Ship fitter vs welder operator

The differences between ship fitters and welder operators 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 welder operator. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $31,669 average annual salary of a welder operator.

The top three skills for a ship fitter include hand tools, tack-weld and tack welding. The most important skills for a welder operator are MIG, arc welding, and hand tools.

Ship fitter vs welder operator overview

	Ship Fitter	Welder Operator
Yearly salary	$45,247	$31,669
Hourly rate	$21.75	$15.23
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	9,742	51,229
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Ship fitter vs welder operator salary

Ship fitters and welder operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Ship Fitter	Welder Operator
Average salary	$45,247	$31,669
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $64,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Mount Laurel, NJ	Chicopee, MA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Wyoming
Best paying company	BWX Technologies	Capco
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between ship fitter and welder operator education

There are a few differences between a ship fitter and a welder operator in terms of educational background:

	Ship Fitter	Welder Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Ship fitter vs welder operator demographics

Here are the differences between ship fitters' and welder operators' demographics:

	Ship Fitter	Welder Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3%	Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between ship fitter and welder operator duties and responsibilities

Ship fitter example responsibilities.

Achieve x-ray certification on aluminum using MIG process.
Lead and assist in executing pipefitting/welding of steel, copper, PVC, and flange piping.
Cut materials with various tools including torches, reciprocating saws, grinders and plasma cutters to ensure exact measurements.
Work includes using torches, grinders and other power tools to cut material to size and prep to weld and paint.
Assemble hoisting and rigging equipment.
Repair and re-fit oil rig platforms.

Welder operator example responsibilities.

Manage aluminum structural/pipe fabrication turnaround: cross-country CGIT/IPB megawatt electrical power conductors.
Weld carbon steel pipes using GTAW and SMAW.
Weld with (GMAW) on aluminum.
Maintain certifications in SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW.
Perform TIG and MIG welding processes on fabrications according to the blueprints specifications.
Weld heavy industrial clamps together using the MIG and TIG process on AR400 grade steel.

Ship fitter vs welder operator skills

Common ship fitter skills

Hand Tools, 14%
Tack-Weld, 10%
Tack Welding, 7%
Tape Measure, 6%
Cranes, 6%
Safety Rules, 5%

Common welder operator skills

MIG, 12%
Arc Welding, 9%
Hand Tools, 8%
Safety Equipment, 7%
Tig Welding, 6%
GMAW, 5%