Life As a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter
Career Description Use hand-welding or flame-cutting equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
A Day in the Life of a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter
- Clamp, hold, tack-weld, heat-bend, grind or bolt component parts to obtain required configurations and positions for welding.
- Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
- Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
- Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
- Cut, contour, and bevel metal plates and structural shapes to dimensions as specified by blueprints, layouts, work orders, and templates, using powered saws, hand shears, or chipping knives.
- Signal crane operators to move large workpieces.
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Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter Skills
These are the skills Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters say are the most useful in their careers:
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Types of Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter Jobs
- Fabrication Welder
- Torch Cutter
- Welding Lead Burner
- Scrap Metal Burner
- Flame Burner
Is There Going to be Demand for Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 404,800 jobs in the United States for Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 22,500 new jobs for Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 45,800 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter are Rhode Island, Utah, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Maine, or Ohio. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter
The average yearly salary of a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter ranges between $28,560 and $63,740.
Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters who work in Alaska, District of Columbia, or Hawaii, make the highest salaries.
How much do Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters make in each U.S. state?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $41,050 |
| Alaska | $67,330 |
| Arizona | $43,150 |
| Arkansas | $40,340 |
| California | $46,560 |
| Colorado | $50,300 |
| Connecticut | $52,920 |
| Delaware | $52,180 |
| District of Columbia | $60,780 |
| Florida | $39,660 |
| Georgia | $37,500 |
| Hawaii | $59,120 |
| Idaho | $37,740 |
| Illinois | $42,960 |
| Indiana | $40,900 |
| Iowa | $39,240 |
| Kansas | $43,830 |
| Kentucky | $39,640 |
| Louisiana | $52,810 |
| Maine | $48,220 |
| Maryland | $50,550 |
| Massachusetts | $53,060 |
| Michigan | $39,670 |
| Minnesota | $45,490 |
| Mississippi | $44,350 |
| Missouri | $40,580 |
| Montana | $44,310 |
| Nebraska | $41,850 |
| Nevada | $48,700 |
| New Hampshire | $48,340 |
| New Jersey | $47,050 |
| New Mexico | $54,240 |
| New York | $48,040 |
| North Carolina | $41,470 |
| North Dakota | $50,860 |
| Ohio | $41,380 |
| Oklahoma | $46,040 |
| Oregon | $45,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,630 |
| Rhode Island | $51,000 |
| South Carolina | $43,960 |
| South Dakota | $38,420 |
| Tennessee | $40,780 |
| Texas | $46,140 |
| Utah | $45,210 |
| Vermont | $43,210 |
| Virginia | $46,360 |
| Washington | $51,230 |
| West Virginia | $48,150 |
| Wisconsin | $43,490 |
| Wyoming | $60,960 |
What Tools & Technology do Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- IBM Notes
- Recordkeeping software
- Scientific Software Group Filter Drain FD
How to Become a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter
What education or degrees do I need to become a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter?
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters Are Employed
Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters work in the following industries:
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those thinking about becoming a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter might also be interested in the following careers:
Are you already one of the many Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
Image Credit: US Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class John Linzmeier via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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