| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
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| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 98 (%) | Description: Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits. |
| Importance: 94 (%) | Description: Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment. |
| Importance: 94 (%) | Description: Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions. |
| Importance: 93 (%) | Description: Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors. |
| Importance: 87 (%) | Description: Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter. |
| Importance: 87 (%) | Description: Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools. |
| Importance: 86 (%) | Description: Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required. |
| Importance: 85 (%) | Description: Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment. |
| Importance: 84 (%) | Description: Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications. |
| Importance: 83 (%) | Description: Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material. |
| Importance: 79 (%) | Description: Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises. |
| Importance: 78 (%) | Description: Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information. |
| Importance: 78 (%) | Description: Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques. |
| Importance: 77 (%) | Description: Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools. |
| Importance: 75 (%) | Description: Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths. |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces. |
| Importance: 73 (%) | Description: Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained. |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys. |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools. |
Welding Careers and Jobs
Select, Find and Prepare for Welding Careers and Jobs - all on one page
For hands-on people who want a high-demand skilled trade with strong pay potential and low upfront debt. Use the tools below to see which welding roles fit your background and goals.
This skilled trade offers process-specific certifications (MIG, TIG, Stick) that directly determine which jobs a welder qualifies for. Use the tools below to explore Welding-related job titles sorted by growth rate, salary, or required education. You can start with entry points like Welder Helper, or look ahead to advanced roles such as Certified Welding Inspector or Welding Supervisor. Along the way, you will see specific certifications, such as AWS (American Welding Society) Certification, that can help you move up the career ladder.
Here is a short Helper Video 
This page will take you through 4 steps to (1) Select from Welding careers/jobs, (2) Find Welding job listings, (3) Prepare for Welding careers, and (4) Provide Welding career-specific resources.
Step 1: Select a Career/Job: This page starts with 4 ways for you to identify and select from listings of Welding careers/jobs:
A) Fastest Growing Welding Careers - 2023 to 2033 (est.)
These listings are based on job growth estimates and helps you to identify the fastest growing and evolving Welding careers. Some careers may not initially seem related to Welding, so relevant Welding jobs are listed alongside each listing. This can also help us to identify which careers (bottom of the listing) may have negative growth - perhaps due to automation or planned obsolescence.
B) Median Annual Salary U.S. Welding Careers
These listings are sorted (descending) by median annual salary in the U.S. This may help us to identify our ideal career. We may not qualify at this time for the desired career, but this listing and the results provided can help us to explore job details, as well as learn how to appropriately prepare for the career.
C) Welding Career Ladders (Educational Requirements)
These listings will help us to identify Welding careers sorted by educational requirements (with the most difficult to obtain listed first). This may help us to identify career ladders (as we scroll down the list), and help us to get jobs that we qualify for now.
D) Select From a Listing of 124 Welding Jobs.
The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
Once you have identified a job title of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the chosen career. Information may include (not every career choice includes all of the elements below - updates occur quarterly):
Core Duties: Lists the primary worker-related tasks performed in this occupation
Supplemental Duties: Lists additional tasks that are performed but are secondary to the core duties
Work Activities: Summarizes the broad types of behaviors and actions related to this career
Specific Work Activities: Provides more granular day-to-day activities tied to the work performed
Essential Skills: Provides foundational skills that are core to performing this specific occupation
Transferable Skills: Provides career-portable skills that can be applied across multiple occupations and industries
Day-in-the-Life Summaries: Provides a snapshot of the key activities performed on a typical workday in this career
Knowledge Required: Provides the requirements regarding the acquisition of facts and principles
Software Skills: Lists software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized by category and priority
Preparation Required: Provides a summary of the required experience and education
Education Required: Detailed breakdown of the education required
Training and Experience Required: Detailed breakdown of the training and Training and Experience Required
Local Salary Information: Provides national and local salary ranges
Certifications: Provides appropriate government and private-sector certifications and/or credentials that may be required
Professional Associations: Provides professional associations that are related to the career selected
Job Listings: Provides links to active current job listings for the selected career, along with multiple similar job titles to explore. All information appears on this page without navigating away.
Related Careers to Consider: Lists up to 20 careers that might be of interest to you (related to your initial choice - what they do, what they know, and what they're called), ranked by best fit.
** If you clicked on a link from section D (as described in Step 1 above), you will see one or more links to an occupation that is usually a bit more general than your initial job selection - the link(s) is directly related to the specific job you identified through your prior selections.
*NOTE: It is possible that there may not be a career path identified for the specific job you selected in Step 1. If this is the case, scroll up the page and click on a different career/job.
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that provide detailed (updated) links specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview. Can also assist with coffee chats.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career/Job
22 Welding careers are listed below (sorted by Percentage Change in Total Job Openings - 2023 to 2033 est.). Welding-related jobs specific to each career are also provided. This shows which careers are emerging and growing the fastest. Please Scroll and Select below:
| Occupations | U.S. Job Openings 2023-2033 (% change) | Welding-Related Jobs |
24 Welding careers are listed below (sorted by U.S. National Median Salary). Welding-related jobs specific to each occupation are also provided. Please Scroll and Select below::
| Occupations | National Median Salary | Welding-Related Jobs |
24 Welding careers are listed (sorted by Education/Preparation Requirements - descending) to provide career ladders. Welding-related jobs specific to each career are also provided.
|
Education/Preparation Categories: 5 = Usually requires graduate school (e.g., Master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.) 4 = Usually requires a four-year Bachelor's degree 3 = Usually requires vocational training, related on-the-job experience, or Associate's degree 2 = Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, but not always Please Scroll and Select below: |
||
| Occupations | Education/Preparation | Welding-Related Jobs |
Scroll through the picklist (below). There are 124 specific Welding job titles listed. Select those that may be of interest - you will get active job listing links, along with detailed resources to help you prepare for a career related to that job.
You can use this form two ways:
Filter - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles below
Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title (Scroll and Select) :
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Find Job Listings:
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Description: Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers":
U.S. Total Employment (2023):
418,200U.S. Total Employment (2033 est.):
452,400
Employment Change (2023-2033 est.):
34,100 (8.2%) Average Annual Job Openings (2023-2033 est.):
49,200
Core Duties
Supplemental Duties
| Important Supplemental Job Duties (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits. |
| Importance: 59 (%) | Description: Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments. |
| Importance: 56 (%) | Description: Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces. |
| Importance: 54 (%) | Description: Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment. |
| Importance: 53 (%) | Description: Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal. |
| Importance: 48 (%) | Description: Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work. |
| Importance: 47 (%) | Description: Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears. |
| Importance: 42 (%) | Description: Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies. |
Work Activities
| Important General Work Activities (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 75 (%) | Description: Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Importance: 73 (%) | Description: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
| Importance: 71 (%) | Description: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Performing General Physical Activities: Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
Specific Work Activities
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
|
| Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow. | |
| Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly. | |
| Assemble temporary equipment or structures. | |
| Clean production equipment. | |
| Clean workpieces or finished products. | |
| Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing. | |
| Design templates or patterns. | |
| Determine metal or plastic production methods. | |
| Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair. | |
| Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production. | |
| Ignite fuel to activate heating equipment. | |
| Maintain safety. | |
| Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information. | |
| Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications. | |
| Melt metal, plastic, or other materials to prepare for production. | |
| Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed. | |
| Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment. | |
| Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs. | |
| Operate firefighting equipment. | |
| Operate grinding equipment. | |
| Operate metal or plastic forming equipment. | |
| Operate welding equipment. | |
| Repair parts or assemblies. | |
| Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications. | |
| Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences. | |
| Select production equipment according to product specifications. | |
| Shape metal workpieces with hammers or other small hand tools. | |
| Solder parts or workpieces. | |
| Trim excess material from workpieces. | |
| Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions. | |
Knowledge Required
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. |
Transferable Skills
| Transferable Skills (in order of importance)
These are skills that can transfer across occupations and industries. For the Top 5 most important, how can you strengthen these skills now so they support both this career and future career flexibility? |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. |
Day-in-the-Life Summaries
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance. |
| Activity: Build structures. |
| Activity: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas. |
| Activity: Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects. |
| Activity: Cut materials. |
| Activity: Design materials or devices. |
| Activity: Determine operational methods or procedures. |
| Activity: Disassemble equipment. |
| Activity: Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques. |
| Activity: Maintain safety or security. |
| Activity: Mark materials or objects for identification. |
| Activity: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment. |
| Activity: Monitor equipment operation. |
| Activity: Notify others of emergencies or problems. |
| Activity: Operate cutting or grinding equipment. |
| Activity: Operate industrial processing or production equipment. |
| Activity: Position materials or components for assembly. |
| Activity: Position workpieces or materials on equipment. |
| Activity: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use. |
| Activity: Protect people or property from threats such as fires or flooding. |
| Activity: Read documents or materials to inform work processes. |
| Activity: Repair workpieces or products. |
| Activity: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects. |
| Activity: Shape materials to create products. |
Software Skills
|
Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
| Emerging Tech Skills |
| Data base user interface and query software: |
| Oracle Database |
| Electronic mail software: |
| Microsoft Outlook |
| Office suite software: |
| Microsoft Office software |
| Operating system software: |
| Microsoft Windows |
| Spreadsheet software: |
| Microsoft Excel |
| General Software Tools |
| Analytical or scientific software: |
| Fred's Tip Cartridge Picker Scientific Software Group Filter Drain FD Value Analysis |
| Calendar and scheduling software: |
| OmniFleet Equipment Maintenance Management |
| Computer aided design CAD software: |
| EZ Pipe |
| Data base user interface and query software: |
| Recordkeeping software |
| Electronic mail software: |
| IBM Notes |
Preparation Required
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed |
| Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. |
| Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. |
| These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards. |
Education Required
| Education Required - by frequency of educational attainment This shows you details about the level of education most commonly held by workers in this occupation. How can you begin planning the educational pathway that will prepare you best for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Education |
| Frequency of Attainment: 53.6 (%) | Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 20.8 (%) | Level of Education: Less than a High School Diploma |
| Frequency of Attainment: 11.6 (%) | Level of Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 11.3 (%) | Level of Education: Some College Courses |
| Frequency of Attainment: 1.8 (%) | Level of Education: Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 0.9 (%) | Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree |
Training and Experience Required
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 33.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 18.8 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 13.4 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
| Frequency of Attainment: 10.4 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year |
| Frequency of Attainment: 6.1 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Up to and including 1 month |
| Frequency of Attainment: 6.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 years, up to and including 8 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.6 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months |
Local Salary Information
Select a State (scroll and Select) :
Please select a State to see State and National Salaries
Certifications
| Certifications These are examples of certifications that may be important for this occupation. How can you begin exploring which certifications fit your goals and what steps you would need to take to earn them? |
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Certified Radiographic Interpreter
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Certified Welder
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SENSE Program
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Structural Welding Special Inspector
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Professional Associations
| Professional Associations These associations connect people who work in this occupation or related fields. How can you start using these associations to learn more, build your network, or find mentoring opportunities? |
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American Welding Society (AWS)
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Job Listings
| Job Listings and Similar Occupational Titles - scroll and click to identify common requirements, keywords, and skills in current job listings |
Related Careers to Consider
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources
This section contains detailed external resources appropriate to "Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Videos
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Job Description
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
Interviews
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Step-by-Step
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
LinkedIn®
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
Developed by Dr. Ralph Jagodka, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Business Management at Mt. San Antonio College and author of the Harvard Business Impact article "What to Do When Students Ask You for Career Advice." - Full bio. © 2026 About This Page
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