Welding is a valuable skill in many industries. Gain hands-on training in welding by taking a class at your school or in your community.

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.

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Second Interest High-Point

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

First Interest High-Point

Third Interest High-Point

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Production Occupations

Assemblers and Fabricators

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

Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Lift or move materials and finished products, using large cranes.

Remove high spots and cut bevels, using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches.

Mark reference points onto floors or face blocks and transpose them to workpieces, using measuring devices, squares, chalk, and soapstone.

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

Locate and mark workpiece bending and cutting lines, allowing for stock thickness, machine and welding shrinkage, and other component specifications.

Erect ladders and scaffolding to fit together large assemblies.

Design and construct templates and fixtures, using hand tools.

Hammer, chip, and grind workpieces to cut, bend, and straighten metal.

Straighten warped or bent parts, using sledges, hand torches, straightening presses, or bulldozers.

Smooth workpiece edges and fix taps, tubes, and valves.

Preheat workpieces to make them malleable, using hand torches or furnaces.

Heat-treat parts, using acetylene torches.

Install boilers, containers, and other structures.

Direct welders to build up low spots or short pieces with weld.

Adjustable wrenches

Belt sanders

Bench vises

Beverly shears

Brakes

Center punches

Chipping tools

Circular saws

Claw hammers

Computerized numerical control CNC metal-cutting machines

Computerized numerical control CNC press brakes

Cutoff saws

Desktop computers

Dial indicators

Dividers

Drift pins

Drill presses

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