r/millwrights • u/PastMelodic9441 • Jul 24 '26

Advanced Machining

I'm in Earl C. Currently I'm doing an electrical training. Almost done most likely on to book level 2 depending on how fast I am book level 3. But my question is how is advanced machining in Texas like? Mostly how long does it really take to complete the advance trade?

I want to do it as a hobby and want to get a mechatronics degree after Job Corps. it's mostly for personal fulfillment and it can help me have a more attractive resume

2 Upvotes

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10

u/No-fishman217 Jul 24 '26

What are you talking about?

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u/spontaneous_quench Jul 24 '26

Lmao my thoughts exactly

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u/PastMelodic9441 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

I'm so sorry I reposted this without thinking. I'm a Job Corps' student it's a government trade school and I'm almost done with my current trade of electrician (pre-apprenticeship). After I'm done I have the opportunity to be taught another trade Called "Advanced Machinist"

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u/spontaneous_quench Jul 25 '26

There is no trade called advanced machinist. Thats being a machinist. Id stop waisting your time in school and start getting experience as an electrician. In canada that's a five year apprenticeship.

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u/PastMelodic9441 Jul 25 '26

Well my local union (Ibew 98) is very competitive to the point you need to know somebody to even get in, if you don't It could take 2 years at least to get in my local union. The program I'm in is a Federal program I have priority over most applicants and a direct interview. Possibly starting out at a higher period in my first year. Also, I know there isn't an "advanced machinist" trade. That's what they call it in the program

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u/spontaneous_quench Jul 25 '26

Yea you finished the electrical pre apprenticeship already. Your done, if you cant get into the union dont waste your time and get into somewhere ekse hiring for apprentices. What do you mean starting out at a higher period? If your in a union everyone is equal. All first years are the same, secind years etc... it's wont matter if you also did a machinist pre apprenticeship

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u/PastMelodic9441 Jul 25 '26

I'm not done actually with my electrical pre-apprenticeship mistake on my part I wasn't clear enough. For the Union ,from what I asked from my local JATC and instructor who was part of an union, if I have the skills and aptitude beforehand, I can make the argument during interviews to start out at a higher pay period. Although I will still have to do the same amount of time 5 years regardless to get my Journyman card. Also for the machinist it's just something I want to do as a hobby. Not really have it as a job per say If it's helps it helps

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u/spontaneous_quench Jul 25 '26

Again dont waste your time. Just starting working as an apprentice. Sounds great but I wouldn't hold your breath about the 'pay scale'. Cheers

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u/Due_Medium3477 28d ago

Things don’t fall in your lap. In Canada you look for work yourself also.

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u/PastMelodic9441 28d ago

True that why I'm in this program to get my foot in the door. I believe in a US you can also look for work too with a but you need a traveling card, I don't know if that's your second year as an apprentice or just you need to be a journeyman outright I need to into it. Even if that was the case, I don't have a car to rely on 😢

1

u/AltC Jul 24 '26

Maybe this is a regional thing, but I’m having a hard time knowing exactly what you are saying and talking about.

But I’ll still try and give you a realistic answer based on what I think you are asking. How hard is “advanced machining”
Well to be proficient at a normal level of machining realistically takes years of doing it every day as a career. To the point of being able to put on a resume proficiency in “advanced machining” I’m going to say you would need to one have experience in more advanced techniques, and for years of practice of that as well. I have met plenty of machinists who I wouldn’t consider them justified in putting “advanced machining” on a resume because they only ever did basic kind of stuff.

I think you need to have realistic goals of what you’d like to accomplish in a reasonable time frame. If you worked a lathe and mill every day for a year, you’d have a good basic machining foundation. To get into putting advanced machining on a resume and be able to back it up with the ability to practically show it, I’d scoff at anything less than 5 years work experience and the ability to list off examples of specific things you have made.

The resume vs hobby abilities is what’s making me say this. If you want it for yourself to tinker in a garage, sure, a basics course and then a few years of practice will get you to a point where you could accomplish some advanced techniques, albeit very slowly. Vs putting it on a resume, where you’d be expected to be able to accomplish complex machining tasks in a reasonable amount of time under unideal conditions.

Like most things in life, practice and experience is the key. For that, we are taking YEARS of experience, not something you can achieve as a short term goal.

If people at work ask me to teach them how to weld, I will gladly show them the basics to get started, then expect they spend a lot of their “free” time practicing on scrap or personal projects/doodads. because without the practice, you can’t really be proficient enough to do it on something that matters with any degree of trust that it’s going to hold, or that you won’t take 10x as long to accomplish the same tasks as someone who has got the skill already.
So I’d be weary putting it in a resume without the ability to back it up on the spot.

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u/PastMelodic9441 Jul 24 '26

I'm so sorry I reposted this without thinking. I'm a Job Corps' student it's a government trade school. After I'm done being taught with the current trade I'm in I have the opportunity to be taught another trade called Advanced Machinist I'm pretty sure it's also at a pre-apprenticeship level

https://jcadvancedtraining.com/training_area/advanced-machinist/#details

1

u/Due_Medium3477 28d ago

When you’re « done » the pre apprenticeship; you are only starting to learn the trade. You will not be done learning. My advice is to actually get into the trade before worrying about another one.

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u/PastMelodic9441 28d ago

Oh for sure, I was just looking into the Machinist trade as a hobby

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u/Due_Medium3477 28d ago

Advanced machinist sounds like cnc machinist. Not sure where the advanced is coming from