Careers in Welding - Your Path to a Rewarding Welding Career (2024)

FAQs

What is the career path for a welder? ›

Welders can advance their careers as welding engineers, welding inspectors, and robotic welding technicians and engineers. These careers require additional education and certifications.

Welding is a skilled trade that involves joining metal parts through the application of heat and pressure. It's a physically demanding job that requires attention to detail and a steady hand, but it can be rewarding both financially and professionally.

Continued education and training is the key to advancement in nearly every career option. Advanced welding classes can qualify you to become a welding inspector, technician, or instructor and also allow you a promotion. Welding certifications come in numerous varieties.

Both acute and chronic health risks are associated with welding fume. Occupational lung disease, including lung cancer, is the most common health risk, but welding can also affect the eyes and skin. There is also a significant risk from asphyxiation when welding in confined spaces.

High-Paying Salary

This makes it a lucrative career for those with a high school diploma or equivalent. While entry-level welders earn around $35,380 per year, experienced welders or those with welding certifications earn more than $68,750 per year, with a more significant earning potential if they put in extra hours.

Outlook for Welding Jobs

As a result, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment opportunities for welders to be excellent through 2026. This boom in welding jobs is an excellent opportunity for you to enter the workforce and begin building your career.

We all see the welding school advertisem*nts: Make Over $100,000 As a Welder! And while it's true that skilled welders are among the most sought-after workers in the job market, the average welder is bringing in $48,000 per year, a far cry from six figures.

High earning potential in welding is often associated with specialized skills and certifications, extensive experience, and working in industries with a strong demand for welding expertise, such as aerospace, nuclear power, or underwater welding.

The highest paying welder jobs are in industrial construction. Pipe welders, tube welders, rig welders, underwater welders and combo welders are the highest paid of all welding jobs. The type of welding is important and so is the industry. The top welder salary can be over $200,000 per year in industrial construction.

Why do welders drink milk? ›

The milk theory is based on the belief that when welders drink milk, the calcium in the milk will “saturate the body” and prevent the body from absorbing toxic heavy metals that can be found in welding fumes, such as cadmium.

Exceptional Salary

Certified welder jobs won't immediately render you a millionaire the minute you start doing it. This profession would take hours of dedicated labor plus continuous efforts to achieve a solid living. Aside from that, admitted professionals can expect to make approximately $50,000 per year in general.

Welders Are Always in Demand. The best part is that welders are always in demand due to the nature of the work they are required to do. The need for welders is in a variety of industries and fields.

Welding can be rough, hard, and dangerous work. I've been miserably hot welding next to a 1,700-degree blast furnace and miserably cold in a -40-degree chill factor at a nuclear weapons facility.