Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
What Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Do
Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 6.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Production and Processingimportance 3.5/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.1/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.9/5
- English Languageimportance 2.9/5
- Designimportance 2.8/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 2.6/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.5/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.7/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.5/5
- Time Pressure4.5/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.3/5
- Exposed to Contaminants4.0/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic90% skill match
- Sewing Machine Operators90% skill match
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic90% skill match
- Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic89% skill match
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic89% skill match
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers89% skill match
- Automotive Body and Related Repairers89% skill match
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic89% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 2.8/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.8/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 2.6/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.5/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 2.5/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.4/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- EZ Pipe
- Fred's Tip Cartridge Picker
- IBM Notes
- OmniFleet Equipment Maintenance Management
- Recordkeeping software
- Scientific Software Group Filter Drain FD
- Value Analysis
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
- Achievement Orientation
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
- SocialLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA6.03× national avg
- 2Elkhart-Goshen, IN5.86× national avg
- 3Gulfport-Biloxi, MS5.23× national avg
- 4Wausau, WI5.00× national avg
- 5Elizabethtown, KY4.80× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersLateral Move
- Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
See the full career path from Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist
- Tulsa Welding School-Houston (Houston, TX)grads earn ~$47,367
- Tulsa Welding School-Jacksonville (Jacksonville, FL)grads earn ~$47,367
- Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis, IN)grads earn ~$53,579
- Front Range Community College (Westminster, CO)grads earn ~$52,873
- Tulsa Welding School-Tulsa (Tulsa, OK)grads earn ~$47,367
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology/Technician
- Olympic College (Bremerton, WA)
- Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL)grads earn ~$76,047
- John C Calhoun State Community College (Tanner, AL)
- Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis, IN)grads earn ~$73,160
- Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis, IN)grads earn ~$75,799