Also called: CMM Operator, Quality Control Inspector
Measures manufactured parts with precise tools and machines to make sure they match the drawings.
You place a part on a coordinate measuring machine, which probes hundreds of points, then compare results to the blueprint and decide whether it passes.
Based on inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; trained on the job; CMM programming certificate helpful.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Quality Technology, Machining (trade school).
Shrinking (about -3% over 10 years).
High risk for 10 years. Automated measuring machines and inline scanners with AI now inspect parts on their own; far fewer inspectors.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to machine shops and factories for quality inspector trainee jobs
Classes: Geometry, Machining CTE, Blueprint reading.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9061.
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.