What do they do?

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.

Also known as:

Aluminum Welder, Assembly Line Brazer, Brazer, Fabrication Welder, Maintenance Welder, MIG Welder (Metal Inert Gas Welder), Production Welder, Refrigeration Brazer, Solderer, Sub Arc Operator, TIG Welder (Tungsten Inert Gas Welder), Welder, Welder Fabricator, Welder Fitter, Wirer

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
  • 1.4%

    Change

    Select a state to see its job growth rate ranking
    42,600

    Job Openings

    Select a state to see its net job growth ranking

Best colleges for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Search

Colleges with the most graduates that become Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Search

Looking for colleges that offer a specific major? Use the College Match Tool to find your best-matched schools and discover your estimated Net Price!

Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • High school diploma equivalent  (47%)
  • Some college, no degree  (22%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (19%)
  • Associate's degree  (9%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (2%)
  • Master's degree  (<1%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Select Type of Degree:

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Maintain safety.
  • Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
  • Operate welding equipment.
  • Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
  • Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
  • Select production equipment according to product specifications.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
  • Determine metal or plastic production methods.
  • Clean workpieces or finished products.
  • Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
  • Melt metal, plastic, or other materials to prepare for production.
  • Solder parts or workpieces.
  • Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow.
  • Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
  • Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
  • Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications.
  • Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
  • Operate grinding equipment.
  • Ignite fuel to activate heating equipment.
  • Trim excess material from workpieces.
  • Operate firefighting equipment.
  • Design templates or patterns.
  • Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
  • Repair parts or assemblies.
  • Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production.
  • Clean production equipment.
  • Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
  • Shape metal workpieces with hammers or other small hand tools.
  • Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Join thousands of students and parents learning about finding the right college, admissions secrets, scholarships, financial aid, and more.

College Raptor Loading Screen College Raptor Loading Screen