Also called: Riding Crew Member, Ship Riding Squad Welder
Joins a working ship for weeks to repair steel, pipes and machinery while it keeps sailing between ports.
Instead of sending a ship to a shipyard, owners fly in a riding gang. You live aboard with the crew, cut out rusted steel in a ballast tank, weld in new plate, and paint it before the next port. The work goes on through ocean swells and long hot days.
Paid by day rate; long trips mean big checks but irregular work.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Welding or pipefitting certificate plus shipyard experience.
Ways in: Trade school, Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Welding Technology (trade school), Marine Pipefitting (trade school).
Growing about average. Niche; demand follows ship repair and inspection cycles.
Low risk for 10 years. Robots weld in shipyards, but cramped repairs inside a moving ship still need skilled hands.
Classes: Welding CTE class, Shop class, 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.