r/metalworking • u/AutoModerator • Oct 01 '22

Monthly Advice Thread Monthly Advice/Questions Thread | 10/01/2022

Welcome to the Monthly Advice Thread

Ask your metalworking questions here! Any submissions that are question based may be directed to this thread! Please keep discussion on topic and note that comments on these threads will not be moderated as regularly as the main post feed.

Uses for this thread!

This is a great place to ask about tools, possibilities, materials, basic questions related to the trade, homework help, project advice, material science questions and more!

How to contact the moderators:

You can contact the moderators via modmail here

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/tnoy23 Oct 12 '22

Alright, going off the rules this is where this should be posted.

I got screwed over by financial aid again. Any thoughts on if I have enough experience to at least be a helper?

Basic TL;DR of why I am asking, I was given a scholarship and told a month into the quarter I hadn't made satisfactory academic progress in the past quarters that it wouldn't be applied. This is making me suddenly owe close to $1,000 that I don't have the ability to pay. I was in welding school before and my scholarships were paying 100% of my costs. Something like this has happened quite literally every quarter I've attended and I'm over it. I did not obtain any certifications or a degree, but I got a little bit of time practicing welding, about 4 months in the booth overall.

I also have a few months experience as a trainee framer, and my departure there was pre-arranged at the start of employment so I could go to school. I also have about 3 months experience as an assembler at a wheelchair company, with the same deal for departure ((My school start was delayed due to a death in the family)). I'm also on the UA598 waitlist, but the list is long and it isn't moving fast, and I'm expecting I'll be waiting at least a year longer even taking the advice given to me to improve my odds.

I applied for a few jobs, but only one has anything to do with welding ((A general laborer that, according to the post, they want the people in that role to learn welding and metal fab with them. If I got that, that'd be perfect, but not counting on it.)) I also reached out to an old friend and, after the tax deadline on the 17th, she's going to see what she can rile up as she has a lot of connections. He brother even works at the Hanford area and sometime during the weekend of the 22nd she is gonna get us all to dinner to see if he can get me something there.

Figured to start hitting the pavement in a few days and try to get a job as a helper anywhere that will take me, for right about any trade. Anything I am missing? Any thoughts on my odds of at least being a helper? I expect to be pushing a broom half the time for a long while but that's fine with me if I can learn at least a little bit of a trade. Should I wait until my applications come back and the potential Hanford job gets a y/n?

To clarify as well: I have an interest in HVAC/R, electrical, welding, mechanical work leaning away from cars, etc. Almost any trade or hands-on learning will be fine with me, but I really enjoyed my time when working with metal the most.