
I received an e-mail from
CWB, a few days ago, indicating that I eventually(!) have passed all of the required examinations and have gotten my
CWB Level I Inspector certificate. I know it's not something to brag about but it really was a pain to go through the material and study, with all the mistakes and contradictions! It has been years since I wanted to do that and there was always something between me and the certificate! Once I did the practical exam without reading the provided instruction! I had passed it previously though but you have to pass all the three main exams within a specified time-frame. Other times I was busy with other exams and certificates! I did 2 courses and one certificate in 2023 and 3 certificates in 2024 and I know it's considered an excuse by many but believe me there were times that I'd go crazy by simply reading the textbooks! This is one of my many(!) issues that if I don't understand something, I can barely move on. It keeps bothering me. Now it's over!
It's not expected from a national technical organization which administrates many major national standards in the country, in the welding industry, such as
CSA W47.1,
CSA W47.2,
CSA W59,
CSA W48,
CSA W178.2 and
CSA W178.1 to have major mistakes and spelling errors in their textbooks! I wrote to the organization and despite the fact that they responded to me a few times, on many occasions they were not willing to accept their mistakes and correct them!
What can you do? There have been many positions that I simply was turned down or I didn't even apply in the first place because I didn't have the certificate but my general opinion is having a certificate or degree means nothing and I strongly insist on that. This shall be combined with understanding and experience. One Quality Inspector who worked as part of my team had a
CWB Level I Inspector certificate with
AMSE B31.3 endorsement but he barely was able to complete a simple
Weld Visual Inspection Report!
The Mumbling Guy, despite all his expertise in resume building and convincing recruiters(!), cannot do any design, I'm sure of it, although he has a
Masters Degree in
Mechanical Engineering because he has no experience in that field and has never worked under the supervision of an experience designer. In general if we say someone is an expert, simply because they have a certificate or degree, it means we say that everyone is capable of driving well simply because they have obtained an
Operator's Licence! I used this analogy for the sheep(!) I used to work with them, several times, but it didn't seem to get through their rotten heads!
The funny thing is when I was talking to
The Mumbling Guy the other day, he said he would help me to get my
CWB Level II Inspector certificate, if I joined the company he works for! I was not sure, despite being positive, that I would have the certificate but I thanked him for that! Now if I join, I can get the certificate easily after two years, if not earlier. I also will aim for the
ABSA Weld Examiner certificate as I was turned down last year by them! They told me that I simply don't have the qualifications! I will show them what qualifications mean! Now I'm also happy that I haven't turned
The Mumbling Guy down! After all it was him who signed my application!
Here are a few useful tips for someone who wants to apply for this certificate:
1) If you are an experienced welder, aiming for Welding Inspector is much easier and possible but remember this: Welders make much more than welding inspectors! I'm not an experienced welder but I have done TIG welding and I've done lots of studies and inspection which helped me.
2) Good understanding and deep Knowledge of welding consumables is very important. It's not just memorizing the codes.
3) Get comfortable using different tools and if you can afford them, buy a few. CWB sells a pack of tools for a reasonable price (CAN $250). If you don't want to spend that much, purchase the main ones. CWB allows you to use them during your practical exam. I only have a Telescopic Mirror and Bridge Cam Gauge and I haven't paid even a Penny for them! I used the ones provided by the CWB because I've used several different types of tools and I'm comfortable using them. I got 80%. I think I know what my mistake has been.
4) Take your time and go through the questions of the closed-book exam calmly. You have plenty of time to answer all and that's the good thing about this exam. I had extra time at the end and I got only 83%. You need 70% to pass every CWB exam.
I'm going to start studying for Level II and I have a long way to go!
(Photo: UT or Ultrasonic Test is considered a very sophisticated non-destructive test which requires a very skilled operator. I just know the basics of it. This picture was taken many years ago when I visited a supplier in British Columbia. I won't reveal any name or other details but this was a n skilled and very nice elderly UT operator from Acuren who patiently answered my questions)