How to become a welder

1. 1Take math and shop classes in high school

   Time: 4 years (high school)Sources 1

   Most employers expect a high school diploma or equivalent. Shop math, blueprint reading, mechanical drawing and any metal shop or welding classes give you a head start, and BLS notes that understanding electricity helps too. Some high schools and career centers offer welding programs that let you finish with real booth time. The military also offers welding training.

2. 2Complete a welding program or start an apprenticeship

   Time: Often two semesters (school)Cost: $4,464/yr median public in-state tuition (certificate)Sources 1, 5, 4, 7, 8, 9

   Technical schools and community colleges teach safety, blueprint reading, metallurgy basics, cutting, and MIG, TIG, stick and flux-core welding, with most hours spent in the booth. A registered apprenticeship is the alternative: you work for pay with a mentor, get classroom training and earn a portable credential, and welder is an approved apprenticeship occupation. Some apprenticeships take beginners; others want school graduates.

3. 3Get certified

   Time: One test session per qualificationCost: Set by each test facilitySources 2, 1

   The AWS Certified Welder program is a hands-on test with no required courses: if you can make the weld, you can test. You take it at an AWS Accredited Test Facility, often the same school where you trained, and the credential is not tied to one employer. Many employers instead give their own qualification test for the code they work to. Some pay for the training and testing.

4. 4Get hired and build experience

   Time: Several months of on-the-job trainingCost: Your own gearSources 1

   Even graduates of a welding program spend their first few months learning the employer's procedures and products on the job. Production shops are a common first job, often on second or third shift. Expect to supply some of your own gear. Keep track of the processes, metals and positions you weld, because they matter when you test for harder jobs.

5. 5Keep certifications active and add more

   Time: OngoingCost: VariesSources 2, 3, 6

   AWS welder certifications stay active as long as you submit maintenance paperwork every six months showing you still use the process. Adding qualifications in other processes, positions, pipe or stainless and aluminum opens better-paying work. Check whether your state or city requires a welding license; BLS notes that some do. After about five years of welding experience with a high school diploma, you can qualify to test as an AWS Certified Welding Inspector.

Programs, tuition and graduates’ earnings

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15). Scorecard groups programs by 4-digit field, so a row can include related programs. Tuition is the median published undergraduate tuition and fees of the colleges offering the program (shown only for undergraduate credentials); debt is the median of programs’ median federal loan debt at completion; earnings are the national median for the field and credential four years after completion.

Requirements differ by state. Check your state’s rules in the CareerOneStop License Finder (U.S. Department of Labor) before you enroll.

Steady hands

Holding a torch or electrode at the right angle and travel speed decides whether a weld is sound or full of defects.

Blueprint reading

Weld symbols on a drawing tell you joint type, size and length, and misreading one can mean scrapping a part.

Close attention to the weld puddle

Welders watch the molten metal through a dark lens and adjust in real time to avoid porosity and lack of fusion.

Physical endurance

Welders crouch, kneel and work overhead for long stretches in heat and heavy protective gear.

Safety discipline

Arc flash, fumes, hot metal, electric shock and fire are constant risks that proper gear and habits keep under control.

Shop math

Measuring, fitting and calculating angles and material lengths has to be right before the first tack weld goes on.

O*NET 31.0 rates these skills as most important for the occupation: monitoring, critical thinking, active listening, speaking, reading comprehension.

Training cost

$4.5K–$8.9K

Before financial aid

Time

About 1 year

Typical path

Median pay

$53,750

All US jobs: $50,980

Payback once qualified

1.6–3.2 yrs

Pay above the all-jobs median vs. cost

Low: a two-semester certificate, 1 year x College Scorecard median public in-state tuition for precision metal working certificates, $4,464. High: a two-year associate degree at the same rate, 2 x $4,464 = $8,928 (Scorecard gives no separate associate figure for this field). Not included: welding gear (helmet, gloves, jacket, boots), consumables or lab fees, books, or AWS test fees, which each accredited test facility sets. Private welding schools often charge more.

Rough guide only: ignores taxes, aid, interest and earnings given up during training. How we calculate it.

• Welding inspector

  After five years of welding experience (less with a degree), you can take the AWS Certified Welding Inspector exam to inspect and approve others' work.

• Underwater welder$72,990 median

  Requires commercial diving training on top of strong welding skills; BLS does not publish separate pay for this specialty.

• Pipefitter or steamfitter$63,800 median

  Pipe welders often move into pipefitting through a pipe trades apprenticeship, which adds layout and piping systems work.

• Welding supervisor or shop foreman

  Experienced welders with leadership skills can run crews or shifts, sometimes after supervisory or inspection training.

• Welding instructor

  Technical schools and colleges hire experienced welders to teach, often asking for certifications and years of trade experience.