How To Become A Machinist Helper: What It Is and Career Path

What is a machinist helper and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a machinist helper. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.74 an hour? That's $36,897 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 3,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMachinist HelperUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,897

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 6.38%

Black or African American 4.04%

Hispanic or Latino 15.12%

Unknown 3.73%

White 70.21%

Gender

female 3.63%

male 96.37%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a machinist helper

Explore machinist helper education requirements

Most common machinist helper degrees

High School Diploma

51.3 %

Associate

20.4 %

Diploma

12.5 %

Start to develop specific machinist helper skills

Skills	Percentages
Operate CNC	16.40%
Machine Shop	15.76%
Manual Lathes	12.47%
Calipers	12.28%
Safety Procedures	6.78%

Complete relevant machinist helper training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New machinist helpers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a machinist helper based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real machinist helper resumes.

Research machinist helper duties and responsibilities

Fabricate different jigs for valve repair.
Utilize calipers and gauges to ensure quality parts.
Help run machines such as the Komo and HAAS.
Operate machinery to assist in the fabrication and creation of specialize tubing for aerospace companies.

Prepare your machinist helper resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your machinist helper resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a machinist helper resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable machinist helper resume templates

Build a professional machinist helper resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your machinist helper resume.

Apply for machinist helper jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a machinist helper job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do machinist helpers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

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2 stars

1 star

Machinist helper reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

Constant Challenge making each day unique and fun. Not hard physical labor but mentally challenging. Constantly evolving skillset in an industry that is always changing and growing.

Cons

Some places are straight production shops and there will be limited opportunities to grow in them. When you make a mistake it can be huge and cost 10s of thousands of dollars to fix so you are often on edge.