Sometimes the perfect welding job or welding career isn’t a matter of where you look but what you look for. There’s a chance that you could be looking for the kind of welding job that isn’t available or you’ve simply overlooked a welding opportunity that you could successfully take on if you picked up a few new skills.
This month we’ll look at some welding job opportunities throughout the country that may prompt some welders to take a risk on a new career or a different line of welding work than they may have considered in the first place. There continue to be plenty of welding jobs throughout the country if you know where to look.
Welding Instructor Career
If you have some experience in industrial maintenance and you enjoy showing others how to weld, you can explore a new career as a welding instructor. Community colleges, such as this school in California, are offering various instructor positions.
Welding instruction also goes well with taking on side projects and short-term projects since you can teach classes in the evenings and on the weekends. You’ll have lots of hand-on instruction time with students so that you’ll stay sharp with your welding skills, and there’s no better way to hone your skills than to repeatedly explain the basics of welding to students.
Welder Maintenance Careers
Perhaps you’ve always enjoyed the more technical and mechanical aspects of welding, learning how to assemble, maintain, and repair your welding machines. If you enjoy the mechanical side of welding work, you can explore a new career in factories that create parts for the automotive industry as a maintenance technician.
You’ll spend your time maintaining machines, installing new welding machines, and trouble-shooting any problems that arise. You’ll need to have a strong attention to detail, recording any issues you find and then tracking your repair process.
If you love to solve problems and learn how things work, this is a great way to get involved in welding work with some hands on applications.
Branch Out Into TIG Welding Work
Perhaps you know how to stick weld and can work on pipelines, but there are tons of job openings, such as this position in California, that use the more specialized TIG welding process. TIG welding is often used in machine shops and fabrication work building components for large and small machines.
TIG welders often need to weld a wide variety of materials and have to read blueprints in order to complete their work. This is far more technical and involved than stick welding, but if you like to understand how things work, TIG welding will be mentally stimulating and challenging in all of the best ways.
TIG work often requires bringing in your own protective gear and a familiarity with using grinders, band saws, and, in some cases, iron-working tools.
Welding Supervisor Position
Maybe you’ve already put in quite a bit of time as a welder and you’re ready for a switch to a welding career that involves more supervising and big picture thinking. Welding supervisors are in charge of safety, employee relations, equipment maintenance, workplace efficiency, and meeting production goals. The responsibility of a supervisor means this position will also come with a desirable salary.
Supervisors need to be ‘people persons’ who are comfortable leading team meetings and communicating production goals to their fellow employees. They have to make sure all parts, equipment, and materials are on hand and ready to be used by welders so that production is effective and efficient. Supervisors often have to know when to take full responsibility for a task and when to delegate it to another colleague.
Welding Work for Museum Exhibits
If you’d like to weld in a more creative atmosphere, there are some welding positions that involve working with museums and other facilities to create exhibits or displays for events and shows. These welders need to be all-around handy-men (or women!) who can work with a wide variety of tools, read a variety of blueprints and schematics, and work with a relatively large team.
Perhaps the greatest challenge for this kind of welding jobs is the size of the team for this kind of welding project and the need for creativity and personal initiative. Welders will need to think on their feet and incorporate feedback from a large number of stakeholders. This could be stressful or completely enjoyable depending on your personality and preferences!
Get Discounted Welding Supplies for Your Welding Job
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