Is Being a Welder a Good Career? Here's the Honest Truth

Let's start with what everyone wants to know. The national median salary for welders is $45,800/yr ($22/hr). That's the midpoint -- half earn more, half earn less.

Entry-level welders start around $31,100/yr. Once you've got a few years under your belt and a journeyman credential, you're looking at $57,200/yr or higher. The top 10% of earners pull in $70,900/yr.

Union welders do better -- averaging $28.50/hr compared to $21.50/hr for non-union workers. When you factor in benefits worth around $14,500/yr, the total compensation gap widens even further.

And don't forget overtime. In the trades, OT is common, especially during busy seasons. Time-and-a-half at journeyman rates adds up fast.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 2.0% growth in welder jobs over the next decade. There are currently about 427,300 welder positions nationwide.

But the real story isn't just growth -- it's replacement. A huge chunk of the existing workforce is aging out and retiring. The trades have been under-promoted for decades, which means fewer people entering the field than leaving it. That's bad for the industry but great for anyone starting out now. Employers are competing for qualified workers, which means better pay, better benefits, and more leverage for you.

And this kind of work isn't going anywhere. You can't outsource a broken pipe or a wiring job to another country, and robots aren't climbing into crawl spaces yet.

Welding is hot, physically intense work. You'll spend hours in uncomfortable positions, dealing with extreme heat, bright arcs, and heavy metal. Protective gear is essential -- you'll wear a welding hood, gloves, and flame-resistant clothing in all conditions. Shop welding is more controlled; field welding (pipelines, structural steel) exposes you to weather and heights. Your body will feel it, especially your back, knees, and eyes.

Let's be real: this work takes a toll on your body over time. Talk to anyone who's been in the trades for 20+ years and they'll tell you about their knees, their back, or their shoulders. Take care of yourself -- stretch, lift properly, wear your PPE, and take breaks when you need them. The money is good, but it's not worth destroying your body.

Time: 3-4 years for a full apprenticeship, or 6-18 months for a welding certificate program.

Cost: $0 for union apprenticeships, or $5,000-$15,000 for trade school. Certifications cost $300-$1,500 each..

Compare that to a four-year degree that costs $40,000-$100,000+ and doesn't guarantee a job. Apprentices start earning from day one and graduate with real skills, real experience, and zero student debt. That's a hard deal to beat.

It depends on your specialty. Shop welders typically work standard 8-hour shifts in a fabrication facility, building components and assemblies. Structural welders are on construction sites, joining steel beams and columns. Pipeline welders travel to job sites that might be in remote locations for weeks at a time. Regardless of the setting, you'll spend most of your day laying beads, grinding, fitting, and inspecting your work.

One thing most tradespeople love about the work: no two days are exactly the same. You're solving problems, working with your hands, and seeing tangible results. At the end of the day, you can point to something and say "I built that" or "I fixed that." There's a real satisfaction in that.

The welder career ladder has more rungs than most people realize. Here's the typical progression:

1. 1Welder Helper / Apprentice -- learning the basics, fitting and grinding
2. 2Certified Welder (AWS CW) -- qualified to weld on code work
3. 3Specialized Welder (Pipe, TIG, Underwater) -- higher-paying niches
4. 4Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) -- inspecting other welders' work
5. 5Welding Supervisor / Fabrication Shop Owner -- management or business ownership

The path from apprentice to business owner is well-trodden in the trades. Starting your own welder business requires way less capital than most other businesses, and the demand for quality work is always there.