Welding a good career for those who like using their hands.
This career is rewarding and exciting.
If you live in Iowa and want to become a certified welder, we prepared a list of centers where you can undergo training.
We also included some other details about this job, if you’re not very familiar with it.
Duties and Roles for a Welder
These professionals use a series of tools and methods to fuse various metals together.
The job also includes working with heat.
A series of abilities are needed for completing the job.
Important Responsibilities
Among the various responsibilities of a welder, the next few are most important:
- Properly following the instructions from sketches, blueprints and other materials
- Choosing the right methods for welding after analyzing the materials at hand
- Selecting the proper tools for a successful job, even if they need to be mixed
- Knowing the welding methods, especially the most common ones: Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG) and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (stick)
- Knowing how to maintain the tools
Reasons to Train as a Welder
Perhaps the job title is not very appealing, but this is a rewarding one.
You could be working on important projects and this is a reason to be proud of yourself.
These projects could be spread around the city you live in
There are plenty of employment options currently available and the demand for welders will increase.
A 6% increase in job openings is estimated by 2026.
All welders have the following skills:
- Detail-oriented
- Physical strength and endurance
- Spatial-orientation skills.
- Manual dexterity
- Technical skills
Welder’s Median Income
Iowa’s welders have a median yearly income of $37,754, which means they earn $18.15 per hour.
Their salary is a bit lower than that across the country.
The average yearly income around the United States is $39,533, or $19.01 per hour.
If you wonder what the highest possible income, know that the top 10% of welders in Iowa earn $43,374 per year.
Around the country, the top 10% welders have a salary of $45,418 per year.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Certified Welders in Iowa
City Name | Salary |
---|---|
Des Moines | $37,992 |
Cedar Rapids | $37,438 |
Davenport | $37,339 |
Sioux City | $32,892 |
Waterloo | $35,738 |
Iowa City | $37,130 |
Council Bluffs | $37,376 |
Dubuque | $37,033 |
Ames | $37,636 |
West Des Moines | $37,992 |
Regional Salary
Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ames, IA | 240 | $51,180 | $24.61 | $59,990 | $37,770 |
Cedar Rapids, IA | 450 | $50,280 | $24.17 | $63,290 | $38,450 |
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 1,360 | $46,070 | $22.15 | $61,870 | $35,520 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 710 | $53,760 | $25.85 | $65,000 | $40,320 |
Dubuque, IA | 290 | $50,330 | $24.2 | $59,100 | $39,900 |
Iowa City, IA | 80 | $48,150 | $23.15 | $60,130 | $35,120 |
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 470 | $49,330 | $23.71 | $61,380 | $38,630 |
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 320 | $50,740 | $24.39 | $60,090 | $40,470 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Finding Work as a Certified Welder
There are plenty of fields in which a certified welder can find a job.
Here are some examples:
- Factories
- Building ships
- On the construction sites of edifices and bridges
- Making and repairing of vehicles and motorcycles
- Power plants and refineries
- Making aerospace applications
Getting Your Certification in Iowa
All welders go through a period of training at the end of which they pass a test to receive a certification.
This document should come from a school that was approved by the American Welding Society’s SENSE Accreditation Program.
All the schools should provide training for popular welding methods like TIG, MIG or STICK.
You can’t enroll any program without a high school diploma or GED.
High school juniors are seldom accepted.
11 Welding Schools in Iowa
School Name | Address |
---|---|
Davenport West Vocational | 3500 W. Locust Davenport, IA 52804 United States |
Denison Job Corps Center | 10 Opportunity Dr. Denison, IA 51442 United States |
Hawkeye Community College | 1501 East Orange Rd Waterloo, IA 50704 United States |
Iowa Lakes Community College South Cam | 3200 College Dr. Emmetsburg, IA 50336 United States |
Iowa Valley Community College District | 3702 South Center Street Marshalltown, IA 50158 United States |
Kirkwood Community College | 6301 Kirkwood Blvd SW Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 United States |
North Iowa Area Community College | 500 College Drive Mason City, IA 50401 United States |
Sequel Youth Services Of Iowa | 1820 N 16th St. Clarinda, IA 51632 United States |
Southeastern Community College | 335 Messenger Rd. Keokuk, IA 52632 United States |
Southeastern Community College | 1500 West Agency Rd PO Box 180 West Burlington, IA 52655-0180 United States |
Waverly-Shell Rock High School | 1405 4th Ave. SW Waverly, IA 50677 United States |
You should probably re-check the information above before enrolling.
Alternative Careers
Welders have many other employment opportunities.
Here are a few more examples:
- Boilermaking
- Plumbing
- Sheet Metal Worker
- Pipefitter or Steamfitter
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