What Do Welders Do?

Most employers require a high-school diploma, certification and technical training. There are several ways to get there.

Formal technical school training can take between six and 18 months. If you have a high-school diploma or equivalent, you can combine it with technical, on-the-job training. Schooling in areas like advanced math, metallurgy, physics, mechanical drawing and blueprint reading is useful. Learning welding symbols and pipe layout will help you on the path to becoming a welder.

The training will ensure you get a broad set of experiences, from a shop setting to practical training in construction and repair of steel structures. A combination of hands-on and classroom training will set you up to handle the right welding equipment and tools. 

Working with tools like grinders, saws, gas torches and heavy objects can be dangerous, and this is a job that’s physically demanding. You’ll handle powerful machines to produce great results. This can be challenging and rewarding. Safety gear is important for this job, and will be needed to protect your eyes, skin and clothing.

An associate degree at an accredited welding school, which takes about 24 months, will teach you about arc welding, soldering, brazing, casting and bronzing techniques. You'll learn about GMAW or MIG welding, SMAW or Stick welding and GTAW or TIG welding.

Once you’ve earned your degree, you’ll be ready to start applying for jobs right away. You can even go straight to an apprenticeship with similar instruction. What’s more, you’ll get paid while you train.

Most employers prefer to hire through training or credential programs. You can find a welder apprenticeship through an employer and learn on the job. Some employers are willing to hire inexperienced entry-level workers so they can train them.

For entry-level welders, formal, technical instruction can last several months. You can also get welder-related training at a community college or technical school in the areas of math, metallurgy, physics, mechanical drawing and blueprint reading.

That's a short window for training for a secure job, and it sure beats the potential debt and time commitment of a four-year degree.

Welding is an industry in need of people with the expertise and the credentials. Due to aging infrastructure, welders are needed to rebuild bridges, highways and buildings.

With so many communities across America struggling to find enough trades people to fill jobs, plenty of employers are hiring now. Take steps to grow your skills – such as getting certified by The American Welding Society — and potential employers are sure to take notice.

The outlook for a welder is good, as BLS data shows. As a welder, cutter, solderer or brazer, you’ll probably work full-time during regular business hours. Most manufacturing companies offer two or three shifts a day, lasting between eight and 12 hours. With many manufacturing firms continuing production around the clock, there’s plenty of opportunity for overtime in the evenings or on weekends.

There’s so much diversity in being a welder, from the different kinds of metals and the projects you’ll work on, to the range of settings you’ll experience. It’ll take working for just a few different companies over the course of your career to encounter a lot of diversity in your work and your environment.

If you’re career-driven and eager to progress, consider training to become a manager. For every few welders, there’s someone overseeing their work. This means you can still weld and manage a team working on the assigned projects.

The more people you manage, the more you’ll earn. Here's a great example: Olivia McCleery got hooked on welding. Now she's teaching other women how to weld.

Welders who want to focus on a long-term career with high reward know the key to further employment opportunities are training and skills beyond welding. Taking steps to learn about business by studying accounting, computer applications and service management could help you earn up to $61,000 a year.

You could be a good fit to become a welder if you have these personal attributes: 

• Are detail-oriented
• Can read blueprints and translate them into reality
• Have steady hands, good spatial-orientation, and coordination
• Have sound mechanical skills
• Are a good communicator
• Have the physical strength and stamina to lift heavy objects
• Can follow detailed safety instructions