What You Need to Know About Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter
Job Description & Duties Use hand-welding or flame-cutting equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
What Do Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters Do On a Daily Basis?
- Dismantle metal assemblies or cut scrap metal, using thermal-cutting equipment, such as flame-cutting torches or plasma-arc equipment.
- Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
- Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
- Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
- Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.
- Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.
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Things a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter Should Know How to Do
Below is a list of the skills most Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters say are important on the job.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Other Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter Job Titles
- Mechanic and Welder
- Oxyacetylene Cutter
- Butt Welder
- Tank Truck Mechanic
- Welding Specialist
Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter Employment Estimates
In the United States, there were 404,800 jobs for Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 22,500 new jobs for Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter by 2026. There will be an estimated 45,800 positions for Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter per year.
The states with the most job growth for Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter are Rhode Island, Utah, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Maine, or Ohio. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter
The average yearly salary of a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter ranges between $28,560 and $63,740.
Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters who work in Alaska, District of Columbia, or Hawaii, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $41,050 |
Alaska | $67,330 |
Arizona | $43,150 |
Arkansas | $40,340 |
California | $46,560 |
Colorado | $50,300 |
Connecticut | $52,920 |
Delaware | $52,180 |
District of Columbia | $60,780 |
Florida | $39,660 |
Georgia | $37,500 |
Hawaii | $59,120 |
Idaho | $37,740 |
Illinois | $42,960 |
Indiana | $40,900 |
Iowa | $39,240 |
Kansas | $43,830 |
Kentucky | $39,640 |
Louisiana | $52,810 |
Maine | $48,220 |
Maryland | $50,550 |
Massachusetts | $53,060 |
Michigan | $39,670 |
Minnesota | $45,490 |
Mississippi | $44,350 |
Missouri | $40,580 |
Montana | $44,310 |
Nebraska | $41,850 |
Nevada | $48,700 |
New Hampshire | $48,340 |
New Jersey | $47,050 |
New Mexico | $54,240 |
New York | $48,040 |
North Carolina | $41,470 |
North Dakota | $50,860 |
Ohio | $41,380 |
Oklahoma | $46,040 |
Oregon | $45,470 |
Pennsylvania | $43,630 |
Rhode Island | $51,000 |
South Carolina | $43,960 |
South Dakota | $38,420 |
Tennessee | $40,780 |
Texas | $46,140 |
Utah | $45,210 |
Vermont | $43,210 |
Virginia | $46,360 |
Washington | $51,230 |
West Virginia | $48,150 |
Wisconsin | $43,490 |
Wyoming | $60,960 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- IBM Notes
- Recordkeeping software
- Scientific Software Group Filter Drain FD
Becoming a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter
Education needed to be a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter:
How many years of work experience do I need?
Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters Sector
Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters work in the following industries:
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Career changers with experience as a Welder, Cutter, or Welder Fitter sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: US Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class John Linzmeier via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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