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The differences between welder apprentices and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a welder apprentice, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $34,266 average annual salary of a welder apprentice.
The top three skills for a welder apprentice include MIG, hand tools and arc welding. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Welder Apprentice | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $34,266 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $16.47 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 14,044 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A welder apprentice analyzes engineering specifications and engineering drawings to plan layout and assembly welding operations. Besides using rulers, calipers, combination squares, and straight edges to secure, position, and layout parts and assemblies as per the assignment specifications, welder apprentices also perform their duties based on established safety procedures and quality standards. They use arc welding, gas welding, electric welding, and other welding forms to weld and track-weld assemblies and different components. Moreover, a welder apprentice uses precision measuring instruments, calipers, and micrometers to find gap variance.
Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.
Welder apprentices and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder Apprentice | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $34,266 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $43,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a welder apprentice and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Welder Apprentice | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between welder apprentices' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Welder Apprentice | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 8% |