so fun fact inhaling yummy iron dust is not very BASED.
and i mean i could wear a respirator, but the whole thing is even with wearing some safety’s and a respirator i still got iron dust in my eyes, and have had about 4 eye infections. so last weekend i decided to fix that, i took a Hepa filter and laser cut a mount for a delta server fan and made 2 rings which hold the filter via caughter pins, i also had a mic arm that i lost the end. It sucks up all the iron dust from polishing. And if your wondering i really have only been at this die shop for a few months (basically 1 month after i started this form.) and Ive had a lot of challenges with working at this establishment, at least job wise. the people that i work with are really nice and have never had any problems. but the jobs are shitty to say the least and pay is not that good. im technically a maintenance worker, but i end up doing all the “shitty jobs” and i really dont get paid that much, im part time and get paid $14.60 hourly which a walmart worker gets paid $14 from where i live. and i really have a passion for machining, my senior year i took a machining class, and i was hooked.
all i really do is cut, size and polish dies and other junk like running the cnc (which i am a legit a button pusher) i know a little gcode like g73 is a peck drill can cycle. but i dont get to program or anything, i just take parts of of the vice and put new ones in and press cycle start
the shitty part is that for a lot of local shop you needed to know how to run a CNC. and sadly the class i took was a 2 year course and the second year was learning CNC, so i never got to.
and that left me to finding a job that i could be hired and hopefully work my way up. at this point i don’t think im ever going to get a promotion, and am currently searching for a new job. i know this is rather personal, but what do you guys think?
ive been on the fence about leaving, and some of you may be wondering why i made the filter, and its because its kinda the whole fuck around and find out thats at my work place. if a worker asks for something like new ppe, the boss dislikes you and you basically get punished in a way, shittier jobs, less hours, denied days off.
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Holy shit dude. You can do better than this job. Operate a forklift in a warehouse for $25 an hour plus regular overtime and full benefits. Pivot into welding or a trade if you can, just keep looking for openings.
Submit an anonymous OSHA complaint right before you quit. Let them fuck around and find out.
I bet there are fire code violations there too, the fire marshal would be very pleased to kick your boss’ shit in.
Edit: look into GD&T technician jobs too. You could easily pivot your skill set into it. Look for oil&gas, drilling, small engineering firms, etc.
At that pay, especially part time, I would find another job ASAP. It is important to know (like what the other commenter asked) what your end goal is. Want to primarily sit at a desk doing CAD/CAM, or get your hands dirty every day?
If the latter, I strongly believe that the core of learning how to do setups is to run a large amount of them and see/ask questions about the approach that was used. It can really suck to do a run that takes 20 seconds per work piece all day for a week, but the vast majority of us have been there at one point or another. I guess this is my way of saying that you should build your skills as an operator first. Get enough time doing that and you will know if a setup is shit and how to rectify it. There a good reasons why machining is traditionally an apprenticed position. Come to think of it, search for an apprenticeship somewhere reputable and you are going to have a much easier time starting out.
What is your ideal job, and what qualifications or experience are you missing that would allow you to apply for that job? Can you get those qualifications while working this job? Will the experience at this job help you to attain the job you want?
If you want to make a livable wage in this trade, be prepared to jump ship many times in your early career. Not only will you be outpacing your former coworker’s in salary, you’ll also be learning a ton more than they will by staying ‘loyal’.
