The MACHINIST Group Accidentally Starts a Civil War
A guy joined the MACHINIST group and asked a pretty simple question:
“I’m 38. Hate my job. Thinking about going into machining. Am I too old to start?”
90,000+ people reached.
450+ comments.
And holy shit did the replies split straight down the middle.
Half the group basically said:
“Welcome aboard brother. Here’s your micrometer and your depression.”
The other half said:
“RUN. GO BE AN ELECTRICIAN.”
And honestly? Both sides kinda made valid points.
—-
The “DO IT” Crowd
A shocking number of machinists started late.
One dude started in his MID-50s.
Another retired from police work, became a toolmaker apprentice at 46, and said it was the best decision he ever made.
The common theme from the pro-machining crowd was pretty consistent:
If you like problem solving, you’ll love it.
If you like working with your hands, you’ll love it.
If you hate boring jobs, machining scratches that itch.
You never stop learning.
A good job shop will teach you more in 2 years than a production shop teaches in 10.
One guy summed it up perfectly:
“It was the first thing I encountered complicated enough that it didn’t ever have to get boring.”
That line hit hard because it’s true.
A good machinist isn’t just “running a machine.”
You’re solving problems all day long.
Tooling.
Workholding.
Feeds.
Speeds.
Tolerance stackups.
Why the fuck the insert exploded.
Why the probe crashed.
Why the setup guy touched your offsets.
It’s basically engineering mixed with construction mixed with gambling mixed with anger management.
And for the right brain… it’s addictive.
—
Then Came The “DON’T DO IT” Crowd
And brother… these guys were NOT subtle.
Some highlights:
“Machining sucks now.”
“Go HVAC.”
“You’ll make Taco Bell money with aerospace stress.”
“If you don’t like money it’s a great trade.”
“RUN.”
“Be a plumber.”
“The pay is dog shit.”
The biggest recurring complaint wasn’t the work itself.
It was the pay-to-skill ratio.
That came up OVER and OVER again.
A lot of veteran machinists basically said:
“For the amount of knowledge required to become truly good at this trade… the money often doesn’t match.”
And honestly… that frustration is real in a lot of shops.
Especially when:
operators get treated like disposable labor
shops refuse raises
overtime becomes mandatory survival income
benefits get slashed
management still thinks $24/hour is “great money”
A bunch of guys compared machining to:
electrical
HVAC
plumbing
millwright work
aviation maintenance
And many claimed those trades currently pay more with better long-term upside.
One guy said:
“Machining is one of the few trades where you can know EVERYTHING and still get treated like a button pusher.”
That one probably punched a few people in the throat.
—
The Actual Truth?
(Yeah, We’re Doing Nuance Today)
The comments revealed something important:
Machining is EXTREMELY dependent on:
where you live
what industry you’re in
what shop you land in
and whether you ever move beyond “green button operator”
The guys making:
$18–25/hr
usually sounded miserable.
The guys making:
$45–60/hr
six figures
flexible schedules
aerospace/medical/tool & die work
…usually sounded pretty damn happy.
The difference?
Almost always:
programming
setups
multi-axis work
job shop experience
CAD/CAM
problem solving
specialization
The group basically agreed on one thing:
If you stay a button pusher forever… this trade can eat you alive.
If you become genuinely valuable?
Different story.
—
Also… There’s Something Nobody Talks About Enough
A LOT of people said machining improved their mental health.
Not joking.
Guys leaving:
printing
restaurants
military
dead-end factory jobs
office jobs
…said machining felt meaningful.
Because at the end of the day:
you MADE something.
Not spreadsheets.
Not emails.
Not meetings.
An actual physical thing.
That matters to a lot of people more than they expected.
—
Final Verdict From The MACHINIST Group
So is 38 too old?
According to the group:
Absolutely not.
But should you become a machinist?
That answer was basically:
“Only if you actually WANT to.”
Not because TikTok made CNC look cool.
Not because you think you’ll get rich overnight.
Not because you saw a Haas video once.
Do it because:
you enjoy learning
you like solving problems
you like making things
you can handle frustration
you want a skill nobody can take away from you
And maybe most importantly…
Find a GOOD shop.
Because according to the comments, a good shop makes machining feel like a career.
A bad shop makes you want to become an electrician by lunch break.
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