whats the going wages around the country

[Gary]

i'm from cadillac michigan and i don't know any places that are paying good. say 18.00 plus there are probally 30 shops in a 20 mile radius. it seems if u want to make any money u go in on your own.are shops charge like the big boys they just don't pay like it so what do u do. Guess move south east

 

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Relatively few companies anywhere want to pay somebody what they are worth. They claim they can't afford to do it.

Fortunately I was able to find somebody that does. But...... to even think about pulling down a serious wage you gotta know your stuff - or work for a big Aerospace company.

JMHO

[cadcam]

What i "work for a big Airhead company."

is this what you were saying james?

------------------

jay/ aka cadcam

Precision Programming

email: [email protected]

web: www.ppcadcam.com

[This message has been edited by cadcam (edited 07-20-2001).]

[Guest]

In my experiance a Shop will only pay just enough money so that you won't quit. And for this the employees will work just hard enough that they won't get fired!

Someone once asked me how many people work in your shop - so to answer truthfully I replied about half of them!

Andrew

[Charles Davis]

In San Diego for programmers:

Low-mid teens for beginners

High teens for experienced

High teens to mid 20's for 3D guys

Tops everywhere from 60-80K plus, but those are few and far between in SD

Sounds like a lot, but before you hop the next plane, consider San Diego is the 4th most expensive city to live in the US. Median price of a house is now about $275K (with a back yard the size of a postage stamp), and traffic is bad. A family of 4 has to make 60K a year to live above the poverty line.

But the weather is the best in the world, the people are laid back, and there are lots of free or cheap things to do on your off time! It's never boring.

[This message has been edited by Charles Davis (edited 07-20-2001).]

[Bill]

Here in the southeast of Michigan I guess the wages vary from about 20- 30 maybe 35.

When I used to work those long hours for months at a time I could get about 55-65 a year. But I as you may know I work with Lou so the boss might get upset if we post our wages here. You know how that goes. Whatever it is I am still under paid. I would like to make 70k a year working 32 hours a week but I guess I should have stayed in school.

------------------

B. Henderson

OMEGA PlASTICS

[email protected]

opinc.com

[Will Slota]

[ 01-06-2004, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: Will Slota, CNC Software, Education ]

[Ambassador]

IMHO the wages aren't as important as working in an enjoyable environment with fun work mates. All the $'s per hour and a boss that is on your a$$ all the time about that 1 thing you did wrong last year isn't worth it. Life is too short to put up with extended periods of grief.

again, IMHO

Ambassador

[bb]

The rate in Australia is about $8US to $12US.This don't seem like much but may be ok relative to our cost of living.I'm happy with my life style

[Mark Edger]

What about North Carolina? I plan on moving there after I get my AAS. degree in Machine

Tool Tech. I have twenty five total years of machine shop experience with fifteen of that

as a CNC set up and operator. Thats why I need to be efficient in using MC lathe and Mill. I want to utilize my experience as a programmer.

[jballs]

This looked like a good one to revive from a few years back. So guys, have these numbers changed any in the past year or two?

[crazy^millman]

Well I am one on the Transplants here to Southern Calforina from Florida. I am in that top range and I can't afford the Median home of $450,000 today. At this point I would be happy making what I was 2 years ago back in Jacksonville back there if that where possbile. Back there I would need to take about a $24,000 a year pay cut fro mwhat I made then and not many places that have Mastercam and even believe that you should use a Cam program for programming. I could care less about being Manangement been doing this for about 6 year now and never quit working hands on the machines. It would be cool to just be given a job do that job and go home not have to run a whole part of a company like I have the last 8 jobs I have had before given the title was always given the responsiblity for about the last 10 years. It has been said to me that it is just soemthing I am sutied for and do well but to be honest being in charge is not all it is cracked up to be. I am in that salary class and yeah they expect more and pay nothing more for it. Then when you do make a stink about it you are the bad guy. Don't get me wrong I work 150% and do way more than my share. I like to work and like what I do always have always will.

 

Crazy Millman

[CNCme]

Good Day,

 

20-WHAT !!

I've sent many to their knees!!!

 

In N.E. Mass. requesting twenty-anything

will make any Owner or HR person cry!!!

 

Then they will tell you... WE CANT FIND

ANY GOOD PEOPLE...when its...WE cant pay

any good people!!

 

For 32+ years...Good Years

 

Tony G

Almost Employed Senior Programmer

N.E Massachusetts - Southern New Hampshire

_________________________________________

End mills and tooling are like The "AMMO"

And coolant and chips are like the enemy

Under your boots as you advance in the

Manufacturing Battle

--------------------------------------------------

 

[ 01-03-2004, 01:41 AM: Message edited by: CNCme ]

[CNCme]

Good Day James

 

Is that true... 30 or more..??

 

 

Tony G

Almost Employed Senior Programmer

N.E Massachusetts - Southern New Hampshire

_________________________________________

End mills and tooling are like The "AMMO"

And coolant and chips are like the enemy

Under your boots as you advance in the

Manufacturing Battle

--------------------------------------------------

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Yes it's true. $30 or more. Now, those are the TOP paying jobs. Average is probably $14-$25ish here in SoCal.

[CNCme]

Good Day,

 

OK...That sounds more like New England...

Only God, Superman, And Neo can make

30 or more...What do you have to do,

or know to make that, I wonder???

 

 

Tony G

Almost Employed Senior Programmer

N.E Massachusetts - Southern New Hampshire

_________________________________________

End mills and tooling are like The "AMMO"

And coolant and chips are like the enemy

Under your boots as you advance in the

Manufacturing Battle

--------------------------------------------------

[chris m]

Low $20's pretty normal here; I'm doing better than that due to the college degree and expanded responsibilites.

 

Hey Ron, don't feel bad about the housing situation. I stretched my luck and bought a [small] house 50 miles from work last year for $265K (which is cheap money around here for those guys that live where this would buy a mansion); now working all the overtime I can find plus moolighting 2 nights a week at a friend's shop to pay the bills. Oh yeah, my wife works too. Maybe its the 15K a year we have to pay for childcare..?

 

Sometimes the 'toys' threads get me a little wound 'cause I'm busting my a$$ just to keep the bank from taking my house.

 

So take heart, Crazy, you ain't the only one that isn't living in the style you feel you should be.

 

C

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

In the carlinas it sseems to depend on the shop. Some shops realize that a good programmer is going to make or break their cnc operations, and others want to pay as little as possible.

 

When I started programming I was making 6.50 as an operator in 1991. I had been programming at school for awhile, but did not have any experience. Did not take long (2yrs) to up to 15.00. The average for tech school programmers I'd guess to be high teens to low 20's and for a degreed ME 35,0000 to 45,000 yr. (hourly is better deal.)

 

The trick is while your on the interview, sell yourself.

 

Jimmy

[mayday]

easy to get screwed around here. so many GM supported shops. Delphi and the like. my current is prolly one of better paying job shops. 50 to 80k a year gramming and even as a good toolmaker. production type shops are the lowest paying,but there tech support comes from higher ground. I have 2 places wanting me to work for them. word gets around if you can do the job. a lot of very small towns with grandfather type toolshops.

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

I think the future of programming is going to be like machinist. Instead of a toolbox that you carry from shop to shop you'll be toting a laptop (and maybe the toolbox).

 

I also see in some situations that a programmer will end up working for as many as five different shops and tele-communting.

 

Out of curiousity how many here have their own seat of MC now.

 

Jimmy

[chris m]

Does that count the seat I booted from work with the crack hasp I bought on the 'net...?

[gcode]

Pay rates run from high teens to the mid thirties

where I work. I was able to work all the overtime I wanted this year so it made for a pretty good year.

I own my own Mastercam, SolidWorks and Predator VCNC and progam at home too. This year I did so much overtime at my day job I didn't feel like

working at home. I barely made enough contract progamming this year to keep my software current That was lack of motivation on my part though, not lack of opportunity.

 

[ 01-03-2004, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: gcode ]

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

Chris,

I am afraid that will be the case unless there is some sort of certificate involved which would mean money which would keep people from doing it.

 

There are a couple of things that makes this possible that are already available.

 

1} The Mastercam Certifaction Courses. After you complete the training you get a journeyman card.

 

2} There are several leasing companies that will lease the the software and the training for an affordable monthly payment.

 

Jimmy

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

Note:

 

Mastercam CertifAction Course DOES NOT include spelling.

 

DOH!

[Brendan P]

I grossed just under 73K this past year which isn't too bad for only a 12th grade education and a few training sessions a my mcam dealer.

 

My wife works full time and prolly does about 50K.

So together,this is how we can afford the "toys".