'Greenhorn' Machinist Salary??

[offroadwerks]

Just started back to school fulltime(day two actually) to become a machinist. Precision Manufacturing and Machining Technology is the course. When finished I will have a Associates in Applied Science Degree (2Yr).
Anybody know what apprentice or journeymen in this field start out making? Supposed to be able to operate mills, lathes, grinder, drill press, operate, set up and program CNC. I know this is pretty broad but I may have a job opportunity with state benefits(maintenance for school system). Not the highest paying job but it has good perks
Should I tough it out for two years and hope to get a good job(knowing I have to pay my dues/work up ladder) or jump on a secure job with state with not so great pay?
I'm back doing some fab work here at home until I can get my foot in the door doing machine work somewhere.

 

[kmcminn]

I also have an Associates Degree in Applied Science( machine tool technology ). I did it for six years. I was also teaching part time at a junior college right before I quit machining. Machinist is a good job. But a lot of it is where you work at. Every job has its up and downs.

 

[HotwheelsYJ]

Re:

Starting pay around here for button pushers with basics programming skills is $15-16 an hour. Show that you know what you're doing can move you on up to $20 range depending on the company.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 4

 

[J/Cope79]

It will definitely depend on what area you are in and what kind of work your are has.

 

[B.DRAKE]

Machining has been good to me! I agree with above about just depends on what kind of work is on your area. The pay is good, can be real good at some places but not gonna get chicken farmer rich off of it :****: ;D

 

[BUG-E J]

Machining has been good to me! I agree with above about just depends on what kind of work is on your area. The pay is good, can be real good at some places but not gonna get chicken farmer rich off of it :****: ;D

If I started shittin golden eggs once a week it wouldn't be chicken farmer rich! :****:

 

[mdo817]

Machining has been good to me also. Our starting pay (major airline) is a little over $20 an hour, but increases at a fairly good rate yearly.

 

[ldwoodruff]

i went to tn tech center 6yr. ago for the same 2yr program. here in tn if your just a button pusher start out round 15 and if you are good at manual machines and do some programing 18 and up. like these boys said depends on the area. good luck man

 

[Rockwells607]

I've been a machinist for 10 years, started as apprentice for 11$ an hour knowing nothing in a tool room, after a few years moved up quickly and went to a factory machine shop ( union) and started at 21$ an hour, they start apprentices at 16$ I believe with no knowledge of anything maching, so ya, totally depends where and who you work for. But maching has been an awesome gateway to four wheeling and custom parts for me, I never work in the weather and get a pay check every week , it supports my family and I plan to retire from it

 

[deranged57]

I made $11/hr when I first got into the trade with an Associates degree in a program quite similar to what you're taking. If you work hard, prove your skills and make every effort to acquire new skills you should climb in pay rather quickly. The term "machinist" is very broad though, button pushers typically start higher but don't really advance much since showing up on time and following instructions is about the extent of the job. The shops I have worked in required "machinists" to be able to program, setup tooling, and setup machines. This type of environment allows for a lot of personal growth and even advancement. I started running the roughing mills in the first shop (plastic injection mold builder), quickly moved to component cutting mills after a couple months. I then switched shops because I wanted to advance onto a bigger better machine, which I did less than a year after the move. I now run two 3+2 axis finishing machines and finish about 1/2 of all the molds that come through our shop.

My advice is this - Don't let money dictate your decision 100%, instead look for a shop that has steady work load, very little employee turn-over and will challenge your skillset, the money will follow once you prove yourself.

Even after 2 years at a vocational school during my high school years and a 2 year degree from a University I soon realized that I didn't know **** when it came to real world shop experience. I learned 1000x more in the first 6 months on the job that any schooling could have provided, but without the degree I wouldn't have got in the door at most shops around here without more job experience.

 

[offroadwerks]

Thanks for the input guys!!!

 

[motofast]

Re:

Starting pay around here for button pushers with basics programming skills is $15-16 an hour. Show that you know what you're doing can move you on up to $20 range depending on the company.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 4

This guy right here knows his stuff.. He showed me a bunch when I 1st started out machining at Ledford's machine.

 

[zhutchison]

I started into it after school my sophmore year of high school for $7.00 an hour and just very basic lathe use at an engine shop but worked up and now 10 years later I'm making $50k+ a year and have good benefits to match. Button pushers can be replaced with any monkey walking off the street and most shops will tell you that, learn conventional machining as well and you will progress faster and have more oppurtunities. In this area it almost takes schooling to get in the door but once you have a foot in the door experience counts for far more!

 

[PixbyNick]

I've been doing it since I got outta high school in 2006, its been pretty good to me also. I now do set-ups and a little programming for a shop on 2nd shift(10 CNC vertical mills). Pay around here for button pusher Is $9-11 an hour. Little knowledge will get you $12-$14. Programming and Good experience is $18-$20+. My advice would be learn all you can in school, but don't go into your first job thinking you can't learn anymore. You will learn so much more on the job than in school IMO. Once you get the hang of it you can make yourself all sorts of stuff!!

 

[Blase]

At our shop we start out newbies between $10-$15 an hour depending on skill level and work experience. "top pay" for a machinist right now is around $25 per/hour. Our guys work 6A-6P 5 days a week and have to work one weekend a month for 17 hours. You can do the math on what a good machinist can make here!! LOTS and LOTS of OT to be had!!

Out Texas location has about a 10% higher pay scale and the top guys there make closer to $30 but have less chance to make OT.

Pay depends greatly on the area in which you live!!

We Honestly don't think to highly of the trade schools in this area. Most of our guys either already have real world machining experience or we train them from scratch. That is how most of the shops in our area operate. Most of the trade schools around here only teach the very basics using old equipment. We run conversational controls on all of our CNC machines so knowing G-code is not super helpful at our shop.