Let's be clear. Although the job title calls these metalmancers "machinists," they do not make machines. They sometimes make parts of machines, but that's about as close as it gets. The word "machine" usually makes us think of things like robots, bulldozers, and Keanu Reeves...but you aren't creating or working with any of those.

Bummer.

 

Personally, we'd prefer robot squids to these...but you don't usually get to pick. (Source)

So why is the job title machinist? Well, you will be working with machines, just not the ones you probably thought of. A machinist uses machines to shape metal into parts needed to build other machines or tools. You could be making anything from the bolts needed to hold a bulldozer together, to the joints on those weird squid robots that chased Keanu all over the place. Machinists are basically metal-carvers. They shape metal into whatever form it needs to be.

So now that you know what machinists make, you're probably wondering how much they make. In like, dollars. The median annual income for a machinist hovers around $40,000, or roughly $19 an hour. And no, you can't just craft coins for yourself. It's illegal and also incredibly difficult to get right. Not that we've tried or anything.

 

Things have changed for the better. That looks terrifying. (Source)

There was a time when machinists used equipment like mills, lathes, and handsaws to make their parts. That's the manual (read: old school) way. But nowadays most machinists are also trained in computer-numerically controlled (CNC) tools. Basically, machinists write a program (called "G code") telling their CNC tools how to do the cutting for them (source). 

The system works through a series of steps. It can handle a lot of them. It would be totally normal to take 400 steps to make one full rotation of an inch long gear (source).

The results are incredibly detailed. Like, Tolkien on steroids level detailed. A CNC machine tool can cut at measurements of 0.001" or less. That's about a quarter of the width of a piece of paper. Just imagine how awesome a doll house a modern machinist could make.

So things are changing in the industry. This is a good thing. We know your heroes may be the great inventors of centuries past; the hardworking men and women toiling away in grainy black and white factories...but that's way behind us. A machinist today looks less like a Henry Ford assemblyman, and more like a computer programmer. 

These days the modern machinist actually faces competition from engineers, who are often capable of designing products and letting the computers do the building. They're often too lazy and contract the work out, but it's still something to worry about. If you wouldn't mind designing as well, and a few more years of intense schooling, it may be worth it to go the engineering route.

If you're nevertheless determined to become a machinist—you don't feel like you belong with all those stuffy engineers—you can get going on it pretty quickly out of high school. All it takes to get going is a certificate or a two-year degree from a technical college in machinery. Then you're off to land an apprenticeship. It's kinda like more school, except you're paid. Not too shabby.

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