Instead of fading away in the midst of a vastly technological age, trade jobs are making a comeback in a big way. New technologies, rather than eliminating trade jobs, are actually creating opportunities for newcomers to study more trades than ever before.
Complex technological tools are quite common in an age that values mechanical production lines and a myriad of other automated processes. But before those processes can begin, it’s important for someone to be on the job who understands how they work and how to repair and operate different machine tools. These professionals, often called machinists, learn their art as a trade.
In the most general sense, machinists work with machine tools and perform machine tool services such as lathe repairs and other machining services. Each service requires a different set of highly specialized skills that only machinists have, which means that careful planning is necessary for each and every job.
While some machinists work in large production facilities, the majority perform machine shop services in small, independently-owned businesses. Machine tools are used to craft automobile parts, perform different metalworking tasks, and even craft aircraft parts.
According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, machinists work in the vast majority of industries that use machines for production purposes. Despite what many people may think about technological trades dying out, the outlook for machinists is looking pretty good.
Scott Jackson, president of a machinist council, says the employment outlook for certified machinists is looking “very good for the next few years.” There is currently a shortage of qualified machinists in the industry, so more universities and specialized trade schools are pushing their machining programs for 2017 and beyond.
Machine shop services typically aren’t given much thought, but the truth is that without advances in machine tool technology, out cars wouldn’t last as long, they would use more energy, and production processes would be much less efficient.
The first machine tools ever made date back to almost 1200 B.C., but the advances made in the present have created a high demand for skilled machinists. Why wait to start your career in machine tool services?
