Graduate Connections – Meet Ray Gray

Ray, 40, from Detroit, Michigan, completed the seven-month Professional Welder program at Tulsa Welding School in March 2023. 

Thanks for your time, Ray. What did you do before coming to TWS in your late 30s? 

Long story short…just different entrepreneurial endeavors. I’m a recording artist, so my goal was to create content and try to hit it big. I didn’t have college in mind after high school. I just thought my talents would yield me a living I could survive on. That’s not to say that it didn’t, at times, but I had to get a higher quality of life, especially when real life started to kick in. 

So, you didn’t hit it big in the music world?

The spurts that I got from my artistic endeavors weren’t as consistent as I wanted. Plus, I had some entrepreneurial endeavors; I attempted to start a couple of businesses, but they really didn’t pan out. 

What brought you to Tulsa?

I don’t know if you heard about the lawsuit in Michigan where they accused people of unemployment fraud? I began to get mail from the government saying that I owed close to $40,000 because I stole unemployment money! It wasn’t true, but I was kind of terrified because I’ve been in a little trouble with the law before, but nothing to that extent. I felt like my back was against the wall and everything had bottomed out. I felt like I was suffocating. I needed something brand new. I’d never moved out of Michigan at that point, and I was close to 40. Tulsa Welding School was at the forefront of the move. But I also needed a breath of fresh air, a brand-new environment, a different setting. 

Why TWS specifically?

It was time to go pick up a trade. The two trades that I considered were truck driving and welding. My best friend is a truck driver; I went on the road with him and decided I didn’t want to do that. The other choice was go to Tulsa Welding School. It was the fastest program where I could get into a field that paid me good enough money to survive. That’s what made Tulsa Welding School perfect for a person like me. A lot of people who are later in life think it’s too late for a lot of things. But programs like the ones Tulsa Welding School offer mean people like me can get hands-on experience quicker. The alternative is to have a company teach you how to do it, and they will underpay you for as long as they want to until they say you are ready. I’m a pretty intelligent individual, so I can pick up on things quickly. I knew when I was ready; I didn’t need some company stringing me along as an apprentice or helper for longer than I needed to. 

Did anything ever come of the unemployment fraud thing?

They ended up settling it out; I just got a pay out last month. I was one of about 3000 Michiganders who were falsely accused. Anyway, that whole situation is what led me to pick up a trade; coming to Tulsa Welding School was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life, so it worked out for the best.

What did you enjoy most about your time at TWS? 

Starting out, my first instructor was Mike Lambert; he’s the Director of Training at Tulsa now. He made me feel like I knew how to weld the first week I was there. I knew I could do this because I’m very cognitive. I can see something one time and imitate it. As long as I have the instruction, you’d think I’d been doing it a while. Everything was right up my alley because I could see it, hear it, and experience those burns that are still on my legs and arms. To be completely immersed in what we would be doing in our future career – the welding – was the most gratifying part of the experience. They make it easy for you there.

Did you have some difficult times?

Well, for me personally, it was grueling, a grind, in parts. This was my first time out of state, away from any lifelines. I could still call my people, but that’s a whole lot different than having your mom a couple of hours away. Tulsa was 14 hours away from home. I felt like I’d been struggling back in Detroit, but nobody really noticed. But I was getting to the point where I needed help. When I moved to Tulsa, I knew this was something that I had to finish, but I only had about a quarter of what I needed to sustain myself financially. I was homeless for about three months, just popping a squat on couches when I could. The places where you can go for free can be kind of crazy, so a lot of the time I just slept in my van. I was giving plasma to earn money to feed myself. So, I did grind, but I knew I was going to get something at the end of it. It was definitely hard, but I knew it was going to serve a purpose. 

Did you find work during school?

After those first rough three months, I got my forklift license and got a job forklift driving. I was working in the daytime, going to Tulsa Welding School at night. After I got set up in my apartment, there were a whole bunch of exhaling moments! As I got close to the end of the program, I got a welding job before I even graduated. A phrase I coined is, “learn the lessons, use the weapon.” You get so many weapons from the life lessons you learn.

That’s a lot to deal with while going to school. How did you find the program?? 

Let me say that Tulsa Welding School really crams so much information and experience into you. It’s a lot to pack in and focus on. I really struggled with TIG welding; it’s like an art form, like the kung fu of welding. But the good thing about Tulsa Welding School is for somebody like myself, it was perfect because you can pause or rephase if you need to. I rephased one time. I didn’t have to – I had enough knowledge to pass – but I wasn’t comfortable enough doing it. I wanted more experience in it, so I rephased. That was when I was really struggling with my life away from school, and the frustration of the grind really got to me.

You mentioned getting a welding job before graduation? Let’s talk about that.

My first welding job was at a structural welding place. I don’t want to say their name. I stuck it out for a year and two months. They hired me the first day, making the most money I ever made in my life hourly, which should have been the first red flag. I was happy about that part, but I learned I was at a place that was systematically life-threatening. One of the lessons that I’ve learned is that a lot of companies run their businesses like slumlords, if you will. They’re not very professional. They don’t really uphold any code or policies that they may have. I really had to keep my head on a swivel, to be more professional than the people who are assumed as your authority figures. I really had to protect myself.

That sounds awful. How did you get that job? 

It was word of mouth. If I could go back and do it again, I’d go to a reliable recruiter or temp agency that really cares about people. Another regret is that I got the job before I’d ever talked to Danielle in Career Services at TWS. I shot myself in the foot because I wouldn’t have had to go through all that. Had I gone to speak with Danielle, she would have been an avenue to people who cared. I was just going off in survival mode on my own, thinking that no one would help me. That was my own fault. Something that I’d tell welding students is this: the actual craft of welding is something that needs to be mastered, but navigating the industry is also something that needs to be mastered. You need to have a strategy for it as well. Talk to Danielle or to the Career Services people at your campus; they’re ready to help.

Glad that’s behind you, So, where are you working now?

I work for a temp agency called Aerotek, and they got me a job at a company called Kelvion. I’m doing the first three months through Aerotek, and if they decide to hire me on in 90 days, I will work for Kelvion. They’re a big, global company. They have different departments, but they build heating and cooling fixtures. We work a lot of hours. I really feel blessed. God answered my prayers when I started working here last week. It’s totally the opposite, so much better than the last place, and much more professional. I now know what I need to look for when I see a company that doesn’t care about me.

You mentioned the money at that first job being more than you ever made. How about now?

Yeah, I got another $3/hour raise basically, so I’m at $23/hour including a shift differential. Experience is what enters you into the conversation. After the year that I did in that other company, I feel like I learned a lot. But it took me longer than it should have to get another job because I wasn’t taking advantage of the school. It always takes me a long time to ask for help. Sometimes, I squander away help that has always been there and is exactly what I needed. Now that I’m alumni of Tulsa Welding School, I can go there and brush up, and simulate every weld test that I need to take for the job that I need. 

What’s your career plan from here, Ray?

I want to build the money up to get my own equipment and do my own freelancing work. But I believe that comes after a certain level of mastery. I have a lot of hours to put in yet, but that’s the ultimate goal. I plan to make more money in another year and just to keep elevating. Make as much as I can for not working as hard, because that’s supposed to be what comes from the experience and time.

What do you enjoy most about your new trade?

Welding is therapeutic for me. I also like the aspect of building and forging metal to my will. When I have this many parts to do, and a certain amount of time to do it, being able to get it done is gratifying to me. 

Did you make some connections at school? Friends that you’ll stay in touch with. 

There were a lot of classmates that I really gravitated to or resonated with. What’s crazy is, and this is God, my lead at the new place that I’m working graduated from my class, and a guy who was a pretty good friend at school, also graduated from my class. He’s been there for about 10 months. They’re telling me about all the good things; Just to have some people to help me navigate through the environment is really helpful.

What advice do you have for someone to be successful at Tulsa Welding School? 

Don’t go through the program and just try to skim by. You can go to TWS, pay attention, probably copy off of somebody, and still get through the program and know how to do a little welding. But that’s wasting your time and your money. Go there, actually learn it, actually master every form of welding that they teach you. Try to master it to the best of your ability because that’s how you’re going to get the most out of the experience, and that’s how you’re going to get the most out of this career. 

Once you do that, look into the other TWS programs, like the AOS program – that’s the welding technology associate degree program. Completing that program will bring welding inspector jobs into play for you. I kind of wish I’d done it last year, but I plan to go back to TWS in a year or two and complete that program.

If you’re a TWS graduate and would like to share your success and be an inspiration to others, please email [email protected] to be considered for a Graduate Connection interview. Please include details such as your graduation date (month/year), program, and campus name (Tulsa/Jacksonville/Houston/Dallas).