Boilermakers: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Boilermakers construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries. Align structures or plate sections to assemble boiler frame tanks or vats, following blueprints. Work involves use of hand and power tools, plumb bobs, levels, wedges, dogs, or turnbuckles. Assist in testing assembled vessels. Direct cleaning of boilers and boiler furnaces. Inspect and repair boiler fittings, such as safety valves, regulators, automatic-control mechanisms, water columns, and auxiliary machines.

• Attach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place.
• Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
• Repair or replace defective pressure vessel parts, such as safety valves or regulators, using torches, jacks, caulking hammers, power saws, threading dies, welding equipment, or metalworking machinery.
• Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.

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Salary

Boilermakers with little to no experience tend to make between $37610 and $51070 while the more experienced ones can earn over $76870 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Boilermaker is to move to a higher paying state like ND. Right now, the highest paying states for Boilermakers are ND, PA, NE, KY and MI.

However, a higher pay at ND doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at ND might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Boilermaker is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Boilermakers what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had less than a High School Diploma followed by a Post-Secondary Certificate.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Boilermaker.

What is the job like

65% of Boilermakers said they were satisfied with their job and 39% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

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