How much does an average machinist make?

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

Ref: handelwanker's above #22. I served my apprenticeship during the day and attended school at night. That way you get book larnin' and hands on experience in a shorter time. Raises hell with your love life though. Another good way is co-op school and shop arrangements.

[handlewanker]

Hi Rich, I think that apprenticeships then were on the same basis.
In South West Africa in the late fifties, as apprentices, we worked our normal 45 hour shift each week and went to school two nights for two hours each and Saturday morning for four hours.
The saturday morning was a normal working shift and we got paid for going to school in place of it.
Then we'd catch a lift out to the mine workshops and work the afternoon overtime to make up the 52 hour week.
Love life never came into it. We used to spend most evenings down at the local bar,(men only), playing snooker, but on friday night and weekends, thats when the partys and serious temporary courting took place.
Courting was a carefull business as we worked with the girls' fathers and any malarky would get dire consequences.
Ian.

[Exodus8931]

i work for a company that wishes to remain nameless. .... hehehe

i worked there for about 8 years
about 4 years as part time .. when i was doing my schooling ..

first here is what i have in my background ....
computer science degree
A++ ceritified
mastercam all levells certificates ...
esprit certificate
smartcam certificate
cadkey certificate
solidworks profesional certificate
autocad ceritificate ...
and right now i'm going to new england tech to get my mechenical
engineering deg,
i'm a big computer junkie ... that's y i have so many ceritificates ... if somethign interst me i go and find out about it ...
anyways ....
what i do there ....
i woked for about 2 years in sheet metal ... as part timer
1 year on cnc as oporator ....
then for 2 full time years ... setup ... fixtures ... simple programing on the machine ...
and the i staterd programing with mastercam there ... been using it and writting programs for about 3years ... for 15 machines ...
we also have a sheet metal shop ... i been doing the sheet metal designing and production for about 3 years ... at the same time

now ... i'm getting paid under 30
.... and as soon as i get my degree i'm getting the f... out off there ...
and i already have a place to go ...


thanks .. .sorry about the spelling ...

[Exodus8931]

The best advice I could give any young bloke contemplating the engineering industry for a career is to get your hands dirty early on and GET some further education or whatever it takes to learn the advanced engineering principles, so that when you're ready for that office job in a technical establisment, you'll know what you're talking about.
I don't know how many people I've come up against who have the "book learning" skills but have never cut metal.
Ian.

i deal with that all the time ... last time i had to show one of them a true table positions calculation ... he tought it was +- what ever was in the box ....

[Demon440]

hey Exodus8931, where did you go to get all the certificates? They offer some autocad ones at my local college, but thats it.

[cadcam]

Exodus8931, Were did the mastercam all levells certificates ... Come from?
you should talk with the local dealer or go to mastercams Webb site and see the Certification Program.http://www.mastercam.com/TeachersStu...n/Default.aspx

I am going to have a meeting with Haas Automation to setup a Certification Program for all the employs as I have been in the middle of trainning for few months now. The company wants to move them up and test them.

[handlewanker]

Hi Exodus, down under we had, when the unions were top dogs, a saying "Last in, first out".
At least where you are you'll be top dog with all them bits of paperwork, and you'll have something to impress your boss with.
I don't know what your new place is going to be like but usually when you start with a new bit of paperwork you still have to work up to prove yourself, and that means starting at the bottom rung of a new ladder, and by the time you get there you'll be part of the furniture like anyone else.
Eight years in one firm goes a long way for building up experiance unless you are so peed off with the place you can't wait to get away.
Ian.

[Exodus8931]

Exodus8931, Were did the mastercam all levells certificates ... Come from?
you should talk with the local dealer or go to mastercams Webb site and see the Certification Program.http://www.mastercam.com/TeachersStu...n/Default.aspx

I am going to have a meeting with Haas Automation to setup a Certification Program for all the employs as I have been in the middle of trainning for few months now. The company wants to move them up and test them.

the mastercam certification i did at
68 Pratts Junction Road
Sterling, MA 01564
http://www.services4automation.com/

autocad @ Wenthworth ins. in Boston

the Solidworks @
CADD Edge, Inc. | 1700 West Park Drive, Suite 300
Westborough | MA | 01581
www.caddedge.com
Phone:888.223.3334 Ext. 2960| Fax: 508.366.1333

Esprit @ Worcester - Polytech ins.

and the rest ... well one was in chicago ... and the other i can't remember

[ImanCarrot]

Im about 27 bucks an hour (in UK here), but that's before bonuses- I get 5% of everything the company invoices that comes off my machine every quarter... which aint bad I spose. [Edit 5% of everythig ABOVE a certain value lol not 5% of everything ]

[blackhollowmfg]

The best advise I even heard and followed through on: Don't try to climb the corporate ladder, OWN the corporate ladder!

[handlewanker]

Hi Blackhollow, I get your drift, taken to it's broadest interpretation, it's better to work for yourself than be employed by someone.
Now there's a pipe dream.
I think that if you put this into practice you'll have too many captains and not enough deck swabbers.
Which probably wouldn't be a bad thing.
Can you imagine a guy rolling up to a job interview in a brand new cheaufer driven Mercedes, dressed in an expensive suit?
Apparently he was the only one left who knew how to switch the machine on, everyone else were business owners desperatrely looking for someone to switch their machine on, so's they could go off and play golf with the other business owners.
As in nature, where there is a balance of predators and herbivores, so in the business world there'll always be "them and us".
I don't suppose you have ever considered that co-operatives have any part in your world view?
Ian.

[blackhollowmfg]

Hi Blackhollow, I get your drift, taken to it's broadest interpretation, it's better to work for yourself than be employed by someone.
Now there's a pipe dream.
I think that if you put this into practice you'll have too many captains and not enough deck swabbers.
Which probably wouldn't be a bad thing.
Can you imagine a guy rolling up to a job interview in a brand new cheaufer driven Mercedes, dressed in an expensive suit?
Apparently he was the only one left who knew how to switch the machine on, everyone else were business owners desperatrely looking for someone to switch their machine on, so's they could go off and play golf with the other business owners.
As in nature, where there is a balance of predators and herbivores, so in the business world there'll always be "them and us".
I don't suppose you have ever considered that co-operatives have any part in your world view?
Ian.

Pipe dream? No, I actually live it everyday. I can pinch myself and feel it. No pipe dream here. Manufacturing business, no boats involved

If the guy has a brand new cheaufer driven Mercedes I doubt he is in bad need of a job interview???

I quit my job, but I never left, never cleaned out my desk, other than throw my old business cards away. I created a business (yeah, I'm the owner). Now, instead of being paid a salary working for my old employer, my company is paid to have me do the same job. On salary, I got paid the same no matter what my results were. Now, the greater my results, the more my company gets paid, and I add more value to the company that hires my business. I have a greater incentive to get greater results. I choose to get paid for my results rather than being paid for my time. When I am not in the office (I'm not an employee of the company anymore, so no set hours), I attend to my other business here at home.

I can tell you one thing: since I started living my "pipe dream", my wealth has greatly increased. Sure couldn't build what I have now by being an employee. But, don't forget that not everyone is cut out to be a business owner, or do they want to be. Some folks are happy with a punch in/punch out mentality. I was not. I don't feel there is any fear of having too many captains and not enough deck swabbers.

BTW, the owner of the company I used to work for more/less retired five years ago. He handed the day-to-day operations over to the General Manager. He now plays golf all day.....with other business owners....when he's not flying around to warmer climates.

It's only a pipe dream for those that who are afraid to take the risk, or have no desire to "be the ladder." For some, getting paid the most they can get for their time is acceptable. Nothing wrong with that. It's just not for me. Like I said before, it was the best advise I ever heard and followed through on.