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CNC programmer salary? and my Work life story


parallax7761@comcast.net
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I was curious what the going rates are out there around the US and internationally for CNC programmers? I did a google search for "CNC programmer salary" and got $59,568, then I searched "5th axis CNC programmer salary" and got $112,074 and $138,674. I myself have been programming since 2008, starting with conversational on a proto trak then moving on to EZ CAM, then going to school for an Associates in Machine Tool Technology and learning Mastercam. The school taught us some basics of 5th axis but not even close to enough to jump into it in the real world of 5th. Thankfully my 3 years of experience before school helped me get a lot more out of it than others, I still am friends with one of my fellow Machine Tool classmates and he has never worked in manufacturing after attending. Anyhow my pay started at like 8 dollars an hour in 08 I started working at a small home shop that eventually grew into about a 5 million dollar a year company. I left that company making 20 an hour after being there for 6 years. I went to a really big 70 million dollar a year company and they paid me 25 an hour plus a differential for working a 7am-7pm shift 4 days a week plus optional Fridays for even more OT. I pulled in 77k in 2019 and was pretty happy about the dollars but had no life outside work hardly. Then a recruiter had contacted me in March 2020 and got me a job at an even bigger company for 78k salary. I thought I had made it, then I realized this shop was not the right fit for me and left after just one month. I couldn't go back to the previous company because I had reached out to the "wrong" person and it rubbed my old manager the wrong way. So I took a job at a shop that had tried to hire me in the past for $30 an hour, I only asked for $28 when I went because I was scared they might not want to pay a second programmer that much (they had filled the original position). I know asking for less than I was offered in the past was incredibly stupid now because I have been there 2 years and finally got to that $30 an hour. I am starting to get a little impatient for a raise. But I ended up being able to learn 5th axis pretty well in the 2.5 years I have been here which is what I see as the real value of the position, I haven't mastered 5th axis but I have done some pretty cool live 5th axis as well as tons of 3+2 and I love it! I thought I would share that with you all because I know a lot of you have experience with the same kind of things and was hoping I could learn from some of your wisdom.

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Man, what a loaded question....

So much can and does depend on location....your coasts are going to generally pay better than "midlands". That said, I had an interviewee last night that has very rudimentary skills and outdated Mastercam experience....the place he's working at is paying him mid-80's....I have had people in looking for $110-120k....they have a full skill set across multiple machine abilities....

Couple the above with inflation driving costs right now and I have had one shop owner suggest that he's had asks in the $150k range.....

I'm not sure in this market that there's a good answer...

 

With what people are asking for and some are getting, it leaves me wondering, "am I being underpaid?"

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Yea, It's definitely a strange and exciting time to be alive! I see what your talking about in every field of business too. I think a lot of people are taking advantage of what's going on now. I feel there are a lot of people that oversell themselves that are being paid more than they are worth and there are a lot of managers too out of touch or unknowledgeable to notice. The part's I program here are worth more than 10k on the regular I probably program anywhere from 300k to 1 million worth of work a year and that's not counting if the work's repeat. I would be pretty happy at just a few bucks more an hour but I feel really under appreciated here sometimes. I plan on staying 1 or 2 more years max unless something changes and in the meantime I will keep my eye out for another good shop to continue my 5th axis growth and experience. 

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Where are you located? At 14-15 years of experience, I could see you getting up into the $100K+ range for sure, considering your 5-Axis Experience, but location, location, location!

Any interest in going to work for NASA Goddard in Maryland? Would require relocation (if you aren't in that area), but I know they are looking for several 5-Axis programmers. Amazing shop and machines. They have kind of a weird arrangement in the shop, as they use a Contracting Service to place their shop employees, but the work is full-time, with benefits, and the positions are stable. The contract to manage the employees gets send out for competitive bid every 5-years, but whomever the new contract administration company is just hires on the existing employees, and you maintain your years of seniority once you get on board there.

The shop manager is getting a promotion to director soon, and is constantly asking me if I have anyone to refer...

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2 hours ago, JParis said:

With what people are asking for and some are getting, it leaves me wondering, "am I being underpaid?"

Yes, 100%. If you're asking the question, then I'm guessing you know the answer. Considering your experience, I know a broad swath of shops that would be paying $120K+ for your level of skills, but likely not in NH. I'm seeing top-level guys asking $125-150K, and getting it, depending on shop and location, for 5-Axis Programming. I know you do a lot with 4X Horizontals, but how is your 5X experience?

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1 hour ago, [email protected] said:

I got excited and thought you were telling me about that position at first. I am going to work on my LinkedIn more and maybe get a website for my resume and showcase all my safe to share glorious programming/machining victories. I think that will help me get top dollar later

I was telling you! Sorry if I didn't quote you and make that clear. I see that you reached out on LinkedIn as well, and responded to your message. Helping people learn new skills and advance their careers is one of my favorite things to do in life. Early in my career I had mentors/sponsors who took the time to teach me new skills, and helped me to get where I'm at today, and it is my duty to pay it forward.

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3 minutes ago, [email protected] said:

Yes, thanks again Colin and thank you all, Jparis and Millman included the 3 of you have helped me so much in the last few years I can't explain how grateful I am. 

While I don;'t want to speak for them. I can tell you I learned a lot from here and I have always tried to give back more than I received.

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I have a boring mill operator who's 3 years into machining making $35/hr. So yeah, I'd say you're underpaid....I know I currently am, but expect it to change soon (I'm the department manager and programmer, coming up on 14 years in the industry). Granted, we're in the PNW.

Like you, I started at $9/hr at a shop in Portland. I know even then, I was taken advantage of (I was 18 and just glad to get my foot in the door). Pay across the board has changed a considerable amount in the last few years in the region for this industry.

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I heard some advice very early in my career, which has proved to be an ugly truth: "To move up, you've got to move on".

I find it sad that employers typically fail to reward increases in knowledge and skills beyond a standard Cost of Living raise, which tends to be a unilateral adjustment across the board. In 2006, I was working for a local Mastercam Reseller, teaching Mastercam classes, and making $17/hr. After training some NC Programmers from Boeing, one of them reached out and asked if I'd be interested in working for their department, and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Overnight (well, the hiring process did take about 120 days total), I went from making about $35K/yr, to $69.5K/yr, and the pay increase was life-changing.

Know your worth, and don't be afraid to talk-the-talk, provided you can walk-the-walk.

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3 hours ago, AHarrison1 said:

When I was an apprentice, some 30 years ago now, my foreman at the time said pretty much the same thing.

His was " After 4 or 5 years in a company if you haven't moved up then you have to move on"

That's not just the CNC programmer market.  The other corollary is that statistically, your earning potential is set in your 20s.  Thanks to the modern era (1990s onward), it appears you can adjust that into your 30s, but by the time you reach your 40s, your "working for someone else" earning potential is most likely set for the rest of your career.

That's also most likely the reason why most (again, statistically) startups are founded by people in their 40s.

 

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10 hours ago, Aaron Eberhard said:

... your "working for someone else" earning potential is most likely set for the rest of your career.

There's exceptions to every rule. 😜

#StillMovinOnUp 😎

The reality of the wage situation, if you want to maximize your earning potential, learn things that alter the courses of work your company can do. That puts you in a strong bargaining position for serious money. That said, if the company you work for only makes $5.00 widgets and hootus connectors, your wage earning potential will not be great unless you can get them to take on the $1,000+/part jobs, that you can get through the shop.

Oh, and NEVER stop learning because if you do, you'll stop earning.

JM2CFWIW

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In central Maine I make just north of $30/hr which on a 40hr week is $65k/yr. I typically get 5-8hrs o/t a week (more is there if I want it) which will get me close to $77k/yr. Been in the trade (same company actually) since '95 and 18-19 of those yrs have been programming. I program and run horizontal and vertical mills (mix of HAAS, Fadal, Fanuc controls and the Mazak vertical mill we bought a few yrs ago) 5x verticals from Mazak and countless slant bed lathes (all with varying generations of Fanuc controls) and a few VTL's. I also do a lot of the immediate repairs if we can't wait for an outside source.

In my area my income is pretty good strictly speaking, but how it compares to other programmers in the area I don't know as there are only a couple shops w/in 50 miles of me the surpass us in size and the types of machines we have and I've never tried to get a job at any of them so I could be way underpaid. But I like most of the people I work with and for so that helps.

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