CNC Training: Benefits & Career Insights
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For aspiring technicians interested in engineering, manufacturing and technology, CNC machining could be a viable career path.
But what exactly is a CNC machinist?
Universal Technical Institute’s 36-week CNC Machining Technology program is held at its NASCAR Technical Institute campus in Mooresville, North Carolina, and provides students interested in the trade with hands-on CNC machining training.1 While enrolled in CNC machining courses, students can use industry-standard technologies to get a feel for real trade work—positioning them to pursue a job in the industry after graduation!
Continue reading to learn more. We’ll go over what CNC machining is, why it’s important in manufacturing, and how UTI can help students develop key technician skills that are frequently required in the trade.
What Is a CNC Machinist?
CNC machinists use computer-controlled machine tools to create custom parts from raw materials. These machines can use drills, router bits, end mills and lathes to cut away at specified portions of the material until it takes shape according to design specifications.
Read: What is a CNC Maintenance Technician?
Benefits of a CNC Machining Career
CNC machining is used in a variety of industries, ranging from automotive manufacturing to aerospace engineering. Trained CNC machinists are also in demand due to the job's complexity. That’s why it’s important that they have a thorough understanding of mathematics, programming and engineering. With the proper training and experience, CNC machinists can pursue work that allows them to create innovatively manufactured custom parts!
Read: CNC Machinist Interview Tips
How To Become a CNC Machinist
1. Get a high school diploma/GED
Most job openings for CNC machinists require applicants to have a high school diploma or GED. The same is true for many CNC machining programs, such as UTI’s, because this requirement ensures that trade students have successfully completed a formal educational curriculum and are ready to start learning at a trade school.
2. Enroll in a CNC machining program
Next, it’s time to enroll in a vocational training program, such as UTI's CNC program. This can help students learn key trade skills required of trained technicians.
3. Get certified and licensed (if needed)
Federal law doesn’t require CNC machinist employers to ask their techs to hold certification or licensing. However, extra qualification requirements may exist in some states and cities, at least for more specialized/advanced roles in the industry. Formal training can help demonstrate to employers that a third party has concluded the applicant is capable of performing the responsibilities required for the position they're pursuing.
4. Pursue CNC machining work
After graduates finish training and earn official credentials as proof, it's time for them to start applying for entry-level roles. UTI's technical training graduates can always contact their campus' Career Services team to find local employment opportunities!
Read: How to Create Your CNC Machinist Resume: Examples & Tips
Careers in CNC
There are some opportunities for CNC machinists to advance their careers, especially with the right amount of education and experience. But first, they have to get their foot in the door. Most technicians start their careers in entry-level roles such as:
- CNC machinist
- Apprentice machinist
- CNC operator
- Machined parts inspector
As with any industry, over time, technicians may be able to advance in their CNC machinist career with experience and hard work. Here are some of the many roles that UTI’s CNC machining grads can potentially advance to after completing entry-level work:77
- CNC programmer
- Quality control inspector
- Brake press operator
- CNC lathe operator
- CNC mill operator
- Mechanical assembler
- Design engineer
- Shop manager
- Shop owner
Read: What is an Aerospace Machinist?
From UTI Student to CNC Machinist
Michael Phelps, a CNC machinist at Roush Yates, previously worked in CNC machining before enrolling in UTI's NASCAR Tech. After getting some experience, he learned to admire the potential of CNC machining and CNC parts, and wanted to continue a career in this field.
So, when he learned about NASCAR Tech, he took this revelation as a sign. Soon, he was packing his bags and heading out to broaden his knowledge on CNC.
After graduating, he joined Roush Yates’ team. To this day, he’s continually tasked with exciting CNC machining challenges that help him make an impact on motorsports innovation. “I run a lot of different parts, actually. Lately, I’ve been throwing around a couple different things, been running rocker shafts and recently I’ve been running uprights.”
He also believes that attending a technical trade school, such as NASCAR Tech, is an important step for people who want to pursue work in CNC machining: “Between going to school at NASCAR Technical Institute and coming (to Roush Yates), I’ve learned a lot about this trade,” Michael says.
Read: What is a Quality Control Inspector?
FAQs
1. Is CNC machining a good career?
A CNC machinist career is suitable for those who possess important technician traits, such as loving to work with their hands, being curious and hard-working, and having solid math and science reasoning skills, as well as engineering capabilities. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 14,000+ average annual CNC machinist job openings in the U.S.45
2. Do CNC machinists make money?
The BLS also reported that the median annual CNC machinist salary in the United States was $48,550 in May 2023.34 This means that half earned more and the other half earned less. Remember that salary is affected by a variety of factors, including experience, employer, demand and the cost of living in the area.
3. What degree does a CNC machinist need?
A degree, diploma or certificate can help applicants stand out from other candidates for the same CNC machinist operator role who have no formal training credentials. Fortunately, CNC graduates at UTI receive a diploma upon graduation!
Read: Rank the Highest Paying Median Annual CNC Machinist Salaries
Get CNC Machinist Training With UTI!
CNC machining is a great career option for those looking to make use of their technical knowledge and experience in the manufacturing industry. As long as they have an interest in innovation and tenacity, machinists can continue advancing in this industry and continue to develop their skills.
If you're enthusiastic about starting school, come visit our website or phone an Admissions Representative at 1-800-834-7308 to request more information. Apply to our CNC machinist school today!
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1 ) UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary.
2 ) For program outcome information and other disclosures, visit www.uti.edu/disclosures.
34 ) UTI's CNC Machining Technology Program prepares graduates for entry-level positions using the provided training, primarily as CNC machinists. Estimated annual salary shown above is for Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators as published in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wages. Entry-level salaries are lower for UTI graduates. UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary. UTI graduates’ achievements may vary. Individual circumstances and wages depend on economic factors, personal credentials, work experience, industry certifications, the location of the employer, and their compensation programs. Some UTI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than as a CNC technician, such as CNC operator, apprentice machinist, and machined parts inspector. Salary information for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: The average annual entry-level salary for persons employed as Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators (51-9161) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is $41,370 (Massachusetts Labor and Workforce Development, May 2022 data https://lmi.dua.eol.mass.gov/lmi/OccupationalEmploymentAndWageAllIndustries/OEWResult?A=01&GA=000025&OG=519161&Dopt=TEXT). Salary information for North Carolina: The U.S. Department of Labor estimates the hourly median wage for skilled CNC machinists in North Carolina is $24.27 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wages, Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators). The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish entry-level salary data. However, the 25th and 10th percentile of hourly earnings in North Carolina are $19.90 and $17.29, respectively.
45 ) For Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an annual average of 15,200 job openings between 2023 and 2033. Job openings include openings due to net employment changes and net replacements. See Table 1.10 Occupational separations and openings, projected 2023–33, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, viewed November 4, 2024. UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary.
77 ) UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary. UTI prepares graduates for entry-level careers using the provided training. UTI graduates’ achievements may vary. Some UTI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than those listed.
Universal Technical Institute of Illinois, Inc. is approved by the Division of Private Business and Vocational Schools of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
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