Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between welder helpers and ship fitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a welder helper and a ship fitter. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $29,684 average annual salary of a welder helper.
The top three skills for a welder helper include grind welds, MIG and grinders. The most important skills for a ship fitter are hand tools, tack-weld, and tack welding.
| Welder Helper | Ship Fitter | |
| Yearly salary | $29,684 | $45,247 |
| Hourly rate | $14.27 | $21.75 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 21,605 | 9,742 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 60% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A welder helper's role is to perform support tasks for lead welders at a construction site or similar setting. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around setting up and preparing rigs, operating devices and tools, maintaining the workspace's cleanliness, and following orders from lead welders. There may also be instances where a welder helper must pre-heat materials, lift heavy objects, participate in loading and unloading packages, and ensure that the welders are equipped with the necessary tools. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with managers and adhere to the site's safety regulations and policies.
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.
Welder helpers and ship fitters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder Helper | Ship Fitter | |
| Average salary | $29,684 | $45,247 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $38,000 | Between $31,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bakersfield, CA | Mount Laurel, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Kiewit | BWX Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Technology |
There are a few differences between a welder helper and a ship fitter in terms of educational background:
| Welder Helper | Ship Fitter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 60% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between welder helpers' and ship fitters' demographics:
| Welder Helper | Ship Fitter | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |