JOB DESCRIPTION

A machinist (also called cnc programmer, toolmaker, precision metalworker, production engineer, etc.) fabricates parts for virtually every manufactured product including; automobiles, trucks, aircraft, industrial machines.  They keep manufacturing running. Toolmakers convert a few pennies’ worth of raw materials into finished products worth hundreds of times that amount.  Machinists often produce small batches or one-of-a-kind items using their knowledge to plan and carry out the operations needed to make machined products that meet precise specifications.  Machinists typically handle each project single-handedly, deciding which machines and tools to use and how to shape the metal.  This makes their job important and rewarding, both psychologically and financially. 

Toolmakers are responsible for manufacturing tools.  Toolmakers convert a few pennies’ worth of raw materials into finished products worth hundreds of times that.  It’s called value added and it’s what makes their job particularly important and rewarding.  They must continually answer the basic questions, “How do I make this part?”  And not just how, but how efficiently, economically and safely?  In doing that, they draw upon a wide array of skills, the wider the better.  It takes a strong educational background for starters, and continual upgrading.  It also takes inquisitiveness and intuitive skills: Are you a tinkerer?  Do you like to take things apart and wonder how they are made?  That helps, because toolmaking is not all mental; it draws on manual skills and an appreciation of things well made.  But most of all, you need vision, creativity, and the ambition to not just solve today’s problem but to refine yesterday’s answers with continuous improvement.  The best toolmakers are those with a broad array of talents and experiences.

Precision is paramount in this trade, where a fabricated part specification can be 1/20^th the width of a strand of hair.

JOB OPENINGS / OUTLOOK

In the spring of 2004 there were approximately six job openings for every graduate from our program, within a 120 mile radius of Watertown, SD.

There is a high paying future for people who like to use their minds. Skilled machinists, CNC programmers, toolmakers, diemakers and moldmakers are needed throughout the United States. These men and women will use sophisticated machine tools to cut and form metal with extreme precision. There is a critical shortage of persons trained in precision machining technology to produce our nation's machine, tools, dies, special tools and machined parts.

Lifetime earnings rank with other professionals. Tool and diemaking represents the seventh highest paid occupation in the United States based on lifetime earnings.

A SKILLS FRAMEWORK FOR CAREERS IN
PRECISION METAL WORKING

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE IF YOU WOULD MAKE A GOOD MACHINIST

• Would you like to earn a higher annual salary than the average college graduate?
• Do you achieve above average grades?
• Are you interested in a career with low unemployment?
• Do you have a good aptitude for mathematics?
• Can you figure out a better or faster way to do things?
• Do you like thinking for yourself?
• Would you like to be paid to learn?
• Do you have a good mechanical aptitude?
• Are you a person who likes to tinker?
• Do you like to take things apart to see how they work?
• Do you like to know how things are made?
• Do you like working with the fastest computers?
• Would you like your employer to enroll you in college-credit courses that that they would pay for?
• Do you have good spatial awareness abilities?
• Would you like to work in a high-tech industry?
• Are you well organized and precise?
• Do you like to work on projects that have tangible results?

 If you answered yes to most of these questions, you should consider a career in precision metalworking.

Potential students are encouraged to visit local manufacturing facilities and talk with industry representatives about their work and training. Part-time work at a manufacturing company is extremely beneficial and common. Several companies offer tuition reimbursement programs.