"Well-trained machinists have a career, not just a job," says James Grosmann.
He is the director of sales and marketing at the National Tooling and Machining
Association. "Many of those out of work today are usually those who the shop
owner didn't think applied themselves as much as others. Shop owners will
move the earth to keep high-quality journeymen machinists because they know
if they let them go, they'll quickly find work elsewhere and they'll never
get them back."
Elaina Roberts is a mechanical engineer in training and a machinist. She
has been in the field for seven years and has a shop in her home.
"Before I completed my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering,
I worked as an apprentice machinist for two years in both the mining and pulp
and paper industries," she explains.
"Currently, I'm working for a company, which allows me to work as both
an engineer and as a machinist, which is great. I grew up in a small community
in northwestern Ontario, were I was continuously exposed to industry. Over
the last seven years, I've established a shop at home where I am continuously
doing work."
She is continuously doing work because it's work that she loves. Roberts,
like many involved in this line of work, finds the industry very rewarding.
"Personally, I feel it's a great sense of accomplishment when I can look
at a drawing and make the component depicted in the drawing," she says. "Also,
when you see a mechanical component and you can say, 'I know how to make one
of those.'"
Roberts says that having a diverse set of skills is important in this industry.
So is location. "Get into a company where you have the chance to improve your
machining skills in as many aspects as possible," she says. "If you want to
make a really good living as a machinist, your best bet is to work in remote
locations or work in large industries."
Roberts says that, unfortunately, it's hard for women to get ahead in this
line of work. She says it's due to a stereotype that women are "not technically
or mechanically inclined." She says this makes first impressions really tough.
"But given the chance, women make excellent tradespeople, and sometimes
companies will look past the stereotype and give you that chance," she says.
"Also, in industry, safety is the number-one concern and some companies feel
that women are safety hazards.... They feel that women in the shop would cause
the comfort level in a shop to decrease, which can lead to accidents."
But it's certainly not impossible for women to succeed in this line of
work -- Roberts is living proof of it. She says that once a woman gets past
that initial stage where she is the new person on the job, things get a lot
smoother.
"I found the first couple of days are the hardest because everyone is tip-toeing
around you, thinking you're an accident waiting to happen," she says. "But
once you show them that you are capable of doing your job correctly and safely,
things get a lot better."
Angela Hill is the owner of a machine shop. She hasn't experienced much
difficulty as a woman getting ahead in the field. It's more a matter of awareness,
she says.
"My thought on the issue is that there just aren't enough women that even
know about the trade," she says. "I'm not sure if it's changing, but I hope
so."
Hill agrees with Roberts that being a machinist is rewarding work. "I
believe people get satisfaction out of creating something out of a rusty piece
of steel," she says. "I get satisfaction out of ripping into a solid piece
of steel and creating a crucial link in an oil-field tool made up of many
different parts, knowing that my machining is serving a purpose somewhere
out there!"
Daniel Forthuber is president and owner of a machining services
company. He also gets a lot of satisfaction from this line of work. For him,
when the end product looks good and measures correctly, it's an incredibly
rewarding feeling.
"I have been blessed with a desire to work with my hands, so the work in
itself is fulfilling to me," he says. "This trade rewards people who do good
work and take great pride in what they produce, which is also beneficial."
Forthuber echoes Grosmann's earlier statements about the good machinists
succeeding and those who don't love their job falling by the wayside. He says
it's like any job -- there are people who give it their all, and there are
people who just go through the motions.
"The people who are in this trade and care about what they do succeed,"
he says. "The demand for these people is tremendous, and they get compensated
accordingly. The people who are just out to punch a clock are as numerous
as sand on the seashore -- they also get paid accordingly."