Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

At a Glance

Median Salary
$55,182

Local Jobs
1,300

Entry-Level Education
High School

Occupation Profile

Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached. Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks. Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.

By The Numbers

Median Annual Earnings

$55,182

Median Annual Earnings are the midpoint earned by 50 percent of workers who are the lowest paid and 50 percent of workers who are the highest paid in a particular occupation

Local Jobs

1,300

Jobs are any position in which a worker provides labor in exchange for monetary compensation (note: one individual may hold multiple jobs)

Entry-Level Education

High School

This is the most common education level requested in entry-level job listings.

Daily Tasks

Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.
Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.
Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.
Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.

Occupational Skills

What skills are necessary for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers?

Hard Skills

Fabrication
Flux-Cored Arc Welding
Gas Metal Arc Welding
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding
Grinding Machine
Hand Tools
Pipe (Fluid Conveyance)
Power Tool Operation
Welding
Welding Equipment

Soft Skills

Communications
Customer Service
Fine Motor Skills
Interpersonal Communications
Management
Mechanical Aptitude
Operations
Quality Control
Troubleshooting (Problem Solving)
Valid Driver's License

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry- or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education. They are essential in many industries and occupations.

Education Programs

Del Mar College