The CWB Association Welding Podcast
The CWB Association Welding Podcast
Episode 208 with Michael Barnett and Max Ceron
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry.
What happens when a career in welding finds you unexpectedly? Mike Barnett, a Welder from Canton, Ohio, joins us to share his unique journey from working on irrigation systems to wielding a welding torch. Growing up, Mike was set to inherit the family business, but his grandfather's wise words and a fateful commercial for Tulsa Welding School rerouted his path. This episode captures Mike's initial misgivings about the physical demands of welding and his eventual passion for the craft. We also touch on the broader world of welding, where a recent graduate faces the hurdles of job-hunting in a rural, agriculture-dominated area of Southwest Kansas.
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All right, I can check. Check, I'm good. So I'm Max Duran. Max Duran, cwb Association Welding Podcast, pod pod podcast. Today we have a really cool guest welding podcast. The show is about to begin.
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Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to another edition of the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Saron and, as always, I'm finding the guests with the bestest and the mostest in the weldest in the world. And here today we have a wonderful man who I've met a few times now and he's just an all-around lovable guy. Mike Barnett. How you doing, michael? Doing great, max. Thanks for having me on you bet, bet. We've talked about having you on a couple times, kind of just missed here and there, and here it is now you're on the show yep, just talk about perfect scheduling because of how uh crazy my my scheduling gets sometimes with my job.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we both are always working weird hours and it was tough and, like you said, next week is christmas, although this won't be released until well after christmas. But for the people that are, both are always working weird hours and it was tough and, like you said, next week is Christmas, although this won't be released until well after Christmas. But for the people that are listening, you'll see my background. This is what AI says. A Max Christmas needs to look like Kind of gothic and scary. I dig it.
Speaker 1:But, it looks like it helps it join our life squad log cabin. Yeah, yeah, where are you calling him from today?
Speaker 2:I'm calling him from today.
Speaker 1:I'm going for all the way from uh, canton ohio at this time. Canton ohio.
Speaker 2:I was just in columbus ohio last week yeah, I heard a little bit about that and I heard you were in. Uh, I heard your podcast episode talking with um. Oh, I forgot her name, but she was in tennessee oh, yes, yes, yes, oh geez. We're starting with the lady who. We're talking about A lot of people. It's hard to remember names sometimes.
Speaker 1:So, Mike, let's talk about who you are and how you got on the show. So, first and foremost, you're a welder, correct? Yes, sir, I am. So, when did you get into it? Tell us about how you got into that trade.
Speaker 2:Well, it's kind of a funny story. I actually never considered welding when I was growing up, until I was a senior in high school, and the reason why is because, from the age of five years old, I used to work with my grandfather on irrigation sprinkler systems and worked on farms and stuff.
Speaker 2:So I learned how to run tractors, I learned how to do how to how the plumbing works and all the stuff where they give us a water irrigation. And originally I was going to take over his business and just do that and just sit and go to college for a couple of years just to make sure I understood the technical aspect. But as, uh, in the middle of my senior year of high school, my, uh, my grandpa just told me michael, don't, just don't. I was when. I was confused. I was like why? And I was like, I'm good at it, I'm practically doing your job on.
Speaker 2:You can barely do anything now because of after age and everything. And he just said, yeah, but look at me, your grandma, we didn't play the game right and I don't have money that's saved up for retirement and your grandma's having to work full time and we just can't. This isn't a way of living nowadays. And I was like, okay, he's like, well, just just try to reconsider something else besides irrigation. Just don't limit yourself to one thing, just don't be a one-trick pony, which is something I live by now. And so, um, while I was uh trying to figure out what I was going to do. I I kind of get into one of those little stalemate moments where I'm trying to figure it out.
Speaker 2:And then I was like give me a sign of what it is that I'm supposed to be doing. And I turn on the TV and then the Tulsa Welding Schools commercial comes on and it just said do you like work with your hands? I'm like yeah. He's like do you like making money your hands? So like yeah, he's like, do you like making money? He's like uh-huh. He's like, do you want to build this infrastructure? Like yeah, because I've been joined postal wealthy school. I'm like okay, I'll do that so the commercial gotcha.
Speaker 2:It's good to know that those commercials will get you right yeah, just talking about perfect timing, because I mean I've seen it, I've seen glimpses of it before, but at that time I was just like not, I don't think I'd be a fan of it, just because, uh, it's a lot of heat and stuff and with how big I am and how much I'm out in the sun all day I work, I just like I would be kind of miserable for the most part.
Speaker 1:But but, I don't think you should move up to canada.
Speaker 2:I don't know Cause I don't really like a cold either.
Speaker 1:So before you saw this commercial, before the welding ad got you, did you know anything about welding Like? It sounds like you had a little bit of like, I guess trades exposure from your grandpa. But aside from just knowing what it was, in general you never had anything to do with it before.
Speaker 2:Nope, I never even touched a torch ever until I went to college and it threw my instructors off because I was in Dodge City Community College land of the old Western movies and TV shows that she used to grow up on and my instructors. I had a class of 20 guys and they were somewhere in the Army, somewhere Navy, and some of them were mom-and-pop shops or already had years of experience under their belt and they get to their belt and they get to me and they're like all right, how long you been welding, what's your name, what's your name where you from, how long you been welding?
Speaker 2:I was like I'm Michael, I have, I'm from down the road away, but and I have zero years of experience he's like you have any experience at all? Like no. He's like he's like wait, you have no welding experience, was like none. And he's like do you have any experience at all? I was like no, he. And he's like he's like, wait, you have no welding experience. It was like none.
Speaker 1:And he's like okay, that's uh, that's uh new, that's new for me really like everyone in your area, all just like know how to weld for no like, just just cause well, yeah, well, in the land of kansas we're known for agriculture and the majority of people there.
Speaker 2:they're having their equipment fixed all the time. So it's usually stick MIG welding, sometimes that flux core stuff for some certain places.
Speaker 2:But the majority of it's all stick welding, because you got farmers and you got the people who just need maintenance work done and now, granted, they didn't have much of a cwis in that in my area that I was at, but, and I just never had to do any welding, and for at all the entire time until I went to college yeah, it's funny because I live in a very agricultural part of canada and we have a like a saying as instructors when we get kids from the farm.
Speaker 1:that would come in as as soon as they walk in and be like where are you from? Oh, I'm from a small town about an hour, you know, north or east or however small town, people always talk. You know, take a left three miles after the white fence type of thing, and it's like, oh, so you know how to weld. Oh, yeah, it's like okay, so you know how to weld.
Speaker 2:poorly, got it okay, so you know how to weld poorly, got it? Yep, that, I can verify that. I've met a few farmers who are can lay down a bead and or they just they have a saying like, if it looks like it holds, just send it down the road so you start taking this course.
Speaker 1:You got no experience but you're in a class with a lot of people with some experience. That's kind of intimidating man.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, well, it was because, um, my, uh, a lot of the guys thought I wasn't going to make it. They all thought I was gonna chicken out at the last, at the last minute, after, after the safety course that you had to take for the first few weeks, and quite honestly, that just it kind of pissed me off in a way and I was just like, like I was like I'm going to, I was like I'm going to F and prove it to you all, like I could, I can do this.
Speaker 2:So, get out of my way and so so I passed their safety course thing and then it was in the shop and then we started with learning. On Mondays we did stick welding classes. On Tuesdays we did TIG. Migs were on Wednesdays, and Thursdays was either cutting and processing or flux core welding and you just learned the basics of going flat horizontal uphills and overheads and doing the laps, t's and butt joints and stuff.
Speaker 2:And the instructors had an expectation of you to. They were CWIs and they said that in here there is an acceptable and a rejectable, and if I see any rejectable stuff on your walls it's going to be an automatic fail for me. So because I want you guys to produce at perfection levels, because that's what they're going to expect you out there in the field, and so he really drilled it into a lot of us. It wasn't just him, the instructor, I had three instructors total in this school and I only had to deal with two of them, but they both were CWIs and CWEs and they both were CWIs and CWEs and they both held the standard and they would help you out if you were having a hard time understanding stuff. And they also were trying to teach you how to troubleshoot, understand what it's like to be out in the field in a way, and they were trying to throw a real work experience at you too, so that you were prepared in a way.
Speaker 1:Now, how long was the course in total?
Speaker 2:It was a two-year course that I decided to take just so I got my associate's degree in science, and it was for under course of welding, so you only had to do at least six months to understand the basics and stuff. But, I wanted to do the full two years because I didn't want to go out into the field and be like uh, be confused or lost. I wanted to make sure I was prepared for anything that was taught my way.
Speaker 1:So you went into this right after high school. Like you, you were like what you're 18 and you're rolling into this. Yep.
Speaker 2:Like you, you were like what you're 18 and you're rolling into this Yep Map. I was freshly 18 and uh, leaving and moving out of my grandparents' place and cause they were, they were raising you at the time where, cause, um, my mom and them and I had to relocate and I was doing. She wanted me to finish my senior year close to town. So it was better for me to stay with them, and it worked out pretty good for the most part, in my opinion.
Speaker 1:Yeah so you're, you're working towards this two-year program. Uh, how was that was it? Was it a tough two years? Did you get pretty pumped, you know, like was it an uphill battle, or how did you feel about the program?
Speaker 2:um, I actually really liked the program compared to other places. I've heard about how they do their program.
Speaker 2:I like the fact that you did all the welly processes within the week and you kept going, and then you had fridays available to work on whatever it is you wanted if you needed to catch up on the coupon that you had to produce and it was just a very good, um, a really good setup in my opinion, and the whole two years that I was doing this, it was. It had its moments of challenges because we had to uh, we had to do a shop. We had to have shop time in the shop itself. Yeah, and we had to do shop. We had to have shop time in the shop itself. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then, of course, we had the book work to understand the technical side of everything. And on top of that, the instructors also wanted us to understand. They wanted us to do welding, blueprints, metallurgy. They wanted us to learn how to run machines and stuff also. So we had a piranha, we had a shear machine, a bender, all kinds of stuff, and they put all this stuff become very versatile and whatever it is he wanted whenever it came to a job, and then they even had a small four by four CNC table. And we had to.
Speaker 2:we had to make our one of our final assignments. We had to make our own program to lay out some veteran image and then make a cutout. And that was our final assignment for the CNC and the rules were we had to make it by drawing it out. We can just copy it off the image because they wanted to really challenge us To plot it out. We can use a, we can just copy it off the image. Right. Cause they weren't they wanted to really challenge us?
Speaker 2:To plot it out yourself, yeah, yeah, and or at least prepare us for whenever we go to a shop we know how to add the curvature or do a proper layout and make sure that it works through properly and there's not some odd up, or Nick.
Speaker 1:So, so you get through the program, you graduate, and what's the environment like in your area for work? Is it like, oh no, it's going to be hard to get a job, or is it companies are waiting for you being like get over here, mike, I got work for you uh, it was.
Speaker 2:Uh, it was. There was kind of a little difficult because, um, in southwest kansas the southwest kansas area where I'm from, there isn't a big call for welders because they are folks more on the agriculture side. They they needed more of um-drivers and for the most part to haul corn and wheat and stuff. But I had a job in mind when I first got out, but the guy that I knew, he told me that he didn't feel comfortable hiring me on because he wanted me to get some more field experience, since what he did, what he did in his shop, was a wide variety of stuff and we every times we'd be in a shop and every times we're around the field dealing with mother nature being the beast and it's kicking our behinds all over the place
Speaker 1:and basically manhandling us like a gorilla yeah, yeah, but where did you go to find a job?
Speaker 2:that's actually even more of a funny story I had. I had already printed out resumes for other fabrication shops that I knew of.
Speaker 2:Problem is that majority of the fabrication shops they had a heavy hispanic area and they wanted to keep just the hispanics in the shop because they communicated with each other that way and usually the foreman's didn't like speaking english because they were bad at it so but I ended up, um, I was supposed to have an interview with some other place but they, uh, I guess they felt the position and I just walked down the road and found this place called Western Steel Automation and I just thought the word steel and I was like maybe they might need somebody. So I just so I go, I park my truck and I go towards, I go forward and see I see some guys like loading up some stuff onto, onto a hip wheel and stuff, and I go to them. I'm like, hey, who's your boss around here? He's like that guy over there, guy with the blonde hair guy, goes by Leroy.
Speaker 2:I was like, okay, so I walk over to him and I was like. I was like, excuse me, sir, are you Leroy? He, my name is Michael Barnett. I shook his hand and I told him I just got out of welding school. I have two years of experience. I have a certification for uphill welding for 7018.
Speaker 2:I'm looking for a job. Are you hiring? And he just looked at me and he said you're hired.
Speaker 1:I was like sorry, what?
Speaker 2:I was like you don't even know what he does. Yeah, I was like I was like, okay, I guess I got the job. But I found out later on from a couple other guys that there was literally a guy that just got hired on and he quit that day because he wanted to be just a truck driver. And when he found out that there was, he wasn't going to be just a truck driver, he decided to leave. And so I I just called that perfect timing and call it right place.
Speaker 2:Right time. Yeah, I call it God's intervention or something in a way and I'm just like, okay, wow, I got a job. And then I found out that it was a mill grain elevators that did grain elevator repair work, builds themselves iron working stuff repairs and the whole. There was a whole big one wrong move. There could have been a loud explosion of grain dust yeah, I've had, uh, I've worked in grain elevators before.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of safety precautions you gotta take, oh yeah I mean they are kind of annoying, but at the same time it's like it's the difference between you going home at night, or yeah, I'm sure you've seen the videos of when they go.
Speaker 1:They go great like they blow up nuts when they go off yeah, luckily, luckily I haven't had that in.
Speaker 2:I haven't had that incident, just a couple things. A couple things caught on fire about a couple times, but nothing too major so you get the job?
Speaker 1:no, no, sight unseen. You just walked up, took your hand and get the job. You know you go home you tell your grandparents everybody, I got a job, everyone's happy and they're like what do you do? And you're like I have no idea. Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, pretty much, and I just had to go take my, I had to go do the drop test and then, of course, of course, we discussed wages, stuff, and you just explained to me that, um, you said that this with this job yeah, there's, there is welding, but there's not very much of it. I'm like what I need is I need guys who can be general labor, can be can run drivers everything yeah, you got any tro drivers, any crane operators, any forklift drive operators.
Speaker 2:I'm like he's like I need licensed crane riggers. I'm like I have none of those things, which is how your welding start. He's like, okay, well then you didn't be at the bottom pay rate. I'm like I was like, fine, I'll take the job, but because I didn't know how much I would, how quickly I find any other jobs and or one that was actually gonna be decent pay and yeah, but that's a great place to start because you're gonna get a lot of different certs.
Speaker 1:it's funny you bring that up because my son was just here today and he's he's in construction and he was like telling me that he's doing a lot of skid steering right now because, uh, snow removal they got him working a bucket on a skid steer and I was like well, cool, you should get your license for that.
Speaker 1:And he's like there's a license for that. I'm like, well, yeah, like you can get your certs and all these things. And then then you're like certified to do it platform, here's my confined space, here's my skid steer class two, class five, vertical lift, jlg. And he's like holy, you got all these certs. And I was like that's how you get high paying jobs like you just gotta start getting every cert you can.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah or it's also just makes you also more desirable and more of a gives you more of an edge too when it comes to like arguing, wages and stuff, which it actually did. I end up helping the out later down the road and whenever we get to that part well, so so you're.
Speaker 1:So you're at the multi-faceted um kind of ag maintenance shop where they you know they kind of support the ag industry. How long were you there for um before you decided to bounce to the next place?
Speaker 2:um, I was there for about five and a half years and um I didn't decide to bounce I hadn't decided to bounce, I got fired. Oh, what'd you do? Well, we were. Well, my uh attitude had gotten the best of me, like my anger was. It was horrible, like everybody it was. They're terrified of me, and they were. I looked like I was about to kill somebody half the time.
Speaker 1:And I wonder why do you? Do you know why you were so upset all the time?
Speaker 2:well, it's because things weren't going right. Man, I was in a, I was in financial stress.
Speaker 2:I was either dealing with a divorce or I was dealing with one of my coworkers just talking to me like I was still a little man on totem pole and just went this a couple of times and he ended up forming man. We just got into it too many times and I was trying my best to just be my cool but there were times where I just yelled at him or I was yelling at somebody else and it just wasn't looking professional. Yeah Me, I didn't care and my carrying meter was just gone. I didn't care at all and I was planning on doing this last project and I was just going to drag up as soon as the last stat was put in. And I was just to.
Speaker 2:I was planning on, uh, doing this last project and I was just going to drag up as soon as the last stat was put in and I was just like quit out to that. But they kind of pushed me out the door before that could even happen. And it was, it was November, about two weeks before Thanksgiving, and and I was like this is horrible timing, cause I don't know if I how quickly I can get a job, especially in Kansas, and harvest season's over with, so nobody's looking to be hiring and I didn't have a bunch of equipment available, and so I couldn't run my own shop or none of that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh, but luckily I did have a during my time there I did learn, I did get my license to operate a forklift and we're talking about running hell handlers skid stairs um, small forklifts even, and then I also got my certs for, uh, crane rigging and oh nice.
Speaker 2:And so uh, luckily, got on the road. There was a, there was a place that was, uh, they stored all those wind and solar panels and the wind turbines and stuff. And so, uh, when uh, they saw that I had I had a experienced welding, the certs for the brain rigging and certs for the forklift operating, they're like like you was, like we'd like to hire you on, I was like, perfect, I'm on. And then I I ended up getting on that job and then, unfortunately, covet hit and work kind of got really slow at that time yeah, I'm curious though, because I you know and I hope this isn't uncomfortable for you.
Speaker 1:If it is, just let me know but a lot of young men in the trade struggle with anger, frustration, their temper. As an instructor, I've seen students throw grinders across the room, plates across the room, and it's always really difficult to try to teach them that that is very detrimental to their career. Right, like for yourself, how much of a lesson was that in your life to be like? You know, maybe you didn't want to work there, but you probably could have handled that differently, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean what? The main thing that I really hated was some of the words I said to the foreman, because my foreman is, his name was Kirk and he was a great guy and he was when I first started. He took me under his wing, he taught me everything he had, he learned and he had over 20 plus years or 30 years of experience being a no-write and he would show me all his tricks, his trades and I guess at some point I got used to, I got tired of him repeating everything over and over again, like I was like I'm still new at this. I'm like irk, I got this man trust me and but when the day came that I got fired, I who?
Speaker 2:I yelled at him. I yelled at lero, that lero. I was like saying like this is bs man. I was like five and a half years of loyalty to europe, to everyone, to all you here. I was like like f all of you and I freaking knows what off. And I was just like this is bullshit and I can't believe this. Like five and a half years of loyalty and I turned down jobs because I said you had my back and you do that to me.
Speaker 2:I'm like screw you when I leave and all my coworkers when they heard the news that when they saw me grabbing my stuff, they're like what's going on, man? I was like I just got fired. They're like, okay, that's funny. I was like, guys, I'm not kidding, I'm fired. And they're like holy're like okay, that's funny. I was like. I was like guys, I'm not kidding, I'm fired. And they're like. They're like holy, you're serious. It's like. It's like you're grabbing my, grab, my bags and stuff. And then they're like holy, this is real. I'm like but the lucky guys, I guess.
Speaker 1:And then it wasn't meant to be. You know, like, if you're not happy where you're at, don't stay um. I tell people that all the time.
Speaker 2:I learned that the hard way well, I just, I just kind of wish that I left on a better term like I could have just like I could have said I'm sorry, I wish I had done things better and but it's the minor, get the best of me and that, and that was making it more difficult for people to work with me, even on even on the new job.
Speaker 2:Even on the new job that I was on, because at the beginning I was trying to get along with everybody and trying to do everything. But when there was constant changes of, hey, I need you over here, I need you over here now, I need you over here. No, I need you over here. Over here, I need you to get this rigging. We need this rigging. And it's like our little gator's, looking like an episode of Hoarders and they're like yelling at me. They're like why is your gator so messy? I was like I don't know, maybe because you told me to get seven different types of damn rigging. You're. You're not giving me time to go back to the shops.
Speaker 2:I'll load the, please so now, now you get to the new job, is it new mike, new life, new attitude no, I've still, nope, still had the bad attitude half the time and during those, especially some of the workers where I just I hated them because they just they were either lazy, incompetent at the job or just late, just entirely useless. And well, to me they were useless because they weren't, they weren't picking up what we were trying to teach them and they kept having too many uh-ohs and incidents and I'm just like guys, we've gone through this multiple times, how are you still screwing up? And then then I was like these are, these are multimillion dollar fricking pieces of of machinery, all the steel, all this, all these gear heads, these blades, these are millions of dollars that we are trying to handle and you're trying not to break them because if they break we're screwed. Yeah, and that's fine. But what finally?
Speaker 2:Uh, what finally stopped me was, um, well, it was when uh covid was going on and I was going through my second divorce at this time and I was, or I was, dealing with the second next wife because we were trying to make things work but it just wasn't going to work out and my uh was trying to go to this church recovery group. They were for drug addicts, but they also dealt with divorcees yeah, they dealt with people who deal with anger and stuff and I just am like I don't know, I don't think this is a place for me, and they're like Mike, come on, we know you can see that she wants to change, but you're just not getting it. I don't know, I don't think this is a place for me, and they're like. They're like Mike, come on, just like we know, like we know you, we can see that she wants to change, but you're just not getting. It's just not clicking. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Don't come in like, just come one night, I'm like all right, fine, screw it, and I go there and end up chatting for a little bit, and then we finally get a chance to chat as a group with both the men and the women, and we eventually then, I guess, start talking about what's been going on with me and the fact that I'm always pissed off all the time and like I was tired of being scary to people and like a part of me was on the verge of just not becoming a complete isolationist and not wanting to be with anybody or do anything.
Speaker 2:And these, uh, two ladies, uh, uh, their names were, uh, missy Misty and uh and uh Krista Krista. Uh, these they're very they were very small ladies that they were literally at the side.
Speaker 2:They were on my peck tight and one was actually lower than my peck and they're just like, and they're like, michael, would you give us a little? Would you let us all pray for you? I was like no, I'm like no offense, but I've been in the whole Christian thing since I was born and God right now is not working for me. And then, before he even finished my sins, these two just went at me. I was just like there was no escape. Yeah, they're just like, yelling at me. They're like we are not giving up on you. I'm like what the? And then I knew their husbands. They were. They were.
Speaker 2:One of them is actually he's a, he or she is an iron. He used to be an iron worker in Millwright too. He became one of my good friends. He's a guy named Matt Bondarico. He's he's now a pastor, ironically. And and he actually used to be a former gang member and he used to. People were used to be scared of him and but now he's just, he's been a, he became a, he became a light to the, the and the darkness in a way. And then, finally, I guess it was like when, seeing that and seeing their uh, the kristen's husband, and also uh, john, he, uh, just seeing how their lives changed from the way they used to be to where they are now. I just I was like all right, fine, you win, let's go, let's go I really want to change, but I guess it's got to be.
Speaker 2:I guess I got to learn to surrender at this point and Absolutely. So I went ahead and did the prayer again and I tried to start all over and finally I just felt this weight of anger and all the stuff I was holding on to just go away. Finally I finally started to smile and it was actually being genuine. I went to work at the wind the wind that was still at the wind turbine company and stuff and everyone's like seeing me smile and they're like. They're like what is going on here and they're like.
Speaker 2:They're like who are you? I was like I'm, it's me mike. They're like you're smiling. I'm like yeah, that is what's new and they're like but you never smile. And I'm like well, I guess this is a new me or a new side of me. And they're like okay, well, we're having to work with these guys tonight, today. I'm like all right, no problem. And I was like what are we picking? What are we picking? They're like we need these parts. I'm like I got them all where are we picking? They're like we need these parts.
Speaker 2:I'm like I got them all and then for months I was like doing this whole complete one. I did this whole 180 and I'm smiling. I'm actually trying to help some of the guys learn how to do their job properly and of course there were. Some of them are some hard time clicking, so I had to try different ways to teach them how to do the job yeah and then it just started working out better in a way.
Speaker 1:Well for sure, man, nothing good comes out of anger. I learned that. I think a lot of people struggle with learning that. I know people that went to the grave and never learned that For myself. Once I could shed my ego and my anger is when I started taking off professionally. It changed my life, it changed my world. To to start to just stop thinking about that stuff, like what, like I would be pissing myself off all day. No one else is pissing you off, you piss yourself off. You're not really mad at those people. You're not really mad at the workers. You're not really mad at them. You're mad, really mad at those people. You're not really mad at the workers.
Speaker 2:You're not really mad at them, you're mad at yourself for some reason and you just take it out on everybody. You know what I mean. Yeah, I was mostly mad at myself because I went under the impression that I was going to be making all this money and I was going to be living a successful life and stuff. But I was on my second divorce. I was on the second divorce at the. I was on the second divorce at the time and I was just like at a. I was in a freaking pissed off like why isn't this working? I was like I was when I went into this life, uh, with this utmost expectation. But then it just went south and I was being like my father and he's in his and his deal right now with how he's dealing with. He's dealing with his anger, his, his, uh, his abuse with alcohol right now and we're trying to stop. We're trying to help him. But he's got to make a change himself right right well, this is a great time to take a break.
Speaker 1:First, our commercials and our advertisers. We'll come back after the break. And I want to talk about the new Mike, the one that smiles, and since I've met you, you've been nothing but smiles and a great guy to me, and I think that's important to see how that's changed your life and where you are now. So don't go anywhere. We'll be right back here on the CWB Association podcast after these messages.
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Speaker 1:And we are back here on the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Duran and I'm here with Mike Barnett coming to us and he's telling us well, he's in Kent, ohio, right now, but we're talking about his life in in Southern Kansas and some of the struggles that not just Mike but so many of us go through in terms of being emotionally and uh, you know ready to work and to succeed, because succeed doesn't come when you're putting obstacles in front of yourself. Success starts to come once you got a healthy heart and start feeling better about things, and you only see the good, you see the paths right For yourself. Mike, you, you know, right before the break you were saying you know, you got back to work, started to smile. People notice relationships already immediately start to change. The way people treat you, the way people talk to you, starts to change. Where did you go from there? You know, like windmill, time was slow. Did you stick it out there? Did you look for something else? What happened from that point?
Speaker 2:yeah, well, during the time that we were busy with the wind turbines is when that covid hit. So for about six months we were in a. The yard was on a scale, made like nothing was moving because of uncertainty what was going on with the vaccines and everything that was. We were waiting to hear what happened.
Speaker 2:And um, by the one year mark. Um, I had the things were trying to lighten up with, uh, the restrictions and stuff, and I have gotten word about, uh, uh, a job coming up in a fabrication shop and, um, a job coming up in a fabrication shop and, um, I wanted to get back to welding full-time.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, so I tried to go work for this one place, but again heavily they. I didn't last too long, fair, because they uh had a hard time understanding the foreman and because he did speak english very well and and eventually just wasn't working out for me or him, so it was best for me to cut it, yeah, and and then, um, I did actually end up getting my own mini rig started up and stuff I had. I got my hands on a lincoln uh 225 and I started my leads, I had grinders and everything started. I was originally going to start my own llc at some point.
Speaker 2:I just was trying to save up for cushion yeah, but unfortunately, finances kind of went south when trying to catch up on all the bills and luckily my friend, my buddy, uh, andreas, who he, uh, he started his own business before covid hit and he did a bunch of plant shutdowns and then replumbing and stuff and he he needed the hand every now and then out on job. So if, uh, he needed my rig and his rig to double team stuff, he called me up and be like, hey, mike, I need you, are you available tomorrow? I'm like, yeah, he's like I need you over this place. Uh, we got to do some molasses lines, we got to do some hydro lines. I'm like, all right, cool, I'll be there yeah and we did.
Speaker 2:I worked for him for a while and I was also building up my own little brand where I did a custom metal work pieces and stuff and I was doing signs, I was doing handrails, I was doing fire pits, grills, smokers, bumpers for trucks and I was building kind of a good reputation around my town and everything. And I still didn't have enough money saved up to start my own business and I eventually um get a phone call from someplace, from some uh, from minnesota number and I'm like who do I know in minnesota? And I'm like I'm confused. I think it's like a telemarketer or something like answering the phone. He's this guy. He said he's like this is michael barnett. I was like I was like yeah, he's like who are you? He's like my name is uh so and so. And I was like yeah, he was like who are you? He's like my name is so-and-so and I'm with this company. I was like, okay, I don't know you what's up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was like get to the point, dude, stop pausing. And he said we're going to be doing a project in your neck of the woods and we need to hire some people that are local. I'm like, okay. He's like, well, what's the job? And he said I need some guys who can do structural welding. Can you do that? I was like, yeah, I've got, like I got about five, six years of that. Now he's like, okay, I'll get you one stainless.
Speaker 2:I was like rod, or he's like, yeah, he's like, if he, but I still do it, give me a little time to practice, I can definitely get it down. He's like all right, well, uh, meet me here on this time, at this area, at this time, and we'll run through everything and I'll we'll see what you got. All right, cool, so I meet. So I meet the guy who's the project manager for this uh job and he, uh, he like shows me how things are going to work, how things are, what the building's going to be looking like, and he shows me prints and stuff. And I didn't know. I'm just like pointing out all the lovely blue prints and stuff, because I knew how to read them.
Speaker 2:He's like well, you read, like you can read this stuff. I was like, yeah, I can read it. And then he's like, how do you? How? I was like then, uh, then he told me that, um, he asked me like what else can? He was like I just think somebody can do the welding behind, do backup welding, so that these guys can put the building together.
Speaker 2:It was a precast, it was a precast job and like we just see somebody coming in behind and, well, behind behind them and everything. It was like, yeah, sure, sure, no problem. It's like, okay, I'll get it. Yeah, well, doing a, I'll get it. You were doing a play test. I was like, been a couple of years since I've done one, but I can do it. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then so we get to, we get a chance to do the job finally and job starting. And I mean all these guys who are with different unions and stuff In Kansas we don't have much of a union, so basically having to make sure not to poke their cause trouble. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:But there was a moment where they were supposed to have some guy running a telehandler or a skid steer and they're like, dang, we got to know who here knows. Does any of you guys got licenses running a skid steer? And they're like, dang, we gotta know who here. Does any of you guys got licenses to run a skid steer? I was like I do and they're like wait, you can run a skid steer. He's like yeah, he's like do you run a telehandler? He's like yeah, he's like okay, and then like and then, and then they're I'm like checking, rigging and stuff too. And they're like wait, are you Weiss's rigger too? I was like yeah, he's like where have you been? I was like Kansas, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I'm helping out with this entire job and everything and a lot of the guys. We got along great for the most part and this, um, unfortunately I had to. I had to drag up in the middle of the job because, um, life kind of life changes were happening and I needed to relocate to take care of some things and, uh, eventually I ended up working, ended up getting a job with this other fabrication shop and it was a great job. I actually quite enjoyed it, but things were kind of getting crazy and everything. Some of the guys I met at this fabrication shop half of the guys on the job there were subcontract welders.
Speaker 2:They traveled from Texas, arkansas, new mexico and all over yeah and I was like, wait, why are you guys here in kansas? And they're like because we, because you got, because this place didn't have enough skilled labor, so they brought us in as temporary workers. I'm like, isn't that kind of uh difficult feeling? Not really. It's like, as long as you're willing to be flexible and go from one spot to the next another, there's always going to be work available.
Speaker 2:I was like, hey, mike, why don't you come and join us? Come join the soap contract life and start traveling all around America. I was like, well, can I join you guys? They're like no, we can't hire you because it's considered poaching employees. Right. So just hop on Indeed and look up jobs with Verdean or travel welding jobs, it's like all right.
Speaker 2:So I go on Indeed, I search it up and found the company I work for now and they schedule the interview and my recruiter she, she interviews me, asks me all kind of questions about my experience with everything and she says she said, all right, I think we'll bring you on. I was like, awesome, great, when do I start? It's like what you start now. But um, the way it works is we I'll send you a job that's open and available and you read through the description, make sure that you can do the job, make sure, if there's a well test, that you can pass the test, and we'll be sure to read the duration and any other parts of the job and make sure that you are okay with it. And I'm like all right. And so she sent me jobs and I was qualified for some of the jobs, but there was a couple I wasn't, I hadn't done in a while, so it was too much of a gamble. And finally one place finally said yes to bringing me on and, funny enough, it was in Kansas.
Speaker 2:I was literally just went down the road to this job and, I think, came back, yeah, I so. Uh, I was in. So my first assignment was in Kansas and I was only supposed to be there for six months, but it turned into an extra six months after the holidays and uh, then I've been uh. Then, as soon as uh July hit, I and then I've been uh. Then, as soon as uh july hit, I got sent to um uh here at ohio for one job, and I was only here for about a few months and then got sent to fargo north dakota. I've been in tennessee, I've been in kentucky and now I'm back here in ohio for another four months now fargo.
Speaker 1:You're fargo, north dakota. That's only like three hours from my house, really. Yeah, I'm just north of Fargo in Saskatchewan, okay.
Speaker 2:I was working at a place that was I had a little bit of. I worked on the night shift at that time at that place and we were supposed to be there for three months but the contract got cut short because of it being the holidays and apparently this place was doing a bunch of remodeling on the inside with their jigs and their fixtures and stuff so they found a reason to bring us subcontractors back on after the holidays.
Speaker 2:So they did that. Yeah, after the 22nd your job's done here and we're like perfect, probably cold. After the 22nd your job's done here and we're like perfect. I was like great, probably cold.
Speaker 1:Being up here in December is pretty cold.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it worked out in a way because as soon as I left Fargo, a couple of people that actually live in Fargo they actually messaged me and they're like please let me know you got back to get out of North Dakota. Already I was like I'm like yeah, I'm in the middle of south dakota right now and I'm like it was really foggy. Yeah, I said they like sent me pictures of how white it is up there already I was like wow, I really dodged the bullet there.
Speaker 1:So you know you. You're working in this place now. You know everything's kind of come around full circle, but you know the how I met you was, you know, I. You know both either instagram and then in person at fabtech right now. What brought you to fabtech, what got you out there, was that your first fabtech you've been to uh, no, that was actually my second I went to.
Speaker 2:I did go to chicago, right and I met you in chicago. I believe, yeah, I think you roughly, you roughly saw me, but we didn't get you, as we didn't get you as a child much because you're a busy bee when it comes to fabtech I am a busy bee at fabtech, yes so I can't.
Speaker 2:I'm not mad about that because I mean it was the same thing with, uh, bell wiggins hamper worldcom jason becker, bombard junkies and like I knew I knew of you people but I didn't get a chance to really get to know you guys and I was still a small minnow compared to you guys who were a lot bigger when it comes to this kind of uh lifestyle of welding and stuff yeah but um, what got me to fabtech was um, I heard on, I heard on uh on weldcom about they were advertising about fabtech and I was like I never heard of fabtech and I was.
Speaker 2:I was like I was like I wonder what that's all about. So I look it up and I heard, saw it was in chicago, and I was like, oh, that sounds like fun yeah I.
Speaker 2:It had been a while since I ever had a vacation, so like never have had a vacation yeah, like most of us yeah, but um, so I just so I said you know what I'm gonna take, I'm gonna take all four days of fabtech in chicago. I'm gonna go do experience that and I going to go check it out and see if it's something that I'm going to like. And and then at this time I also had just gotten a brand ambassadorship with Boca Mola for clothing and they were still kind of fresh and new at the game.
Speaker 2:And they, I like, I like message the people at Boca Mola and I'm like, hey, I don't know if this means anything to you guys, but have you guys ever heard of Fabtech and their person who handles their Instagram? They messaged me back and they're like no, we've never heard of that place for welders. And since you guys are f our clothing, I think it'd be a great opportunity for you guys to blank for stuff there and start showing off a product, because I was already going to be wearing the product at and walking around and checking out everything and I got I uh, I kind of got a little bit of a soft invite from, uh, joey caruso, aka mullet welder yeah because him and his wife were going to be there with the Hood of Heroes Foundation and they said come through by our booth, we'll show you the roast and everything.
Speaker 2:I was like, sweet, awesome, perfect, yeah. So I was going to hang out with them most of the time and then just walk around and experience the thing that is Capsack. But then, like about a month away from the event, I get a message from they're on bocamore and they're like hey, we decided to get a boost and we want you to come be uh, come be one of the spokesmen yeah at the booth I was like really.
Speaker 2:I was like awesome, this is like. Well, this is, this is new, because this is I've never had a brand ambassador ship or ever done this. So I mean like, just like we just want you to be there and just tell people about the product itself and then just that's all we want you to hear is like okay, if that's all you want.
Speaker 1:Like I can do that yeah I'm good at talking, so so how how would you uh rate your first experience of fab tech in chicago?
Speaker 2:I mean the mice, the traffic, it was, uh, a lot of it was. I give it an eight out of ten yeah it was from what time I, from what I was allowed to go. Do I virtually hung out on the welding area of the fab of the whole event? Kind of get over. I didn't get was allowed to go? Do I virtually hung out on the welding area of the fab of the whole event? Kind of get over.
Speaker 2:I didn't get a chance to go to, uh, cutting and processing or the finishing line, but I mean the welding side itself was pretty huge on its own and all the all the different booths that were there, and not to mention some of the people who I seen on instagram and I hadn't got a chance to meet them in person. And then, as you can meet them in person, I was like, oh my god, this is awesome. And then I even got just to meet. Um, I got to meet, uh, four out of the nine competitors from the.
Speaker 2:Well, the metal shop masters right, right, cool yeah yeah, I mean I got a chance to I met ray for like a little bit, but she was also busy talking to some people, so I was like I didn't want to bother her. And then I met ivan frank, uh louis, and I heard tom was there later on, but just to see him.
Speaker 2:But and then I met stephanie hoff and I was just like this is crazy, Like I'm, I'm in, I'm in shock, I'm in awe and I'm just like Holy cow I'm. I'm surrounded by a bunch of other welders that that this is their career of doing the Instagram and doing the metal, mentoring and stuff. It's the. I don't like the word influencers and stuff, but uh, since you guys don't like the word influencers and stuff but and I just like I was, I found it awesome and we uh and uh with bocamole it we did such a good job on and just in chicago on the first day.
Speaker 2:On the first day the boss said like I already booked us for orlando. I was like really, he's like you're coming too.
Speaker 1:I was like yes, so then that takes it to orlando, and at this point you've gotten in a little deeper. You know the crowd a little bit better. You're at the vip party with becker, so when I saw you there I'm like, oh, this kid's moving up, this kid's moving up, you know. So how was that experience, orlando now, especially because you got one fab tech under your belt well it was.
Speaker 2:It was a lot more um, a lot more. I was a little more chill, less uh and awe and stuff because, it's like I because, um, I had already met bo and I met austin and met all the guys from the wellcom, and then, and then I did my interview with, uh, jason becker too right yeah, and I sometimes didn't even notice that I was being noticed by other people and I was just like this is kind of nice and understanding this whole welding community of ours, of our uh, we're being seen all around and then we even get shared.
Speaker 2:Some of our stuff gets shared off to other people and that's right. This is awesome. I'm enjoying this more and more and I get more excited every time when I think about next.
Speaker 1:AppTech. Well, back in Chicago next year.
Speaker 2:Yep, and then I think the next year is supposed to be in Vegas, I believe.
Speaker 1:Well, if you go by timing, it should be back in Atlanta. And then it goes Chicago, atlanta, chicago, vegas. So it went Chicago, atlanta, chicago, Orlando timing it should be back in atlanta. And then, because it goes chicago atlanta, chicago, vegas, so it went chicago atlanta, chicago, orlando because it couldn't do vegas, but I'm not sure yet.
Speaker 2:I'll be talking to sme, but what I understood, they wanted to get atlanta off the roster because people were having too many bad experiences with atlanta, so I think they wanted to switch atlanta for orlando, and they just do orlando, and they just do orlando and vegas well, everyone in orlando is telling you that it's going to be in orlando, so we'll see.
Speaker 3:I don't I don't know, I think it was one of the.
Speaker 1:It was one of those trial runs because yeah yeah for one it was good, but it was a lot of walking man orlando there was like those buildings were spread apart like I got my steps in, man, oh yeah definitely, I mean the, even the whole setting up and everything.
Speaker 2:Because I mean, first of all, we were all in uh waiting, and we were waiting in uh for the results to see if you were going to have fabtech, because the hurricane, hurricane milton yeah, yeah, the hurricane hit the week before and all of us were like I was expecting them to cancel it and I was just like I was like I never got to cancel it all. And then when they announced it was still going, I was like no.
Speaker 1:Well, we initially had a team of 20 going down between all the areas that we were in and then we scaled it back to 11 because we're like, oh, the hurricane melted areas that we were in. And then we scaled it back to 11 because we're like, well, you know Hurricane Milton, but then you know there was conversations about it being shut down and I said they won't shut it down. There's too many billions of dollars that roll through that building that Orlando is going to need to rebuild with. You don't turn away business after a hurricane, you want business. I know it's not ideal for, for like infrastructure, but it's good to make money when you're down Right. So they said that. They said something about like the amount of money that Fabtech generated for Orlando in the Florida area, and it was huge in the millions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it was also.
Speaker 2:It wasn't just about that, it was also like, well, the what the government of and uh, fema was trying to, they're trying to do what was best or what they thought was best and luckily, with the governor of florida, he's apparently he's a bulldog and he he has, he has a good mind on on how to prepare for hurricanes and stuff and so bravo to him. And but I was like I was, I was I was surprised and I was like I got excited that I was finally going to get a chance to go and go experience florida for the first time and get to enjoy it with, uh, all the friends and stuff again and get to see everybody again.
Speaker 1:So did you feel more, I guess, included. I've been going to Fabtech for eight years now or so, you know, and I remember the first few where I was like, I mean, the very first Fabtech I went to, I was actually still just on my own, my own, my own business. I wasn't working for any bigger company, it was my company. My wife was my partner. I took her with me. She still keeps her name tag because it's like you know it's old now. But you know, over the years you build these friendships, you get to know everybody and you get excited for just meals amongst buddies and I look forward to that For you. Now, two Fab Techs in. Do you feel like you're getting to that point? You're?
Speaker 2:getting more comfortable. Oh, yeah, definitely, I mean the first time. It's like one of those I don't want to step on toes or I don't want to overstay my welcome, in a way, and it was like some of the events. It was like a couple events that happened in chicago that I had no clue or any word about, and so, like the the aws is a formal that they do on the first.
Speaker 2:The first time we're yeah the gala you know, yeah, and I I didn't, I didn't know nothing about it and when and joey and katie asked me if I was gonna be be going, I was like I don't have a tux and I was like I didn't get invited so I don't think it's my place to go at this time. And they're like, oh okay, like sorry, if I had known, I would have probably made sure that I can go, because I also hadn't joined the AWS yet anyway. So it was one of those things, that's a fancy little party.
Speaker 1:Everyone gets yet anyway right. So it was one of those things.
Speaker 2:That's a fancy little party. Everyone gets to dress up nice, yeah, and I mean like to be honest, it's like it's a rare sight to see a bunch of welders in suits well, I got done right up.
Speaker 1:I like to put on a big show, so well, I mean even, uh, even this and fabtech.
Speaker 2:Um, I didn't actually have a. I didn't have a suit. It's more a nice dress, shirt and stuff. I still felt a little out of place, but I didn't have. I didn't have a suit, it was more a nice dress, shirt and stuff. I still felt a little out of place, but I didn't have. I didn't have enough uh, funds to rent a tux and stuff all the way in Ohio and then go and make sure all the got back. Yeah, yeah, a little bit tough.
Speaker 2:So, it was like I mean it was still a good time, cause I ended up chatting, chatting and networking with some other people and I chatted with some other people and got more connections, in a way, with some other businesses out there and it brought even more uh more people towards uh bocamore's station and come check out our stuff and it worked out great for uh me and uh worked out great for uh laney too. The, the girl that was with us, my girl was with, was with me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, lipstick and Lip and stick welding. Lipstick welding, that's right. Yeah, she's cool.
Speaker 2:Lip and stick welding.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, laney, she's awesome and I actually requested, I actually told the boss that you need to bring her, because she has experience with the marketing department and she also has a very bubbly personality that just draws people in, and plus the fact that we're trying to get into the female line. I figured it's best to hear from a female, not hear from a dude.
Speaker 1:That's right. That's smart. That's smart. Now, what are your plans going forward? You know, like you, you still got the brand endorsements on the side. I see you're working on that all the time. You post up on it for the people that don't have them. It's a big Mike custom steel on Instagram. You can follow them there. Um, now, what's what's what's in your future, right? What's going on?
Speaker 2:Well, as of right now, I was given an extension here in Ohio and I'm going to be here until April at least, and then, hopefully, if everything goes correctly, I'm going to go back home to Kansas for a little bit and maybe for a couple weeks get some paperwork figured out with the house and everything and get some stuff updated. And then I'm gonna try to also make some metal sculptures, making little sculpture for fab tech.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna oh, nice debate right may run out debating on what to make, because I made a I've already made a seahorse, a stained ray and out of horsesho, and I made a chameleon out of horseshoes too, and horseshoes have kind of become my thing now. Well, it's kind of the only thing I'm able to do at this time because I don't have a truck anymore. Yeah, yeah. You know she can't haul sheet metal.
Speaker 1:Just buy the fire deer from Austin. Nobody seems to want it right now. Well, I can't haul that austin, nobody seems to want it right now.
Speaker 2:Well, I can't haul that, sorry. Sorry, austin, debating on if I'm gonna make a, either an octopus, uh, a shark or a dolphin out of horseshoes next I don't know why I just like.
Speaker 2:I just like aquatic animals you like water yeah, and so, uh, water yeah, and so, uh and you guys are gonna have a booth again at uh, at fab tech in chicago, yeah, and we're gonna and both uh, me and laney have plans to bring our metal sculptures to the uh the event itself. So pull people in and bring me streaming videos with the bokeh moss products and doing the job itself. So it's it's advertising and it's also something that catches your eye and just pulls you in.
Speaker 1:So, and then, well, we'll all be there, like we are. You mean like, uh, there's, like there's the main crew of us and we're always there. So it's always exciting to get, to get there and see everybody again oh yeah, it's like I shoot a lot.
Speaker 2:Everyone always likes to say it's like a big old family reunion, and and definitely it is, but but it's always, it's always good because at least you can um, you could talk the tree with everybody, and your other family members are like looking at you like what is he talking about or what does he mean?
Speaker 2:everyone, every almost everyone at fabtech is incredibly smart, right and knows like all their stuff right now we understand the lingo compared to regular people that aren't in this industry at all and they're just like yeah, oh, pretty structure oh, a building yeah, yeah, no way I mean then, but yeah, we're like talking the technical side. We're like, oh, I take, well, welded this at in 95 amps and did a walk in the cub method. I use this filler metal and where I hit it with the, I hit it with the hammer.
Speaker 1:And yeah, you know now what about your professional life. You know where are you gonna go with welding. The company you're working with now it sounds like you're pretty happy with the setup.
Speaker 2:You know where do you see yourself in terms of your welding career um, well, as of right now, I plan on I plan to keep doing this for maybe a couple more years or so and see how things are financially, financial wise, and if, uh, if, uh, if I'm still enjoying it, I'm just going to keep doing it See what other opportunities come up for me doing this exactly. Maybe offer me a manager position, or might ask me to manage some crew or something, depending on if I want to do that kind of work or not. It's one of those things. That's kind of a toss-up. My main thing is to try to get through this, get through 2025, and try to pay off with Dentsy Solo and then eventually get back on see where I go next. As far as I'm aware, so, wherever the wind will take you, pretty much with a nomad kind of method.
Speaker 1:Or wherever the water will take you, since you're like your aquatic animals. Yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, man. Well, this has been a fantastic interview. Just to wrap it up with a couple of questions. The first one would be and I want to go back to this, to this idea of you know how you've matured over your career. You know, from being someone that people were afraid of to now being a brand ambassador, working at table at Fabtech, where you have to smile and be nice to thousands of people a day. You know, what kind of advice would you give to a young person that perhaps is struggling with anger in the workplace personally, you know, and what would you say to them about you know how to work their way through that and to get to a better place.
Speaker 2:I guess for a piece of advice for that part is being angry and pissed off is like drinking salt water and trying to thirst your hydration it's slowly going to kill you and until you stop drinking it you're going to just keep ruining yourself in a way. And just another thing is just sometimes you got to let go of that stuff. Go find your higher power, find the people that you can go to, whether it's your friends or the sponsors you've made.
Speaker 2:If you get into those and those recovery groups and stuff, or just find us some certain people that you can count on, that you can talk to and that will just listen on, that you can talk to and that will just listen, or, if they need to, if you just need to hear some point of view that you may not have, you may not have looked at, and just so that you're not blowing up and yeah oh, detonating yourself in a way or like you like. It's like you pulled a grenade on a pin, pin on the grenade.
Speaker 2:You're just holding on to it and you sit on it or you know you're just holding on to it and you sit on it, yeah, or you know, you're just holding on to it because you're just like you might as well just put it up against your head at that point and just that's going to be like that'll be the end of your career, because nobody's going to want to work with you.
Speaker 1:That's right. Like, and these are small. Like, welding is huge, but the network is small. You get blacklisted and people find out. People find out, right, and it does, and it, uh, it does affect your career, you know. So you know, your attitude at work is an important thing and, honestly, if you're angry at work, you're probably angry at home too. So you know, like, that's, it's not a good place for anybody. Yeah, definitely. Now what about how to get people to find you? How do people find out about your sponsors, your rep, the stuff you're wrapping where, where are? How can people find you on instagram, tiktok, wherever? Give us all your deets for the fans my instagram is a big mike, custom steel.
Speaker 2:You'll see me uh welding with bocamore's clothing because that's for child light wear you. You also see me uh talking about other products or even check out my live chats, where I'm chatting with other people doing stuff like kind of like what this is, except there's no uh editing or recording here. Um, it's just live chatting and stuff and um, I'm also on tiktok, you can I have a big mic. Big mic, uh, 32.6. Uh see some videos. Have a laugh. Enjoy big Mike a 32, six. Uh see some videos. Have a laugh. Enjoy, uh, some hilarious. Enjoy some some welder humor or some blue collar humor in a way.
Speaker 1:Awesome and and uh, you're going to be at Fabtech in Chicago, so of course, for the people listening, we'll see you in Chicago September 8th to 11th this next year. It's already in my calendar. We're already starting to plan for it. Well, you know, I got lots of irons in the fire there, so, yep. Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:I'm more excited for it every time we get closer.
Speaker 1:Awesome, matt. Well, thanks so much for coming on the show today, mike, thanks for having me on Awesome, and for all the people that have been following, downloading and sharing the content and the podcast. Please continue to do so. We cannot continue without your support. Thank you to the sponsors and the advertisers and, of course, check out all the back catalog. We are coming up on our 200th episode. The 200th episode will be released on January 1st. Just good timing. I don't know how that worked out, it just happened to work out that way, but that's pretty cool. And, uh, you know, I'm very proud of my team, so big shout out to my team that helps support this and, of course, to all the guests on the show and all the fantastic listeners that have got us coming up on 75, I think almost 75,000 downloads.
Speaker 4:So thank you very much. Catch you enjoy the show Radar Podcast and visit us at cwbassociationorg to learn more. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions on what you'd like to learn about in the future. Produced by the CWB Group and presented by Max Holm, this podcast serves to educate and connect the welding community. Please subscribe and thank you for listening.