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48.05Precision Metal Working

Career paths in this area

Welders join metal to a code standard — on plate and pipe, in every position, under codes that decide what you are qualified to touch. ⚠ 457,300 people do it nationally with about 45,600 openings a year, and what moves you up the very wide pay range is certifications and positions rather than years served.

Machinist SOC 51-4041

Machinists cut metal to a tolerance — setting up lathes, mills, grinders and CNC machines, and deciding how a part on a drawing actually gets made. ⚠ The occupation is flat but replaces about 29,500 people a year, and the money is in setup and programming rather than in running the machine. ⚠ This page also covers the CNC machine operator role, which is the rung below and the one occupation here with a projected decline.

Production Technician and Assembler SOC 51-2092

Assemblers and production workers build what a factory makes. It is one of the largest groups of manufacturing jobs in the country, and the usual way into the industry. ⚠ No credential is required to start. Florida's 150- to 500-hour courses help you get hired at better plants, earn a soldering certification, and start the climb to technician, inspector or supervisor.

Precision metal working. Florida's CNC Production Technician courses (PMT0026/PMT0027, three technical colleges) and the structural metal fabricator specialty.

Careers without a path yet

The U.S. Department of Education links these careers to this field of study, but nobody has written a career path for them on this site yet. Press Request to ask for one. Paths are written in order of demand, and you can follow each request in the career request queue. Requests are anonymous: your browser keeps a random ID so that pressing Request again the same day counts once. We store no name or email, and your network address is kept only in scrambled form, to stop abuse. The SOC number is the U.S. Department of Labor’s code for the occupation.

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4031
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4032
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4021
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4022
Foundry Mold and Coremakers SOC 51-4071
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4033
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4191
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4034
Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4192
Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other SOC 51-4199
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4035
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4061
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4081
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4062
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic SOC 51-4023
Sheet Metal Workers SOC 47-2211
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners SOC 51-4194
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders SOC 51-4122