What is a Fabricator?
Senior Contract Administrators/Contract Administrators handle the contract purchasing process from initial negotiations to the reception of the goods or services. They work in various types of organizations to ensure that employees have the equipment and supplies they need to be productive. Their duties may include buying, storing, and distributing supplies and offloading unused supplies. Contract administrators must also set goals for their department, develop and meet a budget, and may have to recommend changes in policies to improve efficiency.
Most employers require that contract administration professionals have a bachelor's degree, at minimum. Programs in the acquisition, finance, or business administration can prepare you for a career in contracts. Bachelor's degree programs offer courses in accounting, finance, economics, and management. To earn a master's degree, you take courses in managerial accounting, procurement, and contracting law.
The BLS reports that administrative services managers, including those employed in contract administration, earn an average of $106,050 per year. However, those in senior roles earn even more.
What Does a Fabricator Do
Assemblers and fabricators assemble finished products and the parts that go into them. They use tools, machines, and their hands to make engines, computers, aircraft, ships, boats, toys, electronic devices, control panels, and more.
How To Become a Fabricator
The education level and qualifications needed to enter these jobs vary depending on the industry and employer. Although a high school diploma is enough for most jobs, experience and additional training is needed for more advanced assembly work.
Fabricator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a fabricator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as maintenance technician, progress to a title such as foreman and then eventually end up with the title construction manager.
Average Salary for a Fabricator
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Fabricator
The role of a fabricator includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general fabricator responsibilities:
- Perform duties of a fabricator on a daily basis is essential. Job duties include but are not limited to measuring, laying out, cutting, grinding, forming
- Actively engage in safety of self of self
- The following reflects management’s definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Management may assign or reassign duties
There are several types of fabricator, including:
Pipe Welder
Role:
A pipe welder is a professional who employs various techniques to permanently join metal pipes together. Their duties and responsibilities include assembling and installing metal pipes and pipe fittings and securing pipes to structures. They cut and shape metal components to set specifications and fill holes, cracks, and dents on metal pieces and pipe products. They study schematics, diagrams, and blueprints in order to determine the layout of pipes, and they troubleshoot piping systems and conduct diagnostics to identify and fix pipe problems.
Pipe welders need technical skills for operating welding tools and equipment, problem-solving skills for finding and fixing problems with piping systems, and communication skills for producing detailed reports of work activities. Their work is mainly outdoors, so they work in extreme weather conditions and should be prepared for this. They also need to have excellent customer service skills to ensure clients get the best experience possible and become repeat customers.
All that's required to become a pipe welder is a high school diploma or GED and a 3-5 year apprenticeship program with a labour union. To give yourself an added advantage in finding a job, you could obtain certification from the American Welding Society (AWS). Pipe welders earn an average salary of about $21.89 an hour, or $45,536 a year. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow by 3% and produce 14,500 new jobs across the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
- Average Salary: $46,364
- Degree: High School Diploma
MIG Welder
Role:
Whether it's just a small fitting, or a big project of metal made by shaping different parts, it usually involves a gas welding technique. This must be performed by a MIG welder who is professionally trained for carrying out welding and electric arc processes.
All you need to become an MIG welder is a high school diploma, but having at least an associate's degree is common. Many high-rated professionals have joined the field after completing college. Apart from a degree, MIG welders must pass certain safety and technical courses before working.
There are many hazards in a welding workplace that could lead to serious accidents. MIG welders must follow all the proper safety procedures to avoid this. Welders are also required to go through physical fitness tests periodically, making good health a criteria for the job. Once you get through all these requirements, the profession can earn you more than $16 per hour.
- Average Salary: $35,476
- Degree: High School Diploma
Ship Fitter
Role:
Ship fitters are responsible for building the structural parts of ships, such as the plates, frames, and bulkheads. They cut and attach large sheets of metal to make those structural parts, preparing them for permanent welding. They also maintain a clean work environment and observe proper safety considerations daily to prevent injury and lost time. Ship fitters earn an average salary of $38,000 annually or $18 per hour.
Ship fitters mark holes' location to be drilled and install temporary fasteners to hold the part in place for welding. They prepare molds and templates to fabricate nonstandard parts and locate and mark reference lines, such as center, buttock, and frame lines. They also lay out the position of parts on metal by working from blueprints or templates.
In terms of academic qualifications, ship fitters usually hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. However, earning a higher degree may prove advantageous in some instances, and employers may prefer such a degree. Some employers may also select candidates with prior experience in general construction and the ability to read and follow blueprints.
- Average Salary: $45,247
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Fabricator Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active fabricator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where fabricators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Fabricator Jobs By State
Top Skills For a Fabricator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 9.8% of fabricators listed hand tools on their resume, but soft skills such as computer skills and dexterity are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Fabricator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Fabricator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Fabricator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Fabricator diversity
Fabricator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among fabricators, 10.2% of them are women, while 89.8% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among fabricators is White, which makes up 58.6% of all fabricators.
- The most common foreign language among fabricators is Spanish at 69.7%.
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Best States For a Fabricator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a fabricator. The best states for people in this position are Nevada, Hawaii, California, and South Dakota. Fabricators make the most in Nevada with an average salary of $42,297. Whereas in Hawaii and California, they would average $42,277 and $39,961, respectively. While fabricators would only make an average of $39,714 in South Dakota, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. South Dakota
$39,714
Avg. Salary
2. Iowa
$38,252
Avg. Salary
3. North Dakota
$39,630
Avg. Salary
How Do Fabricators Rate Their Jobs?
Top Fabricator Employers
Most Common Employers For Fabricator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Siemens | $43,671 | $21.00 | 30 |
| 2 | HD Supply | $39,487 | $18.98 | 25 |
| 3 | Arconic | $38,990 | $18.75 | 45 |
| 4 | NORDAM | $37,011 | $17.79 | 13 |
| 5 | Ferguson Enterprises | $36,997 | $17.79 | 10 |
| 6 | Kawneer | $36,280 | $17.44 | 10 |
| 7 | The Advance Group | $35,948 | $17.28 | 16 |
| 8 | Caterpillar | $34,787 | $16.72 | 11 |
| 9 | Kelly Services | $34,515 | $16.59 | 37 |
| 10 | Remedy Intelligent Staffing | $34,410 | $16.54 | 13 |
Fabricator Videos
