Education:
54%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
21%
Less than a High School Diploma
Welder, Cutter, Solderer, or Brazer
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Job Outlook:
Little or no change
Education:
High school diploma or equivalent
Work From Home
Salary
High:
$68,750.00
Average:
$50,460.00
Hourly
Average:
$24.26
What 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.
On the job, you would:
- Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
- Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
- Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
Important Qualities
Detail oriented. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers perform precision work, often with straight edges. The ability to see characteristics of the joint and detect changes in molten metal flows requires attention to detail.
Manual dexterity. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must have a steady hand to hold a torch in place. They also need good hand–eye coordination.
Physical stamina. These workers must be able to endure long periods in awkward positions while bending, stooping, or standing.
Physical strength. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must be able to lift heavy pieces of metal and move welding or cutting equipment.
Spatial-orientation skills. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must be able to read and interpret two- and three-dimensional diagrams in order to fit metal products correctly.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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81% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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76% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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71% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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70% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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70% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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69% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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67% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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67% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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64% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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63% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. | |
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63% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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62% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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59% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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57% | Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. | |
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56% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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54% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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100% | Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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64% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
Aptitude
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
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66% | 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. | |
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60% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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56% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. | |
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56% | Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. | |
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53% | Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. | |
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53% | Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions. |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Operate welding equipment.
Maintain safety.
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
Operate welding equipment.
Operate welding equipment.
Select production equipment according to product specifications.
Operate welding equipment.
Ignite fuel to activate heating equipment.
Operate welding equipment.
Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow.
Determine metal or plastic production methods.
Select production equipment according to product specifications.
Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
Trim excess material from workpieces.
Operate grinding equipment.
Clean workpieces or finished products.
Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production.
Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
Design templates or patterns.
Operate welding equipment.
Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
Clean production equipment.
Operate grinding equipment.
Melt metal, plastic, or other materials to prepare for production.
Solder parts or workpieces.
Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications.
Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
Operate grinding equipment.
Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications.
Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
Repair parts or assemblies.
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.
Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
Shape metal workpieces with hammers or other small hand tools.
Melt metal, plastic, or other materials to prepare for production.
Solder parts or workpieces.
Operate firefighting equipment.
Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
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91% | Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets? | |
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88% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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88% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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84% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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84% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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76% | Exposed to Contaminants - How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)? | |
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74% | Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable? | |
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71% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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70% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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63% | Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in non-controlled environmental conditions (e.g., warehouse without heat)? | |
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63% | Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing? | |
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62% | Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings - How often does this job require exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings? | |
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62% | Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions? | |
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61% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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60% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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59% | Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job? | |
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59% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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58% | Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? | |
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58% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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56% | Consequence of Error - How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable? | |
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55% | Very Hot or Cold Temperatures - How often does this job require working in very hot (above 90 F degrees) or very cold (below 32 F degrees) temperatures? | |
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54% | Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job? | |
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54% | Exposed to Hazardous Equipment - How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment? | |
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52% | Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers? | |
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52% | Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting - How often does this job require working in extremely bright or inadequate lighting conditions? | |
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68% | Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
|---|---|---|---|
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69% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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66% | Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. | |
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64% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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62% | Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. | |
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60% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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58% | Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical 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. |
What Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Do
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join or cut metal parts.
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join or cut metal parts. They also fill holes, indentations, or seams in metal products.
Duties
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers typically do the following:
- Read and interpret blueprints, sketches, and specifications
- Calculate and measure the dimensions of parts to be welded
- Inspect structures or materials to be welded
- Weld materials according to blueprint specifications
- Monitor the welding process and adjust heat as necessary
- Maintain equipment and machinery
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use welding torches and other equipment to apply heat to metal pieces, melting and fusing them to form a permanent bond. Some workers specialize in welding; others perform all disciplines or a combination of them.
Welders join metals using a variety of techniques and processes. For example, in arc welding they use machinery that produces electrical currents to create heat and bond metals together. Welders usually choose a welding process based on a number of factors, such as the types of metals being joined.
Cutters use heat from an electric arc, a stream of ionized gas called plasma, or burning gases to cut and trim metal objects to specific dimensions. They also dismantle large objects, such as ships, railroad cars, and buildings.
Solderers and brazers use equipment to heat molten metal and join two or more metal objects. Soldering and brazing are similar, except that the temperature used to melt the filler metal is lower in soldering. Solderers commonly work with small pieces that must be positioned precisely, such as to make computer chips. Brazers connect dissimilar metals through the application of a filler material, which creates strong joints in products created with multiple metals; they also may apply coatings to parts in order to reduce wear and protect against corrosion.
For information on workers who operate welding, soldering, and brazing machines, see the profile on metal and plastic machine workers.
Work Environment
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers held about 431,800 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers were as follows:
| Manufacturing | 65% |
| Specialty trade contractors | 7 |
| Repair and maintenance | 4 |
| Self-employed workers | 4 |
Welders and cutters may work outdoors in all types of weather, or indoors, sometimes in a confined area designed to contain sparks and glare. They may work on a scaffold or platform high off the ground.
In addition, they may have to lift heavy objects and work in awkward positions, such as overhead, while bending, stooping, or standing.
Injuries and Illnesses
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers risk injury on the job. They may be exposed to a number of hazards, including fumes, very hot materials, and intense light created by the arc. Workers avoid injuries by following safety procedures and using personal protective equipment, such as welding helmets, hearing protection, and heat-resistant gloves.
Work Schedules
Most welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Many manufacturing firms have two or three 8- to 12-hour shifts each day, allowing the firm to continue production around the clock if needed. As a result, welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers may work evenings and weekends.
Getting Started
How to Become a Welder, Cutter, Solderer, or Brazer
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must have a steady hand to hold a torch in place.
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers typically need a high school diploma or equivalent, combined with technical and on-the-job training, to enter the occupation.
Education & Training
Employers often prefer or require candidates to have a high school diploma or equivalent and technical training. This training may be available through high school technical education classes or programs at vocational–technical institutes, community colleges, and private welding, soldering, and brazing schools. In addition, the U.S. Armed Forces offer welding-related training.
Courses in blueprint reading, shop mathematics, and mechanical drawing may be helpful. An understanding of electricity also is useful.
Workers also may enter the occupation through an employer-based apprenticeship program. Some apprenticeships are available for entry-level workers who have no prior experience or training, while others are targeted toward those who have completed a vocational–technical school welding program.
Although some employers hire inexperienced entry-level workers and train them on the job, many prefer to hire workers who have completed training or credentialing programs. Entry-level workers with formal technical training still receive several months of on-the-job training.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Welders must be licensed in some states and localities; requirements vary. Contact individual state or local government licensing agencies for more information.
Professional organizations offer courses leading to general certification. For example, the American Welding Society offers the Certified Welder designation.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) offers certification in practical welding technology for workers seeking to enhance core competencies, and the Institute for Printed Circuits offers certification and training in soldering.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that welders complete training on electrical safety. Other types of OSHA training are available but generally are not required.
Some employers require general or specific certification for particular jobs. They may pay the cost of training and testing for employees.
Job Outlook
Employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.
Despite limited employment growth, about 42,600 openings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
The nation’s aging infrastructure will require the expertise of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers to help rebuild bridges, highways, and buildings. These workers also will be needed in manufacturing plants, such as those that produce metal products and machinery. However, automation in manufacturing may limit overall demand for these workers.
Contacts for More Information
For details about apprenticeships or other work opportunities in this occupation, contact the offices of the state employment service, the state apprenticeship agency, or local businesses that employ welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers. Apprenticeship information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship program online or by phone at 877-872-5627. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to search for apprenticeship opportunities.
For more information about welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, visit
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Assemblers and Fabricators |
Assemblers and fabricators build finished products and the parts that go into them. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $37,930 |
|
Boilermakers |
Boilermakers assemble, install, maintain, and repair boilers, closed vats, and other large vessels or containers that hold liquids and gases. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $66,920 |
|
Industrial Machinery Mechanics, Machinery Maintenance Workers, and Millwrights |
Industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights install, maintain, and repair factory equipment and other industrial machinery. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $59,470 |
|
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers |
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers design, construct, adjust, repair, appraise and sell jewelry. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $47,140 |
|
Machinists and Tool and Die Makers |
Machinists and tool and die makers set up and operate equipment to produce precision metal parts, instruments, and tools. |
See How to Become One | $49,560 |
|
Metal and Plastic Machine Workers |
Metal and plastic machine workers set up and operate equipment that cuts, shapes, and forms metal and plastic materials or pieces. |
See How to Become One | $41,060 |
|
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters |
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair piping fixtures and systems. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $60,090 |
|
Sheet Metal Workers |
Sheet metal workers fabricate or install products that are made from thin metal sheets. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $55,350 |