Pay rates for MasterCAM programmers.

[TXFred]

I hope that this is not too far off topic for this forum. If it is, then I ask that the moderator please delete this thread or move it to a better location.

I started this job with very little practical experience, having never even laid hands on a full size CNC machine. As such, I accepted a fairly low pay rate in exchange for the priveledge of getting my foot in the door.

A year and a half later, I'm very comfortable with these machines and the programming. Due to layoffs and retirements, I am now the primary CNC machinist in the shop. I handle programming, setups, and part production on two lathes and two mills. And when needed, I do manual work.

To cap all that off, I have an Associates degree in Mechanical Drafting.

I'm still making the same low pay, and would like to present my boss and his boss with proof that I am underpaid.

Keeping all of that in mind, what do you think is fair pay for a MasterCAM programmer with these skills?

I look forward to seeing your responses.

Sincerely,
Frederic

[michaelthomas]

I make 25.00 per hour as a cnc programmer/operator. We don't use Mastercam where I currently work, but I'm very capable with it.

I program for other shops (mostly 3d stuff) on the side, and make 35.00 per hour......and don't get any complaints.

I have been doing this for about 17 years.

I have had no formal training. I took the plunge in 1994 and bought my first commercial machine. It was used, so there was no support that came with it. I took jobs and figured out how to do them as I went. I learned much faster than if I was working for someone else and they were paying for my mistakes.....lol.

I live in western Colorado and I would say the economic status is fairly depressed here.

The shops that I do the complex stuff for have operator/programmers of their own that they pay 15-18 dollars per hour. They can do the simple stuff, but are completely lost on 3d.

I don't know if that's helpful to you......hopefully.

[michaelthomas]

I don't use Mastercam at my current job. As I mentioned, I am proficient at it. I made the same amount of money when Mastercam was my shop's program, and I suspect if my current employer decides to do away with Alphacam and spend a lot of money for no good reason and purchase Mastercam.......my pay rate won't change.

Excellent first post, btw.

[daoneua]

I am a mold maker, I have been doing this for about 22 years. I use Mastercam since version 5.5, I make $29.00/hr.

[Dane Lindon]

Originally Posted by TXFred As such, I accepted a fairly low pay rate in exchange for the priveledge of getting my foot in the door. A year and a half later, I'm very comfortable with these machines and the programming. Due to layoffs and retirements, I am now the primary CNC machinist in the shop.

Boy, I wonder what your future looks like. Your good until someone else accepts a fairly low pay rate in exchange for the priveledge of getting his foot in the door...

In 1997 I made $33/hr, in 1997 dollars, more now but the dollar's purchase power has been greatly reduced. Your employer thinks your a sucker.

[cadcam]

It does make a difference were you live I live in California and the pay can be different.
I make usually $42.00 + and hour for just programming and some times setup.
As a contract programmer I get $65.00 hr.
At the shop I am at now I get more then $50. hr so it matters what you can program and do. I can do mills ,lathes , water jets, robots, lasers and on the mill side verticals ,horizontals and 4th and 5th axis. but to make in the $20.00+ range is a range I see in allot of shops for what you are stating. may we ask what you make now, really lets is it less the $20.00 hr. hope this is helpful.
You can see you can make good monies in some areas but it does take years in most cases and hard work. So keep it up.
PS what state are you in.

[emonje]

I do:
Run 2 VMCs, 1 Lathe, 1 WEDM.
Make 3D models in Solidworks.
Make Toolpath in Mastercam.
Manual programming.

Been doing so for 7 years now.

I make:
Slightly less than $1.25/hr.

Guess where I work.

[Delw]

Originally Posted by TXFred I hope that this is not too far off topic for this forum. If it is, then I ask that the moderator please delete this thread or move it to a better location. I started this job with very little practical experience, having never even laid hands on a full size CNC machine. As such, I accepted a fairly low pay rate in exchange for the priveledge of getting my foot in the door. A year and a half later, I'm very comfortable with these machines and the programming. Due to layoffs and retirements, I am now the primary CNC machinist in the shop. I handle programming, setups, and part production on two lathes and two mills. And when needed, I do manual work. To cap all that off, I have an Associates degree in Mechanical Drafting. I'm still making the same low pay, and would like to present my boss and his boss with proof that I am underpaid. Keeping all of that in mind, what do you think is fair pay for a MasterCAM programmer with these skills? I look forward to seeing your responses. Sincerely, Frederic

Fred
you have a year and a half of experiance, that aint nothing Not trying to offened you but wait till you have 5-10 years of experiance before you start demanding high pay. I will say unless your topped out at there payscale asking for a raise is acceptable.
and your degree really has nothing to do with your pay scale.

You also didnt say what your pay was. so no one will know what you make and if its fair or not. In my opinion its no one elses business what you make.

In 1990?-94 I was programming on the side, I charged 60 per hour and I had more work than I could do.Mainly cause I was good at it. I knew feeds and speeds of nickles and other exotics etc etc as I ran them everyday in my real job.

[TXFred]

Thank you all for the responses, some of which were quite unusual.

I didn't say what I made because I plan to use this thread as part of my argument. And there's probably a rule about me revealing exactly what I make. Suffice it to say, I am making well below the average. Although if i moved to Bangladesh, I would be doing quite well.

I live in Austin, TX. Cost of living here is about average, I believe.

Delw, no offense taken. A year and a half is not much, but it's infinitely more than the 0 that I started with.

I have a two step process to get a raise. First, I have to convince management that what they are paying is well below normal. Then I have to convince them that I am worthy of a raise.

This should be interesting. Thank you all for the replies.

Sincerely,
Frederic

[John_B]

Frederic,

Don't know exactly what you're making, but I can guesstimate - I'm also in the Austin area. Send me a PM if things don't work out, I need a backup in my shop and I'm not running across too many too many rocket scientists...

John