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how much is the compensation

i am an upcoming welder i am 18 years old and i'm still earning certifications #money

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Aaron’s Answer

It really depends on you and how you manage your work. My brother got his welding certs done in highschool and then used it to fund lots of his college. He went to Idaho and would make big bucks (30-40$) an hour welding for the farmers before the growing season as they got all their equipment ready. However, it was seasonal income for jobs like that so not really a career. During the rest of the year he worked as a welding instructor for 15-20$ an hour and other odd jobs. He got a degree in construction management and they love him because he has a great understanding of exactly how long certain things should take from his experience with metals and working on some construction sites during his college experience. I also have a friend who put themselves on groupon doing classes $60 per person and they'll do groups of 5 people and you just do some simple plasma cutting so that's up to $300 in an hour (of course you provide the materials though etc so subtract that...) and they do well with that and they do custom pieces such as angels for churches or cemeteries, etc. but again it's inconsistent income for that as well.

You can get lots of specialized certs though and do underwater welding which will yield higher paying jobs etc. Just one example.
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Stephen’s Answer

I am not a welder, but I have practiced welding and know some people who have trained as a welder. Welding jobs can be very different, so the amount they are paid can be quite different. They are also paid based on where you are working and whether you travel for that work.

For instance, in my hometown of Eugene Oregon, an entry-level MIG welder is paid $13 an hour (plus benefits) for a full work week with possible overtime. I used a website called PayScale to look up compensation information for El Paso and the lower end was $9.35 an hour, with the median (middle) pay rate was $16 an hour.

Pay for a welder also depends on the times you are willing to work. Many welding jobs are related to manufacturing companies, which generally have a "day shift" of maybe 7am-4pm, and a "swing shift" that works the evening. Different shifts may pay differently, and one may be more convenient for you. Some positions may also require weekend or on-call work, which also may be paid differently.

As you gain more experience you can specialize into specific industries or technologies which can greatly increase the value of your work, leading to a higher pay or better benefits. Some welding jobs also require travel to other facilities, and if so would normally pay for that travel. You can find the kind of work and the locations that make you happy!

Stephen recommends the following next steps:

ask your welding teacher about starting wages in your area
look in your local paper or online for welding jobs to see what they are offering for what kind of jobs
think about where you'd be willing to go for work, or what times you'd be willing to work
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