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The differences between ship fitters and tig 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 ship fitter and a tig welder. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $38,192 average annual salary of a tig welder.
The top three skills for a ship fitter include hand tools, tack-weld and tack welding. The most important skills for a tig welder are tig welding, carbon steel, and GTAW.
| Ship Fitter | TIG Welder | |
| Yearly salary | $45,247 | $38,192 |
| Hourly rate | $21.75 | $18.36 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 9,742 | 7,053 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Ship fitters are civilian or enlisted people who work on materials like high yield strength steel and high-tensile steel. These people fabricate, assemble, and build structural parts of ships. They are the ones who coordinate a fixed tank working on ships and submarines, as well as the sonar dome work. They serve as part of a team composing shipbuilders. It is their duty to lead and assist in welding copper, PVC, flange piping, and steel. They should also refurbish the older rigs with advanced technologies.
A tungsten inert gas (TIG) welder is someone who assembles and welds metal parts for use in manufacturing or construction projects. The duties and responsibilities of a TIG welder include ensuring the quality of metal parts before assembling them, reading and interpreting blueprints, and observing safety procedures. The requirements to qualify for the position include knowledge of metallurgy, good hand-eye coordination, and good mathematical skills. A high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) certification is the minimum education requirement for the job.
Ship fitters and tig welders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Ship Fitter | TIG Welder | |
| Average salary | $45,247 | $38,192 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $64,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mount Laurel, NJ | Tualatin, OR |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | BWX Technologies | Alfa Laval |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a ship fitter and a tig welder in terms of educational background:
| Ship Fitter | TIG Welder | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between ship fitters' and tig welders' demographics:
| Ship Fitter | TIG Welder | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |