To delve deep into the phonetics of how much welder make a year, we must have a clear understanding of welding as an individual profession. Once we define a welder; we can extend into making a distinction of the profession from other careers.
Before we find out how much welder make a year– which is what you’re here for, we know- it’s time to consider, who even is a welder?
Who is a Welder?
A welder is someone who fixes or fuses different metal pieces to fabricate a conjoined material. This process is done with the help of tools and other welding machinery that is dispensable at hand. Welding equipment contributes to the process by producing a high level of heat. High temperatures of heat integrate into the metals and aid them in merging or fusing.
This is what constitutes almost the entire process of welding because your typically experienced and “professional” welder knows not to stop as soon as he, well, welds. Once the materials have been successfully fused, the welder usually goes on to polish and smooth down the surfaces of the freshly fused and uneven metal to give it a neat finish.
Additionally, a welder may also begin and conclude the job by reviewing project specifications and blueprints. He may initially begin by taking a measurement of the dimensions of the materials to be welded and looking through structures and materials to make sure they are rid of any deformities.
It is a welder’s job to see the process of welding through to the end. This means that he must keep an eye on every step of the process that is being undergone and keep up to date with all recent developments in the project.
The welder needs to monitor carefully and keep a record of the progress of the welding job. This is essential to make sure that no components and materials used are overheating and damaging the entire project. This also allows the welder to maintain the upkeep of all the machinery and equipment that are used to cater to welding projects.
Due to the popularity and demand for welding jobs on construction sites, manufacturing plants, airplanes, and ships, you’re bound to find many welders in such settings- working on welding tasks. You will also find specialized welders working in a specific welding field. You might find some welders assigned to power plants, while others serve industrial purposes. Some welders work with pipelines, while others concern themselves with bridges or refinery.
In fact, there are more than 100 different welding processes that exist in this field. By learning the power and value behind each of these different processes, welders can find themselves open to a variety of job descriptions. Learning different aspects of welding skills is useful as it helps you learn different methods of welding about varying project requirements that you no longer need to shy away from!
Some people move to professional welding just by doing DIY projects at home or yard. They usually start with welders for beginners which is cost effective and easy way to learn welding.
Arc welding is one of the most popular forms of welding that has been carefully crafted and mastered by new and modern welders in the business. However, the list of chores welders excel at doesn’t end there. They can handle plenty of other tasks including the dismantling of large metal objects, trimming and cutting metal objects, coating metal to prevent rusting, and so many more.
What skills does one need to become a welder?
Welding involves the use of potentially harmful materials and equipment. While undertaking an important welding project, one might even be placed under dangerous and hazardous conditions that could have an inverse effect on their wellbeing.
To handle and learn such diverse techniques of welding, an effective set of skills is a must-have. With a diverse amount of skills, a welder can expand his welding career into new and specialized fields that can offer better pay and incentives. Thus, it is important to develop a skill-set favourable to a variety of working conditions. Some important skills include:
- Math
- Physical capabilities, limits, and strengths
- Observation or attention to detail
- Administrative processes
- The ability to grasp, learn and apply
Math
Welding often involves complex mathematical components and equations. On the job, one might have to calculate the dimensions of components; draw and understand representative diagrams, and interpret various sketches for their proper implementation. Thus, some math-based skills are of absolute necessity when dabbing in a profession like welding.
Many welding certification programs are inclusive of a test based on math skills to prove a student’s mathematical abilities. However, if you’re looking to pursue a serious welding educational program, then you must do a course in math.
Physical capabilities, limits, and strengths
Apart from being computationally demanding, welding is also a job that involves doing some heavy lifting, long periods of standing and waiting around, bending over, and essentially a lot of physical exertion. Thus, physical strengths and capabilities play a huge role in determining the quality of one’s welding work.
It is preferred that welders have strong hands to grip and handle heavy equipment firmly in place while simultaneously heating the metal. Apart from applying brute strength into their jobs, welders must also be physically healthy to withstand intense and adverse conditions. Being a welder means spending a lot of time outdoors, exposed to unwanted elements in the air.
The situation is better for workers on airplane sites, cars, ships, and other transportation machines which can be operated indoors.
Other physical skills that come in handy as a welder are: depth perception, hand-eye coordination, good vision, ability to manipulate objects well, and so on. These odd and small skills retain huge importance during the job.
Observation or Attention to detail
A welder cannot afford to take his eye off his equipment while working. One must give up complete distractions and pay great attention to details when in a welding area. Even the tiniest mishap can leave a big, ugly consequence in its wake.
It is especially true for processes like trimming or cutting metal pieces to the required specification, fixing joints, thoroughly inspecting materials, and maintaining a clean work area. By keeping an eye and keenly observing, welders will be able to take on these tasks without leaving any room for marginal errors.
Ability to learn and apply
Technology is a constantly evolving and involving thing- and this rings true in the world of welding. Every welder must learn and be proficient in the use of old and new equipment and software alike. He must be mentally prepared to change gears and shift into new machinery that might have different operations. He must be prone to learning and adapting to different tools to perform different tasks.
Moreover, new welding equipment is usually designed to improve the time efficiency of a given task. By familiarizing himself with new technology, a welder can get more work done in less time.
Moreover, welders must learn to regulate and monitor the quality of their work. They should be able to handle any given equipment effectively for an optimum fusion of metal pieces. In fact, with robotic welding popularly on the rise in the welding universe, many welders need to learn how to use it.
Robotic welding is advantageous because it accelerates the speed of the work. Many manufacturers are likely to employ such technology because they want the job done as quickly and as efficiently as possible. It is important to keep up with these conditions to truly succeed in the fiery world of welding.
Administrative skills
Welding is mostly physical work, but it does use some administrative processes to keep a better track record of a welding process.
When a welder takes up a project, he must document and record all the tasks they perform. He must maintain a constant supply of material and other components and regularly track the movement of all equipment being used. These expert organizational skills will go a long way in keeping the already loaded job of welding stress-free and adequately paced.
These administrative skills must also be used to manage time efficiently and meet the deadlines provided by the client, encourage teamwork, as well as prioritize and plan tasks and projects.
Welder’s average salary and satisfaction
The average welder pay in the United States comes to a total of ~$18 per hour. This means that welders who experience this salary on the downside can earn as low as $7.25, while others can earn as high as $35.45.
Furthermore, how much welder make a year, also differs based on skill. For instance, welders who work alternatively as fitters can earn as much as $19.26 per hour, while those who work as fitters only make up to $20.43 per hour. This is because fitters often make use of more technical and complicated skills as compared to your everyday welders. You’ll find fitters centred in defence areas or aerospace industries.
Salaries also vary based on certification. Welders who are willingly certified earn a higher amount of pay- almost an average of $22.29 per hour- compared to uncertified workers. This is because most of the certified welders are verified by the trusted American Welding society. The American Welding Society extends its certification beyond welders, up to the likes of engineers, supervisors, welding inspectors, and so forth.
Studies have shown that up to 22 percent of welders in the United States are satisfied with their salaries. By “satisfied”, we mean that while this amount is enough to suffice the cost of their living conditions, it might not necessarily apply to their personal goals or progress in career.
How much welder make a year? (One Year Income of a Welder)
As of late, it is an inevitable truth that there has been a shortage of welders in the industry. As expected of any natural circle of demand-supply, many welders are anticipating a steady rise in their salaries due to increasing demand for them.
The American Welding Society believes that the U.S industry, by the year 2022, is bound to have a shortage of more than 450,000 skilled welders in the industry. In comparison to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that registered the existence of approximately 425,000 welding jobs in 2018, the shortage of workers is a poor and worrying statistic.
Thus, a welder would be not off his game to expect a rise in his wages due to the great reduction in the supply chain of welders. However, many have stopped to ponder- how much welder makes a year?
This has unleashed a thread of conversation about how much welder make a year on the internet. In fact, the whole of the World Wide Web confidently claims that the initial, starting, and salary of a beginner welder could range in the $40,000’s per year. While this figure has become popular, this is merely an average income that has both high earners and low earners within its spectrum.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for workers was $41,280 per year in 2018. Of course, the pre-existence of a median salary is proof that 50 percent welders earn below this margin, while the other 50 percent earns a hefty amount above this number. In fact, many magazines have promulgated numbers as high as $150,000 or $300,000 in different articles.
The truth of these numbers is that they have been written down only to entice and turn more readers into welders who believe they will taste success right off the metal bat. Numbers as high as $150,000-300,000 are usually only attributed to high ranked welders that work committedly in a single field using a consistent skill-set.
However, the sad reality of this view is that a welder cannot possibly earn in $100,000 on his first day at work. He can, however- with his initial wages- make a decent and reasonable living to support his lifestyle. This is not unlike most jobs, where you really have to work your way to the top in order to attain high-class benefits and incentives.
According to studies conducted by magazines, many entry-level workers are only paid an average of $17 per hour, of which 26 per cent of workers were paid more at the initial level in 2015. This figure has climbed its way up to 43 per cent by the year 2020, which really goes to show that employee wages increase over time, instead of giving you the climax at once in the beginning.
You have a preview, but you’re not at the end of the movie- and that makes all the difference.
However, how much welder makes a year also differs in accordance with geographic location. For instance, places like Alaska, North Dakota, Hawaii, and California reportedly pay some of the highest early wages to their workers.
As evidenced by many companies, the onset of the worker shortage has led to the boost of wages all around America. These steps are taken to stabilize the workforce and retain its original strength, and companies have chosen to attract this fate by meeting the supply with higher salaries than before.
While the boost in wages has been prominent, it is not all the hype it was made out to be. Companies, for instance- Amerequip, has boosted its starting wages for welders to more than $18 per hour. The rise in wages, along with working overtime has really paid off in hours and money and welders now receive a sizable fortune for all their hard work. This is also bringing back the workforce production capacity into its peak capacity.
What factors do welder salaries depend upon?
While a welders pay is usually tangible only depending on the market direction, some factors contribute heavily into determining what welder make in a year.
Experience:
How much experience do you have under the hood? How many notches in your welder belt? These factors are important determiners of not only your welder pay, but also of your authenticity and brand and welding career. These, in turn, will dictate the longevity of your position as a welder.
Moral of the story, experience counts- and not the kind you got while playing with tools as a child.
A welder really needs to put in the time and energy required to perfect his skills so as to sell them for maximum potential in the market. Besides, highly skilled and experienced employees will never be turned down in the face of an economic situation, which can’t be escaped in the U.S market. Thus, experience pay matters, the more you have of experience, the more you get out of your welder wages,
Some Jobs Pay More
Welding jobs don’t just start and stop at welding. In fact, like any other stream of study or subject, welding categorizes itself into various specializations that amount to a specific field of study in an existing, diverse subject.
Specialization speaks volumes about one’s extent of knowledge and professionalism- so to no one’s surprise; welders who specialize in specific jobs tend to receive more salaries and perks than those who do normal welding jobs. This is also because specialized jobs have special requirements- like dealing with a particular piece of equipment or traveling to the place of the work.
Different skills entail different levels of wages- some higher than others. In fact, some companies test their workers with a skill set in order to determine their field of work and noteworthy salaries.
Lasting Employees
Another factor that employers look for concerning increasing pay for workers is their relevance in the industry. Employers want someone who is committed to the job, and committed to taking his bog to new heights that adds to the rep of the company. Inversely, someone who treats welding as a dreaded chore and has more chances of quitting or being fired isn’t likely to get consistently high wages anytime soon.
Final Thoughts
Welder pay has been a tricky dynamic to deal with over the past years. While initial wages are enough for a welder to lead a satisfying life, there are not always promises of growth and goal achievement. However, the decreasing statistics in the available welders in the market has shed light on the situation of how many welders make a year. There was been a rise in the hourly wages, and hope for the future. Highly skilled and efficient workers can always look forward to a fulfilling life with good wages as a welder.