Machinist as career choice

I work in the aircraft industry and we are not hurting that much for work. Company ran 76 million dollars last year....
On the down side...I'm tired of working 60 hour work weeks and 12 hour days. I run multiple CNC machines at once (which is what I'm doing now) and never get any help. "Lean" mfg.has given companies the ability to do more with less people. I'm skilled enough to run manual machines and CNC, but were getting rid of the manual stuff and we seem to have more button pushers than skilled guys...
We've laid off 18% of our workforce in the last year and I don't see us recalling any laid off folks for a while. This used to be a GM town as well and we know too well of their fate..
I'm 50 now and if I was laid off tomorrow, I would get by ok.
Since you have the freedom to do something else, I'd look at the want ads for your area and see whats needed. There is ALWAYS a need for folks in the medical field and whatever you choose, do something you like. Money isn't what it's cracked up to be...

 

I am a 10 year machinist and I love it. This career doesn't seem to get the respect that it used to though. I guess that is because now every button pusher in the world calls themselves machinists.

Advice: learn as much as you can about computers and CNC equipment, CAD\Cam systems, and find someone that has been in this business for a while and stick in their back pocket as much as possible.

I also work in the aircraft industry. I work for a aluminum extrusion plant and ours has been fairly steady. About a year ago we opened a plant in Romania to work the european market, and we have been busy making dies and tooling for them.

 

Trade Schools - watch out for the big for profit ones. They can be predatory. Like you end up with a $20,000 bill for the training, which can be had with as much quality in a adult ed or votec school for $300 a semester per class.

Continuous learning - once you pick a trade, you have to maintain your skill set for new technologies and changing trends. You cannot count on a career of doing the same thing the same exact way for 40 years any more! Change is accellerating and continuous education will be the path for those that want a successful career.

Trades - I think plumbing, HVAC, electrician are pretty solid. anything that reqquires a trade cert might be good.

Also - theres job roles that exist at every company out there - receptionist, accountant, general manager, etc. if you have skills that transfer accross a wide range of business types, that simply increases your probabilities.

One of the most prosperous appearing businesses I've seen trending is landscaping. These days I see plenty of rigs that look like they're trying to compete with professional race cars for glitz and bling.

practice excellent birth control. being responsible for a family can destroy your career chances. you amy end up with the best job you can get at the time, and be trapped in it because you dont know how to do anything else.

there are some government agencies, like bureau of labor statistics, that forcast what types of employment will grow or shirnk in the future. I never looked in to that, but, it's another thing to help with your decision making.

-90% Jimmy

 

best choice i made for a job , been steadily employed since 1988 doing jobbing shop and industrial machining

 

Excellent advice!

 

I trained as a machinist back in '79 at a local shipyard that offered an apprenticeship. This is the way to go IMO. You get the training AND get paid too. After four years, you can go anywhere. In this area you can even get a federal gov't job as an apprentice in the machinist trade.

The best part of the job is being able to make/fix stuff for myself. This is a great trade for someone who likes to build things. There are some people where I work that couldn't change the oil in their own car. They don't know the difference between a drill bit and an endmill. Ones like myself, enjoy the challenge of doing something that is difficult and building all types of hardware. I think that this would be a good fit for a motor head.

Think about it. Scat, Edelbrock, Mallory, and dozens of other automotive companies build there own stuff right here in USA.

 

I got out of a MCSE paper school right at the ass-end of all of this. I actually started my job hunt being offered $50 an hour, and in less than 6 months was sitting in the waiting room fighting with people that had 20 years of experience for $7 an hour.

I actually walked away from IT for about 2 years and went into RV service work until the market got a bit better and started from the bottom like a smart person.

I have been real lucky with this field. I make good money (ain't gonna die rich, but it keeps me and mine fed and clothed). The hours at this place are nice and I get to dick around on my motorcycle, truck and dozens of other little whatsits while I am working towards a Bachelor's in Network Security.

My saving grace is that I am a damn good troubleshooter, and I can do anything from keyboard monkey to half-assed programming. And having this kind of a Jack-of-all-trades ability has kept me employed while I watched a lot of friends lose their positions or get passed over.

I think that is the biggest thing that person needs right now. You truly have to be faster smarter, and more usable then the next person through that door. You can't hold the desk down, you have to be the one that the company will hurt if they ever have to replace. You have to be good and not just better than average either, but good at whatever you do. Or else you will be one of those people doomed to fail.

And keep lots of left and right movement. Yes I work in tech. But my off hours I am teaching myself metal work, I keep my welding skills relatively honed, I am not an IT guy per say, I am a guy that works in IT, but I am always ready to swing a hammer or push a broom. I am not trapped in this field I have chosen to stay in this field. There are a lot of unemployed folk out there that have no ability other than the one they are currently unemployed by. Don't be that person.

Right now the good jobs are not looking for a specialist exactly. They want a specialist that can also work in other areas. If you are a Machinist, be able to throw a good bead down, or program your own machine. If you are a Mechanic, be able to wash your paws and talk to a customer and sell them anything in the shop. Don't let yourself get trapped.

 

I've read each post in this thread and would like to thank each poster individually but that would take a new thread entirely. I am taking ALL of your advice to heart and process it into a decision. I'm impressed by the range of experience, knowledge, and wisdom demonstrated in this thread, what an awesome group! I'm also finding it helpful hearing people's reports from around the country working in different sectors of the industry.

I agree that manual skills should be learned before programming. Lane Community College offers what appears to be a good program that has a solid base in manual processes. I'll need to visit the school to learn more about it's day to day.
And if anyone's interested, below is link to Lane's Mfg. Tech. program.
http://lanecc.edu/collegecatalog/documents/CTmanufacturingtech.pdf


Taken from the above link is a job outlook for machinists in Oregon:
Employment Trends Statewide, 115 annual openings for machinists are projected in Oregon and 11 openings are projected annually in Lane County. Competitively trained workers should find reasonable employment opportunities. Those with an associate degree will have a competitive advantage in this labor market.
Wages Statewide average, $19 hourly, $40,000 annually ($50,000+ with experience). Lane County average, $18 hourly, $38,000 annually.

Again, I'd like to thank everyone for taking their time to share there experience. I'm sure others are finding this and the welding thread valuable in helping with major career decisions both for people just starting out and those who are contemplating a mid-career change.

 

totally agree with this guy.i will certainly discourage my kids from working with their hands.

 

In the early 90's I decided to put in a request for separation from the Fl Army National Guard so I could go regular (active duty) Army.I had an oppratunity to change my MOS from 63B (light wheel veh mechanic) to 44E (machinist) and jumped on it thinking this would be a good job when I got out.WRONG!With no Union presense in Fl I was running back and forth between 2 CNC milling machines making $8.50 / hr.Sucks,huh?Thats why I'm driving an 18 wheeler today.Find something else kid.

 

i currently study that in the machine tool tech program at the napa valley college and it is one of the most rewarding things i have done. With the right training and the right addition of other college courses, there are still opportunities out there