Also called: Mill Operator
Runs milling machines that cut flat surfaces, slots and pockets into metal parts.
You set up a vise on the mill, zero the cutter on the part and take carefully measured passes. You swap cutters, check the flatness, and stack finished blocks for the next step.
BLS milling and planing machine 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 on-the-job training.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Trade school. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Machine Tool Technology (certificate).
Shrinking (about -6% over 10 years). Manual milling is shifting to CNC.
High risk for 10 years. Milling work is shifting to automated CNC cells with robot loading; operator-only roles are fading.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at machine shops or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Machining CTE class, Algebra, Blueprint reading.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4035.
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.