Also called: Navy SW rating, Army 12K Plumber/12W Carpentry
Welds, cuts, and assembles steel structures like towers, bridges, and buildings.
Steelworkers erect pre-engineered buildings, weld structural beams, and rig loads. Welding certifications earned in the Navy transfer directly to civilian ironworker and welder jobs.
Regular military compensation (RMC = base pay + housing and food allowances + their tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-6 ranks, 2026 estimate. Cash in hand is lower early on because junior troops often live in free barracks and eat in dining halls. Enlistment bonuses can add thousands.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.5 years after high school. High school diploma, then ~3 months of A-School. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Welding Technology (trade school), Ironworker Apprenticeship.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. Welding and rigging steel on remote sites stay hands-on.
Classes: Welding / metals CTE, Geometry.
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.