Originally Posted by oppositeset  hey guys
laszlozoltan ... did the program at the institute of trades helped u in ur career or it was just the experience u gained elsewhere !! and if u dont mind telling how much r the fees at this place ?
Everyone i talk to warns me that Cnc mahinist is an average kindof field where u would be just making enough money to survive and be prepared to work at a low position for number of years without learning anything since, all the places basically want people to just operate machines and by working over there u won't be able to go ahead and become a programmer, i mean making money is not a priority but i was wondering what's the average per hour u make when u start and whats the maximum !! |
the course helped open doors, but overall I think it was me who pushed things really; getting in to start meant sending out 2 or 3 applications per day m-f for about 3 or 4 months- having no experience really hurt, once I had some experience it got a lot easier. but beyond that, I still pushed, meaning I got a demo version of mastercam off ebay, autocad, text books and I actually use them. visit a lot of forums. I don't think that I if I didn't push so hard I would've gotten in. "knowing" how to program comes after knowing how to machine; and that takes a fair bit of experience, observation and experimentation. You're not going to get much experience if you are doing the same thing day after day all day long. That really should be your indicator when to move on; when it gets boring.
for pay just to get in just say yes to whatever they want to give you; stay there at least 3 months- past your probation, to prove to the next guy that you are good enough to be kept. after that you can start asking slightly higher starting wage at each new employer. most guys don't want to talk about how much they are making. look at the cars they have in the parking lot; you'll see who is and who ain't making what.
the trades course you'll have to call the school to discover what the cost will be; mine was almost 10 years ago, one of the teachers was **it and I nearly left the course because of it ; but I complained about his inability and we got much better instruction following that. if you're paying for the course don't settle for any fool they hire to teach- he should know how to speak english and able to answer your questions with insight. I have trained some guys from shedian collage- and george brown and was astoshed to learn how little and mis-informed the graduate was after 2 years; obviously the teachers there dont look after the students in their care. waste of time from whom I met. but the private trades schools can be just as easily be a fly-by-night operation- I was just glad that mine didn't fly away while I went there. it wouldn't hurt you to just go and apply at a few shops, often after you finish your application the supervisor or the boss will show you his shop; you'll get an idea of the work environment you might find yourself in. they might even offer a job that might fit your schedule too. right now you are young so it is very important to choose your road wisely- hopefully you will find something that makes you happy to do.