We all come to a point in our lives when we are afraid of choosing a career path. The fear of ending up doing something we won’t enjoy for the rest of our lives is a very legitimate fear. Now, you must have come across welding and thought to yourself, “Maybe this is the profession for me?” Well, this article is here to help you with that decision.
Welding may be rough to do but it certainly is a well-praised career option. The clear tell-tale signs to know if you’re prepared to be a welder is if you can be patient, enduring, handle tough conditions, work for long hours, and can deal with electricity, fire and smoke regularly.
Even if welding may feel like a simple career option, just know it isn’t. It comes with its agendas and criteria that every welder is more or less expected to meet. In this article, I’ll discuss further why welding is a good profession, how you can become one, and 6 signs welding is the right career for you. Hence, keep reading further to have a full picture.
Is Welding A Good Career Option?
If you have a genuine interest in welding then it is definitely a good career for you. Just like any other job that involves working with heavy machinery, there is always the chance of accidents. But, that shouldn’t make welding a poor career to pursue.
We’ve all heard of the quote that as long as we do something we love; we’ll never actually be bored in our profession. Thus, in terms of the things that you may end up doing as a welder, it is best left upon you to decide. Now let’s talk about figures, employer benefits, and more that comes with pursuing welding as a career.
Income
The most important aspect of any sort of job. As long as there’s a big fat paycheck every month, there’s a reason to keep working as long as it doesn’t mentally drain you.
Welders who work full-time can expect about $80,000-$90,000 annually. Quite big figures are manageable if you manage to become a top-end welder.
Employer’s Benefits
Though this may vary. Many high-end welding companies are always up for providing dental coverages, retirement benefits, life and health insurance for their welders.
Welding is a quite hazardous task. It requires physical participation in tough conditions and it’s quite common to end up having a few ups and downs although it’s mostly rare.
Most companies are also willing to provide you with expensive protective equipment in their work-space. Thus saving a lot of money from your end. There are many other negotiable and varying benefits that these companies may provide.
Since welding is quite a niche profession and not everyone has the fancy for it, you can always expect good things. Such as the benefits mentioned above.
Traveling Benefits
Well, here’s the fun part; welding allows you to travel to many exotic locations and work environments! As a welder, you will not always be expected to work in the same boring place over and over. That’s the cool part about welding, it is almost required in all sorts of places and there’s always an excuse for you to travel for work.
Since welding is a job that exists in a broader scope, expect yourself to travel to industries in other states, ship ports across the world, military bases, cruise ships, and even underwater.
Welders are very popular in demand in goal, diamond, coal, and uranium mines all around the world, as well as pipelines that cross from continent to continent and offshore rigs that need dire repair.
You get to not only enhance your skills and experience while welding, but also visit almost any place in the world only with the proper qualifications in welding! It truly is an exciting job opportunity where many doors are open for you.
Unemployment Is A No-Go
Welding can be called a jack of all trades as it is used in a variety of industries. It is simple to have two or more tickets. This means you are left with more options to pursue as a profession; from welder to ironworker or structural fitter or boilermaker.
You can choose from this wide range of job selections and work on any number of occupations from now until the day you retire.
As I said, the tradesmen industry is highly appreciative of welders. Welding is required in a lot of scenarios and by many industries. It still is a very future-proof career option as the demand for welding is only becoming higher and higher.
Prestigious Career
Welders are always looked upon by the people in society, especially from the tradesmen position.
Welding is a choice that requires determination to get it done. Once you’re a welder you can only keep getting paid more for your services as your demand increases along with experience and skills.
6 Clear Signs Welding Is the Right Career for You
Evaluating the right career for yourself can be quite the stress especially considering how different professions seek different people. Although almost everyone can make it into anything if they try, it’s still quite a relief knowing we’re all suited particularly for something.
Now let’s talk about welding and what exactly it requires for you to pursue it as a career. These are the 7 clear signs which make welding the perfect career choice for you:
1. You Love Hands On Work
If you were someone who loved working on hands-on activities at school or toying with building blocks when you were young, then welding is a brilliant career option to express your creativity.
When it comes to this sort of work, you must have good hand control. Your hands are supposed to coordinate well along with your eyes and they should be stiff and steady while handling various tools. Welding will require you to use your hands at all times to get tasks done successfully while using heavy and hazardous machinery.
Having good hand control will also benefit your early welding training sessions and further strengthen your skills. If you can relate to having these attributes, then welding will be the perfect profession for you.
2. You Want A Big Paycheck
Considering how fast the construction industry is growing, shortage of workers is on the rise. And it will continue rising as older workers are retiring. There will be an increase in employment demand for the next generation of welders. High demand equals more work, and more work equals more opportunities with a sweeter paycheck!
Companies will be looking forward to hiring those who are qualified professionals to fill these positions. This means that employers are willing to pay more than enough money to hire welders with the right skill set. What better time to capitalize on opportunities than this?
Another interesting career branch is that robotic welding systems are now more popular than ever. Fields like these require a variety of personnel, including welders, with their expertise to support them. Hint: This could be you!
If you’re on the hunt for big paychecks in your career and crave financial stability then this is definitely the right job for you.
So, the more experience you gain in this field, the more opportunities you will have to climb up the ladder while earning a better wage.
3. You Don’t Want to Attend College
As the saying goes ‘earn while you learn’, welding is its prime example. This means that you can start working on the job and begin earning an income, all the while mastering your welding craft; the skills and abilities needed for someone to be successful in this field.
A bachelor’s degree is not required for a career as a welder (unless you want one)! A high school diploma would be more than enough for someone to get started. You can always start welding programs right after high school to get into the welding business!
Hence, you can see that the big advantage of joining this type of work field is that you can start from the bottom and work up while developing experience and gaining skills on the job, as well as via specialized craft training. So, if going through 4 years of college to earn a degree is not for you, you certainly don’t need one to succeed in this field.
4. You Are A Problem Solver
Welders handle a wide variety of interesting jobs such as off and on-shore oil fields, aerospace, surface, and underground mines, and many more! So, welding training is a better suit for those who are natural at solving problems.
While it is usually about assembling or building items, it’s also about applying the skills to perform various forms of repair work that include metal parts. A good welder understands how to tell the difference between various types of work and the best way to apply their abilities to satisfy the needs of their clients; these welders are problem solvers.
Now, if you are someone with a knack for coming up with creative ideas to solve issues, or if you just wish to improve this skill, then welding training will suit you very well.
5. You Have Interest in Mechanics
Welders usually have to resort to their mechanical knowledge and insight to make sure their work has been done properly and effectively. Before you can put your welding techniques to modify or repair an object or a piece of item, you must first learn the basics of welding and how it works. Without this knowledge, you may risk adding new problems or difficulties that were not previously there.
Bearing that in mind, welder training may be ideal for you to feel like you have a strong curiosity in mechanics and a flair for discovering and resolving technical issues.
6. You Are A Woman
Women are a large demographic of talented people and employers are becoming more and more eager to make use of that.
In this day and age, there are greater opportunities in trades for women. Welding is an extremely promising industry for women looking for a new job or exploring a career change. And if we talk about the “non-traditional” career choices for women, welding proves to be one of the best, in-demand, and fulfilling choices.
Besides, women may be a vital element the industry needs to fill the labor gap since they have the necessary skill set, talent, and qualifications.
How to Become A Welder?
By now you’ve probably decided whether or not you want to pursue a career. If you have decided yes, then congratulations. You are on your path to having a lucrative career. Now, you might be thinking, “Where do I start?”. Well, that’s what this section is all about. Here, I will talk about how you can become a welder.
Experience Welding First Hand
I can’t stress this enough, before choosing any sort of career this is the single most thing you’ll have to rely on. You have to always be aware of different job positions, companies, equipment, and all. True, welding training can help you but not so much as you can help yourself by taking some time off on your own and doing some more intricate research.
Talk to people, talk to local welders, visit local welding facilities. Give it a shot. Borrow a welding kit from someone and try seeing how it feels to hold it. Watch others weld so that you can get an idea about how it truly feels to weld.
Trust me, when you will know for yourself that welding truly is the career for you, all the steps down below are going to be a piece of cake. I can guarantee you this much.
Research On Various Types of Welding
Just like any tradesmen’s profession, there will always be more than a single branch of jobs available. For example, not everyone may fancy TIG welding as much as they do MIG welding. There are a lot more options in a welding career that are available.
Each of those options is meant for people with varying skill sets and specialties. Whatever you feel like you may have a knack for. Go for it.
Attending Welding Courses
These can be easily done as long as you have a minimum high school diploma or GED. However, if you’re still high-school kiddo, then I advise you most certainly give those welding courses a try. At least you will know the basics of the various types of welding that are available and how to proceed further from there.
Oh, and pay a bit more attention to math, because those geography lessons will surely come in handy in the welding business. Done with high school? Well, the study still doesn’t end there. What comes next is gaining a welding certificate.
Various community colleges and welding programs can help you attain a welding certificate in a span of 6 months to 2 years.
You will not only have first-hand learning experience but learn a lot about welding responsibilities and what comes with it. The certificate you will attain is crucial to proceed further from there.
Becoming a Welder’s Apprentice
Oh yeah, welding is pretty much like sorcery and you surely will need to become an apprentice if job seeking is your next step. Getting first-hand welding experience under supervision is where it’s at. Learning to gain practical experience is the real gold mine for landing jobs.
You can apprentice under a company and then even continue to work there if they do hire you after you’re done. Whatever you will learn under the apprenticeship will certainly last you a long time.
Hunting Down Jobs
Well, this will certainly be the ultimate step. The magnum opus towards having the career of your dreams. As long as you choose the right company with everything you can ask for and beyond, there’s no stopping you. Unless you don’t make a catchy resume. Do make sure to include all the skills in welding that you have mastered.
Never back away from throwing a good flaunt on your future employers to create an impression. Newspapers, references, online, or whatever it may be. Keep looking anywhere you can for jobs and you will most certainly land the type of job you’ve always been seeking.
Conclusion
Does that cover enough about why you should pursue a career in welding? I believe it does and if you have related to most if not all of the clear signs that indicate welding should be the right career choice for you then I believe there’s no stopping you now. The only barrier between you is yourself from this point onwards. If you relate to even a few of the 6 signs welding is the right career for you, then welding is what you are destined to do.
Be sure to check out other welding-related articles available on this blog site to expand your knowledge of the world of welding. I wish you all the best for your future ambitions! Thanks for stopping by.
