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.
MIG Welder Overview
MIG Welder Careers
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a mig welder. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.68 an hour? That's $30,542 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 14,500 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a MIG Welder Do
There are certain skills that many mig welders have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, manual dexterity and physical strength.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a mig welder, we found that a lot of resumes listed 14.4% of mig welders included tape measure, while 11.5% of resumes included component parts, and 10.1% of resumes included gmaw. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the mig welder job title. But what industry to start with? Most mig welders actually find jobs in the manufacturing and automotive industries.
How To Become a MIG Welder
If you're interested in becoming a mig welder, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 3.6% of mig welders have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.7% of mig welders have master's degrees. Even though some mig welders have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a mig welder. When we researched the most common majors for a mig welder, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or diploma degrees. Other degrees that we often see on mig welder resumes include associate degree degrees or bachelor's degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a mig welder. In fact, many mig welder jobs require experience in a role such as welder. Meanwhile, many mig welders also have previous career experience in roles such as welder fitter or tig welder.
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MIG Welder 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 mig welder can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as welder, progress to a title such as driver and then eventually end up with the title superintendent.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a MIG Welder
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Aerotek MIG Welder MIG Welder | Aerotek Aerotek | 03/30/2021 03/30/2021 | $33,39203/30/2021 $33,392 |
Aerotek Welders Needed-MIG Welders Needed-MIG | Aerotek Aerotek | 03/30/2021 03/30/2021 | $41,74003/30/2021 $41,740 |
Stanley Acess Technologies Robotic MIG Welder 2Nd Shift Robotic MIG Welder 2Nd Shift | Stanley Acess Technologies Stanley Acess Technologies | 03/30/2021 03/30/2021 | $52,17503/30/2021 $52,175 |
Career Staffing Services MIG Welder/Fabricator MIG Welder/Fabricator | Career Staffing Services Career Staffing Services | 03/30/2021 03/30/2021 | $29,21803/30/2021 $29,218 |
Aerotek MIG Welder MIG Welder | Aerotek Aerotek | 03/30/2021 03/30/2021 | $31,30503/30/2021 $31,305 |
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MIG Welder Resumes
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming a MIG Welder. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
Learn How To Write a MIG Welder Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless MIG Welder resumes and compiled some information about how best to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Detailed InformationTop Skills For a MIG Welder
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, 14.4% of mig welders listed tape measure on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and manual dexterity are important as well.
- Tape Measure, 14.4%
- Component Parts, 11.5%
- Gmaw, 10.1%
- Aluminum, 9.2%
- Stainless Steel, 7.5%
- Other Skills, 47.3% See All MIG Welder Skills
Best States For a MIG Welder
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a mig welder. The best states for people in this position are Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Mig welders make the most in Rhode Island with an average salary of $45,440. Whereas in Connecticut and Massachusetts, they would average $44,863 and $44,381, respectively. While mig welders would only make an average of $42,712 in Vermont, 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. Rhode Island
$45,440
Avg. Salary
2. Alaska
$37,413
Avg. Salary
3. North Dakota
$35,494
Avg. Salary
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