My road
so far has been somewhat bumpy but I’ve learned a lot in the last few months.
My goal for this blog is to describe my learning process. Before I started at
Richland College, I didn’t even know what a lathe or mill was. I’m now a CNC
machinist, learning to do set ups after only three months of working. Due to
some financial situations, I’ve decided to switch my degree plan to a B.A.A.S.
in Manufacturing and Industrial Management. I hope to start August 2014 at
Tarleton State University. So as promised, here is a hiring guide from some
managers and owners in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area.
As I
continued down the path to an A.A.S. in Manufacturing, I wondered what an
associate could possibly do for me when it came down to being a machinist. I
was worried because no matter how well you did in school; with no real world
experience meant starting at the bottom. Starting at the bottom means low pay.
With everyone excited about manufacturing coming back into the country, I
thought I would for sure come out swinging $40k-$50k a year. I found out
quickly that those numbers are for experienced machinist. For entry level, I
was looking at $19k-$25k. I did not let the numbers discourage me (although my
wife was very much "discouraged" considering the pay cut after the military). After doing some research, pay cuts are common
when switching job fields. Being that manufacturing is coming back, I feel I
made the right investment. After doing some interviews over the last year, many
employers stated that an education will put you ahead of the line for
inexperienced employees. With no real world experience, an employer will have
you shadow a senior employee to learn the job. It all comes down to how much
money you can make your employer. Starting off from the bottom, it will not be
much. It’s an investment for them to take the time to train us, and allow us to
learn on the job. In the world of machining, every day is on the job training.
With a degree, it will reduce that initial training time. If you already have
the theory and basics, it should take considerably less time than any
inexperienced worker off the street. A degree can also make it easier to move
into a management position once the experience is gained, although, this is
more probable in a larger shop environment. A smaller shop environment, or job
shops, will give you much more experience starting off due to the amount of
small jobs ran. Smaller jobs will equal much more set up experience. Set up
experience along with CNC programming is highly marketable, making that
$40-$50k seems more achievable.
What
many employers are looking for is punctuality, being personable, and a
mechanical aptitude. It can be difficult in a small shop environment if you
don’t have a good attitude, or you’re hard to get along with. Being positive
and not falling victim to a toxic attitude is also marketable. Mechanical
aptitude is a skill that a person either has or doesn’t. Very little mechanical
aptitude can be taught. There are many people out there who may argue the fact,
saying that different learning styles may hinder a person’s ability, but not
completely halt a person’s ability to learn. That may be true, but why try to
force something you’re not good at? Managers have told me that a strong will to
learn, and being able to apply what you learn is one of the most important
assets a person could have. With all this information being thrown at you, you
have to be able to apply it correctly and reduce the amount of parts and money
wasted. Also, when it comes down to the hiring process, appearance and the
ability to communicate effectively is very important. Being that this is
technically a blue collar position, wearing a suit is frowned upon by some
employees. In my personal opinion, you can never go wrong with a well fitted
suit. My resume, MasterCam/AutoCAD portfolio, and references speak for my work
ethic. The suit speaks directly to the employer saying “I’m taking this
serious”.
In the
end, you have to ask yourself, what kind of company do you want to work for? A
small shop will offer plenty of set up experience, and on the job training. The
down side to that could mean fewer chances for promotions or advancement to
management. A larger shop may have more benefits and sometimes even better pay.
The down side to those is running thousands of parts with only 1 set up. You
could get stuck running one machine or a drill press for a year or so,
hindering your chances to learn to be a better machinist. Personally, I chose a
smaller shop. I got hired on the spot (With my suit on!) and really enjoy the
environment. I’m just learning as much as I can to get off the bottom. Thanks
for reading everyone.
