Originally Posted By: andyd
Guys,in order to be a machinist, you have to have something to machine. The amount of machinery made in the USA is shrinking. Find yourself a niche.
Often repeated, but very overstated at least in my neck of the woods.
Central and Southern CT is chock full of small hi tech mfg places. Aerospace, medical implants etc. Add to that, no one going into that field and upturns in the economy and there are a lot of opportunities.
The state of CT has partnered with CCSU and many manufacturers to get more people in the trade; formal training... . real jobs. A lot of math... YES; If you asked where you would use tangent sine and cosine, it is here.
TMotos comments are spot on. Our set up guys made over $20/hour and that was 20 years ago.
The downside is it is an unlicensed trade so, like auto mechanics, you are prone to run into some hackers. I consider my 7 years of working @ a 100+ person aerospace job shop (programmer) to have worked with some of the most skilled people I know.