Layoffs may not be mounting, but it’s getting harder to find a job in a labor market where hiring is “anemic” as tariff-driven economic uncertainty has put a chill on some employers.
tl;dr working with your hands can be better than working with a keyboard at times
Aside from the physical labor involved (there’s really no way around it), the actual things to keep in mind are very similar to the troubleshooting process on a computer. It’s ultimately about identifying there’s a problem and digging until you remove it. You’ll have to learn how to get better at filtering parts, debugging machine code (reading machine code is easy if you’re a programmer, and you have a good CAD programmer above you), maintaining the machine itself, keeping track of tools and orders…
And if you have an IT skillset, you’ll likely be one of the few that knows how to work a desktop well and can be the helping hand around the shop for that sort of thing, if you want. There’s lots of flexibility because there’s a lot less concern about public image. That being said, you might have to look around, because a lot of these places can get lax with safety and quality.
The machines are generally pleasant to work with as well. Instead of software made by companies that actively hate their customers, you get to work with massive machines that have hundreds of millions of dollars poured into development and another few hundred thousand in manufacturing. On top of that, most well-run shops will have you stick to your task. They won’t expect you to randomly cross-train on things because it can actually be really dangerous if you’re not well trained.
If you had to work Helpdesk, you no longer have to work with customer directly at all. You get to talk to other machinists, many of which have been doing it since they were teenagers or younger. It’s also a job where you get to constantly hone your craft and see the physical result. There’s something really satisfying about holding a finishing part in your hand.
I got lucky with a job offer, but you can often take a few-month fast-track course through a community college. It will run a few thousand dollars, but the course that my job offered taught me a ton.
I’ve since moved to screen printing due to poor management at the shop I previously worked, but the principles are all still there. If you’re good at working with your hands and enjoy seeing a finished product, try some local manufacturing places. A lot of them do offer training to get you in since skilled tradespeople are getting harder and harder to find these days.
I’m honest in saying that anyone who doesn’t want to do a decent amount of manual labor on top of having to use their full talent set (i.e. not tedious/mindless labor) is not a good fit and more importantly, it will probably pay less getting started than the IT industry, but if you get into something like programming or inspection, you can quickly be making double entry level rates in a couple of years. Just depends on where your skillset lies.
Hope my rambling gives you a decent idea of why I enjoy it compared to working at a desk all day. I get to interact with the world a lot more and when I look at the finished result, I know I played a significant part in that.
tl;dr working with your hands can be better than working with a keyboard at times
Aside from the physical labor involved (there’s really no way around it), the actual things to keep in mind are very similar to the troubleshooting process on a computer. It’s ultimately about identifying there’s a problem and digging until you remove it. You’ll have to learn how to get better at filtering parts, debugging machine code (reading machine code is easy if you’re a programmer, and you have a good CAD programmer above you), maintaining the machine itself, keeping track of tools and orders…
And if you have an IT skillset, you’ll likely be one of the few that knows how to work a desktop well and can be the helping hand around the shop for that sort of thing, if you want. There’s lots of flexibility because there’s a lot less concern about public image. That being said, you might have to look around, because a lot of these places can get lax with safety and quality.
The machines are generally pleasant to work with as well. Instead of software made by companies that actively hate their customers, you get to work with massive machines that have hundreds of millions of dollars poured into development and another few hundred thousand in manufacturing. On top of that, most well-run shops will have you stick to your task. They won’t expect you to randomly cross-train on things because it can actually be really dangerous if you’re not well trained.
If you had to work Helpdesk, you no longer have to work with customer directly at all. You get to talk to other machinists, many of which have been doing it since they were teenagers or younger. It’s also a job where you get to constantly hone your craft and see the physical result. There’s something really satisfying about holding a finishing part in your hand.
I got lucky with a job offer, but you can often take a few-month fast-track course through a community college. It will run a few thousand dollars, but the course that my job offered taught me a ton.
I’ve since moved to screen printing due to poor management at the shop I previously worked, but the principles are all still there. If you’re good at working with your hands and enjoy seeing a finished product, try some local manufacturing places. A lot of them do offer training to get you in since skilled tradespeople are getting harder and harder to find these days.
I’m honest in saying that anyone who doesn’t want to do a decent amount of manual labor on top of having to use their full talent set (i.e. not tedious/mindless labor) is not a good fit and more importantly, it will probably pay less getting started than the IT industry, but if you get into something like programming or inspection, you can quickly be making double entry level rates in a couple of years. Just depends on where your skillset lies.
Hope my rambling gives you a decent idea of why I enjoy it compared to working at a desk all day. I get to interact with the world a lot more and when I look at the finished result, I know I played a significant part in that.