Families / Craft

CNC Machinist

Programs and runs machines that cut parts to thousandths of an inch. Tolerance, fixturing and tooling knowledge compound for decades.

Pay band (est.)
$50k–$95k
Time to competence
4 years
Licence
None
Setting
site
Leverage
medium
Place constraint
medium
Physical demand
55/100
Hours burden
52/100

Factor percentiles

Percentile against the whole curated set. Higher is better on that factor only.

  • Play33th

    Absorbing rather than merely paid.

  • Specific knowledge22th

    A combination of skills that is hard to copy.

  • Leverage49th

    Output that scales through code, media, capital or crew.

  • Demand53th

    Durability and shortage, scored conservatively.

  • Pay31th

    Mid-career floor and the range above it.

  • Body46th

    Inverse of physical demand and hours.

  • Autonomy42th

    Control of methods and time.

  • People fit24th

    Distance from your preferred people level.

  • Place flexibility28th

    Remote fit and freedom from specific metros.

  • Time to skill79th

    Inverse of years to competence.

  • Meaning load57th

    Care, craft and stewardship weight. Not a moral score.

  • Downside tolerance62th

    Inverse of named risk to body, market or platform.

Downside

Shift work; shops close when a single large customer leaves.

Examine this against your weights

The percentiles above use the default weights. Set your own on the ranking and this vocation moves with them.

  • Place constraint is medium. Where you live is analysed at locationistics.com.
  • Hours burden is 52/100 and people intensity 25/100. Who you are with is analysed at relationistics.com.

Source note: BLS-style outlook and wage patterns; estimate. All figures are estimates for comparison.