Welders $200,000
 

It does not appear that the "party is over". Pilots are showing management that they are willing to work for less and less provided a chance at faster career progression exists. So long as pilots continue to flock to be low paying, quick-upgrading regional of the day there is little incentive to raise pay. It's simple supply and demand.

What a professional pays is not directly linked to the cost of entry (cost being time and money).

It also depends on the desirability of the job itself (fun factor), social prestige (people will work for less if what they are doing is regarded highly), and most importantly supply and demand.

The welders have a low cost of entry but other than that it's not a particularly fun job (industrial welding), it has low prestige, and right now demand is high.

Pilots are falling all over themselves to fly for next to nothing because all of the factors I just mentioned for welders apply in reverse to pilots.

With oil heading toward $50 and below, those boom towns in ND will quickly become ghost towns. 4 years ago I told an unemployed guy to look at Craigslist job listings in ND, 2 weeks later he was in ND making 100k+ driving a truck, and still there today.

What are you going to tell him to do now?

The only guys making anywhere near those figures have their own rigs. If you think learning to fly was expensive look at the cost to outfit and maintain a welding rig. It's akin to running your own business, working contract work.

No cheap Chinese crap on those things, just Blue and Red.

It would be akin to being a contract pilot, supplying all equipment and ratings needed (SimCom or FSI current, all charts, etc.) and pay for your own transportation to/from, hotels, etc. A buddy of mine was typed in Falcons (had numerous types) and would do side trips making $1,500 a day + expenses.

This is true and the work is tough but they also get a hefty daily rate on top of their hourly when they own their own rig. It's a lot of money.

No welders on W2 payroll are making $100/hr. Even union ones. That's >$200k a year. Nope not happening.

Yes, if they own their own rigs, they might be bringing that in. Or more. But it's running a business. One guy I know spends $750 a week on average in diesel fuel alone. Not to mention consumables (been to Airgas recently?).

If you operated a 400 series Cessna on charter, with a rate of $600/hr, are you making $600/hr? Of course not. Same exact thing.

I've seen contract engineers making rates like that and (much) more, it just depends on the going rate for what you do at the time. If you are the guy with what they need you can negotiate the heck out an hourly rate. There was a guy at a bizjet company I used to work for who made more than $250 an hour base rate with overtime kicking in after 40, he was the only guy who knew what they needed. He worked 60 hour minimum weeks, he used to buy me dinner on Thursday when he hit 40 that week and then we'd go for beers. There is no morality in such pay rates, and there is no mercy for you whenever the company is done with you either, no matter how good a deal they got at the time. If some welder has what they need now and a billion dollars is at stake they'll pay the hourly rate to keep him there.

I own a business up there and have 6 CDL drivers. They work 3 on 1 off and easily make 100K. It's not uncommon for my guys to make 10K a month. Might be a thing of the past here soon though with low oil. We'll see in about 6 months.

I paid a guy to weld a hole in a trailer. Basic steel trailer, easy weld job. Took him about 10 minutes plus about an hour of driving time to get to us. Charged me $600. I think he was making 200K. He did have his own rig and business.

How much of that $600 do you think went to liability insurance off the top? Then add another 30% for government taxes. Cost of the rig, mx, consumables, various government fees, marketing, office space, the list goes on. Plus being contract he's not making that day in and day out (although I hear work up in ND, UT, NM is pretty steady).

If y'all think you can drop a couple grand and take a 6 month community college course, get a 4G cert, and make $100/hr 40+ hours a week go for it.

Personally, I wouldn't quit your day job, welding (real welding) is an art/science/engineering all rolled up into one trade.