Second class welder vs combo welder

The differences between second class welders and combo welders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a second class welder and a combo welder. Additionally, a combo welder has an average salary of $46,985, which is higher than the $45,861 average annual salary of a second class welder.

The top three skills for a second class welder include tig welding, MIG and TIG. The most important skills for a combo welder are GMAW, FCAW, and arc welding.

Second class welder vs combo welder overview

	Second Class Welder	Combo Welder
Yearly salary	$45,861	$46,985
Hourly rate	$22.05	$22.59
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	35,166	8,266
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Second class welder vs combo welder salary

Second class welders and combo welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Second Class Welder	Combo Welder
Average salary	$45,861	$46,985
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $62,000	Between $34,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	SpaceX
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between second class welder and combo welder education

There are a few differences between a second class welder and a combo welder in terms of educational background:

	Second Class Welder	Combo Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Second class welder vs combo welder demographics

Here are the differences between second class welders' and combo welders' demographics:

	Second Class Welder	Combo Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 80.9% Female, 19.1%	Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 25.2% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between second class welder and combo welder duties and responsibilities

Second class welder example 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.
Repair and maintain equipment critical to combat operations and damage control.
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.

Combo welder example responsibilities.

Certify GTAW & GMAW welding on aluminum casting in a production shop.
Weld structure and pipe FCAW and TIG (carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum).
Perform full penetration welds with SMAW and flux core welding applications.
Have supervised a team of at least 6 skil TIG and MIG welders.
Start and complete x-ray welds correctly the first time using the GTAW and SMAW weld processes.
Certify SMAW & GTAW on boiler tube and heaters; blueprint reading and fitting on the boiler construction.

Second class welder vs combo welder skills

Common second class welder skills

Tig Welding, 58%
MIG, 19%
TIG, 19%
Combat, 4%

Common combo welder skills

GMAW, 13%
FCAW, 10%
Arc Welding, 8%
Engineering Drawings, 7%
Carbon Steel, 7%
MIG, 5%