The average welder is now 56 years old.
Young people aren’t becoming welders because the welding shop at school has been replaced by a computer lab (which is crazy, because welding is the glue that holds our world together).
At the same time, a real and sustained boom is beginning in the US for many reasons, a boom that will last 20 years, a boom that will be crying out for (and paying big bucks for) welders. Why will the boom happen? What can you do to earn $100 per hour? Why are welding wages still so low? Get the answers here.
What’s so good about welding?
Welding is one of the few trades or trades that can be used in a long list of other trades and places that don’t normally come to mind. For example: I started welding at the age of 13 to repair motorcycles and cars.
At 19 I was building doors (doors that are still there and beautiful 40 years later). I became an industrial electrician and welded as an electrician. Artist uses solder.
Injection molds used to make plastic parts are repaired by welders. Stainless steel pipes in food grade factories are installed and repaired by welders. And there are some welders who make $100 an hour doing these and other specialties in the welding industry…
Why the outlook is better than ever for welders
The boom is underway. It’s the oil and gas boom: new technologies extract oil in such large volumes that the US is once again the world’s No. 1 producer.
Manufacturing is RETURNING to the USA.
3D printing and other new technologies and the cost of labor in China: It’s driving home manufacturing forever. By 2020, the hourly rate for a Chinese worker will be $6.43 an hour.
Porcelain it will soon be more expensive than the US to manufacture.
Few people understand that American workers are 3 times more efficient than Chinese workers. Add in the cost of shipping to the US and it’s easy to see why the US will add 2,000,000 (two million) manufacturing jobs by 2020.
What 3 things can you do to make sure you are a well paid welder?
First Highly Paying Welder Action:
Begin or upgrade your welding career by mastering the oldest and most difficult welding process FIRST. Stick or SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding) is around 100 years old and the most difficult process to master. It came true during WWII because it adapted to ship building – it allowed Kaiser Steel to build a new ship every 3 days, no wonder the Germans lost!
In some circles, stick welding is considered a dinosaur. Don’t listen to that! It is easy to set up and very portable. It is extremely durable because it is simple. It can be used in a light breeze, most other processes cannot. You can weld almost anything. And you will have more opportunities to earn more money.
Second well-paid welder action:
Discover the pole welding of pipes. Pipe welders are the king of the hill in welding. They earn more money and do it for less work. Don’t get me wrong, pipe welders work hard. However, good pipe welders do not prepare pipes. They do not grind. Their skill is so valuable that they often sit in the truck until the next joint is ready. They cannot risk injury doing anything less than welding pipes.
Third High-Paid Welder Action:
Get your own equipment. A welding kit is a truck with a welder on top. A good kit includes all the support tools, cable reels, and more. A standup welder is a standup welder. A rig welder will make more money because companies will rent his rig and employ him at the same time. Rig welders typically earn between $65 and $150 per hour.
Being a rig welder is also a flexible move.
Think about it: a welder without equipment (welders without equipment are called “one-handed workers”) may also accept the job as a single worker; they just park their equipment and weld with the company welder if that’s how the job is structured. . However, when a business needs to rent equipment, a team welder is the best solution, and the welder who owns equipment can cover the bill. The converse is not true (obviously). A one handed welder who does not own a rig cannot take a job as a rig welder.
What is the other advantage of becoming a rig welder?
Managing a piece of equipment (maintenance, repair and care) initiates any welder into the world of “You Inc” – to think logistically and strategically about welding – almost like a business. Why business management is a benefit?
A self-managing welder (as well as one or two workers and a welder’s helper) can hire at any federal facility (such as a military base). No contractor license required. It is not uncommon for a contract welder to earn $1,000 per day.
Why is the pay so low for so many welders?
The low pay experienced by many welders is associated with MIG welding. MIG is often used in factory situations where trailers or lifts or custom construction trucks (for example) are being built. Why is the salary for MIG welders so low?
Here’s why: If you walk into a factory and apply for a job and have a good interview, and they have an opening for a welder, you might be trained to be a MIG welder in one day.
Generally, any skill that can be learned in a day will not pay well.
With that being said, I don’t want to run down MIG or MIG welders in this article. MIG is an impressive process. The lower end of the MIG pay scale involves a welder doing the same simple, non-critical welds over and over again (and you can see why the pay is low).
Conclusion:
A certified structural MIG welder is worth more money than a person who welds after a day of factory training. Unfortunately, even the most qualified and certified MIG welder will not make much money. Clad pipe welding must be mastered, and when accomplished, a welder can earn between $74,346 and $200,000 or more per year.
What should you do next?