Hit 1000 hours on my welder this week and felt like a real pro for once

Ive been doing body work on the side out of my garage for about 2 years now. Last Tuesday I noticed my little Hobart welder rolled over to 1000 hours on the meter and I honestly had to stop and stare for a minute. When I first started I could barely lay a bead without burning through a quarter panel. Now I'm patching rockers and floor pans on a buddy's 2002 F150 that looked like swiss cheese. It just hit me that all those late nights and burned fingers actually added up to something real. I even had a customer last month tell me my welds looked better than the shop he used to go to. That felt pretty good but hitting that 1000 hour mark made me feel like I finally earned my place in this trade. How long did it take you guys to feel like you actually knew what you were doing?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.mark1mo ago

Calm down, it's just a thousand hours.

harper_owens1mo ago

A thousand hours is literally 41 days straight, how is that "just" anything?