2 answers
Andrei
Student
Whitmore Lake, Michigan
14
Questions
2 answers
Joseph Neilson
Radiation Detection Physicist
224
Answers
Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
It depends on the company, level of seniority, and the type of machinery operated, I guess.
Some places, it'll be a 9-5 job, other places will be 24-7 operation and you'll do shifts.
In a lot of roles, you'll be trained for a particular type of task with a particular machine, and you'll do roughly the same task day-in-day-out. That could be quite boring and repetitive, or you might find it comforting to always know exactly what you're doing. In other roles, you might be trained on many different machines, doing many different tasks.
Some places, it'll be a 9-5 job, other places will be 24-7 operation and you'll do shifts.
In a lot of roles, you'll be trained for a particular type of task with a particular machine, and you'll do roughly the same task day-in-day-out. That could be quite boring and repetitive, or you might find it comforting to always know exactly what you're doing. In other roles, you might be trained on many different machines, doing many different tasks.
John Lewis
Mechanical Engineer
3
Answers
Enfield, New Hampshire
Updated
John’s Answer
Life as a machine operator is all over the map. Much depends on the industry you are in. In my world of manufacturing, it's kind of like this: The work is not very strenuous or physically stressful. You can start at an entry level and advance as your skills progress. Much of the equipment is automated. You must load material and components and unload product. A lot of your responsibility will be in quality control. You will have to inspect product or coordinate with people that do. You will have to troubleshoot machinery and quality issues and work with manufacturing engineers and maintenance people to keep it running smoothly. In some companies the senior operators will do their own maintenance. Diagnostics and basic maintenance are valuable skills that can serve you well. In the right company your will be well paid, well treated and enjoy good benefits (shop carefully).
I've worked with machinery since I was a teen, and I'm 65 now. I started as a machinist and now design large automation systems. I have a great working relationship with operators, technicians, engineers and management. This is an obvious career choice for someone like me. If you like a little challenge, like to tinker, fix things and build, it might be good choice for you as well.
Look at trade schools and Voc/Tech schools
Explore local companies, call their HR department about opportunities and training.
I've worked with machinery since I was a teen, and I'm 65 now. I started as a machinist and now design large automation systems. I have a great working relationship with operators, technicians, engineers and management. This is an obvious career choice for someone like me. If you like a little challenge, like to tinker, fix things and build, it might be good choice for you as well.
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