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Considering A Career As A Welder? Important Things You Should Know

31 March 2015 by Jeanne Cunningham

If you're about to graduate high school, you are probably thinking about what industry you want to work in. You know you don't want to go to college, but you do know that you want to work in a field that offers steady work and a steady income. If you're good with your hands, you have a knack for math and science, you are a good problem solver and you like creating things, welding is an industry that you might want to consider.

Here's a look at some of the basics regarding welding, which will help you determine whether or not this is the right career path for you.

What is Welding?

The definition of welding is pretty simple: Permanently joining together metals. In fact, it is the only way that two or more pieces of metal in order to make them act as one. Welding can be used in all environments, including inside and outside, underwater and even in space.

The process of welding involves using some type of heating element, like a blowtorch or an electric arc to heat up the surface of the metals, which allows for melting, and then hammering the metals together so that they become one.

The Benefits of Becoming a Welder

Welding is a pretty diverse industry. It is a part of virtually everything; from the shopping carts that are pushed at grocery stores to the cars that are used to take consumers to those grocery stores, welding is like the glue that holds everything together. Medical machinery, power plants, pipelines and so many other things would not exist if it weren't for welding.

In addition to being a versatile industry and one that is always in demand, you can also earn a respectable income as a welder. Starting salary is pretty average, with an income of about $16 per hour. However, the more experienced you become and if you work in a specialized niche, like pipe welding, earning upwards of six figures a year is not impossible.  

Skills Needed to Become a Welder

Though you don't need to go to college to become a welder, you do need to go to a trade school or work with an apprentice and you do need to possess certain skills, including:

• Math and science – You'll need to estimate the amount of materials needed, make calculations, figure out which materials need to be used, as well as a variety of other basic math and science skills.
• Problem solving – You need to have the ability to pay attention to details, be able to identify problems and determine how to correct them, and you must be able to do so quickly in order to be an efficient welder.
• Patience – It requires a lot of patience in order to become a welder. Learning how to properly weld, select materials and use those materials can take time.
• Endurance – You also have to have a great amount of endurance, as you may very well be working long hours in physically and mentally taxing environments.
• Interpersonal skills – From dealing with metal distributors to working alongside other welders, you need to be able to communicate and relate to other people.

If this information has piqued your interests, then becoming a welder could very well be a rewarding career for you. For more information, check out a company like State Technology & Manufacturing.

 

 

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