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

What is a welder assistant 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 welder assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.8 an hour? That's $39,100 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreWelder AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,100

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.58%

Asian 2.61%

Black or African American 9.85%

Hispanic or Latino 25.33%

Unknown 3.96%

White 56.66%

Gender

female 6.91%

male 93.09%

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

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a welder assistant

Explore welder assistant education requirements

Most common welder assistant degrees

High School Diploma

54.5 %

Associate

15.0 %

Bachelor's

14.1 %

Start to develop specific welder assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Welders	16.52%
Hand Tools	12.28%
Grinders	9.78%
Safety Equipment	8.15%
Aluminum	8.05%

Complete relevant welder assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New welder assistants 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 welder assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real welder assistant resumes.

Gain additional welder assistant certifications

Welder assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific welder assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for welder assistants include OSHA Safety Certificate and Certified Welding Engineer.

More About Certifications

Research welder assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Perform the following welding processes; SMAW, GMAW, FCAW and GTAW.
Preform stainless steel TIG and MIG welding on food grade tubing, support structures, brackets, and brewery tanks.
Hone MIG welding skills, along with various other cutting operations.

Prepare your welder assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your welder assistant 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 welder assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable welder assistant resume templates

Build a professional welder assistant 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 welder assistant resume.