Skilled Trades

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal.

Sector: Skilled Trades
Preparation: Zone 3 — medium preparation needed
O*NET code: 51-4041.00

What you'll actually do

The activities O*NET rates highest for this occupation, most important first. Numbers are out of 100.

Controlling Machines and Processes

central to the job — rated 92/100 for importance.
Getting Information

a major part of the work — rated 83/100 for importance.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

a major part of the work — rated 81/100 for importance.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

a major part of the work — rated 72/100 for importance.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

a major part of the work — rated 72/100 for importance.
Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment

a regular part of the work — rated 69/100 for importance.

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

What it takes

Two numbers per line: the level the work expects, and how important it is to doing the job well. Both are O*NET ratings, already on a 0–100 scale.

Skills

Operation and Control

Needed at a solid working level (48/100), and rated 56/100 for importance.
Operations Monitoring

Needed at a solid working level (46/100), and rated 53/100 for importance.
Critical Thinking

Needed at a basic working level (45/100), and rated 53/100 for importance.
Monitoring

Needed at a basic working level (45/100), and rated 53/100 for importance.
Complex Problem Solving

Needed at a basic working level (43/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.

Knowledge

Mathematics

Needed at a solid working level (51/100), and rated 62/100 for importance.
Mechanical

Needed at a solid working level (56/100), and rated 58/100 for importance.
Production and Processing

Needed at a basic working level (43/100), and rated 57/100 for importance.
Design

Needed at a solid working level (48/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.

Abilities

Finger Dexterity

Needed at a solid working level (52/100), and rated 66/100 for importance.
Arm-Hand Steadiness

Needed at a solid working level (48/100), and rated 66/100 for importance.
Manual Dexterity

Needed at a basic working level (45/100), and rated 66/100 for importance.
Control Precision

Needed at a solid working level (54/100), and rated 63/100 for importance.

How people get in

O*NET places this occupation in Zone 3 — medium preparation needed. That is a statement about what employers typically require, not a rule about you.

Education

Vocational training, an associate degree, or equivalent on-the-job experience.

Experience

One to two years of related experience is typical.

Training

Employers expect you to arrive with the core skill already.

How the work tends to run

Each line below is read off a single O*NET activity rating for this occupation — named, so you can disagree with it.

The work is physical — you are on your feet and handling things, not sitting still.From “Performing General Physical Activities”
You run equipment, and running it well is a skill in itself.From “Controlling Machines and Processes”

How FlightWay scores your fit against this

No black box. Here is the whole method, factor by factor.

1. You answer a short quiz: Your answers build a profile across the same 161 O*NET dimensions this page is describing — skills, knowledge, abilities and work activities. Same axes, so the comparison is like-for-like.
2. We correlate the two profiles: Fit is a mean-centered cosine — a correlation between the SHAPE of your profile and the shape of Machinists. Centering matters: raw similarity between any two occupations sits at 0.70–0.85 because all work shares a common profile, so without it every career would look like a match.
3. The number you see is personality fit only: "Would I want this work" and "am I ready for this work" are different questions, and averaging them answers neither. So readiness — what your résumé, coursework and projects prove — is scored separately and shown next to fit, never blended into it.
4. Every factor is visible: You can open any match and see which dimensions pushed it up and which pulled it down. If you disagree with the number, you can see exactly where it came from.

More in Skilled Trades

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Occupational data on this page comes from the O*NET 30.3 Database, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET is a registered trademark of USDOL/ETA. FlightWay is not endorsed by, and USDOL/ETA is not responsible for, anything built on that data — see our terms. What is ours is the comparison, the score and the plan.