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

What is a welder first class 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 first class. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.64 an hour? That's $45,016 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreWelder First ClassUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $45,016

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.61%

Asian 2.68%

Black or African American 10.73%

Hispanic or Latino 17.60%

Unknown 3.99%

White 63.38%

Gender

female 7.26%

male 92.74%

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

7.7

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 first class

Explore welder first class education requirements

Most common welder first class degrees

High School Diploma

43.0 %

Diploma

17.5 %

Associate

16.0 %

Start to develop specific welder first class skills

Skills	Percentages
Flux Core	9.30%
Arc Welding	7.62%
SMAW	5.85%
FCAW	5.33%
GMAW	5.19%

Complete relevant welder first class training and internships

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

Gain additional welder first class certifications

Welder first class 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 first class certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for welders first class include Certified Welder and Certified Welding Engineer.

More About Certifications

Research welder first class duties and responsibilities

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Programme and operate automatic GTAW, and GMAW machines.
Fuse metals together using GMAW and FCAW processes within code guidelines.
Apply repairs to various types of vessels, utilizing FCAW, and SMAW processes.

Prepare your welder first class resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your welder first class 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 first class 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 first class resume templates

Build a professional welder first class 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 first class resume.