Looking for work, willing to move/train for the right job.

[FlyingHigh]

Hey folks,

The company I work for has been jerking me around and I've had enough. It's almost becoming pointless living here with the high cost of living. We're barely making it paycheck to paycheck (40 hour weeks and 3K per month take home don't cut the mustard...), forget about getting ahead at all. Looking to pick up either short term (6 month - 1 year) very high paying work to give us the boost we need, or longer term well paying work in a place we can settle into.

I'm looking for good paying work in Alberta or BC. The catch is, I'm heading to my last session of welding school in Sept/Oct so I think I'm gonna have to stick it out until then, but afterwards it's go time. I'll take welding work but I'd really like to try something else, maybe weld inspection, QC, NCSO etc. The eventual dream is full time fire fighting, so anything that can help me work towards that would be excellent.

Considering going to paramedic/fire school too, but need a job to help me save up the coin.

About me:

- Currently an Alberta 3rd year welding apprentice (will have jman and red seal after school..assuming it goes well lol ). Also hold a BC C-Level stamp having done the first part of my apprenticeship there.
- Hold in house C-Ticket (in house pressure welding)
- Emergency Medical Responder training (not registered with ACP, but willing to go through the course again and registration process if need be)
- I have in house tickets for Fall Arrest, Overhead Crane and Confined Space Entry, willing to get them for whereever I work.
- Valid TDG ticket
- Clean Class 5 driver's licence

Due to the company I work for most of my field tickets have expired, but I can renew them:

- H2S Alive
- Skid Steer
- Aerial Lift
- Confined Space Entry and Rescue

I have also had my CWB tickets for stick and flux core welding, but they're long expired.

Willing to get any other tickets required for the right job.

My Industrial Experience:

- Been in oil/gas industry for 4.5 years
- Structural welding and fabrication
- Vessel and piping welding and fabrication (haven't rolled alot of pipe but willing to learn)
- Equipment operation (skid steer, zoom boom, picker truck)
- Basic pipefitting, bolt up and pressure testing
- Designated first aid experience
- Field and shop experience
- Spent time in the construction industry as well


Preference is Grande Prairie (currently live here), Edmonton area, Red Deer, Calgary area, Prince George, Kamloops and Cranbrook. Open to other options too though. With regards to a move, I'm gonna need to put in 30 day notice to the landlord that we're breaking the lease, but we can probably bail sooner if need be. We'd probably use the 30 days to find a new place and make the move.

That about sums it up. I have a bit of other non-oil/gas experience and other skill sets (manager of a fishing store, basic computers etc) that I can offer up if that info is needed too.

If anyone hears or knows of something that may give me a lead, I'd be more than grateful. If anyone has an ideas about what kind of non-welding work I could get into as well, fire away.

[Foxer]

Well i'll ask around about the welding - i have a few contacts here but those generally aren't the trades we use, so less influence than i have in other areas.

Here's a stupid idea if you're thinking about changing jobs that you might be good at - Pest control. Based on your experiences you probably have a pretty decent working idea of how piping and structure is in a building, and i can tell you that the decent pest control people in vancouver are hard to find and make STUPID money. Setting up a small business and getting your ticket for that (which i understand to be fairly easy) has made more than one person i know a very comfortable living. Rodent populations are out of control here, you have to focus on 'denial' for things like raccoons and such now which means i get to pay 2 grand for some guy to go stick some netting up here and there to keep the buggers out, and there's endless bear issues and bug issues and so on and i'm always paying a fortune for it. One bed bug infestation can run upwards of a grand.

It's literally a 'growing' business and you get the steady money from the bait trap contracts (put in bait traps then charge 80 bucks a month to go check 'em and re-bait them once a month). If you get into the strata world (and obviously i can help with that) then you don't even have to worry about things like payment, the strata calls you out and pays your bills when they come in regular as clockwork, no chasing clients down for money. (unless I dont' like you. then you go to the bottom of the pile and get paid two weeks late. :) )

Anyway - you were asking about something 'different' and i was just thinking about that the other day. Those small independant guys make a stunning amount of cash for what is pretty easy work - you just have to be able to think like the animals and know how to use the poisons safely.

Anyway - if you're interested in something completely different i can share what I know about that field :)

In the meantime i'll ask about pipe welders and such. There IS work out here for that, or at least there was recently.

[FlyingHigh]

Not too bad an idea. Working for myself would allow th flexibility to do fire training and other course on the side too. Not interested in moving to the Lower Mainland though, I'd rather live in a lean to by the river. LOL. I'm sure pest control is nation wide and probably something I could likely do anywhere. I'll have to look into it if nothing else pans out.

[Foxer]

I'm sure pest control is nation wide and probably something I could likely do anywhere.Well if necessary I can send you a 'starter pack' with a couple of mice and some bed bugs, and you can get in on the ground floor of an exploding new industry :)

[FlyingHigh]

Bahahaha. I hear AB is a rat free province. Sounds like a make work project to me. ;)

[Foxer]

Bahahaha. I hear AB is a rat free province. Sounds like a make work project to me. ;)
This is what i'm thinking :)

[Drache]

What about working as a wildlife monitor? Live where you want and drive to work. Pay is around $1000 a day gross. Get to be outside with a firearm. You have most of the training and firearm/hunting experience most companies look for.

[Plasticman]

That sounds like an awesome job. I don't think its as popular here in MB though.

[DanN]

Can't hurt to send in a resume: http://www.validmanufacturing.com/index.php?pid=19

[Merllin]

If your thinking Kamloops, Highland Valley Copper is looking for Welders right now. Just a heads up that its on the Teck website. (I am not sure about the qualifications and such but its there)

If you want any information about the mine and the area, let me know.

http://www.teck.com/sites/tc/careers/welder-journeyperson-8536

[Candychikita]

Good luck FH :) I hope you find something!

Foxer has a good pest control idea. If you're chill about knocking off some bugs and handling chemicals - it's not a tough test, takes about 2 hrs open book. Mostly ant and wasp calls in the summer around here.

[blacksmithden]

Before I forget.....Interpipeline in Sherwood Park just east of Edmonton is hiringmmm for what, I dont know.....the guy I met when I went to fix one of their forklifts mentioned that they were hiring.....again.....four what I dont know.

If you want to make money real fast, theres always the brass pole, bad music, cheap disco lights, and a lot of therapy down the road method. Im not sure youve got the body for it though..NO NEED TO COMMENT FURTHER OR GO INTO DETAILS....or we'lll need the therapy. Lol.

Edit....just checked. They have a webpage. interpipeline.com

[Foxer]

Good luck FH :) I hope you find something!

Foxer has a good pest control idea. If you're chill about knocking off some bugs and handling chemicals - it's not a tough test, takes about 2 hrs open book. Mostly ant and wasp calls in the summer around here.

And moles. I hate $#*&$#(& moles. Although this year has been remarkably mole free so far.

[FlyingHigh]

Thanks for all the ideas so far folks. Gives me a few things to look into. I doubt I'll start a company for now though. I don't have the capital, I don't have the contacts and I honestly am not much of an entrepreneur. I'm nowhere near stable enough to do something like that anyways. It's always good to know about though in case something changes, that way I do have options.

I'm really looking for something with a set schedule, set pay, decent benefits, room for upward growth, ability to develop and learn new skills and something that's stable. I'm tired of feast or famine.

[Haywire1]

So basically you want to be a TFW?

[oilman28]

Ever consider moving to Saskatchewan? There is a lot of welding work that is not directy tied to the oil and gas industry like manufacturing farm or mining equipment. Also we are NDP free since 2006....

[CanuckWR]

Ever thought about well service? We need more shooters out here in the hills.

[blacksmithden]

Ever thought about well service? We need more shooters out here in the hills.

I've thought about it to tell you the truth. What kind of qualifications are required...and more importantly, what kid of money does it pay ?

[FlyingHigh]

I've thought about it to tell you the truth. What kind of qualifications are required...and more importantly, what kid of money does it pay ?

Ditto actually. From what I've heard it seems to pay pretty well. I've thought about doing it short term 6 - 8 months, a year tops, simply to put as much money in the bank as possible to allow me to go to fire/paramedic school.

It may very well be something I look into once I get done with my apprenticeship here. If anything, the change would be nice.


Ever consider moving to Saskatchewan? There is a lot of welding work that is not directy tied to the oil and gas industry like manufacturing farm or mining equipment. Also we are NDP free since 2006....

I've certainly thought about it. It's an option if nothing in BC or AB pans out.

[CanuckWR]

I've thought about it to tell you the truth. What kind of qualifications are required...and more importantly, what kid of money does it pay ?

Money is good. Not what it was in the boom market but it's decent and i have yet to see comparable benefits. I have been in pumping services for 15 years now and it seems to be more steady than rig work or construction. I would expect we will be hiring by October, if not sooner. Qualifications are able to lift heavy stuff, somewhat fit and heartbeat. Class 1 or 3 will be a big asset bet typically isn't a deciding factor. Probably best if you can stop yourself from thinking, most days it can be a disadvantage, as bad as that sounds. Lol

I can hook you up for 10 ingots of ww lead. ;-)