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My brother-in-law, a welder, told me he thinks our trade's focus on certifications is overblown.
We were at a family cookout in Akron and he said, 'I've seen guys with a stack of papers who can't read a weld puddle, and guys with no certs who can fix anything.' It got me thinking about a guy I worked with last year on the Toledo job, who had 20 years of experience but kept getting passed over for lead spots. What's the real balance between paper and practical skill on your crews?
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rivershah3mo ago
Ever seen a certified guy who couldn't weld his way out of a wet paper bag?
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smith.anna3mo ago
Seen it plenty, rivershah. A paper cert doesn't mean someone can run a good bead under pressure. I watched a guy pass his plate test but then couldn't fix a simple crack on a trailer gate because he kept burning through the thin metal. The real test is always outside the booth.
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cameron3182mo ago
@smith.anna you’re spot on about the real test being outside the booth. I read a piece in some welding magazine that said certs are like a driver’s license, they show you know the rules but not that you can handle a blizzard on the highway. A lot of the best welders I’ve met learned by burning rods and fixing mistakes, not chasing papers. That guy on the Toledo job you mentioned sounds like proof that crews value hands-on results over paperwork when the pressure is on. How do you guys on your site handle leads that don’t have the certs but have the skill?
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