Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Joining and shaping metal isn’t just about fusing materials together — it’s about creating lasting structures that build the foundation of our world. The skills you will master as a welder, cutter, solderer, or brazer are in high demand across every major industrial sector and will empower you to construct, repair, and manufacture critical infrastructure efficiently, ensuring precision and safety. As the skilled backbone of modern production and construction, these professionals provide precise, technical expertise designed to ensure projects are structurally sound, reliable, and built to last from start to finish.
Solderers/Brazers HS Diploma/GED + certificate or apprenticeship $22.89/hr.
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers who work in manufacturing and construction interpret blueprints to calculate dimensions and fuse metal parts together using intense heat or pressure. They also maintain structural safety by inspecting finished joints, repairing cracks, and replacing compromised structural components. The job duties of these fabrication professionals can vary by employer and depend on whether they specialize in manual torch operations, high-tech manufacturing, or field construction at heights or on pipelines.
Education & Training
Work Experience
Salary
Key Foundational Competencies
Common Skills
A welder helper provides hands-on operational support for skilled welders in a fabrication, manufacturing, or construction setting. In a typical day, a helper prepares materials by grinding joints, listens to the lead welder's instructions, and anticipates production needs by supplying tools or handling heavy metal components. Teamwork is absolutely essential in this role in order to coordinate safe lifting maneuvers and maintain a hazard-free work environment alongside the rest of the crew. Helpers provide vital vigilant eyes as a fire watch and meticulously clean finished welds so that the entire team's project passes strict quality standards.
Welder helper roles typically require a high school diploma or equivalent, the ability to use basic hand and power tools, and a willingness to work alongside a team in a physically demanding, fast-paced industrial environment.
Skills:
- Equipment operation & maintenance support
- Metal preparation & joint fit-up
- Reading technical drawings & blueprints
- Mathematical measurement & calculation
- Physical stamina & strength
- Team collaboration & communication
- Safety compliance & tool handling
Salary Range: $16-18/hr.
Minimum Educational Requirements: High School Diploma or GED
A Welding Supervisor typically holds a leadership position in fabrication or construction, dedicated to overseeing various aspects of production operations. This can include managing daily welding activities, ensuring compliance with welding codes and safety standards, or optimizing quality control within a specific shop or field department. The role necessitates a combination of strong leadership abilities, deep metallurgical and technical acumen, and proficiency in project and timeline management.
Skills:
- Welding code compliance & quality inspection (AWS standards)
- Production scheduling & workflow coordination
- Safety management & OSHA regulatory compliance
- Team leadership, training & staff mentorship
- Blueprint & welding symbol interpretation
- Equipment maintenance & troubleshooting oversight
- Quality control & process documentation
Salary Range: $28.92/hr.
Minimum Educational Requirements: High School Diploma or GED (5+ years experience)
A Welding Inspector typically holds a critical quality control position in fabrication, manufacturing, or infrastructure, dedicated to overseeing various aspects of weld integrity and code compliance. This can include managing welder performance qualifications, day-to-day visual and non-destructive testing (NDT), or quality dossier management within a specific project or facility. The role necessitates a combination of strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, deep structural and metallurgical code acumen, and proficiency in technical documentation and regulatory compliance.
Skills:
- Weld quality inspection & non-destructive testing (NDT / Visual Testing)
- Welding code compliance & industry standards verification (AWS CWI)
- Blueprint, schematic & welding symbol interpretation
- Precision measurement & testing instrument calibration
- Non-conformance reporting & quality control documentation
- Root cause analysis & defect detection
- Technical communication & quality auditing
Salary Range: $33.87/hr.
Minimum Educational Requirements: High School Diploma or Equivalent, CWI Certification & 5+ Years Experience
A Welding Engineer typically holds a highly technical, specialized position in aerospace, automotive, or heavy infrastructure development, dedicated to overseeing various aspects of metallurgical design and fabrication processing. This can include managing the selection of parent and filler materials, optimizing automated or robotic welding procedures, or spearheading structural failure analysis within a specific manufacturing or research facility. The role necessitates a combination of strong mechanical engineering and material science abilities, deep technological and automation acumen, and proficiency in research, development, and welding procedure specification (WPS) formulation.
Skills:
- Metallurgical analysis & materials science design
- Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) & process optimization
- CAD/CAE engineering design & structural simulation
- Welding code compliance & AWS quality assurance standards (CWE certified)
- Failure analysis, defect detection & non-destructive testing (NDT)
- Automated & robotic welding system integration
- Analytical reasoning & technical project management
Salary Range: $48/hr.
Minimum Educational Requirements: Engineering degree or extensive technical experience, CWE certification
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