Have you tried going into

http://www.indeed.com/
http://www.careerbuilder.com
and so forth and plugging in welder/welding etc.

No clue where you are but doing so found a few auto shops and such in my area. Also go to the nearest convenience store and grab any local paper that has a classified section, and pout through the help wanted section.

googling "temp jobs for welders" turned out this: http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/q-temporary+welder

I'm sure there is some company in your area, and if you get a temp job, keep in contact with whoever you temp for. You've got a foot in the door for something more permanent if possible since you've worked there before.

I worked as a non-cert GMAW welder for 6 years.

Expect it to be difficult, but not impossible to find a job. Nobody likes new starters.

Don't expect a great hourly wage, being a new starter with no experience.

Expect to undergo a welding test: bit of pressure here, when attending the interview, bring a pair of gloves, a pair of sidecutters, and a pair of wrap around safety glasses (Sunglass style, not goggles. Safety saves them insurance money, so come prepared. They will supply a hardhat and welding mask. They will watch you run a bead, then they will inspect it for holes, irregularities, strength, etc. Because even a staircase needs to look good and be safe.

But when you get a job, no matter how shit the work, pay and conditions are, stick with it for at least 6 months. That will make it much easier to get a job in the future.

It really helps if you can hit up friends of friends, friends of family for a bit of piecework.

The way I got good at welding was, I started as a prepper in a metal shop (That's cutting, beveling, drilling, grinding back etc of materials to be welded) After six months, I asked if I could use one of the welders while another welder was away/on a lunch break/on weekends, and practiced. eventually I got competent enough that they let me do piecework. For two months, my job was to join 1" square pipe sections together with 1" beads. I probably did 8 or 9 thousand of them. By the end, nothing looked as good as my 1" beads. So when you get the chance, practice.

>>1311
It's not so much the area as it is the methods.
>>1312
>Expect to undergo a welding test
Yep, that was one of my biggest concerns but at the same time I knew it'd be virtually unavoidable.
>It really helps if you can hit up friends of friends, friends of family for a bit of piecework.
That's my main plan for now. There might be some hope; the guy who fixes air conditioners where my mother works heard his neighbour needed a welder to join up a fence. I haven't heard of him in a while, but I'll try to contact him. He also has my phone, I think.

GMAW is pretty easy not to fuck up, at least compared to SMAW, so even though I like working with electrodes better, I hope I end up working with GMAW. Or TIG. TIG's pretty fucking cool and easy. Either way I'm planning on getting myself an inverter supplier for arc and tig welding (but I'm only buying the arc welding equipment for now) and see if I can find some work independently, even if it's very sparse. I wonder if GMAW equipment is much more expensive than arc welding. I suppuse it is.