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

What is a welder operator 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 operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.23 an hour? That's $31,669 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreWelder OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,669

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.67%

Asian 2.82%

Black or African American 10.57%

Hispanic or Latino 17.58%

Unknown 4.04%

White 63.32%

Gender

female 14.41%

male 85.59%

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 operator

Explore welder operator education requirements

Most common welder operator degrees

High School Diploma

50.4 %

Associate

16.5 %

Diploma

12.6 %

Start to develop specific welder operator skills

Skills	Percentages
MIG	12.18%
Arc Welding	8.53%
Hand Tools	8.02%
Safety Equipment	7.33%
Tig Welding	5.76%

Complete relevant welder operator training and internships

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

Research welder operator duties and 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.

Prepare your welder operator resume

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

Build a professional welder operator 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 operator resume.