Career Path

How Long Does It Take To Become A Welder?

Published on January 20, 2023

Welding might be a good career choice if you enjoy creating things out of metal. In all industries that include construction, welding is a crucial skill.

Skilled welders are essential for the survival of the automotive, aerospace, maintenance, railway, and shipping industries.

Our comprehensive guide can provide you with all the information you require if you wish to become a welder.

You can discover more about what the welder school is like and how long it takes to become a welder.

Check out: How Long Does It Take To Become An Auto Mechanic?

What is Welder School Like?

To become a welder, you should enroll in a community college or trade school.

Due to the manual nature of welding, being a welder simply requires a high school graduation and prior welding experience.

However, welders with professional certificates or undergraduate degrees are typically hired by employers.

Your choice of educational path is determined by your preferences. Find a school that offers the training you need to excel in this line of work.

You will gain practical experience and networking opportunities regardless of your decision.

Trade schools and vocational institutions both place a strong emphasis on practical training.

They offer subjects like plumbing, electrical engineering, and welding and are less intellectual than universities.

You can learn about safety procedures, welding methods, blueprint reading, and other crucial welding skills at a welding vocational school.

Additionally, the program includes metallurgy, algebra, and metal characteristics. You can become a welder after completing your vocational training in as little as seven months.

Community colleges are another route to becoming a welder. A community college offers a two-year associate’s degree program.

The same subjects are covered in an associate’s degree in welding as in a technical institute. This covers everything, from technical expertise to educational prerequisites for welding.

On the other hand, general education courses in history, arithmetic, and other areas are offered at community colleges. If you want to learn how to weld while still taking electives, this is a fantastic alternative.

You can apply for a variety of welding professions with an associate’s degree, including metal fabricator, maintenance mechanic, and TIG welder.

Is Attending a Welder School Worth It?

Yes. Welders with technical training from a trade school are frequently preferred by employers.

Trade schools, like apprenticeships, provide prospective welders with essential skills and can aid graduates in breaking into the skilled trades sector.

What Schooling Do You Need to Be an welder?

A broad career path is available to you if you take welding lessons and receive training.

Additionally, welders utilize their expertise to join metals and guarantee that they adhere to strict standards for sturdiness and endurance.

Welders are highly competent and informed craftspeople. Welder programs offer educational and vocational options that help welders have a successful career.

Additionally, you must complete an apprenticeship program and certificate program under the guidance of an experienced welder in order to become a welder.

You might require a high school diploma to compete in welding classes.

Nevertheless, the majority of people enroll in community college or technical school programs to learn their trade and to upgrade their abilities, and employers favor those who have certification.

Meanwhile, people attend on-the-job training because it’s just as important working as apprentices for a number of years.

The following are the educational requirements you could need to work as a welder.

Diploma from high school
Undergraduate degree
GCSE results
Apprenticeship
Essential certificates for welding

How Long Does It Take To Become a Licensed welder?

If you are enthusiastic about a new career, it may tempt you to launch yourself into it right away.

On the other hand, it takes time to become a certified welder. But there are a few factors that will affect how long it takes.

Depending on the curriculum, practical schools provide welding training courses that can run up to two years.

Numerous educational institutions offer accelerated courses, which move forward more quickly.

The length of a welder’s schooling might range from seven months to two years, depending on the program.

After high school, postsecondary institutions provide training for future welders.

They can engage in a course at a community college or professional school close by, or they can train on the job to earn experience.

As soon as you start a professional job, you typically have to follow a planned course that could be quite long.

You will need to put in an additional year or two of study time in order to become certified.

The range of routes you can take to get there is one of the distinctive features of pursuing a career in welding.

You may become an AWS Certified Welder and obtain your certification in as short as a year.

A different choice is to specialize in order to diversify your skill set and increase the range of jobs that are open to you.

The time it takes to get a welding certificate or certification might range from three weeks to eighteen months.

However, as was previously indicated, it takes two years on average to complete an associate’s degree in welding.

All welders seeking certification must pass an exam, albeit each professional organization has different requirements for how long it takes to pass.

You must plan ahead, study for, and pass an exam to get certified and when you’re ready, pay for your exam.

Obtaining your credentials after passing your certification exam can take up to four weeks.

Once you have received certification, you cannot simply sit back and enjoy the results of your labor.

To keep your qualifications current, you must complete assessment or welding assignments that adhere to code.

If you pass your certification exam as soon as feasible, finding employment as a certified welder will be simpler.

If you sufficiently prepare, your chances of passing the exam on your first attempt rise.

How Much Does It Cost to Become a Licensed welder?

The average national tuition for a certificate program in welding in 2018 was roughly $5,000.

An associate’s degree in welding typically costs roughly $15,000 in tuition.

Whether you are transferring from an associate’s program or beginning a 4-year degree, the cost of tuition for bachelor’s level programs varies greatly.

In addition to paying for their education, welders typically have to pay to rent or buy their welding supplies.

Between $500 and $1,500 is what you should budget for tools and safety supplies.

The price of any professional certificates you test for should also be taken into consideration.

The cost of a certification test often ranges from $300 to $550.

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Salary and Job Outlook for welder after Study

Pay for welders varies by industry, employer, and level of schooling. The BLS reports that in May 2020, the bottom 10% of welders made less than $30,640 annually, while the top 10% made more than $66,250.

Manufacturing, specialist trade contracting, and repair and maintenance all offered median annual earnings of $42,650-$48,420 to welders in May 2020, making them the most lucrative industries.

Welders may have to work on the weekends and in the evenings; businesses typically have two to three shifts each day.

Welders made a median annual pay of $44,190 in May 2020, according to the BLS. According to the organization, between 2020 and 2030, welder positions will increase by 8%, or as quickly as the national average.

Job outlook

Welding employment is predicted to rise by 3% between 2018 and 2028, which is slower than average according to BLS data.

Although it is anticipated that the country’s aging infrastructure would necessitate a surge in welding employment, welders generally face good job stability.

It is generally simple for a welder to go from one industry to another because welding’s fundamental abilities are the same across the labor market.

Check out this: How Long Does It Take To Become A CPA?

Conclusion

One of the primary advantages of enrolling in an academic program is having access to cutting-edge welding tools and equipment.

Additionally, you would have practical experience in a workplace where you could witness experienced teachers demonstrate different abilities.

The greatest safety procedures to follow in your welding business or any industrial facility would be taught to you.

A normal welding course can be taken and lasts up to two years. You might also enroll in an advanced course, which might allow you to spend less time in class and more time looking for employment in your field.

The pace and style that suit you best must be chosen.

A degree in welding will not only equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to secure an entry-level career, but the method described above will also assist you in developing a more thorough grasp of the variety of welding-related careers that may be available to you.

You will meet competent individuals who can mentor you and provide you sensible guidance on how to discover the best jobs and what it might be like to work in other industries.

Also see: How Long Does it Take to Become a Personal Trainer?

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to become a welder?

Training for welding differs greatly. Even the quickest training courses only last a few months, but it can take years to perfect your craft.
About a year is spent on welder certificate programs, and about two years is spent on associate degrees. Many welders also undergo four- to five-year apprenticeship programs.

Do I need to go to school to become a welder?

For certification preparation, the majority of welders finish a certificate program, associate degree, or at least some coursework. These applications are available in:
Vocational education in high school
Community universities
Various career-training institutions

Do welders make good money?

Your compensation as a welder relies on your level of expertise and the kind of work required. Here are some numbers to help you get an idea of the compensation ranges for welders. You may also refer to our wage guide for welders.
Welders with the greatest wages earn six figures annually. They work on unique projects while traveling the nation and using rarer welding techniques.
Newly graduated welders might earn $15 per hour.
Welders in the United States typically earn $22.45 per hour, or $46,690 annually, according to the BLS.

Is welding certification worth it?

Obtaining welding qualifications will help you gain access to more opportunities. Potential employers can see that you have mastered and proved a certain welding method by looking at your AWS certification. As a result, you now have increased job eligibility (and more niche, higher-paying ones).

How much does welding certification cost?

There is a $50 application fee to become an AWS-certified welder. Then, a $25 maintenance fee is due every six months. You must pay a fee for each certified welder exam you take, which can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending on the test and the testing center.