How To Become A Second Class Welder: What It Is and Career Path

What is a second class welder and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a second class welder. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.05 an hour? That's $45,861 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSecond Class WelderUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,861

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.62%

Asian 2.69%

Black or African American 10.83%

Hispanic or Latino 17.57%

Unknown 3.99%

White 63.29%

Gender

female 19.12%

male 80.88%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a second class welder

Explore second class welder education requirements

Most common second class welder degrees

High School Diploma

31.1 %

Associate

24.4 %

Bachelor's

20.0 %

Start to develop specific second class welder skills

Skills	Percentages
Tig Welding	58.08%
MIG	19.42%
TIG	18.91%
Combat	3.58%

Complete relevant second class welder training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New second class welders learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a second class welder based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real second class welder resumes.

Research second class welder duties and responsibilities

Read blueprints and build sections of the JHSV and LCS from those blueprints.
Learned to weld using torches, gouging aluminum welding & steel welding.
Receive training in safety protection, such as use of respirators, confine spaces, condo and scissor lifts.
Maintain individual and subordinates combat readiness.

Prepare your second class welder resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your second class welder resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a second class welder resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable second class welder resume templates

Build a professional second class welder resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your second class welder resume.