Welding foreman vs process operator

The differences between welding foremen and process operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a welding foreman and a process operator. Additionally, a welding foreman has an average salary of $52,863, which is higher than the $37,996 average annual salary of a process operator.

The top three skills for a welding foreman include MIG, FCAW and structural steel. The most important skills for a process operator are safety procedures, preventative maintenance, and team-oriented environment.

Welding foreman vs process operator overview

	Welding Foreman	Process Operator
Yearly salary	$52,863	$37,996
Hourly rate	$25.41	$18.27
Growth rate	2%	3%
Number of jobs	11,547	83,478
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Welding foreman vs process operator salary

Welding foremen and process operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Welding Foreman	Process Operator
Average salary	$52,863	$37,996
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $72,000	Between $29,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	BWX Technologies
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between welding foreman and process operator education

There are a few differences between a welding foreman and a process operator in terms of educational background:

	Welding Foreman	Process Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	Stanford University

Welding foreman vs process operator demographics

Here are the differences between welding foremen' and process operators' demographics:

	Welding Foreman	Process Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%	Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 4.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 4.5% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between welding foreman and process operator duties and responsibilities

Welding foreman example responsibilities.

Manage weld process controls of GMAW-P, CV both robotic and semi-automatic; to include GTAW both robotic and semi-automatic.
Improve robot weld process through robot and PLC programming.
Apply flux ti work pie ce before soldering or brazing.
Use MIG gun arc to melt and deposit metal from electrode to work pieces.
Create new and advance program storage system on all CNC equipment for parts and items reproductions.
Establish and qualify new weld procedures and monitor compliance to those WPS in daily production at vendor shops.

Process operator example responsibilities.

Manage distillation process to determine product specification compliance, and prepare unit for shutdown or turnaround process.
Climb ladders to inspect manholes, check temps, sometimes gather samples for lab analysis.
Demonstrate ability to perform basic math (add, subtract, multiply, divide, ratios, weights & measures).
Control product temperatures and monitor gauges.
Review FHA files for completeness and compliance.
Use of ladders, stairs, heavy lifting and temperature extremes.

Welding foreman vs process operator skills

Common welding foreman skills

MIG, 12%
FCAW, 6%
Structural Steel, 5%
SMAW, 5%
Plasma Arc, 5%
GMAW, 5%

Common process operator skills

Safety Procedures, 8%
Preventative Maintenance, 7%
Team-Oriented Environment, 7%
Ladders, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Data Entry, 4%