Plan cuts from the drawing
Go through the drawing and decide which surfaces to machine first and what order follows.
Career profile
Machinist
Machinists turn a plan drawing into a metal part, and that part has to fit.
The tricky part comes twice: first choosing which cuts to make, and afterward measuring whether the finished part hits its sizes.
A day in the life
Clamp the stock and tools
Align the metal stock and cutting tools on the lathe or milling machine, then fasten them tight.
Watch speed and feed rate
Track speed and feed, and find why a cut went bad before changing how the job runs.
Check the finished part's sizes
Measure the finished part with a micrometer and confirm every size falls within the range the drawing allows.
Quick facts
High school + training
United States
$58,750/year
United States · May 2025
1% growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school + trainingA diploma or equivalent is typical; machining skills take further training.
Pay
$58,750/yearNational median for machinists, equivalent to $28.24/hour.
Outlook
1% growthProjected change in machinist employment from 2025 to 2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like checking small differences carefully.
- You enjoy tracing a problem back to its cause.
Things to weigh
- Expect standing, repeated movements, and machinery noise.
- Some shops require nights, weekends, or overtime.
Where AI may help
Computer numerical control (CNC) machines follow programmed cutting instructions.
What people still lead
You still set up the work and monitor the results.
What we can’t predict yet
As automatic loading and cutting improve, how much hands-on tending remains will vary by shop.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median gives you a reference point, not a starting offer.
The national range
Machinists’ median pay was $58,750 a year, or $28.24 an hour. The 10th percentile was $39,200 and the 90th was $80,010 annually. Those points describe the wage distribution, not beginner and senior pay grades.
What can change your pay
Location, experience, and responsibility can affect earnings.
Openings despite slow growth
Employment is projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 26,100 openings annually on average. Openings include replacing people who leave the occupation, not just newly created jobs.
Getting started
Enter a machining apprenticeship
- What the route involves
- Work with an experienced craftsperson and take technical instruction while learning to operate and maintain machine tools.
- What it can lead to
- You build the practical skills to make parts as a machinist.
- What to check
- A high school diploma or equivalent is typically needed; check each sponsor’s entry requirements.
Study machining at a technical or community college
- What the route involves
- Take a machining certificate or degree program covering drawings, measurement, manual machines, and CNC setup.
- What it can lead to
- You develop skills for entry machining work; the curriculum you choose determines how much programming and advanced machining you practice.
You can learn through employment or study machining before applying.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get reliable at the basics
Build consistent machine-operation habits as you gain shop experience.
Handle more of the setup
Develop your ability to set up CNC work and understand the programming behind it.
Specialize in programming
A possible next step is computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programming: plan machining jobs and prepare instructions that operators can run.
Where you can work
Production shops and factories
You may work through batches of the same part, keeping dimensions consistent across the run.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Maintenance machine shops
A machinery mechanic identifies a damaged component; you use its engineering drawing to make a replacement.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Sketch a rectangular part with two holes. Mark its outside dimensions and each hole’s size and distance from an edge. Ask someone to redraw it using only your measurements. Notice whether finding missing information and making the drawing clearer interests you.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 51-4041.00 — Machinists. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Machinists and Tool and Die Makers — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — May 2025 national estimates, SOC 51-4041. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections Table 1.2 — 2025–2035, SOC 51-4041. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Beyond construction trades: Apprenticeships in a variety of careers. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- Stanly Community College. Computer-Integrated Machining — Current Catalog. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- National Institute for Metalworking Skills. Machining Credentials. Accessed 2026-10-11.