Anyone looking for an interesting job with good prospects and a healthy salary would do well to consider learning how to weld. There are always plenty of vacancies for trained welders, and with a starting salary of around £20,000 a year, and an average pay packet of £30,000 this is a profession with a lot of plus points.
Another good aspect of welding is that it’s something that pretty much anyone with the interest and motivation can get into. Gender and age are not barriers, and there are opportunities for both men and women either just out of education or those looking to re-train later in life.
If the idea of welding as a career has caught your interest keep reading as you’ll learn how to weld and make that job happen.
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What does welding involve?
Put simply it involves working with metal, cutting it into particular shapes, repairing it, or joining pieces together. This requires working with heat sources, and technical equipment, decision making, and a good level of attention to detail.
Welding is generally a very physically challenging and demanding job, with long periods spent in very hot environments, so you need to be able to deal with that side of the job.
Finally, welders must have a decent understanding of maths and be able to understand and follow technical drawings. If you are determined then all of these requirements can be either acquired or proven in some way.
Ways to learn to weld
Undertaking formal training and qualifications is the traditional, and still very popular, route into a welding career is to learn while you earn via an apprenticeship. These are open to people of all ages, not just school leavers, so don’t be too shy to ask about them if you are from an older age bracket.
There are other ways into the world of welding; for example some companies take on promising candidates and sponsor them through various training courses.
Local further education colleges often offer foundation courses, which are a great opportunity to learn the basics and prove to a potential employer that you have made a commitment to pursuing a welding career.
Less traditional ways into welding
Some people take a hobby class in welding and gain experience that way before deciding to pursue it further, again having proven they have a least a basic understanding of the field. The other less common option is to take an online welding course.
This again establishes an intellectual competence, but without any hands-on aspect it can be strengthened by combining digital learning with an evening class, or possibly casual training by a willing and qualified independent local welder.
Ultimately there is no one way to learn to weld and make a career in this lucrative, exciting, and interesting field of work. The tips mentioned here cover a variety of possible entry points, so it’s really about finding the best one for your particular background and circumstances, then making it happen.
