Trade Schools
Welding can be an excellent career, but if you find yourself dreaming of spending your days using your skills for something besides welding, there are plenty of options out there.
Perhaps you are burned out or simply find that welding is more enjoyable for you as a hobby than a full-time career.
If you are considering trading in your welding gloves, here are the six careers you should consider.
1. Pipefitter
Pipefitters are responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing pipes.
You will measure and cut pipes, assemble and install them, and test and inspect piping systems.
Like welders, you can work in different industries.
Pipefitters can work in oil and gas, manufacturing, and chemical plants.
The pipes may transport steam, water, gas, or other materials.
It’s also essential for pipefitters to maintain proper safety and industry standards.
While the terms pipefitter and pipewelder are sometimes used interchangeably, they are in different positions.
Pipe welders are welders that specifically work with pipes, while pipefitters work with all aspects of creating, assembling, and maintaining piping systems.
Transferable Skills
There are many skills that both welders and pipefitters have.
Both careers require welding knowledge, although pipefitters typically perform specific types of welding, while welders must know how to perform all types of welding.
Reading blueprints, cutting and grinding pipes, attention to detail, dexterity, and physical strength are also skills required in both careers.
Potential Requirements
Experience as a welder gives you a headstart on a pipefitting career, but you’ll still need some specialized knowledge.
The best first step is to consult your local pipefitters union.
You may need to complete a pipefitter training program, but some companies will allow you to begin with an apprenticeship, particularly if you have significant welding experience.
This allows you to learn on the job, under the supervision of an experienced pipefitter.
Benefits
Pipefitters enjoy several benefits.
It’s a good-paying job, usually on par with what an electrician earns.
However, in some areas, you can make substantially more than other skilled trades.
There’s significant potential for overtime, and the job outlook is strong.
You’ll get to work with your hands, creating or repairing pipe systems for many different projects.
There’s the potential to travel, and you can advance to supervisory roles as well.
2. Welding Instructor
If you enjoy welding but want to move away from welding full-time, you should consider becoming a welding instructor.
Welding instructors teach welding, typically in secondary or trade schools.
You’ll be responsible for teaching both the theory and practical application of welding.
You’ll create lesson plans, design and conduct both paper and practical exams and provide guidance for students.
You’ll also be responsible for maintaining all welding equipment and ensuring the student’s safety while in the classroom and shop.
Transferable Skills
Becoming a welding instructor allows you to make use of your practical welding skills, including mig, tig, and arc welding, and blueprint reading.
You’ll also need a concrete understanding of welding theory, which you should have as an experienced welder.
Potential Requirements
Requirements can vary based on the institution, but generally, you’ll need to have at least 5 years of experience as a welder.
You’ll also need strong communication skills, and the ability to pass your knowledge on to students.
While often overlooked, the ability to interact with faculty members is also key.
If you have the needed experience, you should consider applying for the Certified Welding Educator, or CWE, certification from the American Welding Society, or AWS.
Benefits
The average salary for a welding instructor is $61,549 per year.
Welding instructors typically enjoy less labor-intensive manual labor than welders and often work more convenient hours, including time off when school is out.
You’ll also get the satisfaction of working with students and teaching them the trade.
3. Iron Worker
If you enjoy fabricating, you should consider becoming an ironworker.
Ironworker duties include welding, fabricating, installing, and manipulating steel components.
They often work on construction sites.
You may need to hoist steel beams, position structural components, and bolting connections.
Transferable Skills
Welding is a key part of being an iron worker, so your welding skills will transfer very well.
Manual dexterity, attention to detail, problem-solving, physical strength, and blueprint reading are also part of both fields.
Potential Requirements
While both jobs require physical strength and coordination, balance is essential for ironworkers.
You’ll also need to be comfortable working with heights.
You’ll need to operate heavy machinery and may be expected to use a computer for record keeping.
Typically, iron workers learn on the job with an apprenticeship which takes 3 to 4 years to complete.
Experience as a welder gives you a headstart, as welding is a crucial part of the job.
Benefits
Ironworkers make a great living, with beginning journeyman ironworkers earning as much as $75,000 a year.
There are advancement opportunities, including the ability to move into construction management.
You typically learn on the job, which means you can earn while you learn, rather than paying tuition.
4. Welding Engineer
If you want to move up within the welding world, consider becoming a welding engineer.
Welding engineers design and optimize welding process parameters and welding equipment, check welds for defects, oversee welding manufacturing, and ensure that welding processes meet codes and standards.
They are also responsible for testing, including radiography and other testing methods.
You may also create CAD drawings and layouts.
Welding engineers work in a variety of settings, including manufacturing facilities, research centers, and even offices.
Transferable Skills
Welding engineers use all the skills of a welder, including creating welds, ensuring high quality, and identifying defects.
Potential Requirements
Welding engineers are required to have an in-depth knowledge of metallurgy, chemistry, physics, basic programming, trigonometry and calculus, machine design, and project management.
Generally, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in welding or materials engineering.
You may be required to complete an apprenticeship program as part of your degree, which allows you to gain hands-on experience as a welding engineer.
Benefits
Welding engineers enjoy great job security, as they are in demand in many industries.
You also have the option to specialize in a particular industry, including aerospace, bridge construction, manufacturing, and shipbuilding.
Welding engineers typically make about $64,000 a year to start.
Experienced welding engineers can earn between $80,000 to $100,000 a year.
5. Boilermaker
Boilermakers work with boilers, as well as tanks, vats, pressure vessels, and other structures.
They are responsible for fabricating, installing, repairing, and maintaining these structures.
They may fabricate or repair furnaces, bridges, trains, and even rocket boosters.
Welding is an integral part of the job. In addition, they often install boilers in small or enclosed areas, read blueprints, assemble large boilers, and clean vats.
They are also responsible for testing boiler systems and repairing valves, pipes, and joints.
Transferable Skills
Welding skills are necessary for boilermakers.
In addition to welding itself, using power tools like cutting torches, reading blueprints, physical strength, and the ability to follow safety protocols are all essential skills for boilermakers.
Potential Requirements
To become a boilermaker, you’ll need training in addition to your welding skills.
Fortunately, boilermakers usually begin in an apprenticeship program.
You can earn a living while learning the trade, and then become a full boilermaker.
This process typically takes 3-4 years but may be shorter for those with welding experience.
Benefits
Boilermakers typically earn higher wages than welders due to the specialized nature of the work and the risk involved.
The average wage is $71,000 with it being common for experienced boilermakers to earn $100,000 or more each year.
Boilermakers are typically part of a union, which means they enjoy a pension, health insurance, and paid time off.
Scholarships, paid training, and certifications are also available.
6. Maintenance Technician
If you enjoy the mechanical aspects of welding and repairing machines, you should consider becoming a maintenance technician.
Maintenance technicians work in a variety of settings, including manufacturing and industrial centers, schools, hospitals, and office buildings.
Generally, maintenance techs are expected to have a basic knowledge of several industries, including welding, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical.
The job is to keep equipment and systems, like electrical and plumbing systems, running smoothly, and to repair things when they go wrong.
You may also be expected to deal with both mechanical and human emergencies, including water leaks, and electrical failures, and provide basic first aid if someone is injured.
Transferable Skills
Maintenance technicians usually need at least basic welding skills, as well as the ability to troubleshoot, read blueprints, and perform maintenance on welding and other types of machines.
It’s fairly common for maintenance technicians to have a background in welding or a related field.
Potential Requirements
Requirements will vary based on the type of facility you choose to work for and your existing skill set.
Some employers require or prefer a degree or technical training as a maintenance technician, but many are willing to hire you if you have the skills necessary to do the job.
You’ll likely need some knowledge of machinery, pneumatic, and electrical systems, as well as the ability to use power tools.
If you believe you possess the needed knowledge, you can take the Certified Maintenance and Reliability Technician certification exam.
This will show employers you have the skills to do the job well.
Benefits
Maintenance technicians enjoy variety, never being sure what the day will bring.
There’s a strong demand for maintenance techs, which isn’t expected to decrease shortly.
Most companies provide vacation pay, health insurance, and steady hours with the opportunity for overtime.
Tips for Transitioning Careers
If you want to change careers, there’s no time like the present.
However, you don’t want to quit your existing job before having a concrete plan.
Consider what you would enjoy doing, and how your current skills as a welder can help you in this career.
Then, determine the requirements.
If training or apprenticeship is needed, it’s a great idea to get this lined up before making the change.
Final Thoughts
Changing careers can be stressful, but it can also be quite exciting.
Having the right mindset goes a long way.
Remember, you are planning for a better future, and it’s never too late to make a change.
Just take it one step at a time, and with proper planning and action, you’ll be enjoying your new career before you know it.
