Becoming a Welder

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Welding is an important profession in our society. Bridges, airplanes, pipes that carry our water, certain buildings, and much more, could not be built or maintained without welders.

Check out Welding Wonder: NASA's Vertical Assembly Center, from the American Welding Society, to see the amazing things welding can help to create:

Welding is a trade. A trade is a position that requires specialized skills and training. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the welding profession is projected to grow 6% until 2026.

• Are you interested in learning more about what a welder actually does?

Watch What Is Welding? | Welding, from Howcast:

To become a welder, you either need to have experience that is often gained by being an apprentice or learning on the job, or you need a certification. You can earn certification at trade or vocational schools, community colleges, and certain 4-year colleges that offer a welding certification program or degree.

There are numerous welding schools throughout the United States. See if you can find one near you using the American Welding Society's Welding School Locator.

Welding certificate programs often require students to take six three-credit courses, although some programs could require a few more courses or a few less. Usually, a welding certificate program will take less than a year to complete. However, you can also choose to study welding further in a 2-year or 4-year degree program as well.

A certificate in welding will provide you with the skills you need to become a welder. Some of those skills include learning different welding types and processes, using welding tools, learning to read blueprints, and much more.

• You might be wondering, "How can I prepare for a career in welding while I'm still in high school?"

Welding is a process that uses extremely high heat created by a mixture of gases, such as acetylene and oxygen, or electricity, to fuse metal together. So, in high school, focusing on subjects such as science, physics, and chemistry, will be useful.

Focusing on math and art (specifically sculpture) will also be useful in preparing you for a career as a welder. Lastly, you need to have your high school diploma or GED to become a welder; so, doing your best to obtain your H.S. diploma or GED is important.

Think you're ready to move on to the Got It? section? Let's go!