Also called: CNC Woodworking Technician, CNC Router Operator
Programs and runs computer-controlled routers that cut cabinet parts, signs and furniture from wood sheets.
You load a design file, pick the right bits and watch a big router carve 40 cabinet doors out of plywood sheets in an hour. When parts come out fuzzy, you change the cutting speed or swap a dull bit. Good programmers write the cutting paths themselves in CAM software.
Estimated from BLS CNC programmer and woodworking machine wages.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. High-school diploma plus a CNC or CAD/CAM certificate, or on-the-job training.
Ways in: Certification, Trade school, On-the-job training, 2-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: CNC Machining (certificate), Woodworking Technology, CAD/CAM.
Growing about average. No wood-specific projection; CNC skills are in demand across cabinet and furniture shops.
Medium risk for 10 years. CAM software and auto-nesting generate most programs; operators who set up, tweak and maintain routers remain.
Classes: Woodshop class, Drafting/CAD class, Geometry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9162.
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.