with 1.5 years out and no work in the field, I would suggest going back and updating the date on your certification. or upgrade.

I was hired sight unseen to fab and weld boat docks,lifts,etc. Also,bridge and highway supports,never had a cert. Then got on with WD Welding. Lab equipment,dredgesdump trucks, trailers,10 seat Harley Davidson called The Anaconda and,a 350 gallon Pumpkin Cannon with a 15' barrel . It shot over a quarter mile!

I can bring you in and refer you to The Brotherhood of Carpenter's. I am in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Contact me Mr. Potts

Dylan, did you check out Dylan, OK? Maybe try Craigslist and see if they have any position there. Regarding your resume, don't you age in the summary, your years of experience is what they look for, you said it yourself but not how you worded it at all. Are you willing to relocate overseas or to a company called Marmen Energy, and are you AWS Certified? Good luck.

Make sure you have a strong portfolio. And by that, I don't exactly mean your resume. I mean pictures of your work. Something like this: http://www.nikkiromanello.com/NikkiRomanello/3D_WORK/Pages/WELDING.html

Continue to look for some type of freelance work to gain experience. If it's possible, also do welding projects in your personal life so you can continue to build your portfolio. I made my art portfolio for free on this website: https://my.carbonmade.com/

You're faced with an all too common paradox. You have a skill that is in demand, but the only way to get hired is to prove that you have the skill by providing proof of employment using that skill for a certain period of time. Nobody wants you without the experience and you can't get the experience if nobody is willing to hire you without it. Maybe you can get a maintenance job somewhere that will include some welding as part of the job without being the main function? Perhaps you can find a small, (possibly family owned), steel fabrication shop who would be willing to take a chance on you? If you can find someone willing to "Train the right candidate" you're on the right track. They will pay less but if you can get your foot in the door and show them that you really do know what you're doing you may be able to advance quickly. If you're finding places that demand experience you may be setting your sights too high, you might have to pretend that your formal education isn't worth anything and start at the bottom. Once you start and prove yourself to be worthy things should progress quickly. Whatever you do, avoid going into a job with an attitude of knowing everything about the job. Knowing how to perform a specific function is different than knowing a complete job. A snowplow manufacturer will have a completely different work environment than a boiler & furnace manufacturer. By requiring that much experience they may be hoping to find someone who has experience in a variety of work environments. Look for entry level jobs that include your skill and not jobs that specialize in your skill, the specialty work will follow. You need to put money in your pocket now and you need to get experience now, look for anything that might give you both, you can continue to look while you are working, but don't bail out too quickly, that might cheat you out of good opportunities for advancement. Good Luck and don't give up. Your skill is very important and in demand, don't give up hope.

Where are you from. I'm a welder also what type of welding do you do Dylan? As a welder supervisor we are always looking for good certified welders in the refinery in Corpus Christi Tx. It's hard to find real welders and Pipefitter look me up on my profile

How expensive is the equipment? I would start with a small shop or garage where there is a family owned and operated business and start from there. Apprenticeship programs are another way to investigate opportunities. Go to the college where you got all of these Certs at and ask them to provide a letter of reference and maybe a list of companies that would hire you, after all you did PAY them to educate you in these skills - if there were not any jobs in that area then they should STOP the program. KEY is NEVER GIVE UP !

Not to mention I come from a small town in TX where all there is around is truck drivers and fast food workers. Any help or nice constructive criticism is very appreciated.