The list of welded things used in day-to-day life is endless. From the cell phone in your pocket to cars, buses, or bicycles - everything that has metallic components relies on the art of welding.
However, do you know what the current welding job market looks? What is the average salary? Or what skills and courses are needed to become a professional welder? This article will answer all this and much more. Read on and find out!
Table of contents
What does a welder do?
Requirements: What do you need to study to become a welder?
Salaries
Which area offers the best job openings welders?
Qualities: What do you need to be a welder?
Welding Hazards: Cautions and Dangers of the Welding Profession
What does a welder do?
A welder is the professional responsible for performing the job of unifying materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, through heating techniques and pressure. The individual uses welding processes such as TIG, MIG, MAG, coated electrode, submerged arc, flux-cored wire, etc., to create a "weld."
There are essential tools for a professional welder to perform his duties, and the list includes:
- Torch
- Welding machine
- Consumables
- Shielding gases
- Feeders
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Other accessories are also used often, depending on the particularities of the work.
Requirements: What do you need to study to become a welder?
It is not necessary to have a college degree to become a welder. However, it's imperative to invest in courses and certificates to become a well-demanded professional welder. Every company that hires a welder requires a technical welding certification.
Many good educational institutions offer detailed programs designed to train students in the most commonly used welding and cutting processes and techniques in the industry.
Therefore, it's worthwhile to join institutions that feature a considerable amount of hands-on welding training. After all, this is where you can hone the skills needed to perform welding on an industrial scale.
In addition, the schools teach the best way to apply welding safety guidelines, such as the use of PPE and the correct ways to handle instruments without risking injury. If you want to work professionally, making a habit of such safety and health maintenance measures is as important as improving your welding skills.
For young people who are still in high school, industrial apprenticeship courses can be an excellent way to start the journey to become a professional welder. There, you will learn all the theories behind welding, the primary safety procedures, and the welding processes most commonly used in factories.
This course has a duration of 800 hours and is available in most of the well-known and accredited institutes.
For people who have completed high school, the best choice is a welding technician course. The course load is usually 1200 hours, and in the course, you will learn about all the theories and practicalities behind the welding techniques. In addition, you will get to know how to plan and supervise the different processes and stages of a weld, following all the quality, safety, and health protocols that govern the work in large companies in the industrial sector.
Salaries
According to statistics, the salary for a beginning welder is around USD $18.54 per hour. But the average wage for more qualified welders is in the range of USD $25 - $30 per hour.
However, depending on the technical courses, the experience, and the welding processes that the professional masters, the salary can easily reach the $50 per hour mark in larger companies or multinationals.
