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Searching for top 10 best welding jobs near me has proven that the pay for this area of expertise is pretty decent, although as a basic welder, it still is not the most lucrative of careers. Depending on your level of experience and skill, the salary for those that are into any of these top 10 best welding jobs near me ranges from $30,000 – $60,000.
This is a career that can afford you a very decent lifestyle, but you wouldn’t be able to stack away savings so easily, or even get a second home if the need arises. Although, as the case may be, not everyone has the ambition of getting so rich.
There are several best welding jobs that can earn you up to six-figure income, if you happen to already possess a desire to increase your earning potential to a maximum level. It will generally require years of skill specialization and experience before you can get to the top of the pay scale for these top best welding jobs.
Criteria for Earning more on the Top 10 Best Welding Jobs
Research has shown that an average welder earns a salary that is very much respectable, but not all that incredible. Over $200,000 can be made annually by specialists in the field of most of the top 10 best welding jobs near me. It is observed that quite a lot actually stands between your average welder earning around $40,000 and a superstar welding stud that makes over $200,000 income.
We will be looking at some of the major differences that contribute to the wide gap between the salaries to both categories of welders.
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Certifications & Qualifications of the Welder
The welders who get to have the highest pay checks often possess the most certifications, even though most workers in the field of welding especially for the top 10 best jobs, all possess some sort of certification to verify their educational background.
They have actually taken time and a lot of efforts to learn and earn the most daring and challenging certifications in the specialized field. This cost quite a lot of money to acquire, and also requires the attendance of schools of specialization.
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The best employers are always willing to pay for that extra skillset which you bring on the job. But as the case may be, you won’t necessarily land the highest paying jobs in this welding field, with just a single certification. Research has shown that the top best welding jobs require quite a range of certifications, mostly from different regulating agencies.
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Having the Required Experience
More studies have shown that even when you finally have all the required certifications and land a career with any of the top 10 best welding jobs, you still will not get to start at a high level with that your dream salary.
It is only after about 5 to 9 years of working that you will get to break into earning the high numbers, but only provided that you keep up to date on your certifications and your employer is impressed at the great work you are doing.
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Mobility – The top 10 best welding jobs near me
Most of the time if you are not close to where the big jobs are sited, it will not matter how qualified you are or how much experience you acquire in the field. In most cases, the best welding jobs that pay well requires a lot of movements from one location to the other even very far from home.
This sacrifice of having to be far away from home and moving around a lot is part of the reasons why certain welding jobs pay so well. You may be traveling to a new place every other week or spending week/months on the end of a rig at sea, in order to meet up with the demands of your chosen area of specialization.
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Health Dangers Associated with Welding Jobs
Some welding jobs take place in highly dangerous areas and have a very high level of workplace fatalities associated to them. It is therefore no surprise that the higher the risk of injury or even death that you are exposed to, then the better compensated you will be. Employers are always willing to pay much higher to workers who take on the area of risks, as no one wants to just die for their jobs.
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Schedules for the Jobs
Most of the top best welding jobs near me that pay very high actually have long and difficult working hours, and that makes them top the charts amongst their pairs in similar field of work. While putting in up to 12 hours/day for seven days a week, offshore welding jobs are often carried out for weeks or months at a time.
In as much as these top best welding jobs demand a lot, there are also positive sides to them. Most welders who work in these fields also take time off for several months in a year and even still make incredible salaries that they can finally get to enjoy while taking such breaks.
The Top 10 Best Welding Jobs Near me
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Rig Welding
With an annual salary ranging between $52,000 to $207,000, rig welders are just about the highest paid welders worldwide. They have the most advanced qualifications and educational requirements, and also work very long stressful hours.
Companies only hire the best of the best for these positions because any mistake made in this field of work can be very cataclysmic. These rig welders are often expected to perform welding of various kinds of offshore oil rigs at sea, hyperbaric welding, and underwater welding as well.
As a rig welder, you will be living on the rig you service for extended periods, while working 12 hours/day every day of the week. Such jobs may last for weeks or months at a time, but then it is a major reason why rig welders earn such incredible payments.
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Underwater Welding
Research has shown that while welders in this category get to earn as much as $38,000 to $147,000 annually, they are the ones that face a lot of dangers in their jobs. It is one of the most dangerous welding jobs that you could handle, and there have been a very high rate of workplace fatalities in underwater welding than most of the other careers.
These welders may get to work offshore on many types of projects like; repairing or building oil rigs and other oil-related structures, working to salvage shipwrecks, working on subsea construction, or other job duties that only their experience and skill can handle.
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Nuclear Welding
Nuclear welders are among the top 10 best welding jobs near me, with a salary that ranges between $22,000 to $143,000 yearly. They handle variety of tasks that requires many different certifications. To get this job, you most likely will need to have an underwater welder certification and also a commercial diving certification.
In all of these, the most unique aspect of this career type is the fact that you will have to possess a security clearance by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations), in order to work in or around nuclear materials. You will also have to pass psychological tests and regular tests for drug and alcohol as well.
The lifestyle of a nuclear welder is one that is very rigorous, and not just for everyone. A nuclear welder gets to work in shipyards, repairing or building reactor vessels, or on vessels that are nuclear powered.
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Industrial Pipeline Welding
Transportation of gas and oil is usually done through extensive interconnected pipelines that span very large area, up to thousands of miles. Any slightest leak can mean a very serious disaster for the environment around and also the company that controls the pipeline.
Industrial pipeline welders earn within the range of $23,500 – $133,500 annually. As an industrial pipeline welder, you will travel a lot, and majorly engage in repairing or building of pipelines.
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Military Support Welding
It should not actually be a thing of surprise that working in war zones can pay very well, as these welders are paid between $37,000 to $160,000 yearly. It takes skilled workers to handle the building and installation of military equipment across the world.
You will majorly need to pass various rigorous training exercises before you can be sent off to handle such jobs. Another choice that is not for just anyone is the fact that you will also have to be part of the armed forces, in order to be eligible for this career role.
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Welding Engineer
A welding engineer earns $51,000 – $120,000 per annum. Being among the top 10 best welding jobs near me, a welding engineer needs to love learning always, knowing that you will always have to stay up to date on all great and updated welding techniques.
In order to enhance the processes currently running in the company where you work, as a welding engineer, you will need to incorporate these new advancements to make things more efficient and improve the overall workmanship level of your company. To get started, you will need a bachelor’s degree and certification through AWS.
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Certified welding Inspector
As a certified welding inspector, you get to earn between $42,000 – $104,000 annual salary. You may not get to do a whole lot of actual welding regularly, but you are required to understand how it works better than any of the welders in the company of work.
This is because you will be responsible for ensuring that everything being done is up to standard. You will need to make sure that all compliance and safety protocols are strictly adhered to by all welders, and see to it that all processes are performed up to the acceptable level of quality.
The implication of all this is that you as a certified welding inspector will need to know and understand the specifications of all the welding processes being performed. You will actually need up to three years of work experience before you can be able to take the certification examination.
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Pipe Welding
Asides oil and gas pipelines, Pipe welders work mostly on pipes across many industries. They earn a salary that ranges between $35,000 to $ 100,000 per annum. As a pipe welder, you may work in automotive manufacturing, construction, or ship building among others.
You will need to have the AWS certification, but also you are likely to get an on the job training from you company.
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Combo Welding
These welders are paid $32,000 – $82,000 yearly, and are less specialized than many other paying welding jobs. As a combo welder, you will need to be very skilled in various other types of welding, such as Stick, ARC, MIG, and TIG.
Most times your duties may extensively depend on your employers, since most combo welders are hired into variety of different fields. Several years of experience will be required of you before you can be hired for this job role, because you will be expected to be able to perform different varying functions.
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Aerospace Welding
Aerospace welders are among the top 10 best welding jobs near me with an annual payment between $37,000 – $69,000. These welders may not earn as much as you expect, although they make more than an average welder, considering the kinds of industries they work in.
The health risks in this category of welding jobs is quite low compared to the others of very high risks. You may consider this specialization option if you want the comfort of a pretty regular career with an above-average income.
In Conclusion
As a specialized welder, there are many ways to earn an incredible income. In most instances, the more risk you are willing to take on the job, then the better pay checks you can get. Likewise, the longer the tome you are willing to stay away from home on the job, the happier your bank account gets.
But most importantly, you will get paid more when you have higher levels of skill, certifications, and experience. Therefore, it is safe to say that the best way to get any of the top 10 listed best welding jobs near me is to just have all of the above requirements.
