Welding is a valuable skill in many industries. Gain hands-on training by taking a class at your school or in your community. If you're not sure where to start, try your local community college!

Take a welding class.

Watch clips from "How It's Made" to see how objects like artificial limbs, nails, footballs, mustard, and more are made. Choose a few to watch--which one surprised you most?

Watch how the objects all around us are made.

Read about benefits of manual labor. While these points are geared toward construction, they can apply to a whole variety of manual labor careers. Does manual labor seem like a path you're interested in?

Explore the benefits of manual labor.

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Production Occupations

Assemblers and Fabricators

Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.

Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.

Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.

Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.

Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.

Set up and operate fabricating machines, such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise form and assemble metal components.

Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting.

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Overview

Career

What Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters Do

Other Job Titles Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Overview

Career

What Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters Do

Other Job Titles Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Majors Related to Career

Related Careers

Related Leaders