💡 Why it matters: Construction, energy and manufacturing all need welders. Certified welders with special skills are in demand in many places.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, slower than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦700k – ₦1.8M
- Mid-career
- ₦2.2M – ₦6M
- Senior
- ₦6M – ₦16M
≈ ₦183k – ₦500k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low and high x 2,080 hours; Job Bank shows no national median.. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Weld steel and aluminium for gates, frames and tanks
- Read drawings and measure metal exactly
- Cut, bend and shape metal
- Inspect welds for safety
- Use safety gear like helmets and gloves
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Hands-on skill
- Attention to detail
- Safety awareness
- Problem solving
- Patience
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Apprenticeship in a fabrication workshop
- Professional welder certification such as pipeline or structural welding
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Apprenticeship with an engineering or fabrication firm
- College course, then trainee welder job
🇺🇸 United States
- On-the-job training as a welder's helper
- Apprenticeship through a union or employer
🇨🇦 Canada
- Apprenticeship with a fabrication shop or contractor
- Pre-apprenticeship college program
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Learn basic metalwork at school or in an apprenticeship
- 2Do a technical college or welding course
- 3Get tested and certified for structural or pipe welding
- 4Work on factories, construction or industrial sites
- 5Become an inspector or start your own workshop
⏰ A day in the life
You read a drawing for a steel gate, mark the metal and cut it. Then you put on your helmet and weld each joint, checking the lines for strength before grinding and painting it.