Conventional machinist vs machinist apprentice

The differences between conventional machinists and machinist apprentices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a conventional machinist and a machinist apprentice. Additionally, a conventional machinist has an average salary of $47,624, which is higher than the $37,681 average annual salary of a machinist apprentice.

The top three skills for a conventional machinist include CNC, grinders and hand tools. The most important skills for a machinist apprentice are cnc lathes, grinders, and hand tools.

Conventional machinist vs machinist apprentice overview

	Conventional Machinist	Machinist Apprentice
Yearly salary	$47,624	$37,681
Hourly rate	$22.90	$18.12
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	9,088	21,288
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Conventional machinist vs machinist apprentice salary

Conventional machinists and machinist apprentices have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Conventional Machinist	Machinist Apprentice
Average salary	$47,624	$37,681
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $62,000	Between $30,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between conventional machinist and machinist apprentice education

There are a few differences between a conventional machinist and a machinist apprentice in terms of educational background:

	Conventional Machinist	Machinist Apprentice
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Conventional machinist vs machinist apprentice demographics

Here are the differences between conventional machinists' and machinist apprentices' demographics:

	Conventional Machinist	Machinist Apprentice
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 98.6% Female, 1.4%	Male, 94.9% Female, 5.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between conventional machinist and machinist apprentice duties and responsibilities

Conventional machinist example responsibilities.

Produce various parts according to blueprint specifications using conventional lathes, mills drills, grinders and horizontal and vertical mills.
Machine jigs and fixtures for small electronics assembly.
Attend Fullerton college for CNC machining, Mastercam programing, Solidworks, and Autocad.
Utilize various tools - calipers, micrometers, height gauges, bore gauges, and others gauges.
Machine parts to specifications using machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, broaching machines, shapers, or grinders.
Work closely with management and engineering staff to ensure efficient and safe methods are utilized in producing high quality aerospace components.

Machinist apprentice example responsibilities.

Design and construct intricate EDM electrodes.
Set up and operate Mazak machining centers.
Work with manual lathe, mill and EDM to repair parts for production.
Set up and operate CNC and manual machining equipment for high precision aerospace components.
Develop various forms and procedures to assure the machine shop are operating effectively and maintaining ISO certification.
Use blueprints to create molds using stick and tig welders.

Conventional machinist vs machinist apprentice skills

Common conventional machinist skills

CNC, 13%
Grinders, 10%
Hand Tools, 8%
Calipers, 7%
Drill Press, 6%
Machine Shop, 6%

Common machinist apprentice skills

CNC Lathes, 23%
Grinders, 10%
Hand Tools, 7%
Calipers, 7%
Math, 5%
Drill Press, 4%

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Conventional Machinist
Conventional Machinist vs Machinist Apprentice

Updated January 8, 2025

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