[lotechman]

At least get a CWB plate ticket, flux core and you will find lots of work in shops anywhere in BC.
It is expensive to live in Vancouver proper but there it is cheaper as you move away from the city.
Do a newspaper search on google. Look at a map and choose the smaller centers then search for the local newspaper. The website will have the local want ads also. You also can get an idea of the price of renting.
When you are young and single moving around will give you a wide range of experience. Staying in one shop for twenty years limits your ability to adapt to new situations.

 

[lotechman]

I think BC is a better choice for a beginner welder since there is more structural welding going on. Once you have a few pipe tickets then Alberta is the place to be. You don't have to go to the far North to make a decent wage. I have heard of living room couches in Fort McMuray going for 500 a month with no meals. Don't even dream of going there without guaranteed accomodation.
At work the secretary's husband was up there doing some carpentry. He never has seen so many pickup trucks with the whole deluxe interiors including leather seats!!! That town has been booiming since the late seventies.
I could go on for hours recounting stories I have been told by people who have worked up there. Some stories sad.... Money made and money lost.
Try this local BC rag website and look under classifieds.
http://www.abbynews.com/
Once you are an hour out of Vancouver cost of living is not too bad. Most heavy industry has moved out of the core of Vancouver because taxes are just too high and the city council doesn't like heavy industry.
I have a Brother -in - law in Lloydminster Alberta. They are upgrading their upgrader again. It is another multi-million dollar project that will last years. Housing is in short supply.
Be mindful that many jobs are seasonal if they are related to the logging industry. Usually shops are busy in the summer and slow in the Winter. The shop I am in works the opposite way for some reason.