Just some thoughts as I look back on 30 years of being in the welding industry…

     This month marks 30 years since I started welding in a small welding and metal fabrication shop in Rochester, NY. In some ways, it seems a lifetime ago that I started, in others, it feels like only yesterday. It has been a great 30 years. Welding has allowed me to make a great living, meet and work with some truly wonderful people, travel, learn a foreign language and grow, both as a man and a craftsman. Despite the struggles, hardships and setbacks along the way, I can honestly say without hesitation nor reservation that I would go through it all again to get back to where I am today.

     I have seen some changes along the way in the trades in general, welding in particular, some good, some bad. Two distinct shifts in the culture within the welding trade stand out to me as being worth mentioning and sharing with any readers who may be interested in considering these ideas.

     First, and on a more positive note, the safety in the welding trade has improved dramatically from what it was when I started 30 years ago. The facility where I first started welding could give many safety managers a heart attack. I did some structural steel welding when I was getting started and if you had told me to “tie off” back then, you could have said it in Mandarin for all the sense it would have meant to me at the time. I have been 5 stories in the air, shimmying along beams, not tied off to anything, no hard hat on, no ear plugs, maybe safety glasses, maybe not, depending on what I was doing at the time. If anyone even noticed, no one cared, no one ever said anything. Don’t get me started on the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse at that time.

     Now, a safety policy is a must for almost any welding contractor. I am sure that this still varies by region, industry and a myriad of other factors but almost every company that wants to work on commercial projects must have a safety manager, and a documented safety policy. There are instances where the safety policies can be a bit excessive and devolve into mere compliance and authoritarianism (I have written other articles on this very subject) but the increased focus on safety has been a very positive trend over the last 30 years.

     On the other hand, there has been an unfortunate and fairly steady decline in ethics, discipline, and overall skill and ability from how things were when I started 30 years ago. When I first apprenticed in the welding trade there was an implicit understanding that if you opened your mouth, it had better be a question, and a smart one at that. The old timers who shared their hard-earned knowledge and experience with me had absolutely 0 patience for know-it-alls and kids who thought they knew more after 2 weeks than they did after 20 years of welding. Back talk, arguing and generally bad attitudes were not tolerated and those who could not listen and learn did not tend to last long in the welding trade.

     Fast forward 30 years, and this ethic, sadly has been eroded. So many would be craftsmen have entered the trade who have little training and experience, no one has taught them all the little nuanced type “tricks-of-the-trade”, so to speak, and it shows. It is reflected in the work they do. When I started, it was made clear to me that I would not be permitted to weld on any “real” work until I had reached a reasonable level of skill and proficiency, which might be as simple as passing a simple structural plate test in the vertical position. Now, too many (certainly not all) contractors, presumably due to the fact that it is increasingly difficult to find qualified people in all trades and disciplines, will seemingly hire anyone and everyone. On many jobs I have been to, it seems if you can even hold an arc on a piece of plate, you are almost assured of employment. The decline in craftsmanship over the last 30 years has gotten noticeably worse and shows no immediate signs of improvement.

     The reasons for the decline would take too much time and space to delve into here, so I will explore that topic in another article. Perhaps it is a result of an acceptance of mediocrity as a consequence of our mindless pursuit of equality (which is a myth by the way) or the diminished expectations of a Walmart sort of culture, where quick and cheap are more highly prized that good and lasting.

     The decline in craftsmanship is a big part of the reason behind why I do what I do, why I write and share my thoughts with anyone interested in listening. I want to start the discussion and offer ideas of how to recover the pride of craftsmanship back into the trades, welding in particular.

     Of course, I don’t claim to have all the answers, just ideas. As always, I want to hear what you think, especially those of you with time in the industry. What trends have you noticed, good or bad? Leave a comment, share your thoughts and ideas. Thanks for reading.

     And always remember, your work is your signature. What do you want to say with yours?

Glenn Howard Weidman