When you think about a welder, you might imagine sparks flying into their face shield as they torch machine parts. Welders do work with their hands in extreme conditions, but they also spend time studying blueprints and learning about various metals' properties and welding techniques.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), welders earned an average salary of $46,690 in 2020. But, welders can increase their pay significantly by expanding their versatility and investing in continued education and training.
[dig-deeper title="What Does a Welder Do?" subtitle="Career Basics" description="Welders use torches, drills, electrodes, and even robotic arms to fuse metals, building or repairing structures. They work on construction sites, railways, automobiles, aircraft, and industrial pipelines.
Welding requires expert knowledge of tools, procedures, and safety precautions. Most welders complete formal training through a vocational program and hands-on learning in an apprenticeship." panel_subtitle="Career In-Depth"]
You can specialize in different types of welding. An article in The Manufacturer breaks down each. One of the most common types of welding is gas metal arc welding, called MIG welding. Welders learn MIG welding before advancing on to more complicated welding types.
The more welding types you can learn as a welder, the more job opportunities you can find. You can show employers that you know different welding types by racking up certifications to help you advance in your career.
Career welding has its share of hazards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists a few, including burns, eye damage, electrical shocks, fumes, and UV radiation exposure.
Welders also must make sacrifices to land very high-paying work. Many relocate for months at a time, even moving across the country, to chase top-paying welding projects.
[/dig-deeper]Steps to Becoming a Welder
Step 1: Do Your Research
Welding wears on your body, and a lucrative welding career will require significant initiative and commitment to ongoing learning and credentialing. Before you commit, make sure it's something you want for the long term. You can:
Read industry news, such as The Fabricator.
Listen to podcasts like Weld Wednesday, where real welders share their expertise and experiences.
Talk to a welding instructor at a community college about their program and paths after graduation.
These activities can help you determine what it's like to be a welder and how to shape your career path in this diverse field.
Step 2: Enroll in a Vocational or Postsecondary Education Program
You can start your welding training as early as high school. Here are some pathways:
If you're still in high school: See if your school has a welding or manufacturing career training program — or if you can enroll in local community college courses. You can learn to weld and develop analytical, mathematical, and engineering skills necessary in a welding career.
If you've graduated from high school: Consider getting a welding certificate, diploma, or associate degree. Some employers don't require them, but postsecondary welding programs teach many types of welding, which can help you in your career. You can complete one of these programs in as little as three months and up to two years. They range in cost from around $5,000 to $15,000.
If you're no longer in school, but you don't have a high school diploma or equivalent: Start studying for your GED credential to show schools and employers your foundational knowledge of math and science, which is helpful in welding. You may need a GED to apply to welding schools. Depending on your state, you can complete the GED tests in a few months for $80 to $140.
Step 3: Find an Apprenticeship
You can start an apprenticeship after completing your high school vocational training or to supplement a certificate or diploma program. Welding apprenticeships last four to five years.
During your apprenticeship, your employer-sponsor will pay you for your work — but not much. Welding apprentice salaries averaged $20,000 a year, according to Payscale.com.
You can find apprenticeships through welding unions, like your local chapter of the United Association, and government websites, such as Apprenticeship.gov.
Step 4: Become a Certified Welder
The American Welding Society (AWS) oversees the AWS Certified Welder program. You can become certified in many different types of welding. These certifications show employers you know your stuff, and they can qualify you for higher-paid work.
The AWS offers 19 certifications for welders, preparing them for different types of welding like:
MIG welding
Automobile welding
Construction and repair work
Shipbuilding
Pipeline welding
Manufacturing
Welding wind-exposed structures
Technically, certified welder tests don't have prerequisites. However, the exams will rigorously test your knowledge of a specified codebook. You will also need to produce a high-quality weld. So, it's best to take the test after completing some education and on-the-job skills training.
To become an AWS-certified welder, you need to pay the $50 application fee. Each certification exam has a testing fee of a couple of hundred dollars, depending on the test.
Step 5: Consider Joining a Union
Welders have options for joining a union, including the United Association or the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Ironworkers. If you're thinking about joining a union, consider the benefits and drawbacks:
[category-tab-list]Unions can connect you to an apprenticeship, where you can train with professionals.
Unions may provide training opportunities for little to no cost.
You don't have to look for work on your own since the union finds and assigns jobs to you.
You have certain protected rights, like safe working conditions.
You can access member benefits, like a pension plan.
You may need to complete up to five years as an apprentice before earning higher wages.
You have less choice on your jobs.
You have less individual control over your working rate and hours.
Step 6: Start Your Career
According to the BLS, 63% of welders work in manufacturing. With additional certifications and by building years of experience, you can land a niche role in welding, such as building bridges, securing gas pipelines, and repairing offshore oil rigs.
Welder Salaries and Job Growth
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Projections Central, a U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored website.
Top 5 areas with the highest average welder salary:
Alaska: $71,860
Virgin Islands: $65,960
Hawaii: $65,650
District of Columbia: $64,270
Wyoming: $59,800
Top 10 areas with the highest job growth:
Virgin Islands: 50%
Utah: 27.5%
Idaho: 27.2%
Guam: 26.3%
Washington, D.C.: 25%
Nevada: 20.9%
Colorado: 16.9%
Georgia: 15.8%
Arizona: 15.1%
Oregon: 13.8%
Career Paths for Welders
A career in welding can open opportunities for advancing your education or pursuing a more entrepreneurial path. Below, we've listed some options. You can learn more about the pay for each role in our salary guide for welders.
- Rig Welder (Self-Employed)
Like truck drivers, rig welders travel across the country for work. This path allows you to gain incredible income but requires you to relocate for several months at a time. And while you may receive a relocation bonus, you need to provide your own tools, gear, and living arrangements.
If you're considering contract welding versus shop welding, talk to professionals who have done both.
- Certified Welding Educator (CWE)
CWEs are instructors in welding programs and serve as mentors to welding students and apprentices. You need at least five years of welding experience to take the AWS CWE exam.
- Certified Welding Inspector (CWI)
Welding inspectors monitor welders' work to ensure it's high-quality and up to code. The necessary years of experience depend on your education level. For example, if you have a bachelor's degree, you need one year of experience. If you have a high school diploma, you need five years of experience.
- Certified Welding Supervisor
Welding supervisors manage welding teams and help them improve quality, safety, and productivity. You will need a high school diploma or equivalent and at least two years of welding experience to become an AWS-certified welding supervisor.
- Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng)
Welding engineers work with welders, supervisors, and inspectors to create and carry out blueprints according to code. They're also knowledgeable about the math, chemistry, and physics behind welding plans and procedures.
To qualify to take the AWS CWEng test, you need a certain level of education and experience. You can:
Have a bachelor's degree in engineering with at least one year of welding experience.
Have an associate degree with at least 10 years of experience.
Have a high school diploma or GED credential with at least 15 years of experience.
Pro Tips on Becoming a Welder
[expert-qa theme="primary" title="Jason Becker, B.S.C.M. CWI, CWE" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/highereducation/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/c_fill,g_face:center/v1630451632/LearnHowToBecome.org-Sonic/People/Jason-Becker.jpg" description='Jason Becker has 24 years of welding experience, including four years in the Marine Corps, welding on military vehicles and equipment. Today, he's the welding program manager at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. He also hosts Arc Junkies, a podcast dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of welders.'][expert-qa-item title="Why is welding one of the most important skilled trades?"]If you think about it, welding has impacted just about everything you interact with on a daily basis. The bridge you cross to get to work, the vehicle you take to get there, computers, desks, everything in an office building — all these things had to be built initially, and different types of welding were used in that process.
[/expert-qa-item][expert-qa-item title="What are the skills or qualities that make someone a good fit for welding?"]Welding takes physical and mental stamina. Physically, we deal with less-than-desirable working conditions every day. There's extreme heat, heavy-duty equipment, and all the PPE and safety gear we need to wear, which is also cumbersome.
Mentally, it takes a lot of patience and problem-solving. You won't always have the materials you need, so you'll need to modify what you have. You need to read blueprints and understand how to translate a 2D drawing into real life. When reality doesn't match the prints, you need to adjust. You need to plan the sequence of operations and answer: What's the best type of filler for this job? How are you going to keep material from warping in the heat? Overall, welding takes hard work, work ethic, and the ability to adapt to difficult situations.
[/expert-qa-item][expert-qa-item title="How can someone decide on an education path to become a welder?"]Really, it depends on what kind of welding you want to do. Some people know right away that they want to be a pipeline welder or to work on automobiles, for instance. If you know the path you want to take, you can find schools that specify in those areas.
[/expert-qa-item][expert-qa-item title="What's your advice to anyone considering the career?"]Learn every facet of welding that you can. Learn every single process: stick, MIG, TIG, flux-cored. Learn structural welding, learn pipe welding — and never stop. That way, no matter where you go, you will never be out of the job.
The more I learn about welding, the more I realize I don't know anything about welding. For me, it's a constant, ongoing search for knowledge. And that's the coolest thing — there is always something new to research and learn.
[/expert-qa-item][/expert-qa]Related Careers
If you like the idea of welding but want to evaluate your options, consider these similar occupations:
Civil engineers plan construction for bridges and other major infrastructure projects.
Mechanics and auto technicians repair, maintain, and solve electrical problems on cars.
Contractors and construction managers build on their experience in a trade such as welding to manage construction projects from start to finish.
Pipefitters share many of the same tasks as pipeline welders. They build and repair pipes carrying liquid or gas.
You can learn about your career options and find the jobs that fit you best by taking the Lantern Career Interest Quiz.
Getting Financial Help with Your Welding Program
Scholarships for Welding Programs
[resources title="The AWS Foundation Welder Training Scholarship" href="https://scholarship.aws.org/applications/" target="_blank" slot='
Who qualifies: Welding students pursuing a certificate program at a community college or other trade or training school.
Amount: Up to $1,000
Deadline: Rolling
[resources title="AWS Foundation Welding Educator Scholarships" href="https://www.aws.org/foundation/page/educator-scholarships" target="_blank" slot='
Who qualifies: Full- and part-time welding educators in pursuit of continued education
Amount: $2,500-$4,500
Deadline: April 1, annually
[resources title="AirProducts Women of Gases and Welding Scholarship" href="https://www.aws.org/foundation/page/air-products-women-of-gases-welding-scholarship#:~:text=The%20Air%20Products%20Women%20of,or%20welding%2Drelated%20educational%20program.&text=Applicant%20must%20be%20enrolled%20in,submit%20all%20required%20application%20information." target="_blank" slot='
Who qualifies: Women enrolled in a two- or four-year welding degree program with at least a 2.5 GPA.
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: Date TBD for 2022
Federal Grants for Welding Programs
[resources title="Federal Pell Grant" href="https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/pell" target="_blank" slot='
Who qualifies: Find out what kind of funding you can receive by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®).
Amount: Varies. In the 2021-2022 school year, the maximum amount was $6,495.
Deadline: June 30, annually
[resources title="Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant" href="https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/fseog" target="_blank" slot='
Who qualifies: Determine if you're eligible by completing the FAFSA.
Amount: $400-$1000, depending on your financial need
Deadline: June 30, annually
[resources title="GI Bill Benefits" href="https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/" target="_blank" slot='
Who qualifies: If you served in the U.S. military, the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs website tells you whether you qualify for benefits via the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bills.
Important information: Many career welders began working in the military, joining parts for vehicles and machinery, before completing a two-year or four-year degree.
