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

What is a machinist mate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average machinist mate salary is $44,530. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an engineering major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a machinist mate. Machinist mates with a EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 3,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMachinist MateUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,530

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 6.31%

Black or African American 3.95%

Hispanic or Latino 14.65%

Unknown 3.73%

White 70.85%

Gender

female 8.08%

male 91.92%

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 mate

Explore machinist mate education requirements

Most common machinist mate degrees

High School Diploma

35.0 %

Bachelor's

34.4 %

Associate

19.9 %

Start to develop specific machinist mate skills

Skills	Percentages
Auxiliary Machinery	7.38%
Air Compressors	7.30%
Engine Room	6.73%
Preventive Maintenance	5.98%
Auxiliary Equipment	5.73%

Complete relevant machinist mate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New machinist mates 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 mate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real machinist mate resumes.

Gain additional machinist mate certifications

Machinist mate certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific machinist mate certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for machinist mates include EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

More About Certifications

Research machinist mate duties and responsibilities

Manage output according to company quality standards and corresponding ISO certification.
Work on F/A-18 aircraft changing, ordering, troubleshooting and replacing parts for the engines.
Maintain refrigerating and air conditioning plants, ventilating blowers, pumps, and machine shop equipment.
Operate and maintain 4 aircraft elevators and 2 hangar bay divisional doors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Prepare your machinist mate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your machinist mate 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 mate 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 mate resume templates

Build a professional machinist mate 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 mate resume.

Apply for machinist mate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a machinist mate 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 mates rate their job?

-/5

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Machinist mate reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

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.