Careers after Welder: 17 jobs where your skills transfer.
Every related role O*NET lists for welders, scored by how closely the skill profile matches, what it pays and how much extra preparation it needs. Original analysis, sources below.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
The jobs closest to a Welder's skills are Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters, Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (92%, 89% and 89% skill match). 2 related roles pay more without needing more preparation, led by Boilermaker (+$22,660 median).
Where your skills transfer
Data Skill match and pay change are our calculations from O*NET and BLS data (method below).
The three closest moves
Data Skills where the destination's O*NET level is at least half a point higher are listed as gaps.
Already strong: core skills overlap broadly.
To build: Repairing, Coordination, Negotiation.
Already strong: core skills overlap broadly.
To build: Repairing, Equipment Maintenance, Reading Comprehension.
Already strong: Quality Control Analysis.
To build: Repairing, Equipment Maintenance, Programming.
How to make the move
Advice
- Weeks 1 to 2Pick one destination
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters is the closest match at 92%. Boilermaker pays more without more preparation.
- Weeks 2 to 6Close the top gap
For Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters, the biggest gap is repairing. Build one piece of proof for it.
- Weeks 4 to 8Reframe your resume
Lead with the shared strengths, written in the destination's language.
- From week 6Talk to people in the role
Ask three structural metal fabricators and fitterss what they wish they had known before switching.
How this page is built
Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared. Pay change compares the BLS national median annual wages (May 2025) of the two occupations. Preparation change compares O*NET Job Zones (1 = little preparation, 5 = extensive preparation). Destinations without BLS wage data or O*NET skill ratings are left out.
- Licensing or degree rules for a specific destination.
- Whether employers in your area hire career changers.
- Your own skills: the scores compare occupations, not people.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
More for Welders
What the job is, skills, tools, pay and related roles.
Open →SalaryWelder salaryPay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.
Open →How to becomeWelder how to becomeEducation, training and the skills to build first.
Open →ResumeWelder resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →