How Much Does A Journeyman Welder Make?

If you’ve ever considered a career in the trades, you may have asked yourself, “How much does a journeyman welder make?”

Becoming a welder can be a stable career choice. But just how stable is it financially?

Additionally, what are the steps needed to become one?  While just about anyone can become a welder, there is a path to follow.

Let’s take a closer look at what skills are required, how long it takes, and the expected average salary for welding careers.

Then we will tell you how to start your welding career today!  

Skills Required For a Journeyman Welder

The skills required for a Journeyman Welder include a throughout knowledge of safety procedures, working with stainless steel, aluminum and more (which is continued below).

Welding involves heating metal parts to fuse them together. It’s used in multiple industries because of its reliability.

For example, it’s used in shipbuilding, automobiles, and many other manufacturing activities. 

Many welders use the process for pipe welding. There are numerous types of welders, including: 

• Tig Welder
• Combo Welder
• Fabricator
• Mig Welder
• Pipe Fitter
• Sheet Metal Worker

While these various types of welding do have distinctions, there is a general skill set that applies to most types of welding. Below are some of the skills needed: 

• Blueprint reading. 
• Figuring out the dimensions of pipes to be welded.
• Inspecting welding materials.
• Igniting the torches used during the welding process.
• Ensuring the welding process doesn’t cause overheating.
• Maintaining all welding equipment. 

Journeyman welders must focus on a variety of things. For example, they need to be aware of welding safety, welding machinery operation, fusion, and fabrication. Furthermore, welders work on studying different welding techniques to improve at their craft. 

How Long To Learn Welding?

If you are looking to learn welding, there are a few things you’ll need to know. Before you explore becoming a journeyman welder, it’s important to understand the time and work requirements. 

Is welding a hard job? How long does it take to become a journeyman welder?

These are questions you may ask yourself as you set out on your path to becoming a journeyman welder. The answer to the question depends on the type of training you undergo. 

Welders typically require a high school diploma or equivalent. It also requires either technical and on-the-job training.

You can receive formal technical training through a vocational school. Additionally, you can receive training through other types of private training courses. 

Some of these training programs and courses take longer than others. Also, every welding school is different.

However, it’s also important to know that you can earn a welding program certificate in as little as seven months. Ultimately, it all depends on what you want out of your experience learning welding. 

Whatever path you choose, know you’ll need education and training to obtain a position as a welder. To become a master welder or even a journeyman welder, it also takes years of experience. 

Journeyman Welder Salary

The median salary for a welder is $41,380. For the national average for hourly workers, welders charge a little under $20 an hour.

This will vary depending on several factors, of course. For example, it varies based on the individual’s location and specific company and industry.

Here are the median salaries for welding in several industries where welding is prominent: 

• Specialty contractors $44,580
• Repairs $41,260 
• Merchant wholesalers $40,380
• Manufacturing $39,920

Many welders work a full-time, 40 hour a week schedule. Overtime is a common occurrence in this particular trade as well, which provides an opportunity for more money.

These numbers increase for journeyman welders. While a beginning welder makes less money, the national average median journeyman welder salary is $49,683. The highest-paid welding jobs are reserved for those with higher levels of experience and apprenticeship served. A master welder salary can be up to an average total of $54,038 annually. 

Is Welding A Good Career? 

If your wondering is Welding is a good career, experts predict the job outlook for welders will grow. Careers in welding are expected to increase by about 3% nationally by the year 2028. 

This can be due to the amount of aging manufacturing infrastructure in the United States. As the nation’s ships, cars and other products of the manufacturing industry age, they’ll also begin to degrade.

These materials will need welders to help put them back together. Much of the items that need to be welded will include our nation’s critical infrastructure, including bridges and buildings. 

That’s why pursuing journeyman welder jobs is such a great idea. Journeyman welders are welders who have completed additional apprenticeships and have additional years of experience.

Overall, it’s a career at which you can earn a great living and enjoy a fair degree of job security. The key is to receive plenty of experience.

It’s also important to recognize that there’s more job security for a journeyman welder or master welder. The longer you’re able to stay within the industry, the better your chances of remaining.

Experienced welders are always in high demand. But one can’t get experience without getting their career off on the right start.

Starting A Welding Career

Becoming a journeyman welder or a master welder is the most profitable and secure position in the field. But you can’t get there without having the right training program.

It’s a competitive job market and welding involves a highly specific skill set. This skill set takes knowledge, education, and applied practice to learn. However, with the right guide, you can be well on your way to entering the field with the right tools to help you succeed. 

The Southern Careers Institute welding program can help give you those tools. Furthermore, SCI can help you gain expertise in commercial, industrial, and small business welding.

You can also receive training on various types of welding including shielded metal arc welding, flux-cored arc welding, gas metal arc welding, and gas tungsten arc welding.

With SCI’s welding program you can complete in as little as seven months, you can give yourself the educational foundation needed to thrive as a welder with hands-on learning.

You’ll also learn about welding safety, setting up machines, metallurgy, and everything else needed to succeed. 

As an SCI’s welding program graduate, you can blaze a trail on a new career path and be in control of your life. Contact us today to take a look at our welding training programs in Texas!

Sources
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm#tab-1
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm#tab-2
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm#tab-4
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm#tab-5
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm#tab-6
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Master-Welder-Salary
https://www.salary.com/research/salary/alternate/journeyman-welder-salary

Blog Disclaimer: Information within this blog is for general information purposes only. SCITexas.edu does not assume or guarantee income earning potential or salary expectations based on the programs offered at Southern Careers Institute. Career and program information statements in this blog do not guarantee that programs and specifics are offers at Southern Careers Institute.