Also called: Drilling Machine Operator
Sets up and runs machines that drill, bore and tap holes in metal parts.
You clamp parts in a fixture, line up the drill and run hole after hole. You check each part with a pin gauge and swap dull drills before they break.
BLS drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators and tenders; approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus a few weeks of on-the-job training.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking (about -8% over 10 years). Shrinking as CNC and robots take over.
High risk for 10 years. Drilling and tapping are easy to fold into CNC and robotic cells; this job is steadily disappearing.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at machine and fabrication shops or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Shop class, Algebra.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4032.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.