6 Different Types of Welding Careers and Jobs
Welders are needed across industries and geographies. With the right training and credentials, you might choose to work in construction, the automotive or marine industry, aircraft manufacturing and repair, on public works projects, at power plants or refineries, or even under water! If you’re thinking about becoming a welder, you can find plenty of options to match your skills and interests. From working outdoors on huge infrastructure projects to specializing in high-paying jobs like underwater welding, the field offers a lot of variety. Welding demand looks steady through the decade and is projected to add more than 45,000 jobs per year.1 Interested in becoming a welder? Here are six welding careers to consider, along with tips to help you get started in this dynamic field.
1. Fabrication Welder
Whether you picture yourself working on a building site or building bridges, as a construction welder, you can have a positive impact on your community. You fabricate, join, and repair the metal components used on construction projects. You work with materials like steel, aluminum, and iron to create frameworks, beams, pipelines, and other structural elements. You interpret blueprints, follow safety protocols, and use tools like welding torches and grinders to do your job and help in the building process. Your expertise is critical to the integrity of whatever you and your welding torch encounter, whether you work at an industrial facility or at a residential home. Your job can involve working in all kinds of weather and might require some travel, as construction projects often take place in different locations.
2. Welding Technician
As a welding technician, you not only perform welds, you also support overall welding operations. You set up, maintain, and troubleshoot welding equipment and processes. Working closely with engineers and other welders, you make sure all welds on metal structures and components have the highest quality and integrity. You may perform repairs, but you also test welds for strength and durability. As a welding technician, you can help develop new products, tools, and educational material for future welding professionals. To perform the tasks of the job, you need sound welding skills and expertise in metal science, welding equipment operation and maintenance, blueprints, industry codes and standards, general safety protocols, quality control, and inspection. These comprehensive skills can lead to roles in quality control, inspection, and even management.
3. Pipeline Welder
As a pipeline welder, also known as a pipeliner, you help construct, repair, and maintain pipelines used to transport oil, gas, water, and other materials. Your skills are needed across a variety of industries including infrastructure, chemical processing, and oil refining. You might find employment in the oil and gas industry, or in commercial and residential construction. According to the American Welding Society (AWS), pipeline welders are highly skilled, sought after, and well-compensated.
4. Shipfitter Welder
If you’re interested in the ocean and ships, you might want to consider performing welding work on marine vessels as a shipfitter. In this role, you use your welding skills to build, repair, and maintain metal structures on ships, boats, and other watercraft. You might work in factories, at shipyards, or even on offshore oil platforms, performing maintenance in harsh marine environments. You might fabricate and connect components like hulls, decks, bulkheads, and piping systems. The metals you work with need to be resistant to corrosion, so you need to know how to weld aluminum or stainless steel. And it’s critical to follow strict safety and quality standards to ensure the structural integrity and seaworthiness of the vessels you work on.
5. Welding Inspector
With specific credentials from the American Welding Society (AWS) as a Certified Welding Inspector, you may qualify for jobs as a welding inspector. In this capacity, you use your knowledge of the welding process, safety codes, and standards to ensure company practices are in compliance with procedures and regulations. You review blueprints, monitor welding processes, and document findings to maintain quality control. You leverage your welding expertise to examine welds with your eyes, and you may also use tools like ultrasonic, radiographic, or magnetic particle testing to identify defects in welds and metals. You also ensure that welders are safe. Inspectors are needed across industries at a variety of sites, from auto shops to oil rigs.
6. Underwater Welder
One of the most specialized areas to pursue as a welder is underwater welding. As an underwater welder, you work beneath the surface of oceans, lakes, or rivers to repair ships, oil platforms, pipelines, and other submerged structures. After you earn your welding credentials, you need to pair that knowledge with commercial diving training. Because of the risks accompanied with this profession, strong attention to detail on the job is absolutely essential. As an underwater welder, you can be tasked to help construct and maintain waterway structures, dams, and seawalls.
How to Get Started as a Welder: Education and Credentials
To learn how to weld, you can start with a technical training program. These programs teach you welding techniques, safety measures, and the most common types of welds you’ll see on the job. They provide plenty of opportunities for hands-on practice.
You may also want to pursue specific certifications that can demonstrate your professionalism, increase earning potential, and open doors to specialized roles in industries like aerospace, construction, and manufacturing. The American Welding Society (AWS) is the most recognized certifying body for welders in the U.S. It offers a variety of certification from certified welder, which is ideal for entry-level welders to more advanced certifications like:
- Certified Welding Inspector
- Certified Welding Educator
- Certified Welding Supervisor
There are also specialized industry certifications such as certified pipeline welder, underwater welding certification, and structural welding certification. And while not specific to welding, certification through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides evidence of essential safety knowledge for construction and industrial settings.
Once you complete your program, you are ready for entry-level positions to get started. Lincoln Technical Institute offers a Welding Technology Program that provides you with plenty of hands-on learning to get ready for your new career. Want to learn more? Fill out the form now and we can answer any questions you may have.
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm (visited June 21, 2025).