Military time comming to an end.

[eartaker]

I have been in the Army for around 4 years now and it is coming time for me to take on the roll as a civilian again. I want work in a field that interests me and I love. The past 4 years I have been working with satellite communications and wide are networking, but it cont seem to interest me all that much anymore. I have always played around and tinkered in metal working and CNC machining but never really pressured it as a job. What schooling or certifications are looked well upon when applying for a job as a CNC programmer or just as a machinist? I know I have many things to learn but would like to take that step.

[jgramlich]

Heh, I did satcom in the USAF and now I'm running robots in a steel fabrication plant. :-)

You don't really need any certifications. A real good working knowledge of computers...DOS & Windows XP is probably the best thing to know. I'd look for a small company that is looking for someone technically proficient...so many machine tools these days are computer controlled and so many of the older workforce do not have the computer knowledge. That doesn't prevent them from being competitive for these positions, but basic computer knowledge can be difficult to teach to someone who doesn't sit in front of a computer every day.

I'd say your best bet...the small company. It may not pay as much as a larger outfit, but you'll learn more and do so more quickly. Big companies have so many people it is difficult to take on extra responsibility or play around with toys that are "someone else's job". At a small company, if you're technically proficient, you'll end up getting trained on the new tools because you can pick it up more quickly than most.

Good luck!

[kling8]

There are many tech schools that offer a machining program, that being said I would agree with jgramlich, call around to shops and see who is hiring get your foot in the door, to see if you are going to enjoy machining before, going into a tech school, some shops prefer to train you in house.

[benji2505]

My suggestion was to call the companies that you would look at and talk to the HR dept what they have to say. There are lots of them around and I am sure they will give you an answer. Your combination should be a good fit for private companies that do a combination of mechanical and electronic parts, like missiles, torpedoes, aircraft systems, etc. Those companies are always looking for people with existing security clearings and technology knowhow.