Also called: Orbital Welding Technician, High-Purity Welder
Runs automatic machines that weld perfectly clean stainless pipe for chip fabs, drug factories and breweries.
You clamp a computer-controlled weld head around a tiny stainless tube, and it spins around the pipe making a flawless weld in seconds. You then check the inside of the weld with a borescope camera, because even a speck of contamination can ruin a computer-chip factory.
Estimate; union and semiconductor projects pay more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 2 years after high school. Welding training plus specialized orbital welding certification; often through a pipefitter union.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, Certification, Trade school. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Welding Technology (trade school), Pipefitting Apprenticeship.
Growing faster than average. Boosted by new US chip and pharmaceutical plants.
Low risk for 10 years. The machine welds, but setup, fit-up and certification on high-purity pipe need skilled people; chip fabs keep demand up.
Classes: Welding CTE class, Geometry, Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4122.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.