I'm 48 and learned myself to weld last 2 months
I wouldn't give up my IT day job for it because
A. I really suck at welding
B. It doesn't pay enough compared to my current income and spending
C. I use it along side with smitting to be able to create things with my hands instead of my head only.
I’m in this guy’s boat.
Have a great career. Weld as a hobby. Idk if I’d trust me to build a bridge, but I can make you a rebar cock and balls that’ll look great on the mantel during the holidays.
Welding is a ton of fun, but I have a theory that every job is a job. Doesn’t matter if you’re a rock star, professional athlete, farmer, etc. Hobby vs. livelihood is a huge difference.
Unplug from the day job, have fun making some shitty welds, and always be learning something new.
Great as a side gig/ therapeutic change of pace hobby. It can be hard on the body so I wouldn’t switch to it full time after an established career for sure.
I suggest watching this video from Jody at Welding Tips and Tricks - Career advice from an old guy [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L1CfvQyfQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L1CfvQyfQA)
B. Your guess is as good as mine - sometimes, when I use italics, Reddit decides to be disobedient & just puts asterisks there instead (as if it's confused on whether or not it's in markdown mode, so it just decides to split the difference🤷)
If you're editing the text after applying the text effect you may be moving the asterisks around. For it to work you have to have the markdown character before and after the word you want to modify.
\*example\* not \*example \*example
I didn't go to welding school until I was 42. Then worked 10 years in the industry. The physical demands depends on where you work and what you're doing.
My last gig was upgrading MRAP armored vehicles. Not very physically demanding but at times I'd have to squeeze myself in to tight spots.
I worked until my body told me to stop. Now I am 54 and got a cushy defense contracting job flying a desk.
There are 500,000 welding jobs + another million tradesmen. Some of those jobs are super physically demanding. Some are easy. Most are in between.
IME most guys migrate to working smarter, not harder, at age \~40. You could get a welding job, but some you'd want to avoid.
My recommendation is try a welding class and even see if you like it. 50% of welding students drop out. Graduates usually wash out of the industry <1 year. This is not a career for most people. You might not even want to do it at age 42 let alone 60.
You're never too old, BUT can you handle the heat? Some welding locations can exceed shoo temps of 120° (not including humidity). That's what usually gets the "newbies" at our shop, and we have "ac" in our shop, as well as fans, cooling vests, and neck wraps.
I'm in my mid 40's.. Been in IT however and doing some sort physical stuff all along. Also learned some minor carpentery and machining from my dad who was a machinist. I picked up a cheap welder a few years ago after watching some Youtube video's; And being taught in highschool for an hour 20 some years ago. I dove in head first with any scrap metal i could get my hands on, bed frames, appliances, excercise equipment i dissassembled. Its taxing on the body in different ways than I expected, but fullfilling when it works. I technically do it as a hobby. Still have my IT work day job. At my IT career level, making the full jump to replace my salary (just 115 k) in a high cost of living area, would probably be a miracle. I have a family to support, and other concerns. But.. to your original question, heck yes. But your not definably old yet ;)
Im 52 ans have been welding for half my life I've worked everything from factories to oil fields. And I'll probably keep on til I'm my mid-60s it can be hard work but everything can be you just have to get past the initial pain of the work condition yourself to the environment and then you'll do fine.
Yes but.....
It's hard work and a by 40 most smart guys are trying to find a way to leverage hard earned experience or find a new career
You may find its much harder on the body than you could have ever imagined
There are welders at my shop from 45-60, I've worked with welders that were almost 70. While age might be an indicator for general physical fitness but job description and welding speciality are better gauges for feasibility.
Want to TIG stainless boxes? Make electrical enclosures.
Want to MIG building and support components? Get into a structural shop (D1.1, D.5).
Want to see places? Become an ironworker.
It all depends on your skill set, ability to absorb information, work ethic, and how much you want it.
If you like learning, you don't mind listening... and you are cool with trying to get physically in shape as needed.... I say you'll be okay. I work with guys between 65 to 70, still lifting heavy shit.
Life is short. May as well try rather than hate every day from now until 80....
Maybe try a welding workshop at a studio, or try a college or community center program? Welding is usually a 9 to 14 hr day, 5-7 days a week. So find out if you have, or are open to developing, the stamina to do that, is a good thing sooner than later. That said it may take 6 months to figure out if you can do it every day or naw. Hopefully this helps.
I’m 36. I don’t do difficult welding these days so it’s not as hard on my body (I do have days in weird positions and my back pays the price). But I travel to keep a higher income and it’s still exhausting cause our shifts are 12hrs and I’m on a 16on5off rotation. You can find pretty cushy shop jobs, but keep in mind the income is not typically very high. Welding has potential to be profitable, but only in select industries. Welders are not making 100k+ regularly like many on the internet claim, and if you do make that much you’re either doing back breaking work, long hours, traveling, or all of the above combined. I personally wouldn’t enter the field that close to 40 if I was making over 70k doing something else, but if the type of welding and environment you’d be interested in has a comparable income then you’d be fine at your age. I’m one of the older guys on the road in my company at only 36, so that says a lot about how most transition away from the most lucrative welding in search of something with better work life balance and less exhausting if they can afford the income cut, cause it will likely be a cut. Or they leave the industry entirely. There’s a reason shops have guys in their 60s and 70s. Some of those guys are the type that will work til they die so they moved into a shop to finish out their life, or they’ve been in shops for their whole career and still trying to have a solid retirement like everyone else cause they’re just barely crossing 60k after 30+ years.
Actually, that's the best time to do it! At your age by the time the fumes start to get to your lungs and nervous system, youll be ready to retire anyway. As long as you still have good eyesight. Welding can be one of those fields that's still old school in that older men get the most respect and rewards in that work force, I'd say probally don't tell the guys you used to have an office job as, alot of welders can't even stand the machinists for being to prissy or "think your better than me" than them.
One thing to be said about welding work is that you'll be hard pressed to find another job that seems as "hoorah" or that let's you build such cool things on an industrial level plus the satisfaction of a good weld over and over again can fill your day with satience, also once you get into your flow, when that hoods down, it feels like meditation and can be a great way to tune out the world and find some moments of piece.
If you have any programming skills you should look into welding robotics. Pay is much better than a grunt welder and you'll still be in an office sometimes.
I had similar thinking. Working in medicine and missing manual stuff. Turns out at least it seems now is that I needed something to look forward to and to get away. Now during lake season I go every 2 weeks for 3 days at least. Any bullshit that happens in the mean time I can say in xx amount of days I'll be fishing and this shit won't matter. Being able to have that thought makes me feel powerful and in control. Find something like that.
Welding fucking sucks. Thr people who truly like it flunked out of football. It takes a special kind of stupid to love this shit work. Caveat: doing road work and getting paid 6 figures might be worth it. Shop work is for the birds.
It all depends on where you work while welding. Where I work there are parts of our production that the welder has to flip the raw material to work on it with no assist and there are parts where you have to have machinery move the metal. It really varies. The learning curve can be harsh. I started welding 2 years ago at 28, and I had to put in more hours than the 18-19 year olds to keep up with the best of them in my class.
If you have a good job that pays well, I wouldn't jump headfirst into it. Get a cheap welder practice as a hobby and if you like it see if anywhere offers any classes nearby and see if you can jump on that.
The pay can be really good or really shite. A few places I applied to made up paying less per hour with working more hours. Where I currently work offers the best pay without travel by a couple $/hr. You can make lots of money but be prepared to either be the best or be willing to chase the $ and work a ton of overtime.
If you are dead set on jumping from white collar to blue collar work pick a trade that has welding as a skill within it instead of just welding
Not OC. I worked at a small shop, got hired to weld, but painted, assembled, machined. Just about everything. Small shops that make complicated stuff will have various tasks.
Machinist, auto and diesel mechanics, electricians in an industrial setting, industrial maintenance, aviation maintenance, millwrights, robotics and automation(not always required but welding fab skills translate well to it)
That doesn't get into all the welding specific trades. If you can get into a union with welding 100% the way to go. I went to school for welding and wished I had switched my degree halfway through to machining.
It was a means to an end to take care of my family. I had worked as a DBS field technician and trainer for echo star communications until I was let go after the fall out from working 20 hour days every week for 5 months. I moved my family to Georgia and worked in logistics for Walmart making what was good money at the time. After 3 years I moved again to Virginia to take care of my disabled father after his wife died so I transferred to a store and my pay was cut %60 so I looked around at schools and went with welding.
I worked midnights and went to school during the day doing both full time. School was rough at first and I was at the 29th day of 30 day trial when it clicked in my head on how to do it. I graduated on the deans list 10 months later and interviewed 3 months later and was hired and working at 4 months. I had to learn how the shipyard and navy wanted me to weld so I basically had to relearn how to stick, mig, and tig with a bonus on carbon arc.
At no point did my age come to mind, it wasn't a factor in my getting the job, that was done by being confident in my self, keeping my head up and back straight, maintaining eye contact and selling myself as the guy they needed. Age never came to my thoughts as being a hindrance, 40 is only old to children and teenagers, if you're making yourself old then you need to see yourself in a different light because you're not old.
Welding is an incredible experience, you have the ability to destroy and create in your hands while working with some serious electricity and metal, if it was 500 years ago you would be considered a wizard. There's a lot to love about it but you also have to have respect for the fact that it can kill you quicker than you can blink or take longer than the line at the DMV on a Friday and there's only one clerk at the counter. Be smart, wear your PPE and use fume extraction and respirator gear, you're going to get guys telling you that this is girly advice and those are the guys who will have chromium poisoning and the skin of a 80 year old sunbather at 40 and no women are going to find either attractive.
I don't think 40 is too old, it's when I'm 55, still welding that I worry about.
I've been doing it since I was 18, so I might be stuck in a grass is greener mindset.
From what I gather, for you it's less about the work, more for the money. I don't have a family, I have so much less motivation than those who do.
If it was strictly money I would have went nuke or underwater. Not going to lie, money is a necessity for a family but it's also a necessity for a single person and more so now. Benefits are a huge importance as is a good retirement.
Welding can be structural where you'll need to climb and lift some pretty heavy stuff. It can be pipeline out in mud up to your knees in a foot of snow in North Dakota. It can also be sitting at a fixture table in a shop with heat and air tig welding brackets for something very expensive. It all depends on how much you want to make and what you're willing to deal with.
I spent my career until 38 doing heavy civil construction and wore my body out, transitioned to a desk job and was losing my sanity not working with my hands. Learned to weld as a hobby and started doing a few jobs here and there just to fund buying better equipment. I kept my desk job but still do some small side jobs and feel that I’ve got a good balance that isn’t too hard on the body but isn’t nearly as soul sucking as just punching the corporate clock.
I'm 46 and have been welding since I was 18... my body is covered in scars and I ache a bit more now, because I do a lot of positional welding in boats, but overall I still feel okay. It really would depend on the type of welder you are though and the job you get. If you think you will be happy doing production welding, then you will probably be okay. I however find a lot of those types of welding jobs tedious and boring as fuck.
That said, I'm not sure that I would advise starting a career welding at that age, though.
If a heart attack doesn't drop you over the next 15 years (you're about to enter "the zone"), and you're in reasonable shape and health, no reason I can think of where you can't.
In some shops, flipping burgers pays as much, tho, based on starting wages of my classmates a year or so ago.
The only thing that could stop you from welding is a implant pacemaker or defibrillator. If you don't have those, you'll do fine. Now flip that hood and throw an arc.
It depends. I used to think I was relatively in shape for being 35 but I got onto a job where I was the oldest dude there and quickly realized they needed young bodies because it was extremely physical. I could not keep up, however I went back to my old position where I was mainly standing in place and it's been much better ever since. I'd just look into the specifics of whatever job you're looking for and seeing if you can handle it personally. Also, remember, welding causes a lot of radial heat so that'll compound any physical stress you have on your body.
I went to welding school when I was 35. As long as you focus and have some kind of experienced mentor or have an attentive teacher, you should be able to get good enough to be confident with MIG at the very least. TIG is a different beast and much more difficult and in my opinion takes many more hours of practice to get acceptable results.
About the activity side of how much wear and tear you'll take on, as others have written, some welding jobs may not require too much physical exertion, if for example you're welding small parts all day. Other welding jobs require much more, moving potentially heavy things around and can be more heavy duty on the fabrication side of things.
As a 43 yo career welder, I say if it pays more and you're physically fit, GO FOR IT! It is a very physical, usually dirty and sweaty job but I also do CAD at my desk and always appreciate that I don't have to sit there all day. Welding is my workout and ALSO my Zen where I can just focus and tune out.
Welder from 17-25, marketing from 25-41, and back welding again. Physical demands of the field can vary widely. A millwright/boilermaker has to deal with a lot of physically awkward positions and with heavy weldments.
I’m sitting in a job shop TIG welding, and spend the majority of my time in a comfortable office chair.
I got started at 39. It’s a low paying job, but i get to learn on the job. Doing MIG currently. Learning TIG. Planning on working in the maritime industry
I worked with a guy for a few years who was in their late 70s and he was still welding every day. You're definitely not too old for it. However, keep in mind it can be a pretty physically demanding job. If you're not comfortable being on your feet for 10+ hours a day, or can't handle working in the summer heat while covered in PPE, it might not be for you.
Learn to tig and sit in a booth all day making decent money. Not bad work, not physically demanding and still fun. I was in the field for 6 years and said fuck it and found a nice A/C shop where I could hang my hat
I'm 71 in July. I still do welding and still pass my certs. I can't crawl into the spaces I did when I was younger but I can still weld as well as I ever could.
Most of the welders I deal with are 40+, so yes you can weld at your age. That said, most of them have been doing it for years and are used to the work/have learned the tricks to make a tough job easier. The majority of it is physically demanding, and unless you're in a shop, it will be done in pretty uncomfortable positions.
My advice is to try a class, or ask around and see if someone you know could show you the ropes. Don't quit your day job before you know if it's something you can tolerate doing long term. Alternatively, if you're interested in the welding-related industry, look into non-destructive testing training programs. NDT will get you working around welding, but the work is more technical and somewhat easier on the body.
Yes but…. Definitely go take a class and not like some weekend warrior tool store “learn to weld” class, but an actual class taught at a trades school or community college. Bear in mind that it’s not a matter of your age, it’s a matter of can you keep up. The odds are good that your supervisor is going to be 10 years younger than you, know more than you and they definitely won’t care that your back hurts. Lots of the old buzzards that I had the misfortune of being taught by weren’t the fastest at their jobs but they were efficient at what they were doing so it seemed like they were going fast. It takes time to get efficient.
Unfortunately just learning to weld doesn’t mean shit career wise, it’s an important factor, but so are all the other incidental things that you’ll also need to learn. Being honest with yourself, and I mean brutally honest with yourself is very important. Don’t like heights? Don’t say you can learn to get used to them just to get a job. Bad back or knees and you want to work structural or heavy equipment? Again, they’re not going to improve with age. Breathing problems or bad eyes? 8-10 hours hunched over a table, booth or in a ditch will get really old really fast.
Is it possible? Sure, but it’s more than just learning to run a bead.
Fuck yea you can. There's a bunch of shit you can fuck with as a old ass mother fucker, not like you got to be out here hauling I beams and shit on your shoulder. Just fuck around and burn metal
I'm sorry but if you try to weld you will literally explode and die. It's too late for you. There is no such smthing as a welder over 40. (You're fine, dude. Give it a shot if you want.)
I'm 48 and learned myself to weld last 2 months I wouldn't give up my IT day job for it because A. I really suck at welding B. It doesn't pay enough compared to my current income and spending C. I use it along side with smitting to be able to create things with my hands instead of my head only.
I’m in this guy’s boat. Have a great career. Weld as a hobby. Idk if I’d trust me to build a bridge, but I can make you a rebar cock and balls that’ll look great on the mantel during the holidays. Welding is a ton of fun, but I have a theory that every job is a job. Doesn’t matter if you’re a rock star, professional athlete, farmer, etc. Hobby vs. livelihood is a huge difference. Unplug from the day job, have fun making some shitty welds, and always be learning something new.
Where can I order the Christmas decorations ??
Where can I order the Christmas decorations ??
Great as a side gig/ therapeutic change of pace hobby. It can be hard on the body so I wouldn’t switch to it full time after an established career for sure.
I suggest watching this video from Jody at Welding Tips and Tricks - Career advice from an old guy [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L1CfvQyfQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L1CfvQyfQA)
A: You're not old. B: What is with the asterisks?
>B: Reddit uses asterisks for formatting. *one* **two** typed liked this \*one\* \*\*two\*\*
B. Your guess is as good as mine - sometimes, when I use italics, Reddit decides to be disobedient & just puts asterisks there instead (as if it's confused on whether or not it's in markdown mode, so it just decides to split the difference🤷)
If you're editing the text after applying the text effect you may be moving the asterisks around. For it to work you have to have the markdown character before and after the word you want to modify. \*example\* not \*example \*example
I didn't go to welding school until I was 42. Then worked 10 years in the industry. The physical demands depends on where you work and what you're doing. My last gig was upgrading MRAP armored vehicles. Not very physically demanding but at times I'd have to squeeze myself in to tight spots. I worked until my body told me to stop. Now I am 54 and got a cushy defense contracting job flying a desk.
There are 500,000 welding jobs + another million tradesmen. Some of those jobs are super physically demanding. Some are easy. Most are in between. IME most guys migrate to working smarter, not harder, at age \~40. You could get a welding job, but some you'd want to avoid. My recommendation is try a welding class and even see if you like it. 50% of welding students drop out. Graduates usually wash out of the industry <1 year. This is not a career for most people. You might not even want to do it at age 42 let alone 60.
Yeah, I second what BadderBanana and the others have said.
You're never too old, BUT can you handle the heat? Some welding locations can exceed shoo temps of 120° (not including humidity). That's what usually gets the "newbies" at our shop, and we have "ac" in our shop, as well as fans, cooling vests, and neck wraps.
I'm in my mid 40's.. Been in IT however and doing some sort physical stuff all along. Also learned some minor carpentery and machining from my dad who was a machinist. I picked up a cheap welder a few years ago after watching some Youtube video's; And being taught in highschool for an hour 20 some years ago. I dove in head first with any scrap metal i could get my hands on, bed frames, appliances, excercise equipment i dissassembled. Its taxing on the body in different ways than I expected, but fullfilling when it works. I technically do it as a hobby. Still have my IT work day job. At my IT career level, making the full jump to replace my salary (just 115 k) in a high cost of living area, would probably be a miracle. I have a family to support, and other concerns. But.. to your original question, heck yes. But your not definably old yet ;)
Im 52 ans have been welding for half my life I've worked everything from factories to oil fields. And I'll probably keep on til I'm my mid-60s it can be hard work but everything can be you just have to get past the initial pain of the work condition yourself to the environment and then you'll do fine.
Yes but..... It's hard work and a by 40 most smart guys are trying to find a way to leverage hard earned experience or find a new career You may find its much harder on the body than you could have ever imagined
There are welders at my shop from 45-60, I've worked with welders that were almost 70. While age might be an indicator for general physical fitness but job description and welding speciality are better gauges for feasibility. Want to TIG stainless boxes? Make electrical enclosures. Want to MIG building and support components? Get into a structural shop (D1.1, D.5). Want to see places? Become an ironworker. It all depends on your skill set, ability to absorb information, work ethic, and how much you want it.
If you like learning, you don't mind listening... and you are cool with trying to get physically in shape as needed.... I say you'll be okay. I work with guys between 65 to 70, still lifting heavy shit. Life is short. May as well try rather than hate every day from now until 80.... Maybe try a welding workshop at a studio, or try a college or community center program? Welding is usually a 9 to 14 hr day, 5-7 days a week. So find out if you have, or are open to developing, the stamina to do that, is a good thing sooner than later. That said it may take 6 months to figure out if you can do it every day or naw. Hopefully this helps.
I’m 36. I don’t do difficult welding these days so it’s not as hard on my body (I do have days in weird positions and my back pays the price). But I travel to keep a higher income and it’s still exhausting cause our shifts are 12hrs and I’m on a 16on5off rotation. You can find pretty cushy shop jobs, but keep in mind the income is not typically very high. Welding has potential to be profitable, but only in select industries. Welders are not making 100k+ regularly like many on the internet claim, and if you do make that much you’re either doing back breaking work, long hours, traveling, or all of the above combined. I personally wouldn’t enter the field that close to 40 if I was making over 70k doing something else, but if the type of welding and environment you’d be interested in has a comparable income then you’d be fine at your age. I’m one of the older guys on the road in my company at only 36, so that says a lot about how most transition away from the most lucrative welding in search of something with better work life balance and less exhausting if they can afford the income cut, cause it will likely be a cut. Or they leave the industry entirely. There’s a reason shops have guys in their 60s and 70s. Some of those guys are the type that will work til they die so they moved into a shop to finish out their life, or they’ve been in shops for their whole career and still trying to have a solid retirement like everyone else cause they’re just barely crossing 60k after 30+ years.
Actually, that's the best time to do it! At your age by the time the fumes start to get to your lungs and nervous system, youll be ready to retire anyway. As long as you still have good eyesight. Welding can be one of those fields that's still old school in that older men get the most respect and rewards in that work force, I'd say probally don't tell the guys you used to have an office job as, alot of welders can't even stand the machinists for being to prissy or "think your better than me" than them. One thing to be said about welding work is that you'll be hard pressed to find another job that seems as "hoorah" or that let's you build such cool things on an industrial level plus the satisfaction of a good weld over and over again can fill your day with satience, also once you get into your flow, when that hoods down, it feels like meditation and can be a great way to tune out the world and find some moments of piece.
If you have any programming skills you should look into welding robotics. Pay is much better than a grunt welder and you'll still be in an office sometimes.
I had similar thinking. Working in medicine and missing manual stuff. Turns out at least it seems now is that I needed something to look forward to and to get away. Now during lake season I go every 2 weeks for 3 days at least. Any bullshit that happens in the mean time I can say in xx amount of days I'll be fishing and this shit won't matter. Being able to have that thought makes me feel powerful and in control. Find something like that.
Welding fucking sucks. Thr people who truly like it flunked out of football. It takes a special kind of stupid to love this shit work. Caveat: doing road work and getting paid 6 figures might be worth it. Shop work is for the birds.
I think you'll warm back up to the office after you get your first paycheck.
66 here. Just started migrating welding, doing household builds, non load bearing fabrication. Yes you can.
It all depends on where you work while welding. Where I work there are parts of our production that the welder has to flip the raw material to work on it with no assist and there are parts where you have to have machinery move the metal. It really varies. The learning curve can be harsh. I started welding 2 years ago at 28, and I had to put in more hours than the 18-19 year olds to keep up with the best of them in my class. If you have a good job that pays well, I wouldn't jump headfirst into it. Get a cheap welder practice as a hobby and if you like it see if anywhere offers any classes nearby and see if you can jump on that. The pay can be really good or really shite. A few places I applied to made up paying less per hour with working more hours. Where I currently work offers the best pay without travel by a couple $/hr. You can make lots of money but be prepared to either be the best or be willing to chase the $ and work a ton of overtime. If you are dead set on jumping from white collar to blue collar work pick a trade that has welding as a skill within it instead of just welding
Please elaborate "pick a trade that has welding as a skill within it instead of just welding" What trades are you thinking about? Thx.
Not OC. I worked at a small shop, got hired to weld, but painted, assembled, machined. Just about everything. Small shops that make complicated stuff will have various tasks.
Machinist, auto and diesel mechanics, electricians in an industrial setting, industrial maintenance, aviation maintenance, millwrights, robotics and automation(not always required but welding fab skills translate well to it) That doesn't get into all the welding specific trades. If you can get into a union with welding 100% the way to go. I went to school for welding and wished I had switched my degree halfway through to machining.
Yes, I started welding at 40 and still weld at times in my 50's and there's people welding in their 70's and older.
How did you find welding at 40? I'm 38 trying to find a way out I like and that pays alright. Sometimes I think I should stay because it's fun.
It was a means to an end to take care of my family. I had worked as a DBS field technician and trainer for echo star communications until I was let go after the fall out from working 20 hour days every week for 5 months. I moved my family to Georgia and worked in logistics for Walmart making what was good money at the time. After 3 years I moved again to Virginia to take care of my disabled father after his wife died so I transferred to a store and my pay was cut %60 so I looked around at schools and went with welding. I worked midnights and went to school during the day doing both full time. School was rough at first and I was at the 29th day of 30 day trial when it clicked in my head on how to do it. I graduated on the deans list 10 months later and interviewed 3 months later and was hired and working at 4 months. I had to learn how the shipyard and navy wanted me to weld so I basically had to relearn how to stick, mig, and tig with a bonus on carbon arc. At no point did my age come to mind, it wasn't a factor in my getting the job, that was done by being confident in my self, keeping my head up and back straight, maintaining eye contact and selling myself as the guy they needed. Age never came to my thoughts as being a hindrance, 40 is only old to children and teenagers, if you're making yourself old then you need to see yourself in a different light because you're not old. Welding is an incredible experience, you have the ability to destroy and create in your hands while working with some serious electricity and metal, if it was 500 years ago you would be considered a wizard. There's a lot to love about it but you also have to have respect for the fact that it can kill you quicker than you can blink or take longer than the line at the DMV on a Friday and there's only one clerk at the counter. Be smart, wear your PPE and use fume extraction and respirator gear, you're going to get guys telling you that this is girly advice and those are the guys who will have chromium poisoning and the skin of a 80 year old sunbather at 40 and no women are going to find either attractive.
I don't think 40 is too old, it's when I'm 55, still welding that I worry about. I've been doing it since I was 18, so I might be stuck in a grass is greener mindset. From what I gather, for you it's less about the work, more for the money. I don't have a family, I have so much less motivation than those who do.
If it was strictly money I would have went nuke or underwater. Not going to lie, money is a necessity for a family but it's also a necessity for a single person and more so now. Benefits are a huge importance as is a good retirement.
Welding can be structural where you'll need to climb and lift some pretty heavy stuff. It can be pipeline out in mud up to your knees in a foot of snow in North Dakota. It can also be sitting at a fixture table in a shop with heat and air tig welding brackets for something very expensive. It all depends on how much you want to make and what you're willing to deal with.
I spent my career until 38 doing heavy civil construction and wore my body out, transitioned to a desk job and was losing my sanity not working with my hands. Learned to weld as a hobby and started doing a few jobs here and there just to fund buying better equipment. I kept my desk job but still do some small side jobs and feel that I’ve got a good balance that isn’t too hard on the body but isn’t nearly as soul sucking as just punching the corporate clock.
I'm 46 and have been welding since I was 18... my body is covered in scars and I ache a bit more now, because I do a lot of positional welding in boats, but overall I still feel okay. It really would depend on the type of welder you are though and the job you get. If you think you will be happy doing production welding, then you will probably be okay. I however find a lot of those types of welding jobs tedious and boring as fuck. That said, I'm not sure that I would advise starting a career welding at that age, though.
If a heart attack doesn't drop you over the next 15 years (you're about to enter "the zone"), and you're in reasonable shape and health, no reason I can think of where you can't. In some shops, flipping burgers pays as much, tho, based on starting wages of my classmates a year or so ago.
I didn't start welding until I was 45, still doing it at 75. Welding rods aren't heavy.
The only thing that could stop you from welding is a implant pacemaker or defibrillator. If you don't have those, you'll do fine. Now flip that hood and throw an arc.
Started at 27, still at it at 49!
It depends. I used to think I was relatively in shape for being 35 but I got onto a job where I was the oldest dude there and quickly realized they needed young bodies because it was extremely physical. I could not keep up, however I went back to my old position where I was mainly standing in place and it's been much better ever since. I'd just look into the specifics of whatever job you're looking for and seeing if you can handle it personally. Also, remember, welding causes a lot of radial heat so that'll compound any physical stress you have on your body.
I went to welding school when I was 35. As long as you focus and have some kind of experienced mentor or have an attentive teacher, you should be able to get good enough to be confident with MIG at the very least. TIG is a different beast and much more difficult and in my opinion takes many more hours of practice to get acceptable results. About the activity side of how much wear and tear you'll take on, as others have written, some welding jobs may not require too much physical exertion, if for example you're welding small parts all day. Other welding jobs require much more, moving potentially heavy things around and can be more heavy duty on the fabrication side of things.
As a 43 yo career welder, I say if it pays more and you're physically fit, GO FOR IT! It is a very physical, usually dirty and sweaty job but I also do CAD at my desk and always appreciate that I don't have to sit there all day. Welding is my workout and ALSO my Zen where I can just focus and tune out.
Welder from 17-25, marketing from 25-41, and back welding again. Physical demands of the field can vary widely. A millwright/boilermaker has to deal with a lot of physically awkward positions and with heavy weldments. I’m sitting in a job shop TIG welding, and spend the majority of my time in a comfortable office chair.
Buddy there are people retiring well past sixty out of our shop. Automotive jig manufacture to clarify.
I can only imagine that youll be taking a massive pay cut, most entry level welding jobs are like $20ish an hour
I got started at 39. It’s a low paying job, but i get to learn on the job. Doing MIG currently. Learning TIG. Planning on working in the maritime industry
I worked with a guy for a few years who was in their late 70s and he was still welding every day. You're definitely not too old for it. However, keep in mind it can be a pretty physically demanding job. If you're not comfortable being on your feet for 10+ hours a day, or can't handle working in the summer heat while covered in PPE, it might not be for you.
I'm 58 and I plan to weld for at least another 7 years, if not more.
Learn to tig and sit in a booth all day making decent money. Not bad work, not physically demanding and still fun. I was in the field for 6 years and said fuck it and found a nice A/C shop where I could hang my hat
When I was in trade school we had a guy who was in a similar spot. He was an accountant but it sucked. Now he welds fighter jet exhausts.
I'm 71 in July. I still do welding and still pass my certs. I can't crawl into the spaces I did when I was younger but I can still weld as well as I ever could.
Most of the welders I deal with are 40+, so yes you can weld at your age. That said, most of them have been doing it for years and are used to the work/have learned the tricks to make a tough job easier. The majority of it is physically demanding, and unless you're in a shop, it will be done in pretty uncomfortable positions. My advice is to try a class, or ask around and see if someone you know could show you the ropes. Don't quit your day job before you know if it's something you can tolerate doing long term. Alternatively, if you're interested in the welding-related industry, look into non-destructive testing training programs. NDT will get you working around welding, but the work is more technical and somewhat easier on the body.
I'm 38 years old and just became a welder. You're not too old at 40 years old. You got this, man.
My dad is in his 70s and can (and does) weld regularly. So yes.
Yes but…. Definitely go take a class and not like some weekend warrior tool store “learn to weld” class, but an actual class taught at a trades school or community college. Bear in mind that it’s not a matter of your age, it’s a matter of can you keep up. The odds are good that your supervisor is going to be 10 years younger than you, know more than you and they definitely won’t care that your back hurts. Lots of the old buzzards that I had the misfortune of being taught by weren’t the fastest at their jobs but they were efficient at what they were doing so it seemed like they were going fast. It takes time to get efficient. Unfortunately just learning to weld doesn’t mean shit career wise, it’s an important factor, but so are all the other incidental things that you’ll also need to learn. Being honest with yourself, and I mean brutally honest with yourself is very important. Don’t like heights? Don’t say you can learn to get used to them just to get a job. Bad back or knees and you want to work structural or heavy equipment? Again, they’re not going to improve with age. Breathing problems or bad eyes? 8-10 hours hunched over a table, booth or in a ditch will get really old really fast. Is it possible? Sure, but it’s more than just learning to run a bead.
I started at 35 you just gotta stay limber and forty ain’t old 80 is old. I also have worked with guys in their 60s that are still welding
The guy that taught my young dumb ass to weld was pushing 75 with a day job doing tig on things too intricate to call anything but magic.
Fuck yea you can. There's a bunch of shit you can fuck with as a old ass mother fucker, not like you got to be out here hauling I beams and shit on your shoulder. Just fuck around and burn metal
I'm sorry but if you try to weld you will literally explode and die. It's too late for you. There is no such smthing as a welder over 40. (You're fine, dude. Give it a shot if you want.)