Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers build quality control analysis, judgment and decision making and operations monitoring skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (89%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | 89% | $51,330 | −5% | None |
| 2 | Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | 88% | $53,710 | 0% | None |
| 3 | Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers | 85% | $65,380 | +22% | None |
| 4 | Boilermakers | 82% | $76,410 | +42% | None |
| 5 | Tire Builders | 81% | $57,390 | +7% | None |
| 6 | Terrazzo Workers and Finishers | 79% | $76,170 | +42% | None |
| 7 | Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers | 79% | $58,970 | +10% | None |
| 8 | Riggers | 79% | $62,640 | +17% | None |
| 9 | Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 78% | $48,570 | −10% | None |
| 10 | Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 78% | $50,270 | −6% | None |
Compared with Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, median $53,750. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
89% skill match · $51,330 · −5% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Social Perceptiveness · Instructing
88% skill match · $53,710 · 0% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Programming
85% skill match · $65,380 · +22% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Installation · Repairing
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (89% skill match, median $51,330), Engine and Other Machine Assemblers (88% skill match, median $53,710) and Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers (85% skill match, median $65,380), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 11 pay more than welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers at the median. The biggest increases: Boilermakers (+42%, $76,410), Terrazzo Workers and Finishers (+42%, $76,170) and Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers (+22%, $65,380).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.