Welding

Choosing to become a machinist can be the first step towards a rewarding lifelong career. But you shouldn’t make the decision lightly. Instead, it’s important that you spend some time reviewing the most important aspects of the job before committing to it. If you’d like to learn more about getting hired as a machine operator, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are 10 things that you need to know before becoming a machinist.

So you want to be a welder but you don’t want to pay for school. It’s understandable, considering the exorbitant cost of college and the crippling amount of student loan debt held by the average American. But is it actually doable? While enrolling in a formal training program may be the most straightforward path to becoming a welder, you CAN learn the trade without paying tuition. Here, we’ll explain how to do it and share some tips that will help you out along the way.

Some people don’t learn well in a traditional classroom setting, picking things up much more effectively when they’re able to learn by seeing and doing. Others find it stifling to sit at a desk doing the same thing day after day. For many, the cost of a traditional college education is impractical or downright out of the question. If you relate to one or more of these scenarios, you’re not alone. Whatever your reason for shying away from the conventional college path, we’ve got good news pertaining to your career options: welding is a reliable, well-paying field that welcomes professionals from all backgrounds, including those who haven’t studied it in school. 

The Surehand Spotlight shares some of the many thousands of stories in the skilled industrial trades, shining a bright light on the hard-working tradesmen and women who build, operate, maintain, and ensure the safety of the world we live in. This month, we shine the spotlight on Barbie The Welder, an American metal sculptor from Elmira, New York. Barbie realized her passion after seeing a metal sculptor at work in a major Hollywood movie. Scraping together tuition, she enrolled in welding courses and subsequently obtained a position with a custom metal fabrication shop. Today, she runs her own business as a full time metal sculptor.

Welding is a career that can take you around the world and give you an important role in creating some of the most innovative and essential products we use in our daily lives. But does it pay? We’ll tell you exactly how much you can make as a certified welder, what it takes to become one and where the best jobs in the field can be found. 

With precision, skill and a certain X factor, welding can be used to create beautiful, functional things like buildings and bridges. Yet not every welded structure serves a functional purpose; there’s an entire subset of welders who are artists in the true sense of the word, using welding to express imaginative concepts, evoke emotions and make observations about the world we live in. Some have even become internationally renowned for their work. Here are seven of our favorite examples of welding that go beyond practical applications and enter the realm of art. 

There’s a big welder shortage coming — what does this mean for society at large? Here’s how it impacts to the industry, workers, and employers.

The car industry is one of the most important ones for our contemporary society. Being able to travel long distances has always been a necessity for humans. We have come a long way from horses and carriages and now have modern cars that do the traveling for us. For a while now, MIG and Spot welding have been staples in the car manufacturing industry. Learn about how these two welding processes are the most reliable ones when working on cars due to their unique ability to weld sheet metal.

Wondering how welder salaries stack up where you live? Looking to make a move and want to know where the best-paying welding jobs are found? Look no further. We dug through the data on all 50 states to find out how much welders make in every corner of the country, compared to their affordability rankings (out of 50) via US News and World Report.

Welding processes are as varied as the products they create, and as a result there are dozens of diverse career paths in the field of welding. One of the most prevalent types of welding jobs is in metal inert gas (MIG) welding. We’ll break down the basics of MIG welding jobs, share how to break into the field and explore some of the best industries to work in if you’re looking to become a MIG welder.