grinding.
I am considering getting into a plumbing apprenticeship. Looking forward to that. If I would’ve known this at my 20’s I would avoid student debt in my 30’s
Plumbers are definitely a solid and underrated trade, they make good money for sure, if I would have known about any trades in my 20’s I would be a whole different person, mabie you find your stride when your ready for it, but in general the construction industry is a great career choice, I would recommend you go for it, worst that can happen is you make some money and learn some skills, plumbers also have the advantage of being able to fix their own plumbing at home too so that can save a lot of money
I’m 24 from Minneapolis southside raised I just recently graduated summit academy now I’m a carpenter an I think the trades is what all these Black and Brown kids up here need 💯 truly a blessing in disguise I wish I knew about the trades earlier in life
Me too I did most my life doing all the wrong things, definitely would have turned out way different if I would have known about the trades sooner, that’s why I try to spread the word so hopefully someone else can make better choices then I did
The cons are, you have to work for it, to succeed and advance how you work has a lot to do with how far you will get, these are times when you will be laid off, but if you are known as a good worker, you won’t be laid off much, I’ve been laid off for 1 week in 3 years, then there are people in my class who have been laid off for months, if you really put your all into it you have a lot of opportunities, I wish I would have gotten into it when I was 18, the pension would be pretty substantial rn, for any youth thinking of getting into the trades, my advice is get in while your young and build that pension
@@stirlingheaton8205 I started working as an Ironworker helper at 21 and now at 24 I'm the proud owner of a herniated disk I definetly chose the wrong job, being 5'6 w 120lbs.
Hey brother, congratulations! Listen to the audiobook “Richest Man in Babylon” . Books are another great way to learn! Thanks for there inspiration. I’m trying to join my local UA. I just smoked the math test wish me luck on an interview! It would be life changing to join!
I've been saying for years the quickest way to fix up the inner city's is drop a trade school in the middle of the roughest parts and give people the skills to get payed to fix up their neighborhood. College is a waste of time for kids that are just trying to survive but if you teach them the skills to make clean money in the trades they already understand hustle growing up in that environment.
I absolutely agree, schools push college as the only option, for most people this is just a setup for failure, learning a skilled trade and making better then average money opens a lot of doors that would normally be shut tight on kids in the city, I reached out to someone with contacts in the local school districts, so I would really like to spread the word, the next generation will make or break us, it’s eather complain about the youth or try to give them tools to succeed, I’m thinking it can’t hurt to show these kids that anything is possible, if I can do it, they definitely can💪🏽
@@stirlingheaton8205 100% agree. The problem with teachers is that most of them don't know anything but school so they don't see any other way for students to be successful. Keep up the good work man!
I’ve fucked my life up by making bad decisions. Is it possible if I start now at 30? I need something that will give me purpose so I can stay away from all the destructive tendencies.
Bro I fucked up my life for most of it, I did over 20 years in prison, got out at 38 years old and started from scratch, took me a couple years to get in the Union but I had a plan and just worked every day to making sure anything I did was something that moved me closer, it’s never too late to start over, never even an option to give up, you got this it’s just your job to take the step
@@stirlingheaton8205 Damn 20 years in the slammer is crazy. I’ve been in trouble a lot but nothing like that thank god. Even though I’ve had times I’ve wanted to crash out. I have actually done rebar in the past and I’m still with union technically. Guess I could ask and see if they can get me in as an apprentice. Either this or college, keep doing your thing. You are guiding and inspiring the rest of us. Thank you
It’s hard to start out in a tig job, there’s guys with years of experience waiting on them jobs, best bet is take any welding job, move up from there, non union side a lot of the welding jobs around me the temp services have most of them on a temp to hire contract, that would be a good place to start
Eather trade has its pluses and minuses, elections tend to make more on the check but plumbers have a lot of work as well , if you want to make money and build a pension, trades definitely have the advantage over collage in my opinion
I honestly don’t know how it works but I’m sure you could organize in, probably have to call the hall to find out, I do know we carry more licenses then most locals so you might have to take couple state license tests
You are absolutely right, but if you like what you do, and if your proud of your work, I think that has a big impact on your attitude, one reason I really want to spread the word of the trades to inner city youth, if you come from nothing, you tend to be more appreciative of your place when you get the opportunity to make a better life, some of the guys I go to school with are comming from good homes and family’s and they really take for granted what a good opportunity they got into, I’ve seen worse so I definitely appreciate what the trades offer
im considering joining the pipefitters union. im a certified welder but i i join the union, do i get to weld or do i have to learn pipefitting. im confused as to how the pipefitters union works for welders not just necessarily fitters
So I joined as a certified welder, but there’s more to pipefitting then just welding, we learn everything from threading pipe, soldering and brazing copper, layout, gas and oil code, ect… I joined thinking it was just going to be welding, it’s actually a lot more, but the goal of the apprenticeship is to create well trained journyman who can do it all, the more you know the easier it is to stay working, it’s like really you want to have as many tools as possible to be able to do any job that comes up, once you turn out as a journyman you can pick and choose the jobs you work and you can go out as a welder, but you won’t just weld 100% of the time, there’s a lot of other things to do besides weld pipe, also they want you to get ua weld certs which are actually they are way more picky then aws or asme certs, there are a ton of certs, ua 21 is probably the most common which is a 6010 root 7018 fill and cap, 6g gun barrel, one thing is I can definitely say it makes the days way more fun doing multiple things throughout the day, on my weekend job I just weld for 12 hour shifts and it gets boring and repetitive, on my pipefitter job it’s never boring or repetitive lol
I know you guys make money because my sister is a first year apprentice at 38 an hour electrician. Ima sign up for the plumbing and hvac union near me. Until I get in I’ll stay at my factory. I can’t quit without a job lined up. I got bills and family that depend on me. I make Ight money 28.90 an hour overtime 1300 a week but my sister makes the same with no overtime and she’ll end up making up more. But yeah ima just sign up because the economy is crap right now. I can’t afford to just quit because getting a job right now is hard
Union kind of got a bad rap because of shady business in the past, but I definitely see trade unions in a different light, we get the best training to be successful, a lot of construction workers are not flashy they drive mediocre vehicles and don’t look like they got money, till you talk to them, most of em have plenty of toys, nice houses, and will retire set for life, me, I came from the bottom so I drive a jag😂, but my toys will come, I’ve never been a hater, I want to see everyone do good, we can all get this money just need to know where to focus our energy for the best results, put in your application for any trade, if you don’t get in first try, try again, took me 3 years to get in, and I took a pay cut when I first started, but now instead of a 50 cent raise a year, my raises are more like 5$ a year plus 3 bucks an hour yearly allocation raise and we have a fully funded pension, go for it bro you will not be sorry, my first week I got in I was using my vacation time from my job I had, lol when that was gone I called and quit my old job
Idk where your from but your first step would be to see what local is near you, try googling local pipefitters or steamfitters union near me, when you find out what local is near you, find their websight and find out when they take applications, I’m Minneapolis local 539, we only take applications in January, took me a few try’s to get in but it is worth the effort
I’m thinking about joining my local Pipefitters/Plumbers/HVAC Techs Union. I’m 25. Is that too old to start an apprenticeship? I don’t have any experience but I want to learn and make really good money.
Definitely not too old, I started when I was 41, I did have welding experience and a mechanical aptitude, but it’s never too late to start, there’s a 55 year old man in my class so 25, I wish I would have joined when I was 25 your in good shape better hurry and get your application in
I’m 42 trying to join the union to become a pipe fitter. Loved the video inspiring. I need change in my life and ready to work for it.
@@kellenking5108 never to late to get in, I’m 43 and a 3rd year apprentice, best decision I ever made💪🏽
I know I don’t know you but I’m proud of you man! Keep your head up and keep ascending!
I definitely appreciate it, honestly I feel blessed from what I’ve went through and what I’ve achieved, I want to see other people win, if the path I took can help someone else, that is definitely something to make my life mean something I can be proud of
nice story every body has ups n downs im joining the union this month
I highly recommend it , best career choice I ever made
The trades will allow you to live an average life, just like everyone else. Good for you, bro!
Depends on your definition of average, I would argue they will let you achieve an above average life, 6 figure pay and 2 pension are not your average these days, also if your motivated, you can move up, my goal is definitely to run work and be a foreman, mabie even a project manager, there’s also plenty of opportunities for travel and I know pipefitters maligning 200k + a year, it all depends on your level of motivation , as with anything in life, you get back what you put into it💪🏽
Keep working bro. Well worth the sacrifice
As a native I'm looking in to this
I definitely recommend it bro, we have a few natives on my crew, then again we working on a casino job rn so they were looking for natives, but the two brothas that got me into this trade were also native, it’s good work
like most things in life; it is what you make of it
💯
All my tools were stolen after a girl had me illegally evicted. Thanks for sharing God bless you.
Plus side of a Union job, contractors supply the tools, but the tools you lost were material, the tools you obtain from life lessons, you will always have
@@stirlingheaton8205 Everything can be taken but knowledge and experience as well as life lessons will always be accessible.
Great words! Been in a the trades 30 years in Minnesota!!
You will learn skills and you can go into business yourself if you want. HVAC technician here, I work with chillers and cooling towers.
The best advice I can give you for your specific trade is protect yourself. My father was a union pipe fitter. He didn’t smoke, and lived a fairly healthy life. Although he protected himself, it wasn’t enough. I am sure there were times he would pick up a grinder or weld a joint without a respirator. He retired at 58, but didn’t get too many years after that. He was given 3 to 6 months to live at 59. He was tough, he got strong enough to receive a long transplant, but only lived three more years. The metals you guys work with in pipefitting are pretty nasty. Stainless steel, Inconel, etc. That stuff will F you up quickly. Much worse than an iron worker dealing with mild steel in open framing (no closed walls) Wear a mask religiously. The years of exposure will creep up on you quickly. I am a tradesmen myself. I own an excavation business, but also a welding shop. I am 51 now and get winded walking up a flight of stairs. In full disclosure, I’ve never been one to wear a mask. But I also was never exposed to the exotic metals. You guys grind and weld on daily.
For the most part I work with mild steel and stainless, the contractors I’ve worked for are big on safety, but I appreciate the concern, I’m not one for respirators eather, the worst thing I really worry about is silica from drilling, that stuff will mess you up if you breath it in also
@@stirlingheaton8205 Yes, I just seen your channel, it looks like you are mostly in the oil field. Probably a little healthier than what my father did being you are outside. He spent most of his career in powerplants. And actually most of them nuclear. That type of pipingin these places are pretty nasty from what I understand. Also, he would go on these shutdowns and the piping would be radioactive. They were only allowed to work a certain amount of time based on the radiation they were being exposed to. I remember as a teenager he got pretty F’d up at 9 mile 2 nuclear power plant. The dosamater Malfunctioned and he got nuked pretty bad, He had to stay in the on-site hospital. I remember him saying the best part was a good looking. Nurse. Had to shower him as part of a process to get the radioactive particles off him. My mother wasn’t very impressed lol Protect your lungs either way. I wish I had did a better job, the damage is done now.
@howlandexcavating yeah most of what I do is hot water and steam pipeing, a lot of copper and mild steel, some stainless, I don’t think I can work in the nuclear plants due to my record, but there’s still plenty of work
Good Info to think about man thanks lol think I’ll pursue the electrical path instead
@@FmTrini I have did a lot of conduit excavation for them over the years. The IBEW has a great apprenticeship program. Journeyman union electricians make a great wage and have a nice benefit package from what I’ve been told. It is certainly healthier than welding and grinding.
I am considering getting into a plumbing apprenticeship. Looking forward to that. If I would’ve known this at my 20’s I would avoid student debt in my 30’s
Plumbers are definitely a solid and underrated trade, they make good money for sure, if I would have known about any trades in my 20’s I would be a whole different person, mabie you find your stride when your ready for it, but in general the construction industry is a great career choice, I would recommend you go for it, worst that can happen is you make some money and learn some skills, plumbers also have the advantage of being able to fix their own plumbing at home too so that can save a lot of money
@@stirlingheaton8205 Most definitely. Stay up bro 💯 look forward to more content!
Sounds like the Lord has a calling in your life, brother!
I’m 24 from Minneapolis southside raised I just recently graduated summit academy now I’m a carpenter an I think the trades is what all these Black and Brown kids up here need 💯 truly a blessing in disguise I wish I knew about the trades earlier in life
Me too I did most my life doing all the wrong things, definitely would have turned out way different if I would have known about the trades sooner, that’s why I try to spread the word so hopefully someone else can make better choices then I did
Hey I'm from MN and been looking at Summit Academy how did you like it there? I've been looking at electrical.
Good video brother. Just keep recording we’re watching 👊🏾
Definitely appreciate it bro 💪🏽
Thank you for sharing your experience. This will help my 17 year old learn the pros of the job. Now to know any cons.
The cons are, you have to work for it, to succeed and advance how you work has a lot to do with how far you will get, these are times when you will be laid off, but if you are known as a good worker, you won’t be laid off much, I’ve been laid off for 1 week in 3 years, then there are people in my class who have been laid off for months, if you really put your all into it you have a lot of opportunities, I wish I would have gotten into it when I was 18, the pension would be pretty substantial rn, for any youth thinking of getting into the trades, my advice is get in while your young and build that pension
@@stirlingheaton8205 I started working as an Ironworker helper at 21 and now at 24 I'm the proud owner of a herniated disk
I definetly chose the wrong job, being 5'6 w 120lbs.
Hey brother, congratulations! Listen to the audiobook “Richest Man in Babylon” . Books are another great way to learn! Thanks for there inspiration. I’m trying to join my local UA. I just smoked the math test wish me luck on an interview! It would be life changing to join!
Keep at it, took me couple years of trying to get in, stick with it it’s worth it!💪🏽
Man this oceancorp underwater welding training ad keeps popping up with that bald guy. I heard they make alot of money
I've been saying for years the quickest way to fix up the inner city's is drop a trade school in the middle of the roughest parts and give people the skills to get payed to fix up their neighborhood. College is a waste of time for kids that are just trying to survive but if you teach them the skills to make clean money in the trades they already understand hustle growing up in that environment.
I absolutely agree, schools push college as the only option, for most people this is just a setup for failure, learning a skilled trade and making better then average money opens a lot of doors that would normally be shut tight on kids in the city, I reached out to someone with contacts in the local school districts, so I would really like to spread the word, the next generation will make or break us, it’s eather complain about the youth or try to give them tools to succeed, I’m thinking it can’t hurt to show these kids that anything is possible, if I can do it, they definitely can💪🏽
@@stirlingheaton8205 100% agree. The problem with teachers is that most of them don't know anything but school so they don't see any other way for students to be successful. Keep up the good work man!
The plus side with union training is our teachers are all pipefitters so they all have experience in what they teach us
I’ve fucked my life up by making bad decisions. Is it possible if I start now at 30? I need something that will give me purpose so I can stay away from all the destructive tendencies.
Bro I fucked up my life for most of it, I did over 20 years in prison, got out at 38 years old and started from scratch, took me a couple years to get in the Union but I had a plan and just worked every day to making sure anything I did was something that moved me closer, it’s never too late to start over, never even an option to give up, you got this it’s just your job to take the step
@@stirlingheaton8205 Damn 20 years in the slammer is crazy. I’ve been in trouble a lot but nothing like that thank god. Even though I’ve had times I’ve wanted to crash out. I have actually done rebar in the past and I’m still with union technically. Guess I could ask and see if they can get me in as an apprentice. Either this or college, keep doing your thing. You are guiding and inspiring the rest of us. Thank you
i have no clue how to get into a welding position, i love tig welding bit have no clue how to get started on any welding job
It’s hard to start out in a tig job, there’s guys with years of experience waiting on them jobs, best bet is take any welding job, move up from there, non union side a lot of the welding jobs around me the temp services have most of them on a temp to hire contract, that would be a good place to start
Electrician or Plumber? Just turned 40 and I’m think about doing a trade instead of college 🙏🏾
Eather trade has its pluses and minuses, elections tend to make more on the check but plumbers have a lot of work as well , if you want to make money and build a pension, trades definitely have the advantage over collage in my opinion
Native myself outta 146 in tx I’ve been looking to possibly move out that way do you know if they take Jman transfers?
I honestly don’t know how it works but I’m sure you could organize in, probably have to call the hall to find out, I do know we carry more licenses then most locals so you might have to take couple state license tests
And, Your attitude! on top of work ethic... If you are a pain in the ass in the slightest, directly to the slug list.
You are absolutely right, but if you like what you do, and if your proud of your work, I think that has a big impact on your attitude, one reason I really want to spread the word of the trades to inner city youth, if you come from nothing, you tend to be more appreciative of your place when you get the opportunity to make a better life, some of the guys I go to school with are comming from good homes and family’s and they really take for granted what a good opportunity they got into, I’ve seen worse so I definitely appreciate what the trades offer
im considering joining the pipefitters union. im a certified welder but i i join the union, do i get to weld or do i have to learn pipefitting. im confused as to how the pipefitters union works for welders not just necessarily fitters
So I joined as a certified welder, but there’s more to pipefitting then just welding, we learn everything from threading pipe, soldering and brazing copper, layout, gas and oil code, ect… I joined thinking it was just going to be welding, it’s actually a lot more, but the goal of the apprenticeship is to create well trained journyman who can do it all, the more you know the easier it is to stay working, it’s like really you want to have as many tools as possible to be able to do any job that comes up, once you turn out as a journyman you can pick and choose the jobs you work and you can go out as a welder, but you won’t just weld 100% of the time, there’s a lot of other things to do besides weld pipe, also they want you to get ua weld certs which are actually they are way more picky then aws or asme certs, there are a ton of certs, ua 21 is probably the most common which is a 6010 root 7018 fill and cap, 6g gun barrel, one thing is I can definitely say it makes the days way more fun doing multiple things throughout the day, on my weekend job I just weld for 12 hour shifts and it gets boring and repetitive, on my pipefitter job it’s never boring or repetitive lol
What union did you go with? I'm looking to start
I’m local 539 pipefitter, but most trades have good packages and are better then average opportunities
I know you guys make money because my sister is a first year apprentice at 38 an hour electrician. Ima sign up for the plumbing and hvac union near me. Until I get in I’ll stay at my factory. I can’t quit without a job lined up. I got bills and family that depend on me. I make Ight money 28.90 an hour overtime 1300 a week but my sister makes the same with no overtime and she’ll end up making up more. But yeah ima just sign up because the economy is crap right now. I can’t afford to just quit because getting a job right now is hard
Union kind of got a bad rap because of shady business in the past, but I definitely see trade unions in a different light, we get the best training to be successful, a lot of construction workers are not flashy they drive mediocre vehicles and don’t look like they got money, till you talk to them, most of em have plenty of toys, nice houses, and will retire set for life, me, I came from the bottom so I drive a jag😂, but my toys will come, I’ve never been a hater, I want to see everyone do good, we can all get this money just need to know where to focus our energy for the best results, put in your application for any trade, if you don’t get in first try, try again, took me 3 years to get in, and I took a pay cut when I first started, but now instead of a 50 cent raise a year, my raises are more like 5$ a year plus 3 bucks an hour yearly allocation raise and we have a fully funded pension, go for it bro you will not be sorry, my first week I got in I was using my vacation time from my job I had, lol when that was gone I called and quit my old job
How do i apply for a aprrendice in pipefitter
Idk where your from but your first step would be to see what local is near you, try googling local pipefitters or steamfitters union near me, when you find out what local is near you, find their websight and find out when they take applications, I’m Minneapolis local 539, we only take applications in January, took me a few try’s to get in but it is worth the effort
I’m thinking about joining my local Pipefitters/Plumbers/HVAC Techs Union. I’m 25. Is that too old to start an apprenticeship? I don’t have any experience but I want to learn and make really good money.
Definitely not too old, I started when I was 41, I did have welding experience and a mechanical aptitude, but it’s never too late to start, there’s a 55 year old man in my class so 25, I wish I would have joined when I was 25 your in good shape better hurry and get your application in
You're making 40 an hour as an apprentice?
I was now I’m making 46 an hour as an apprentice 💪🏽
@@stirlingheaton8205what trade you in?
Local 539 pipefitter💪🏽