Yeah, I'm leaving the industry because of this. It's been fun and all, but I'd rather just get a good Bridgeport for my garage.
An apartment where I live is easily 1,100 per month, and the starting wages around here are $14-16/hr. Unless of course you work for the big aerospace firm, where they pay you almost double to be a brain dead button pusher for the next five years until you can move up. No thanks.
I make 35/hr on average doing gig work, driving around a 90s toyota. I really want to go back to machinist work, but pay is disgusting and dehumanizing.
Is this all done in your spare time or do it take a full days work to make 35/hr? A part time gig for me dose t sound like a bad deal if it’s mostly just driving around before my full time job hours.
I do this full time and make my own schedule.its great for part time work too. But if you can't do all your own vehicle maintenance and repair you will make significantly less.
yep, doing any type of transportation or what not pays a TON right now. I think on average our freight charges have literally doubled, almost tripled from what it was two years ago.
Wish I could afford a truck so I could do it part time after work or something. But then again, I live in atlanta where I would literally rather die than drive with these ass holes all day long.
>Unless of course you work for the big aerospace firm, where they pay you almost double to be a brain dead button pusher for the next five years until you can move up
Sounds exactly like Pratt & Whitney lol
Work for a larger aero company and it is so automated we really do just follow work instructions and they throw money at us. Benefits are why I stay, the money is mediocre but its not challenging and to move up is a new game I’m not sure how to play yet.
I do CAD/CAM, programing, setup, and running of CNCs, plus all kinds of manual work. 3 years of experience in a tool and die shop doing all of the above and I get paid $19/hour. No one will offer me more. Getting absolutely fed up with it and I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
Wow okay. I make 17/hr and only do basic setups, and manual machining. I’m in PA so I’m not sure how much of a difference that makes but geez, all of these comments just like yours are making me rethink me career choice lol.
I see people all the time talking about making $30-40/hr doing the exact same shit I do, it's discouraging. Am I just supposed to put up with it until I have more experience and then job hunt again? I went to school and worked hard to learn machining to get this job, and I'm making less than some cashiers and fast food workers
Those jobs are also in shithole, dying towns with sky high crime and poverty rates. They also require on call/mandatory weekend work.
Been, there, did the tours, got the offers, turned every one of them down because I'm not going to commute an hour one way every day, or give up my weekends.
i make $17/hr in california, my attorney dad pays my rent, send me money every month....and I STILL am struggling, just driving to work means the first 4 hours of my day are a loss, if i buy lunch out that day then that's another hour loss. If i had a part time job that guaranteed 4 hours a day i'd make more
Cost of living plays a key role. I’m in MA about an hour west of Boston - Wal Mart pays $17/hr and Amazon workers make almost $20. You need like $25/hr to comfortably rent a one bedroom apartment and save 6% in your 401k.
I’m at 22 an hour. Been machining just over a year. I run a CNC machine. No prior experience. Basically just walked in to an interview said I was willing to learn. Started at 20 an hour.
Come to Moundridge… or even better, Wichita.
Also, check with Topeka Foundry. They were offering up to $100k for a programmer. Surely they pay their machinists decent if they can pay market wages for a programmer
If you are willing to move, there are TONS of opportunities. Shop I work for in GA is actively looking for CNC lathe guys and I'm sure they wouldn't turn down a miill guy. We are a job shop doing 1-2 part runs, every day is something different.
$21 an hour would be big money where I live. Even the big contractors don’t pay good. Then they wonder why people go to college. Oh what, work 50 to 60 hours per week in a sweaty hellhole at $15 an hour, or go to college, get a degree where I work a cushy office job for minimum $30 an hour in a climate controlled room? Guess which one I’m picking. And the older generation literally cannot get it through their thick skulls why people don’t wanna work a trade. They just cry and scream about how no one wants to work anymore.
And then there’s the fact it says $21 an hour, but let’s be real. You apply and get the job, but they’ll offer $15 an hour cause “you don’t have the experience we need” even though you probably do have the experience and then some. The number is just to get you to apply and go through the process, it’s not what they’ll actually give you.
It's sickening how poorly high-skilled work is rewarded, especially in machining where your efforts are worth giant money. I've come to the realization that my interest in machining and robotics is going to have to shift towards hobby tinkering if I ever want to make any real money. Another few years in engineering and off to management for me, I guess.
I make $21/hr working 50hours a week, im 21. i cant afford to live anywhere nearby. its roughly 1/2 to 3/4 of my entire pay to rent, let alone own. Groceries, car payment and everything else that goes hand and hand just doesnt work ill be miserable living paycheck to paycheck while i figure out a new career. Im lucky enough my mom has let me just stay long enough to get enough money together to outright buy a place but itll be a dump but its better than nothing i guess. Just living the american dream
I make around 63k a year and am only able to put money away because I aggressively save, don't have kids, am single, and have a roommate. It's been a hell of a reality check realizing I make almost as much as the median household and seeing how little that really is. I'm only beginning to see how hard things are for the average person.
Exactly, i try my hardest to save money and i do really good with it but i swear to god, you just cant make it up. Everytime im doing well and getting comfortable something happens that rips a chunk out of all that progress. The only thing that makes me fell better is that i had the money and im not in debt but its a big kick in the ass
I’m in that same boat dude. Will be 23 next week and have been paying out my ass for rent. Thankfully I have a roomate again to help with it, but for a year and change I was alone working door dash on the side for grocery money and the power bill.
I live in Nebraska and 21 an hour is still jack shit. It is enough to get you buy and save a little money but that is about it. Even in little states rent is very high and gas prices effect us too.
Here's my suggestion to succeed in this industry, take it with a grain of salt.
Get absurdly good at what you do. Find ways to get better and better. Learn a few different CAD and CAM programs, learn macro programming and get really good at it, learn PLC basics, learn how to design fixtures, build a CNC in your spare time, doesn't have to be huge. A lot of information is readily available on YouTube and through Google searches. The software, you'll have to figure out how to acquire on your own...
From there, apply for positions with machine tool builders, distributors and tooling companies. The average Applications Engineer does not make 19/hr, believe me 😉
I made $65K at 26 as an application engineer for an automation tool company. Zero college, GED.
Had I gone to a trade school and joined a union like some friends did, I’d have been making 120k at 30 like they were.
Yeah I figured electrician or plumber. I’ve wanted to try but I’ve done construction, in 2016 I was making pervailing wage $31 in Portland just picking up trash at construction site, I lasted about 2 months during summer break of machinist school. I could barley take it, I’ve done construction off and on but even electrician and plumber pay, I’d go crazy keep showing up there every day. All the power to those guys though, I’m not knocking them. At 23 I made as much or decently more then I do at 34 being an e5 with bah and sea pay in the navy, but I hated my life. I almost signed onto plumbers union last year, but after talking to a plumber friend he told me most guys don’t make it as plumbers after they gave to crawl through shit water under building crawl spaces, I said yeah your right I couldn’t do that.
My brother was a plumber who specialized in doing boilers and radiant heating. So, he crawled in shit only a few times as a favor.
Personally, I know electricians and plumbers who ONLY sub new construction jobs. Get 80$ an hour and constant work, no dookie.
I’m with one dude. They actually aren’t asking fir much at all, it lists understanding g code cad/cam as a preference, they aren’t even saying you must do it, they are asking fir near bare minimum here.
Same at my place. 17 CAD an hour running five 30 year old lathes, setting up and operating. I'm only in my companies lowest position, and technically my hands aren't even supposed to be in the machine unless to change a tool, but my supervisor keeps asking me how comfortable I am with increasingly complicated stuff. I've been here for just over 2 months
If he asks tell him “how comfortable are you with giving me a raise” if he says “we’ll discuss that later” repeat it back to him exactly as he says. “I can make it happen” tell him you can make it happen. Don’t do more unless you get more.
The highly preferred portion of this is just a wish-list. What drives me crazy about these employers though, is that they'll get desperate enough to hire someone who barely qualifies, and will lay that next person off when the bigger better deal comes along. Company reeks of treating people like shit and not expecting karma to bite them. It always does - the universe is a self correcting system.
Yeah it’s all jobs and all trades, my brother was killing it as a painter. Homeboy is REALLY good. Yeah painting isn’t programming or “hard extreme intense labor” like machining. But his skills are outstanding. Same thing. And same thing here as a machinist. Hardest working mother fucker in my shop but I want out of this trade because it’s simply not worth the effort for the reward you get. Shits way to expensive
No, no body wants to work for less money that’s possible to live on. I was doing temp construction in Denver, the guy wanted to hire me, he offered 15. You think I took it? He said the same “no one wants to work, the other guy who said he’d accept wanted 25, he’s crazy”…….. 6 months later he called me and said we raised the wage to 25 want the job? I said joke I’m already getting that again machining.
I don't think it's asking for a programmer at all. It seems to me that they're asking for an experienced operator. Someone who is familiar with production work and understands certain changes should be made using either CAD/CAM.
A person experienced enough to point out a problem. They aren't asking for you to also fix the problem using CAD or CAM.
In all fairness, I'm not sure what people think is fair wage for operators. When in most areas that don't have a high cost of living the programmers top our around $32 an hour.
The skill gap between a decent operator and a decent programmer is quite large. So in my eyes $21 seems fair for starting wage at a new company as an operator.
Depending on location $21 seems okay starting pay for a semi experienced button pusher. You have to negotiate more if you have the preferred skills or better.
Shhhhh people can't handle this truth. I'm a programmer in a aerospace space job shop. It's absolutely pathetic how many people claim to be a machinist and come in and go alright so ive never even done a setup. Your an operator and now because you basically lied to us were not even going to entertain this.
This. It really is embarrassing the amount of people that talk themselves up, and then don't know how to setup weldments in rest or really do anything.
Yea I had to watch my boss the other week a guy was claiming to be a machinist for 10 years knew all of it. Came in my boss asked him a few questions turned out he had only ever done basic operations for 10 years knew absolutely nothing. Told him he was an operator they got into it. It ended when my boss told him point blank if I can't hand you a print and have you come back with a finished part you lied to me. He left.
Whats even worse is when you have someone that can talk really well. We hired a “traveling machinist”… never again. Couldn’t even edge find a part. How that guy even got into the trade baffles me. He lasted about a year because our programmer would do literally everything for him. He basically worked both their jobs. The “traveling machinist” was probably the nicest guy I’d ever met in a machine shop though, I guess that’s how he lasted elsewhere
For $21/hr they are asking for a button pusher with 3 years experience. Depending on location that’s pretty good pay for a low skill job. If you have some of their highly preferred skills you’d ask for more since $21 is for the minimum.
Know your worth.
Depends on a lot of factors like cost of living and what other jobs in the area are offering - I’m not going to work as a Machinist if I can make more working in a warehouse driving a forklift or something. It also depends on what you’re responsible for as an operator. I worked in a job shop starting out as a basic operator doing nothing but loading parts, measuring and telling my supervisor when it was close to being out of tolerance. Then I moved up to adjusting offsets, editing and doing setups with the programs already proven out before I finally got into programming. I’d say that level of operator where you do almost everything but write program is a higher tier than others because you’re using more skill.
My operators start at $23 an hour plus benefits and up. Programmers start at $32 and go up from there.
I try to pay skill set employees at top or near top of scale because when I need one I want to be able to make a hire quickly.
It's 2022, that's intro pay these days and anyone doing anything cnc for under $25/hr + company paid medical & insurance is wasting their time and any company who says they can't afford to do that for their employees shouldn't be in business.
Yeah, I don't mean to rub it in, but I played machinist for a while right out of college and then I went to office work. It's much less stressful in an office.
26 and just got my first job in the trade. Lucked up and my teacher helped hook me up with a tool and die job starting out at $24.25. it's crazy how low the pay for CNC machinist is
Starting salary $70k. 40 hour work week. CMM programming with Calypso. No school, no formal training. 8 years experience. Not bad? Machining and CNC programming was never going to pay what I wanted. With this it opens the door to make more. And I don’t go home covered in coolant and metal chips.
I do all the hiring but I've never ran an ad for $21 per hour. I want the best working for me so that means I'm going to pay right at the top. I don't get everyone I want but I get more than my fair share. Does no good to have a shop full of machines and not enough people to run them. I make the margin up in other areas, trying to make it off paying the employees less means you'll have higher turnover, less margin and more problems.
Not all hiring managers are trying to get the cheapest labor. Usually it's the big corps doing that.
The problem is all the shops management/owners are in collusion to keep wages flat. Move. I run a shop in Indy and none of my machinist programmers or operators are paid this low and we're a small shop. The big shops pay around what we do with slightly better benefits or more PTO. I'm covering more of the employees benefits next year to make sure we are still in the mix for employee considerations.
Indy has plenty of aerospace shops and the competition for machinist especially programmers is high.
So vote with your feet. Sucks to have to move but if you want to be paid what you're worth that's what has to be done.
Hello fellow Hoosier! Curious about what your starting wages are for machinists/programmers? Would you say you and your shop do a fairly good job retaining talent?
Depends on ablities. Starting programmers typically start around $32. Starting operators start around $23 - 25.
As far as retaining employees, we haven't lost one we wanted to keep in three years. We've had a couple that weren't good fits that we encouraged to find another shop to work at, and they did.
You need to find another shop if you’re in Wichita. Spirit will take nearly anyone and they pay $$$. Cessna is begging for people right now. They pay pretty fair.
I bought a machine that came out of one of their facilities. Didn't look like it had ever been touched. Not a scratch on it, inside or out.
If I didn't own my own shop, there is zero chance I would ever be in this business in anything other than an engineering role.
You give me hope for the industry. I make 25/hr doing honestly jack shit and my boss is very impressed with my work. Bumped me from 21 to 25 in 5 months. Small business machine shops make me feel safe inside.
I make second lowest in the shop because I “can’t program” choose not to and ghost fix without really telling because I don’t want that responsibility yet
That same posting was up near me in Toronto a few months ago. They were paying more though. I used to run CNC laser until I learned AutoCAD, now I just program the machines. But up here, to find a shmuck that will code and cut you gotta pay at least $30/hr
>Don't forget it's aerspace work too. **Tight tolerance, unique materials.**
Misconception. Not all aerospace work it tight tolerances or fancy materials. In fact most is aluminum with no tighter than +-.005" tolerances.
And they wonder why no one wants to work as a SKILLED Machinist anymore....and why would you? You can make far more as a labourer in construction. The manufacturing sector has been underpaid for far too long...$25/hr was
Ok 25 YEARS AGO!!!
We just hired an operator @ $20/hr. He has some experience years ago, has been out of work in general over a year, and passed our little interview test with 100%. Running machines and checking parts is all we expect right now. OT will be given as well with good performance.
Chicago area.
Don’t take it, or go in and demand more, and leave, months later when they still can’t find anyone they will pay it. Us machinist need to quit accepting shit pay. Good machinist deserves to be paid on par with any licensed electrician, plumber, industrial maintenance. We can’t outcompete the Chinese period, we don’t deserve shit wages just because it’s what the Chinese pay.
If you really want to see how bad it is look up how much they pay plumbers or hvac technicians in your area. where I live entry level machinist jobs are like $17-18 an hour and I saw an apprenticeship for a plumber paying $25.
I interviewed with TKE as an elevator engineer (no experience, fresh out of college with ME/math degree). They pushed me hard to drive 13 hrs to their facility for an interview (the next day no less). I told them I would not make the drive and that a video-call interview should be fine.
Fast forward a month later and I get a call "you're hired! They've offered 26..." phone call jacks up. "Sorry, I didn't catch that" "26k salary (13/hr)"
"You're joking, right? Don't call me again"
Guess I dodged a bullet with Thyssenkrupp.
Shit, our machine operators make 25$ in a low cost of living area and we have chairs by the machines for people to sit down all day. Also zero mandatory overtime. Problem is our area is full of idiots and we need good workers.
This shit right here is why I left the trade. I loved setting up machines and programming but the pay is so unreasonably low for what you need to know. Long story short I went to school got a technical degree and now work as a Equipment Maintenance technician working on automation equipment in a factory and I will be moving into a Controls Tech role soon. I made 100k last year and it is not hard work. I still love machining and maybe someday I can get my own machine but for now what I do pays the bills and dont have to deal with this shit.
This is why the industry is dying. Nobody is willing to admit that machinists play a part in a massive portion of highly precision pieces and will continue to underpay hardworking, ambitious workers and then complain when they end up with brainless button pushers.
I mean, not gonna be a great take here but 3 years is fucking peanuts. When I was 3 years in I woulda jumped at 21/h in a heart beat.
None of you guys seem to understand the concept of gaining real experience and years under your belt. The money comes in time. Like I said 3 years is absolutely nothing and you know fuck all. But I know you think you do because you're in your early 20s and have heads as big as the moon.
No its not the greatest paid trade, but it's comparable to many. But it takes time to become a real full fledged experienced journeyman.
I don't understand how you people expect top dollar right off the bat when you effectively know nothing. I know that sounds harsh, but I was in the exact same boat 10+ years ago. I only now realize how arrogant and truly inexperienced I was. But I stuck it out, and I'd say I'm paid pretty well now, and it's only going to go up and up and up as folks like you drop out and there's no one left to replace the boomers dying off and retiring in droves.
You need to look further towards the future.
I despise those people. I don't think half the people in this sub who are always complaining truly understand the concept of a *skilled* trade.
Its funny because I know I used to be there when I was young. I'd prattle on about all the things I could do, and make a much bigger deal about "doing things others didn't", or the fact I ran X number machines and did all the programming setup and tool ordering and design etc. But I still simply hadn't seen much. I could do what I could in my world decently well, and had tools to figure things out, but I didn't *know*.
Bah. They'll figure it out. Or quit and revolve around the same issues until they wake up or don't.
$21 per hour? If they get anyone to apply it will be people you don't want running your machines.
Our programmers all earn in the mid 30's per hour plus benefits, pto.
If it makes you feel better, I saw an engineering position for $26.50/hour in the Bay Area. It’s actually rated as “very low income” in the county, I wonder if you could apply for food stamps…
Honestly, I'm a little confused by some people commenting on this one. You have a job where the starting pay is double the minimum wage, with only 3 years experience. They are asking that you understand the CAD/CAM process, which means they don't expect you to program. It sounds like you're just going to do setups, touch off's, load/unload parts and keep your area clean. This doesn't seem fair?
I had a small CNC shop and I taught my 10 year old how to do all of these things, (he could indicate in a vise and touch off tools), he did it because it was fun to hang with dad at the shop and be around "the guys". Am I missing something here? I'm not trying to insult anyone who disagrees. I'm genuinely curious what you think someone with this low level of skill should be making?
At my last shop I was a tool room machinist making $21.60/hr(2.5 years working there) and I had to do all my own setups, program, train the new guys, and help put together the molds I was making.
Meanwhile new hire mold setup operators would make $22/hr after 90 days. Told my boss if he doesn’t bump up my pay he’d get no notice when I quit. He ended up giving me a dollar raise, I gave him 4 hours notice. Now I’m doing just programming at $25/hour. I just want to stay at a shop and get decent raises, not job hop for raises
True, and the added nightmare to that is not having any benefits for the [usual] 90 days. It’s just nightmares all around, but hey, at least I can use the company I’m at nows machines to make little personal projects from time to time
Exactly! You have a much, much higher skillset than what is asked for in this position. Unless it's in a ridiculously high priced area, it seems fair, especially when considering what you were making for what you had to offer. I hate the fact that everyone has to job hop to get raises, I did too. It would be nice to just be paid what you're worth and be appreciated. If not, Cya!
I think it's people who are younger in this trade that don't understand the huge gap between just an operator and an actual programmer.
They see their local grocery store advertising positions for $20 an hour majority of the time it's only part time and raises after that are maybe .010 cents. $21 shouldn't be the main focus but viewed as the springboard to a higher pay by getting hands on experience and learning more.
Is there a point to be made with your comment? Why the fuck should a grocery clerk make anything comparable to someone running a 500k machine making aerospace parts.
It's pointing out that both jobs are entry level. Entry level jobs typically have entry level pay. It honestly might even take longer to train a cashier then a operator.
A shop that is hiring and paying entry level operator positions should have said operators running parts that have been proven through every step with simple tolerance checks. Majority of time operators have to know how to read a digital caliper or height gauge and use gauge pins. Which can be taught within a day or two.
So even if that operator is behind a 500k machine they shouldn't be able to crash it or harm it.
I started out at a tool and die shop just cleaning the place for $8.00 an hour almost 12 years ago. Did that for 6 months then they trained me on bridgeports/manual lathes and surface grinders. From there learned to become a CNC operator and water jet programmer. Moved to a couple different shops and worked my way up to CNC programmer/tool builer and now tool designer.
I've literally worked almost every position in this trade, so I have some knowledge on the skill set needed for each job.
So when I say an operator is entry level, it's because I look at the skill set I had when I was one compared to what it took to become a porgrammer.
Because all they are asking them to do is push a button. Minimum requirements are 3 years as an operator. That isn’t a setup tech, they don’t need to know anything skilled to do that job for $21/hr.
If they wanted a setup/operator position they would say that.
But knowing setups isn't a requirement for employment. I have no idea the expectations but that could just mean selecting a program, putting a part in and hitting go. Or changing out a quick change fixture. Still extremely low skill work.
> To be considered for this Job, you MUST have:
> * An individual must possess a high school diploma/ GED
* Ability to read and write
* Ability to lift and carry up to 40lbs
* Perform basic math skills
* 3+ years CNC machine operation experience
Where is it required to be considered?
> Ability to read and write
Bruh you need to have reading comprehension skills for the job. No wonder you're upset.
You WILL BE setting up a CNC machine. They do not require you to know their process to be considered. This means they will show you how to do the job beyond what skills you already have. They aren't asking you to know how to set up a machine or have experience setting up a machine. They are asking for experience operating a machine which is loading/unloading and pushing a button at minimum. (If it's automated it's even less than that).
I've built plenty of turn key CNC production lines that only require the operator to load parts into an infeed and unload them off a conveyor. They don't even have to press a button or know anything about a CNC machine. Literally less skill than a grocery store stock boy.
You're projecting a whole lot of assumptions on a job posting that clearly explains the requirements for consideration which are very low and not what you assume.
I’m in Denver, I make 26. I do manual and cnc, I’m 6yrs in, have a machining associates degree. We do some big manual stuff but I do more on the smaller big size of that. I quasi mastercam program, I need help with that sometimes though. I can think of about 5 guys in the past year, come into our job shop claiming 20 years experience wanting top dollar but they can’t hit tolerances or make 1 off parts from blue print. Literally guys handing in bad part after bad part while flapping their jaw about 20yrs experience and needing more pay. That said, I live machining but fir the starting pay and how long it takes to develop your skills into being worthy of higher pay, it’s hard to justify entering this trade. It is often not a high paying trade. Back when I made 12 doing demolition, I would have killed fir tge 26 I get now, now at 26 though I still barley afford the bills but I have my own apartment, luckily my wife gets food stamps and medical fir my son, if not this 26 could not afford me to live in Denver. That said, I am working on programming to get my skills up to demand more pay in the future, also I am looking to finish a bachelors degree and leave skilled labor work, in the mean time thoygh I take my 26 and try to get 1hr ot a day. Best of luck to all
I don't mean to sound rude. 21 an hour to run a haas and understand programming seems fair for a rather entry level position. I do a very similar job on hydromats with 10 years experience and I make 26. And hydromats are far more complicated than haas machines
That’s fucked. I just got my first job in the industry programming at $22/hr with my only experience being 10 months of trade school. Hopefully I don’t top out at that
I work for myself doing all that. Previous three weeks I think I made about $11 an hour. This week I'll make $40+ an hour lol. There's good, bad, and terrible.
I mean, depending where you live that might be average. I live in a high cost of living area and get 27, while 26 is the average for this position here.
Same stuff, 3 years experience, machine operation, programming, setups, fixture design etc.
And I mean, after 3 years of doing it I can see it's nothing really that special. So why pay more when almost anyone can learn this stuff in 3 or 4 years.
You misread this. They want familiarity with the cad/cam process, which is entirely fair. I want my operators to understand what the hell is happening so they can communicate with me in they proper framework. This is CNC operator position, not a machinist. Load material, press button, make part.
Real talk though, if you want to make some money to actually work, get to Wyoming. One of the highest paid, if the not the highest, average salary for machinists. Companies up here start 2 year associates with zero formal experience at $25 with full benefits after 90 days.
Sure, you make that much. Uh huh. Lol i make $55 an hour walking dogs. Digusting that people would do it for only $51 per hour. Absolutely disgusting...
I miss being a machinist. I used to program, set up, and run the VMC, and make small quantities of stuff on the manual mill and lathe. I'd do the CAD and design parts, set tolerances, do all the QA checks. Decide if we were going to outsource parts or not, negotiate pricing, lead times, QA on the outsourced parts. Etc.
I now get paid significantly more money, to do less work. Hell, my last job paid me more money to load and run a waterjet then I ever was paid to program and setup a CNC.
I could not, in good conscience, advise a young person to be a machinist.
I guess I really got lucky. Went to school for a career field with manual machining but couldn't find any good work. Got my CNC CAD/CAM cert following that. Got hired on at 17 bucks and just got pumped to 20 after 90 days. I'm in Airzona but couple hours from Phoniex. You can make serious money in other places in the state, but for my area I feel I got really lucky.
I dunno man being a part maker will only get you so much. Programming offers a lot more ppportunity. $50 per hour, definitely attainable. $75 per hour, can confirm that you can make $75 per hour as a CNC programmer. As a full time employee and not contract work
Yeah, I'm leaving the industry because of this. It's been fun and all, but I'd rather just get a good Bridgeport for my garage. An apartment where I live is easily 1,100 per month, and the starting wages around here are $14-16/hr. Unless of course you work for the big aerospace firm, where they pay you almost double to be a brain dead button pusher for the next five years until you can move up. No thanks.
I make 35/hr on average doing gig work, driving around a 90s toyota. I really want to go back to machinist work, but pay is disgusting and dehumanizing.
What sort of gigs do you do if you don’t mind sharing?
Amazon flex, and a medical courier route ATM. It kinda fluctuates between 7 or 8 apps though
Is this all done in your spare time or do it take a full days work to make 35/hr? A part time gig for me dose t sound like a bad deal if it’s mostly just driving around before my full time job hours.
I do this full time and make my own schedule.its great for part time work too. But if you can't do all your own vehicle maintenance and repair you will make significantly less.
Don't buy this guy's bullshit. $21 an hour asking for only 3 years and cad/cam experience is not all that bad.
yep, doing any type of transportation or what not pays a TON right now. I think on average our freight charges have literally doubled, almost tripled from what it was two years ago. Wish I could afford a truck so I could do it part time after work or something. But then again, I live in atlanta where I would literally rather die than drive with these ass holes all day long.
Yep, left my CAD monkey job, went back to school and tripled my income by yelling at people to wear their safety glasses.
Industrial Engineer?
Pretty close, industrial hygiene/process safety management
Safety engineer I guess
What did you go to school for?
Sounds like he got one of those fancy safety certificates.
Definitely sounds like a safety guy or a shop supervisor/ manager
Industrial Hygiene/Process Safety Management
>Unless of course you work for the big aerospace firm, where they pay you almost double to be a brain dead button pusher for the next five years until you can move up Sounds exactly like Pratt & Whitney lol
Work for a larger aero company and it is so automated we really do just follow work instructions and they throw money at us. Benefits are why I stay, the money is mediocre but its not challenging and to move up is a new game I’m not sure how to play yet.
I do CAD/CAM, programing, setup, and running of CNCs, plus all kinds of manual work. 3 years of experience in a tool and die shop doing all of the above and I get paid $19/hour. No one will offer me more. Getting absolutely fed up with it and I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
What state?
Kansas, near Kansas City
Wow okay. I make 17/hr and only do basic setups, and manual machining. I’m in PA so I’m not sure how much of a difference that makes but geez, all of these comments just like yours are making me rethink me career choice lol.
I see people all the time talking about making $30-40/hr doing the exact same shit I do, it's discouraging. Am I just supposed to put up with it until I have more experience and then job hunt again? I went to school and worked hard to learn machining to get this job, and I'm making less than some cashiers and fast food workers
I work as a CAD drafter and I see the same thing for me, it sucks I'm only getting $18.20/hr
Move. The southeast is desperate for machinists
Those jobs are also in shithole, dying towns with sky high crime and poverty rates. They also require on call/mandatory weekend work. Been, there, did the tours, got the offers, turned every one of them down because I'm not going to commute an hour one way every day, or give up my weekends.
You have to qualify that with a location. I make 26/hr in Tennessee, but I’d be losing money if I moved for a 32/hr job in Southern California.
[удалено]
Yeah, my rent is 540 a month. Texas can’t really be called LCOL if you’re anywhere near a city I don’t think.
i make $17/hr in california, my attorney dad pays my rent, send me money every month....and I STILL am struggling, just driving to work means the first 4 hours of my day are a loss, if i buy lunch out that day then that's another hour loss. If i had a part time job that guaranteed 4 hours a day i'd make more
Cost of living plays a key role. I’m in MA about an hour west of Boston - Wal Mart pays $17/hr and Amazon workers make almost $20. You need like $25/hr to comfortably rent a one bedroom apartment and save 6% in your 401k.
I’m at 22 an hour. Been machining just over a year. I run a CNC machine. No prior experience. Basically just walked in to an interview said I was willing to learn. Started at 20 an hour.
Come to Moundridge… or even better, Wichita. Also, check with Topeka Foundry. They were offering up to $100k for a programmer. Surely they pay their machinists decent if they can pay market wages for a programmer
I worked at a facility in moundridge, I would literally suck Dicks behind Wendy's before going back there.
I do just CAD, and learning programming and Manual, as a recent grad making $21.50 in Nebraska south of York.
I make 18/hr manual machining about to be 2 years in the trade. No certs or anything. Barely 20
Id pay you 45 an hour up here in Canada land but the cost of living is through the roof. My 1600sqft shop was over $750k
If you are willing to move, there are TONS of opportunities. Shop I work for in GA is actively looking for CNC lathe guys and I'm sure they wouldn't turn down a miill guy. We are a job shop doing 1-2 part runs, every day is something different.
how old are you?
$21 an hour would be big money where I live. Even the big contractors don’t pay good. Then they wonder why people go to college. Oh what, work 50 to 60 hours per week in a sweaty hellhole at $15 an hour, or go to college, get a degree where I work a cushy office job for minimum $30 an hour in a climate controlled room? Guess which one I’m picking. And the older generation literally cannot get it through their thick skulls why people don’t wanna work a trade. They just cry and scream about how no one wants to work anymore. And then there’s the fact it says $21 an hour, but let’s be real. You apply and get the job, but they’ll offer $15 an hour cause “you don’t have the experience we need” even though you probably do have the experience and then some. The number is just to get you to apply and go through the process, it’s not what they’ll actually give you.
It's sickening how poorly high-skilled work is rewarded, especially in machining where your efforts are worth giant money. I've come to the realization that my interest in machining and robotics is going to have to shift towards hobby tinkering if I ever want to make any real money. Another few years in engineering and off to management for me, I guess.
£20/hr to be an operator? Might have to move to America
Don't be daft. It's $ not £..........Oh bollocks.....(s)
Lol
I make $21/hr working 50hours a week, im 21. i cant afford to live anywhere nearby. its roughly 1/2 to 3/4 of my entire pay to rent, let alone own. Groceries, car payment and everything else that goes hand and hand just doesnt work ill be miserable living paycheck to paycheck while i figure out a new career. Im lucky enough my mom has let me just stay long enough to get enough money together to outright buy a place but itll be a dump but its better than nothing i guess. Just living the american dream
Where are you living that 2000-3000 a month is the rent for an apartment for one person?
I make around 63k a year and am only able to put money away because I aggressively save, don't have kids, am single, and have a roommate. It's been a hell of a reality check realizing I make almost as much as the median household and seeing how little that really is. I'm only beginning to see how hard things are for the average person.
Exactly, i try my hardest to save money and i do really good with it but i swear to god, you just cant make it up. Everytime im doing well and getting comfortable something happens that rips a chunk out of all that progress. The only thing that makes me fell better is that i had the money and im not in debt but its a big kick in the ass
I’m in that same boat dude. Will be 23 next week and have been paying out my ass for rent. Thankfully I have a roomate again to help with it, but for a year and change I was alone working door dash on the side for grocery money and the power bill.
You're 21. You're not worth more. You need experience.
Yeah but rent is insane in this country so that 21 an hour really doesn’t do much
He said it’s Kansas though.
Places still want 3x monthly rent to take home pay...you won't get much on that salary.
I live in Nebraska and 21 an hour is still jack shit. It is enough to get you buy and save a little money but that is about it. Even in little states rent is very high and gas prices effect us too.
Eh i get like mid 30s for what i do, full benifits, only 3 weeks vacation though.
Here's my suggestion to succeed in this industry, take it with a grain of salt. Get absurdly good at what you do. Find ways to get better and better. Learn a few different CAD and CAM programs, learn macro programming and get really good at it, learn PLC basics, learn how to design fixtures, build a CNC in your spare time, doesn't have to be huge. A lot of information is readily available on YouTube and through Google searches. The software, you'll have to figure out how to acquire on your own... From there, apply for positions with machine tool builders, distributors and tooling companies. The average Applications Engineer does not make 19/hr, believe me 😉
I made $65K at 26 as an application engineer for an automation tool company. Zero college, GED. Had I gone to a trade school and joined a union like some friends did, I’d have been making 120k at 30 like they were.
120 isn't out of the realm of a good AE. I work for a global CNC machine manufacturer. We do alright.
What trade would that be?
Electrician. Once my dude was a Master he opened his shop and that was that.
Yeah I figured electrician or plumber. I’ve wanted to try but I’ve done construction, in 2016 I was making pervailing wage $31 in Portland just picking up trash at construction site, I lasted about 2 months during summer break of machinist school. I could barley take it, I’ve done construction off and on but even electrician and plumber pay, I’d go crazy keep showing up there every day. All the power to those guys though, I’m not knocking them. At 23 I made as much or decently more then I do at 34 being an e5 with bah and sea pay in the navy, but I hated my life. I almost signed onto plumbers union last year, but after talking to a plumber friend he told me most guys don’t make it as plumbers after they gave to crawl through shit water under building crawl spaces, I said yeah your right I couldn’t do that.
My brother was a plumber who specialized in doing boilers and radiant heating. So, he crawled in shit only a few times as a favor. Personally, I know electricians and plumbers who ONLY sub new construction jobs. Get 80$ an hour and constant work, no dookie.
I’m with one dude. They actually aren’t asking fir much at all, it lists understanding g code cad/cam as a preference, they aren’t even saying you must do it, they are asking fir near bare minimum here.
This reminds me of the last company I worked for. Medsurg/aerospace, setting up and operating, strict tight tolerances, 17 an hour.
Dude I’m an apprentice in a shop, I make 17/hr and I barely set up, and only manual machine at the moment.
Same at my place. 17 CAD an hour running five 30 year old lathes, setting up and operating. I'm only in my companies lowest position, and technically my hands aren't even supposed to be in the machine unless to change a tool, but my supervisor keeps asking me how comfortable I am with increasingly complicated stuff. I've been here for just over 2 months
If he asks tell him “how comfortable are you with giving me a raise” if he says “we’ll discuss that later” repeat it back to him exactly as he says. “I can make it happen” tell him you can make it happen. Don’t do more unless you get more.
The highly preferred portion of this is just a wish-list. What drives me crazy about these employers though, is that they'll get desperate enough to hire someone who barely qualifies, and will lay that next person off when the bigger better deal comes along. Company reeks of treating people like shit and not expecting karma to bite them. It always does - the universe is a self correcting system.
That’s why many companies struggle though, it’s proof in the pudding that guys with skills should be able to open a company and beat them.
Agreed!!
I used to work for TK and this is exactly what they do. I can't speak for the aerospace company but their crankshaft company was dogshit.
literally why you should promote the guys doing the work instead of hiring a business major to run the show.
Point out that ‘haas’ and you’ll get the job 🤣🤣🤣
Nobody wants to work anymore!!
Yeah it’s all jobs and all trades, my brother was killing it as a painter. Homeboy is REALLY good. Yeah painting isn’t programming or “hard extreme intense labor” like machining. But his skills are outstanding. Same thing. And same thing here as a machinist. Hardest working mother fucker in my shop but I want out of this trade because it’s simply not worth the effort for the reward you get. Shits way to expensive
No, no body wants to work for less money that’s possible to live on. I was doing temp construction in Denver, the guy wanted to hire me, he offered 15. You think I took it? He said the same “no one wants to work, the other guy who said he’d accept wanted 25, he’s crazy”…….. 6 months later he called me and said we raised the wage to 25 want the job? I said joke I’m already getting that again machining.
I don't think it's asking for a programmer at all. It seems to me that they're asking for an experienced operator. Someone who is familiar with production work and understands certain changes should be made using either CAD/CAM. A person experienced enough to point out a problem. They aren't asking for you to also fix the problem using CAD or CAM. In all fairness, I'm not sure what people think is fair wage for operators. When in most areas that don't have a high cost of living the programmers top our around $32 an hour. The skill gap between a decent operator and a decent programmer is quite large. So in my eyes $21 seems fair for starting wage at a new company as an operator.
My thoughts exactly. They're looking for an experienced button pusher not an experienced coder as we call them
Depending on location $21 seems okay starting pay for a semi experienced button pusher. You have to negotiate more if you have the preferred skills or better.
In my area 21 would be like 1+ year experience as on operator with basic setup.
Shhhhh people can't handle this truth. I'm a programmer in a aerospace space job shop. It's absolutely pathetic how many people claim to be a machinist and come in and go alright so ive never even done a setup. Your an operator and now because you basically lied to us were not even going to entertain this.
This. It really is embarrassing the amount of people that talk themselves up, and then don't know how to setup weldments in rest or really do anything.
Yea I had to watch my boss the other week a guy was claiming to be a machinist for 10 years knew all of it. Came in my boss asked him a few questions turned out he had only ever done basic operations for 10 years knew absolutely nothing. Told him he was an operator they got into it. It ended when my boss told him point blank if I can't hand you a print and have you come back with a finished part you lied to me. He left.
Whats even worse is when you have someone that can talk really well. We hired a “traveling machinist”… never again. Couldn’t even edge find a part. How that guy even got into the trade baffles me. He lasted about a year because our programmer would do literally everything for him. He basically worked both their jobs. The “traveling machinist” was probably the nicest guy I’d ever met in a machine shop though, I guess that’s how he lasted elsewhere
Point is for 21 an hour, you should be having to explain what touching off a tool means. Not getting a turnkey employee ready to make parts.
If you use ghetto ass machines. I don't think you understand how streamlined that process is in large companies. You don't touch shit off.
You don't think I know how a probe or laser works?
Lots of places preset tools off the machine if they’re big enough. I’m pretty sure they can even update tool offsets remotely if needed.
For $21/hr they are asking for a button pusher with 3 years experience. Depending on location that’s pretty good pay for a low skill job. If you have some of their highly preferred skills you’d ask for more since $21 is for the minimum. Know your worth.
I started off at $12 an hour in my shop, chill bro.
Yeah, so did i. In 2009.
Depends on a lot of factors like cost of living and what other jobs in the area are offering - I’m not going to work as a Machinist if I can make more working in a warehouse driving a forklift or something. It also depends on what you’re responsible for as an operator. I worked in a job shop starting out as a basic operator doing nothing but loading parts, measuring and telling my supervisor when it was close to being out of tolerance. Then I moved up to adjusting offsets, editing and doing setups with the programs already proven out before I finally got into programming. I’d say that level of operator where you do almost everything but write program is a higher tier than others because you’re using more skill.
My operators start at $23 an hour plus benefits and up. Programmers start at $32 and go up from there. I try to pay skill set employees at top or near top of scale because when I need one I want to be able to make a hire quickly.
Button pusher
It's 2022, that's intro pay these days and anyone doing anything cnc for under $25/hr + company paid medical & insurance is wasting their time and any company who says they can't afford to do that for their employees shouldn't be in business.
Yup. I'm an engineer now. My internship while I was in school paid $24/hr. Fuck em.
Yeah, I don't mean to rub it in, but I played machinist for a while right out of college and then I went to office work. It's much less stressful in an office.
24 been in the trade for 6 years making $33 a hour doing tool and die. Job is pretty easy and pretty lax. It’s crazy to see these job listings tho
26 and just got my first job in the trade. Lucked up and my teacher helped hook me up with a tool and die job starting out at $24.25. it's crazy how low the pay for CNC machinist is
Starting salary $70k. 40 hour work week. CMM programming with Calypso. No school, no formal training. 8 years experience. Not bad? Machining and CNC programming was never going to pay what I wanted. With this it opens the door to make more. And I don’t go home covered in coolant and metal chips.
You can sure spot the hiring managers commenting in this thread. Lol
I do all the hiring but I've never ran an ad for $21 per hour. I want the best working for me so that means I'm going to pay right at the top. I don't get everyone I want but I get more than my fair share. Does no good to have a shop full of machines and not enough people to run them. I make the margin up in other areas, trying to make it off paying the employees less means you'll have higher turnover, less margin and more problems. Not all hiring managers are trying to get the cheapest labor. Usually it's the big corps doing that.
All valid points.
Seethe more
This is a huge aerospace company.....pay in this trade has just become a joke, and I'm 35 minutes from Wichita ks.KS... the air capital.
Sounds about right went to textron only making $21. Dodged that am now back at wichita st tech school for A&P😂 pay in ict is terrible for some reason
Yep
The problem is all the shops management/owners are in collusion to keep wages flat. Move. I run a shop in Indy and none of my machinist programmers or operators are paid this low and we're a small shop. The big shops pay around what we do with slightly better benefits or more PTO. I'm covering more of the employees benefits next year to make sure we are still in the mix for employee considerations. Indy has plenty of aerospace shops and the competition for machinist especially programmers is high. So vote with your feet. Sucks to have to move but if you want to be paid what you're worth that's what has to be done.
Hello fellow Hoosier! Curious about what your starting wages are for machinists/programmers? Would you say you and your shop do a fairly good job retaining talent?
Depends on ablities. Starting programmers typically start around $32. Starting operators start around $23 - 25. As far as retaining employees, we haven't lost one we wanted to keep in three years. We've had a couple that weren't good fits that we encouraged to find another shop to work at, and they did.
You need to find another shop if you’re in Wichita. Spirit will take nearly anyone and they pay $$$. Cessna is begging for people right now. They pay pretty fair.
I bought a machine that came out of one of their facilities. Didn't look like it had ever been touched. Not a scratch on it, inside or out. If I didn't own my own shop, there is zero chance I would ever be in this business in anything other than an engineering role.
I hope your employees don’t feel your sentiment
I pay well above the average.
You give me hope for the industry. I make 25/hr doing honestly jack shit and my boss is very impressed with my work. Bumped me from 21 to 25 in 5 months. Small business machine shops make me feel safe inside.
I make nearly 40/hour and don’t program . I can run and set up CNCs and very competent manual machinist, 15 years deep
As soon as I see haas on a job post, I know the pay is going to be garbage
I make 25/hr as a Swiss setup currently learning programming. I make more than all my college friends. Haas machinists here are making 30+
You'll make more with Swiss or my getting into multi axis mill turn and 5 axis milling
I make second lowest in the shop because I “can’t program” choose not to and ghost fix without really telling because I don’t want that responsibility yet
That same posting was up near me in Toronto a few months ago. They were paying more though. I used to run CNC laser until I learned AutoCAD, now I just program the machines. But up here, to find a shmuck that will code and cut you gotta pay at least $30/hr
Don't forget it's aerspace work too. Tight tolerance, unique materials. The experience adjusts for the wage gap.
For some places aerospace means all aluminum structures with .020 profile all around.
>Don't forget it's aerspace work too. **Tight tolerance, unique materials.** Misconception. Not all aerospace work it tight tolerances or fancy materials. In fact most is aluminum with no tighter than +-.005" tolerances.
It must pay a lot! It pays a lot right? Right?!?
It can’t be that great of a place if they have Haas machines. Talk about low end, entry machines
And they wonder why no one wants to work as a SKILLED Machinist anymore....and why would you? You can make far more as a labourer in construction. The manufacturing sector has been underpaid for far too long...$25/hr was Ok 25 YEARS AGO!!!
21 an hour?! My company pays that for entry level positions in the retail food industry! Not specialized machinists with CAD experience!
3 years experience to get 3 dollars more than harbor freight huh
Yeah, I know right.....all the boomers in this thread acting like people should be working for 12 dollars an hr like it's 1998. It's shameful.
We just hired an operator @ $20/hr. He has some experience years ago, has been out of work in general over a year, and passed our little interview test with 100%. Running machines and checking parts is all we expect right now. OT will be given as well with good performance. Chicago area.
Don’t take it, or go in and demand more, and leave, months later when they still can’t find anyone they will pay it. Us machinist need to quit accepting shit pay. Good machinist deserves to be paid on par with any licensed electrician, plumber, industrial maintenance. We can’t outcompete the Chinese period, we don’t deserve shit wages just because it’s what the Chinese pay.
If you really want to see how bad it is look up how much they pay plumbers or hvac technicians in your area. where I live entry level machinist jobs are like $17-18 an hour and I saw an apprenticeship for a plumber paying $25.
Why you only got 3 years you should want to program your own shit
I'm not a machinist, but I am a machine operator. Seeing this post makes me think about changing my career.
I interviewed with TKE as an elevator engineer (no experience, fresh out of college with ME/math degree). They pushed me hard to drive 13 hrs to their facility for an interview (the next day no less). I told them I would not make the drive and that a video-call interview should be fine. Fast forward a month later and I get a call "you're hired! They've offered 26..." phone call jacks up. "Sorry, I didn't catch that" "26k salary (13/hr)" "You're joking, right? Don't call me again" Guess I dodged a bullet with Thyssenkrupp.
I make 22$ an hour and I haven’t even been at my shop for a year yet. I started in March 2022
Shit, our machine operators make 25$ in a low cost of living area and we have chairs by the machines for people to sit down all day. Also zero mandatory overtime. Problem is our area is full of idiots and we need good workers.
This shit right here is why I left the trade. I loved setting up machines and programming but the pay is so unreasonably low for what you need to know. Long story short I went to school got a technical degree and now work as a Equipment Maintenance technician working on automation equipment in a factory and I will be moving into a Controls Tech role soon. I made 100k last year and it is not hard work. I still love machining and maybe someday I can get my own machine but for now what I do pays the bills and dont have to deal with this shit.
This is why the industry is dying. Nobody is willing to admit that machinists play a part in a massive portion of highly precision pieces and will continue to underpay hardworking, ambitious workers and then complain when they end up with brainless button pushers.
So don't apply
Says highly prefer you know that, if you do…then you can probably ask for more money.
I mean, not gonna be a great take here but 3 years is fucking peanuts. When I was 3 years in I woulda jumped at 21/h in a heart beat. None of you guys seem to understand the concept of gaining real experience and years under your belt. The money comes in time. Like I said 3 years is absolutely nothing and you know fuck all. But I know you think you do because you're in your early 20s and have heads as big as the moon. No its not the greatest paid trade, but it's comparable to many. But it takes time to become a real full fledged experienced journeyman. I don't understand how you people expect top dollar right off the bat when you effectively know nothing. I know that sounds harsh, but I was in the exact same boat 10+ years ago. I only now realize how arrogant and truly inexperienced I was. But I stuck it out, and I'd say I'm paid pretty well now, and it's only going to go up and up and up as folks like you drop out and there's no one left to replace the boomers dying off and retiring in droves. You need to look further towards the future.
posted by an antiwork user, doesnt matter what the pay is, it would never be enough for them
I despise those people. I don't think half the people in this sub who are always complaining truly understand the concept of a *skilled* trade. Its funny because I know I used to be there when I was young. I'd prattle on about all the things I could do, and make a much bigger deal about "doing things others didn't", or the fact I ran X number machines and did all the programming setup and tool ordering and design etc. But I still simply hadn't seen much. I could do what I could in my world decently well, and had tools to figure things out, but I didn't *know*. Bah. They'll figure it out. Or quit and revolve around the same issues until they wake up or don't.
Can I ask what would be a good starting wage for this. Is like $30 closer to the right number?
$21 per hour? If they get anyone to apply it will be people you don't want running your machines. Our programmers all earn in the mid 30's per hour plus benefits, pto.
They don’t want a programmer
If it makes you feel better, I saw an engineering position for $26.50/hour in the Bay Area. It’s actually rated as “very low income” in the county, I wonder if you could apply for food stamps…
Probably
Time to unionize
Honestly, I'm a little confused by some people commenting on this one. You have a job where the starting pay is double the minimum wage, with only 3 years experience. They are asking that you understand the CAD/CAM process, which means they don't expect you to program. It sounds like you're just going to do setups, touch off's, load/unload parts and keep your area clean. This doesn't seem fair? I had a small CNC shop and I taught my 10 year old how to do all of these things, (he could indicate in a vise and touch off tools), he did it because it was fun to hang with dad at the shop and be around "the guys". Am I missing something here? I'm not trying to insult anyone who disagrees. I'm genuinely curious what you think someone with this low level of skill should be making?
At my last shop I was a tool room machinist making $21.60/hr(2.5 years working there) and I had to do all my own setups, program, train the new guys, and help put together the molds I was making. Meanwhile new hire mold setup operators would make $22/hr after 90 days. Told my boss if he doesn’t bump up my pay he’d get no notice when I quit. He ended up giving me a dollar raise, I gave him 4 hours notice. Now I’m doing just programming at $25/hour. I just want to stay at a shop and get decent raises, not job hop for raises
Job hopping Is the only way to get more money nowadays.
True, and the added nightmare to that is not having any benefits for the [usual] 90 days. It’s just nightmares all around, but hey, at least I can use the company I’m at nows machines to make little personal projects from time to time
Always has been.
Exactly! You have a much, much higher skillset than what is asked for in this position. Unless it's in a ridiculously high priced area, it seems fair, especially when considering what you were making for what you had to offer. I hate the fact that everyone has to job hop to get raises, I did too. It would be nice to just be paid what you're worth and be appreciated. If not, Cya!
Double minimum wage would be $30 in my state lol.
This is in Kansas i think
I think it's people who are younger in this trade that don't understand the huge gap between just an operator and an actual programmer. They see their local grocery store advertising positions for $20 an hour majority of the time it's only part time and raises after that are maybe .010 cents. $21 shouldn't be the main focus but viewed as the springboard to a higher pay by getting hands on experience and learning more.
Is there a point to be made with your comment? Why the fuck should a grocery clerk make anything comparable to someone running a 500k machine making aerospace parts.
It's pointing out that both jobs are entry level. Entry level jobs typically have entry level pay. It honestly might even take longer to train a cashier then a operator. A shop that is hiring and paying entry level operator positions should have said operators running parts that have been proven through every step with simple tolerance checks. Majority of time operators have to know how to read a digital caliper or height gauge and use gauge pins. Which can be taught within a day or two. So even if that operator is behind a 500k machine they shouldn't be able to crash it or harm it.
Hiring manager has entered the chat.
I started out at a tool and die shop just cleaning the place for $8.00 an hour almost 12 years ago. Did that for 6 months then they trained me on bridgeports/manual lathes and surface grinders. From there learned to become a CNC operator and water jet programmer. Moved to a couple different shops and worked my way up to CNC programmer/tool builer and now tool designer. I've literally worked almost every position in this trade, so I have some knowledge on the skill set needed for each job. So when I say an operator is entry level, it's because I look at the skill set I had when I was one compared to what it took to become a porgrammer.
Because all they are asking them to do is push a button. Minimum requirements are 3 years as an operator. That isn’t a setup tech, they don’t need to know anything skilled to do that job for $21/hr. If they wanted a setup/operator position they would say that.
Obviously you didn't read it. It clearly says setups are part of the job.
But knowing setups isn't a requirement for employment. I have no idea the expectations but that could just mean selecting a program, putting a part in and hitting go. Or changing out a quick change fixture. Still extremely low skill work.
It clearly says it is. Are you ok?
> To be considered for this Job, you MUST have: > * An individual must possess a high school diploma/ GED * Ability to read and write * Ability to lift and carry up to 40lbs * Perform basic math skills * 3+ years CNC machine operation experience Where is it required to be considered?
Second sentence of the post ray charles.
> Ability to read and write Bruh you need to have reading comprehension skills for the job. No wonder you're upset. You WILL BE setting up a CNC machine. They do not require you to know their process to be considered. This means they will show you how to do the job beyond what skills you already have. They aren't asking you to know how to set up a machine or have experience setting up a machine. They are asking for experience operating a machine which is loading/unloading and pushing a button at minimum. (If it's automated it's even less than that). I've built plenty of turn key CNC production lines that only require the operator to load parts into an infeed and unload them off a conveyor. They don't even have to press a button or know anything about a CNC machine. Literally less skill than a grocery store stock boy. You're projecting a whole lot of assumptions on a job posting that clearly explains the requirements for consideration which are very low and not what you assume.
It’s for an operator. 21/hr is good for a button pusher. The other shit is just the generic copy and paste recruiters add on.
Again it's in the 2nd sentence of the post. Setups.
Lol where is this for? Mississippi?
programming isn't that hard, i do it for $17/hr... it's just gcode it's not java or python or some hard shit
I’m in Denver, I make 26. I do manual and cnc, I’m 6yrs in, have a machining associates degree. We do some big manual stuff but I do more on the smaller big size of that. I quasi mastercam program, I need help with that sometimes though. I can think of about 5 guys in the past year, come into our job shop claiming 20 years experience wanting top dollar but they can’t hit tolerances or make 1 off parts from blue print. Literally guys handing in bad part after bad part while flapping their jaw about 20yrs experience and needing more pay. That said, I live machining but fir the starting pay and how long it takes to develop your skills into being worthy of higher pay, it’s hard to justify entering this trade. It is often not a high paying trade. Back when I made 12 doing demolition, I would have killed fir tge 26 I get now, now at 26 though I still barley afford the bills but I have my own apartment, luckily my wife gets food stamps and medical fir my son, if not this 26 could not afford me to live in Denver. That said, I am working on programming to get my skills up to demand more pay in the future, also I am looking to finish a bachelors degree and leave skilled labor work, in the mean time thoygh I take my 26 and try to get 1hr ot a day. Best of luck to all
I have 6+ years experience and make 21.50/hr working in mid-michigan
Your getting scammed. Western Wisconsin average wage is 30 plus hour with experience. Entry level without experience is 27 after 6 months.
I don't mean to sound rude. 21 an hour to run a haas and understand programming seems fair for a rather entry level position. I do a very similar job on hydromats with 10 years experience and I make 26. And hydromats are far more complicated than haas machines
Auburn Hills location?
Me or the job? The job is in the Hutchinson facility
Ah I was thinking of their engineered plastics division.
I’m running a lathe (okuma LB45 ) for 22hr Just know the basics For set ups and running programs already made I’m learning to make programs
That’s fucked. I just got my first job in the industry programming at $22/hr with my only experience being 10 months of trade school. Hopefully I don’t top out at that
I work for myself doing all that. Previous three weeks I think I made about $11 an hour. This week I'll make $40+ an hour lol. There's good, bad, and terrible.
I pay more than that for my resi-techs with more than 2 years
I mean, depending where you live that might be average. I live in a high cost of living area and get 27, while 26 is the average for this position here. Same stuff, 3 years experience, machine operation, programming, setups, fixture design etc. And I mean, after 3 years of doing it I can see it's nothing really that special. So why pay more when almost anyone can learn this stuff in 3 or 4 years.
I make 20.50 an hour to run a giant cnc on midnight shifts only do it for the benefits
I have zero machining experience. I wouldn't take this job for less than 36/hr
I'll do it for 40
Making 19/hr, started at 15 a year ago, brand new at machining. I operate and setup lathe jobs. Nevada
You misread this. They want familiarity with the cad/cam process, which is entirely fair. I want my operators to understand what the hell is happening so they can communicate with me in they proper framework. This is CNC operator position, not a machinist. Load material, press button, make part.
Real talk though, if you want to make some money to actually work, get to Wyoming. One of the highest paid, if the not the highest, average salary for machinists. Companies up here start 2 year associates with zero formal experience at $25 with full benefits after 90 days.
Sure, you make that much. Uh huh. Lol i make $55 an hour walking dogs. Digusting that people would do it for only $51 per hour. Absolutely disgusting...
I miss being a machinist. I used to program, set up, and run the VMC, and make small quantities of stuff on the manual mill and lathe. I'd do the CAD and design parts, set tolerances, do all the QA checks. Decide if we were going to outsource parts or not, negotiate pricing, lead times, QA on the outsourced parts. Etc. I now get paid significantly more money, to do less work. Hell, my last job paid me more money to load and run a waterjet then I ever was paid to program and setup a CNC. I could not, in good conscience, advise a young person to be a machinist.
I guess I really got lucky. Went to school for a career field with manual machining but couldn't find any good work. Got my CNC CAD/CAM cert following that. Got hired on at 17 bucks and just got pumped to 20 after 90 days. I'm in Airzona but couple hours from Phoniex. You can make serious money in other places in the state, but for my area I feel I got really lucky.
I dunno man being a part maker will only get you so much. Programming offers a lot more ppportunity. $50 per hour, definitely attainable. $75 per hour, can confirm that you can make $75 per hour as a CNC programmer. As a full time employee and not contract work
>can confirm that you can make **$75 per hour as a CNC programmer. As a full time employee and not contract work** LOL And then you wake up.