How to Become a Welder

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Skills Needed to Be a Welder

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A career in welding can be exciting, attracting skilled professionals who enjoy hands-on work.

If you see yourself in a detail-oriented role that requires creative problem-solving and invigorating challenges, becoming a welder could be the path for you.

Students interested in pursuing a welding career can enroll in the 36-week Welding Technology program at Universal Technical Institute for technical training. UTI provides students with hands-on training in four main types of arc welding:

Keep reading to learn more! We’ll explain how to become a welder and the skills needed for the industry.¹

Welder Job Description

Welders are technicians who use different processes to join metal materials together, most commonly by melting the base metals and adding filler material. This process creates a molten weld pool, which cools to form a strong joint.

These skills also help welding technicians perform metalwork diagnosis, repairs and maintenance. Many industries employ welders to create parts and goods used in our everyday lives, including:

Manufacturing & fabrication
Construction and infrastructure
Automobile manufacturing and maintenance
Railroad
Shipbuilding
Aerospace
Pipeline transportation

Welders can work either indoors or outdoors, depending on the type of welding process being used and the specific industry or project.

Read: How to Become a Traveling Welder

Welding Traits

Some of the most important traits for welding include:

Attention to detail: It’s critical to perform welds correctly with proper setup and preparation, as well as to inspect welds for flaws or issues as you go. Failure to identify welding defects like porosity, slag inclusions, arc strikes and other discontinuities will affect the weld’s structural integrity.
Mathematical skills: Welding requires mathematical skills, as welders often review sketches and blueprints. They also need to calculate dimensions while cutting and trimming metal.
Experience with various welds: Knowing one type of process is beneficial, but becoming a combination welder with extensive knowledge of multiple welding types will help you demonstrate that you can successfully complete various welding projects.
Hand-eye coordination: Welding is a precise skill that requires constant use of your hands. Having good hand-eye coordination is necessary, along with correct depth perception.

These are just a few of the many skills that can help technicians pursue a welding career. A decent work ethic and a passion for the craft, as with any other profession, can also make a big difference.

Read: How to Become a Welder in Florida

How to Get Into Welding

Do you need a degree for welding? What about a certificate of completion?

There are no federal regulations on how to become a welder, so there’s no training required for welding, though some states and parts of the industry may mandate specific credentials.

That means there is no particular estimated timeline for becoming a welder. Certain types of training can either lengthen or shorten that journey by months or years. Your training strategy can influence how well you develop vital welding skills and establish credibility on paper.

Having said that, here are some steps you can take to help get started as a welder.

Get a High School Diploma or GED

Entry-level welding jobs frequently require a high school diploma or GED diploma. Admission to trade schools like UTI typically requires a high school diploma or GED. These documents demonstrate previous completion of a structured curriculum, which can indicate an applicant’s readiness for an advanced technical program.

Attend a Trade Program

Welding is best taught in controlled classrooms and labs with industry professionals providing instructional guidance and support. In these settings, students use modern welding technologies to put theoretical fundamentals into practice, which can help them correct, learn and polish hands-on skills required for welding roles.

So, if you want to pursue a welding career, get the right training! After earning your high school diploma or GED, enrolling in a program like the 36-week Welding Technology program at UTI will help you get training on major welding processes.

Pursue a Career

Welding is an important trade for many manufacturing practices. As previously stated, this includes manufacturing for a wide range of industries like construction, aerospace and agriculture!

Whatever sector they choose to pursue, most UTI graduates begin their careers as entry-level technicians or other entry-level roles in the welding industry. It also helps to understand some important statistics about the welding industry:

There are more than 47,000 estimated average annual welding job openings in the United States.⁴²
Total welder employment is expected to exceed 434,000 by 2031.⁵⁰

Continually building experience can help improve your technical knowledge and skills. Once you’ve spent time in the field, you could eventually work your way up into other positions, like welding inspector or welding project manager.⁷⁷

Read: How to Create Your Welding Resume: Examples and Tips

Learn How to Become a Welder With Training at UTI!

How hard is it to become a welder? There are no specific federal regulations on how to become a welder. However, professional hands-on training can make a difference, and UTI offers it so students can pursue careers in the field after graduation.

Our Welding Technology program lasts 36 weeks. Students in this program learn fundamental welding skills that help prepare them for various entry-level welding positions!

Find out more about the program by requesting information here or contacting 1-800-834-7308. Apply to our welding school whenever you’re ready to start learning!

YOU COULD START YOUR EXCITING NEW CAREER AS A MECHANIC OR TECHNICIAN TODAY.

With classes starting every 3-6 weeks, no need to wait to start your career.

Hands-on training. Get hands on experience with the industry's leading brands.

No Pressure to commit. Get answers to your questions without any obligations.

Request More Info Or Call Now 800.834.7308

1) UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary.

2) For program outcome information and other disclosures, visit www.uti.edu/disclosures.

42) For Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an annual average of 47,600 job openings between 2021 and 2031. Job openings include openings due to net employment changes and net replacements. See Table 1.10 Occupational separations and openings, projected 2021-31, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, viewed October 13, 2022. UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary.

50) The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers will be 434,900 by 2031. See Table 1.2 Employment by detailed occupation, 2021 and projected 2031, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, viewed October 13, 2022. UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary.

77) UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary. UTI prepares graduates for entry-level careers using the provided training. UTI graduates’ achievements may vary. Some UTI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than those listed.

Universal Technical Institute of Illinois, Inc. is approved by the Division of Private Business and Vocational Schools of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

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