My Road to Manufacturing

 

                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.