“My father was a welder on the second-highest sail, so the Opera House has a special place in my heart.“

Gladys Berejiklian, Politician

Pros and Cons of Working as a Welder

You consider becoming a welder but are not entirely sure whether this is the right career path for you or not? Good news!

This article is exactly for you since I will show you all the pros and cons of being a welder so that you can make a profound career choice.

Welder Job Profile

Advantages of Being a Welder

1. Welders have pretty decent job security
2. Good future job prospects for welders
3. You can work with your hands
4. You are important to keep our system running
5. Welders don’t work much overtime
6. You mostly have free weekends and holidays
7. Welders don’t have to work at nighttime
8. Good work-life balance for welders in general
9. You will see the results of your work every day
10. Working as a welder is not mentally demanding
11. You can make money on the side
12. You can help out your friends
13. Welders can build a strong network of craftsmen
14. You will get natural exercise at work
15. You can start your own welding business
16. You don’t need a degree for becoming a welder
17. Welders can become independent rather early in their lives

Welders have pretty decent job security

One advantage of being a welder is that you will be able to enjoy pretty decent job security.

Since not many people want to do this job anymore, there is a big shortage of qualified people who are willing to work in this field.

Consequently, you will almost have freedom of choice regarding whom you want to work for.

In turn, you will not have to worry about getting unemployed since you will have many other companies who will just be waiting to be able to employ you.

Good future job prospects for welders

Not only will you have pretty good job prospects right now, but good welders will also always be needed in the future.

In fact, the labor shortage in this market will continue to increase since an increasing number of people just wants to work with their brains instead of their hands and rather want to go to college instead of learning a craftsman job.

Hence, you will have good job security for many years or even decades to come and this can give you a really good feeling since you will not have to worry that much in this regard while secretaries and other people who work in rather standardized jobs may lose their jobs in the near future.

You can work with your hands

A welding career can also give you the opportunity to work with your hands instead of just sitting in front of a computer all day long as in classical office jobs.

Of course, this is not for everyone and if you are the type of person who likes working in an office and the atmosphere that is present in these office buildings, you should rather not become a welder.

However, if you want to really work with your body and need some physical component at work instead of sitting on your butt all day long, a welding career can be a great way to go for you.

You are important to keep our system running

Another upside to becoming a welder is that you will be pretty important to keep our system running as we know it today.

In fact, without welders, many machines that break down couldn’t be fixed and this would mean a big decrease in production and in our quality of life in the long run.

Products would also become much more expensive and we would just no longer be able to afford many nice things we are currently used to.

Hence, when you go to work as a welder, you can get the good feeling that what you are doing really matters for many people out there.

Welders don’t work much overtime

As a welder, you also don’t have to work many extra hours. Instead, most welders only work 40 hours or even less and this means that you will have plenty of time for other things apart from work.

Therefore, while many people who work in classical office jobs in the financial industry will have to work long hours every day, you will have a rather relaxed life in this regard and can work to live instead of living to work.

You mostly have free weekends and holidays

Welders are often also able to enjoy free weekends and holidays.

While you may take this for granted, you actually shouldn’t since there are many people out there who still have to work during those unpleasant times.

For instance, train drivers and waiters will often have to work on weekends while you as a welder can really enjoy your time and can make nice trips with your family or with your favorite people.

Welders don’t have to work at nighttime

You will also have a regular workweek as a welder in most companies out there.

This means that you will often just work 9 to 5 and will come home early.

In turn, you will have more than enough time to meet up with your favorite people after work or to watch your favorite sports events.

Good work-life balance for welders in general

Most welders also report pretty decent work-life balance in general.

In fact, most of them are pretty happy with their mix between work and leisure and some of them would even be willing to work more.

Thus, becoming a welder can make quite a lot of sense for you in case leisure is more important than money for you and you just want to have lots of time left for your favorite things to do after work.

You will see the results of your work every day

Another benefit of a welding career is that you will be able to see the results of your labor every day.

In many other jobs, you will just prepare presentations or work on things that take many weeks or even months to show any results.

This can be quite frustrating since we as humans need results to stay motivated and this is also the reason why many people out there quit their jobs sooner or later.

As a welder, you will not have this problem since you will see the end result of your work pretty soon and seeing progress every day can really keep you motivated to carry on.

Working as a welder is not mentally demanding

While you will need a certain level of focus for working as a welder and welding work is also physically exhausting, you will still not have to work with your brain as much as in many other jobs.

Consequently, you can also become a welder if you are not the smartest person but still talented in craftsmen tasks. Hence, don’t be discouraged if you don’t have good grades.

Chances are that you will still be able to become a welder if you are willing to work hard and have a certain level of talent for those things.

You can make money on the side

Welders are also able to make pretty good money on the side.

In fact, if you are willing to work hard and put in the time after work or on weekends, you can get many additional jobs and can make a nice side income.

You can help out your friends

As a welder, you will also learn many skills that can help you in various parts of life.

For instance, you will learn many skills that are needed to fix things inside homes and this means that you will also be able to help out your friends in case they need help in this regard.

In turn, your friends can often count on you and will also be pretty happy since they will not have to spend lots of money on external craftsmen.

Consequently, your friends will also be willing to help you out in various other parts of life and this can be a real win-win situation for everyone.

Welders can build a strong network of craftsmen

As a welder, you will also be able to meet many other craftsmen during your career.

Not only will it be quite interesting to talk to those people and to share your opinions with other people in your industry, but it can also be quite valuable to build a strong network of craftsmen since you will be able to help out each other and can save lots of money in the long run.

For instance, while you can do welding work for other people, a roofer can repair your roof while a carpenter can produce nice furniture for your home and so on.

You will get natural exercise at work

Since you will work with your hands, you will also get more than enough exercise as a welder during your workday.

In turn, you will stay in shade and will also not have to spend many hours at the gym as many other people who work in classical office jobs have to do.

Consequently, you will have even more time to spend with your loved ones or on the hobbies you like significantly more than going to the gym.

You can start your own welding business

You also don’t have to work as an employed welder forever.

In fact, many welders just work for a welding company for a few years and quit their jobs sooner or later to start their own welding business.

Sure, starting your own business is definitely not for everyone since it comes along with more responsibilities and a higher workload most of the time.

However, it can still make sense for you if you are the entrepreneurial type of person who really wants to have the freedom to do whatever you like all day long.

Thus, if your dream is to have your own business one day, a welding career can also make quite a lot of sense for you since it is rather easy to start your own company in this field.

You don’t need a degree for becoming a welder

Another advantage of working as a welder is that you will not need any fancy education for it.

While many other people have to go to college to work in their favorite job, you will not need to spend many additional years on your education.

Moreover, you can also save lots of money on tuition and additional expenses.

Consequently, you will also not have to take on student loans as many other people who attend college right now and will therefore also not have to worry to pay back those loans one day.

Welders can become independent rather early in their lives

Since you will not have to get a college degree for becoming a welder and can make money right after finishing high school, you will also be able to become independent of your parents pretty early in your life while many of your friends will still have to rely on financial support of their parents.

As you can see, a welding career can have many important advantages. However, as with all things in life, it is just not all upside and I will also show you the issues that come along with such a career so that you can make a profound decision whether working as a welder is really for you or if you want to go for a different career instead.

Disadvantages of Working as a Welder

1. Working as a welder is physically demanding
2. Some welders have to quit their jobs due to physical health issues
3. Most welders don’t make good money
4. Some welders even need a second job
5. You may not be able to save enough for retirement
6. Some welders are not able to afford proper health insurance
7. You will often work in unpleasant environments
8. Noise at work can be annoying
9. You may inhale toxic fumes
10. Welders don’t have a high social standing
11. You will not learn many digital skills as a welder
12. Hard to get out of this industry
13. Working as a welder can be lonely
14. Teleworking is not possible for welders

Working as a welder is physically demanding

One problem with being a welder is that you will have to work in a hard physical manner every day.

In fact, many people underestimate the physical component of this job.

As a welder, you will often have to lift heavy things and you will also work on your knees for an extended period of time.

Consequently, your back will often hurt badly after work and you will also often come home tired and just want to sit on your couch instead of doing something exciting while people working as financial controllers and in many other office jobs may have much more energy left.

Some welders have to quit their jobs due to physical health issues

If you are unlucky, you may also have to quit your job as a welder sooner or later due to physical health issues.

Since working as a welder can be pretty stressful for your spine, you may just not be able to work in this field anymore once you get older.

Thus, you may end up unemployed and will often struggle to pay your bills.

Most welders don’t make good money

Another downside of becoming a welder is that you will also not make good money. Sure, some welders are able to make a decent income.

However, the majority of welders barely make enough money to pay their bills and some of them also have to go into debt to afford basic things for their daily life.

Some welders even need a second job

If you live in rather expensive regions, your income as a welder will often not be enough to pay for rent and for other expenses for daily life.

In turn, this means that you would have to get a second job to make some extra cash so that you would be able to pay your bills in the long run.

However, working in two jobs will not only be exhausting in terms of the workload, but it will also be demanding to coordinate those jobs and chances are that you would really burn out in the long run.

Hence, if you don’t want to worry about those financial issues, chances are that you should rather go for a classical office career in the financial sector where you can make much more money than in the welding industry on average.

You may not be able to save enough for retirement

Due to your rather poor salary, you will likely also not be able to save and invest enough money for retirement.

In fact, most welders just have to spend almost all their money to cover basic expenses and there will simply not be enough money left for saving purposes.

In turn, once you get to retirement age, you may no longer be able to pay your rent and may get evicted sooner or later.

Some welders are not able to afford proper health insurance

Many welders are also not able to afford good health insurance plans.

Some welders even have no health insurance at all and this can be really problematic, especially if you suffer from serious medical conditions one day and are not able to afford proper medical treatment.

You will often work in unpleasant environments

Another disadvantage of a welding career is that you will also often have to work in rather unpleasant environments.

In fact, welders often have to do their work outdoors instead of in fancy office environments.

Hence, while many other people will be able to have a convenient workday and will also be able to decorate their offices as they want them to be, you will not have this level of familiarity at your workplace and you will also have to change your work location pretty often.

Noise at work can be annoying

Since you will often have to work on construction sites, you will also be exposed to high levels of noise as a welder.

Since noise is not good for your ears and for your health in general, your risk of suffering from serious health conditions will be higher compared to the average person out there.

You may inhale toxic fumes

You should also make sure to wear a mask during work.

Otherwise, you will inhale toxic fumes that could cause all sorts of health issues in the long run.

Welders don’t have a high social standing

As a welder, you will also have a rather low social status.

Since you will also not make that much money, you may also have a hard time in the dating market while many other people who work in the financial sector or as a doctor will have a much easier time in this regard.

You will not learn many digital skills as a welder

While you will become pretty good at welding, you will still not learn many other important skills as a welder.

In fact, you will learn barely any digital skills that are so important in our nowadays job market.

Hard to get out of this industry

Since you will not learn many skills apart from welding, you will also have a pretty hard time getting out of this field.

Hence, make sure that you have a real passion for this job before you decide for becoming a welder since you may otherwise get stuck in this industry for quite a long time.

Working as a welder can be lonely

You will also not have that much social interaction as a welder.

Quite often, you will do your work on your own and this can be really frustrating in the long run since we as humans are social creatures and need some level of social interaction to stay mentally healthy in the long run.

Teleworking is not possible for welders

You will also have to be present at work in person as a welder.

Consequently, while many other people are able to work remotely from home, you will just not have this luxury and will therefore have to spend much more money and time commuting to work and back.

Top 10 Being a Welder Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Become A Welder?

As you can see from the previous discussion, working as a welder can make quite a lot of sense.

However, there are still some downsides to it that you should evaluate carefully in order to make a profound decision regarding your career choice that could greatly impact your future life in general.

If you still consider becoming a welder, also make sure to get detailed information on salaries, prospects, future outlook, educational requirements, duties, work-life balance and job satisfaction of welders.

Also make sure to check out the following articles to get more information on other job options:

Advantages and disadvantages of being an engineer

Advantages and disadvantages of being a roofer

Advantages and disadvantages of being an automotive mechanic

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welder

https://www.statista.com/forecasts/410028/welding-and-soldering-equipment-manufacturing-revenue-in-mexico

Own research and interviews.

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people about the different career paths that are possible in our current state of the world. In my opinion, people often make the mistake to choose their profession solely based on how much money they can earn from it instead of doing what makes them really happy.

This is quite sad and I just want to give people a more objective picture of how a fulfilling career could look like. I did the same when I started working in consulting after finishing my Master’s degree in Economics. However, I’ve quit pretty soon after that since I haven’t found true meaning in my job.

Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money.

I conducted various interviews with employees to give you a good impression of what working in different fields will look like and that you can make the best possible decision regarding your future career choice.

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