The job requires stamina because machinists stand most of the day and may lift moderately heavy workpieces. Some tool programmers work in offices that are near, but separate from, the shop floor. These work areas are usually clean, well lit, and free of machine noise. Most machinists and tool programmers work a 40-hour week. Evening and weekend shifts are becoming more common as companies justify investments in more expensive machinery by extending their hours of operation.
Overtime is common during peak production periods.
Employment Machinists and tool programmers held about 393,000 jobs in 1996. Most machinists worked in small machining shops or in manufacturing firms that produce durable goods, such as metalworking and industrial machinery, aircraft, or motor vehicles. Maintenance machinists work in most industries that use production machinery. Although machinists and tool programmers work in all parts of the country, jobs are most plentiful in areas where manufacturing is concentrated. Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement A high school or vocational school education, including mathematics, blueprint reading, metalworking, and drafting, is generally a prerequisite for becoming a machinist or tool programmer.